The State of the Neighborhood.

Yesterday as I was strolling through the neighborhood I was quite pleased with what I saw: several of my neighbors were working on their lawns or tinkering on their houses--pounding nails, painting, sweeping etc. It made me feel that many of my neighbors take pride in their houses and really care about this neighborhood. It gave me a sense of hope that this neighborhood can become great if we each do our part. I also thought to myself, what a shame it is that some derelict property owners continue to disgrace our neighborhood with an utter lack of civic ethics. Over the course of four years, PRIDE has ascertained that the root cause of neighborhood decay isn't due to the fact that some homeowners can't afford a quart of paint or a box of nails(because generally the homeowner does what he can with the little income he has to keep his property up), but it's the greedy landlord-- the property owner that owns twenty or fifty houses in Jamestown but lives in Ohio or Lakewood that's disgracing Jamestown neighborhoods. A little upkeep, a little paint and lawn maintenance subtracts from the bottom line. I said to my neighbor that day, let's not get pushed out of our homes by greedy individuals who disdain Jamestown. In an effort to fight back, the next blog entries will identify these derelict properties and the respective owners.