How can I help improve my bad neighborhood? (Cleveland, Brooklyn: renters, insurance)

[Clevelander216]

Originally Posted by RustBeltOptimist

To the OP:

1. Just by moving to that neighborhood you've already started to improve it. You might not realize it, but you've probably reduced the chance that some child in the area gets killed by violence, improved their chances of getting through school and graduating eventually. Take encouragement in that, in the most discouraging places I've lived it's kept me going.

2. Figure out who else is trying to help the community (not the cops, but among your neighbors) and get involved. Step 1 is true whenever somebody from a higher socio-economic background moves into a neighborhood like you've described, but those effects get accelerated if people like you are actually taking an active role in the community rather than just letting the status quo keep control. If it has a good housing stock, chances are there is somebody else there trying to preserve it.

3. There are people around you that are not necessarily trying to improve things, but are still neighborly. Spend time outside if you can and get to know them.

4. If you're there for another year, you'll have to learn to live with the fireworks. You're not going to change that around this time of year. Maybe next year set off a few of your own.

5. Despite the miss on the license plate, the crime you describe seems on the organized end rather than the random or merely opportunistic end. So be careful, but don't be afraid. If you act like a victim, you're a lot more likely to become a victim.

great post! i appreciate the tips

[Cleverfield]

Sorry to hear about the problems you're having. My advice to you would be to see if there's a community block watch, and bring your concerns about the crime up to them. Installing cameras is fine, but even better (and cheaper) would be deterrents, such as home alarm signs, or a dog in the yard (if you're allowed to own one) or at least a beware of dog sign. As far as the trash situation, I live in an urban area as well, North Collinwood, and it's a problem here too. I just try to keep my property clean, and hope that my neighbors follow my example, which they seem to. They were leaving trash on one side of my house, and next to my garage. I go out on the weekend with gloves and a plastic bag, and pick it up. I think they've seen me doing it, because since then, it hasn't been as bad, but it's still a continuous battle. As for the potholes, you can contact the Cleveland Public Works Dept. (216.664.2485), and tell them exactly where they are, and they will come out and fill them within a couple of weeks.

I also think that working on improving the appearance of your own place helps to improve the neighborhood. If people see that people take pride in where they live, they're less likely to try and trash it. And really, it's the most significant thing you can do to improve the neighborhood that's within your control. I'm talking about things like planting some flowers and keeping the grass cut and bushes trimmed. Another thing you can do is get to know your neighbors. Yeah, some of them might be "thugs", but there are certainly some decent people on the street. Talk to them and get the dish on the neighborhood (who's friendly, who to avoid, how they deal with the crime, etc.). In dangerous urban areas there really is strength in a tight knit community.

I know I'm rambling a bit, but I'll leave you with an example. There's a street on the border of Cleveland and East Cleveland called Castlewood. Now this street is in one of the most dangerous, run down areas of Cleveland. But the street itself is pristine. The grass on most of the houses is cut, the bushes are trimmed, there are flowers in the yards, houses are painted, and all the people I talked to there confirmed that it was a nice street. This was not the work of individuals acting alone. It was a concerted effort by the residents there to take care of their neighborhood. If everyone takes care of their little piece, gets to know their neighbors, and gets them involved too, together, it makes a strong, desirable community. I encourage you, rather than to just take a defensive approach of only calling the police for the criminal actions, to take a proactive approach of getting to know people, and doing what we're told not to -- Gossip -- so you can stand up to the crime together, and look out for each other.

[Clevelander216]

awesome post cleverfield. you always come through! my landlord said he is evicting my downstairs neighbors (the culprit of most of the problems) soon, so that means I will be able to actually start taking care of the outer appearance of the house soon. i've already tried picking up the trash out of my yard and alley way, but it soon reappears.

[Cleverfield]

Nice! As I said, with the trash thing, it's a continuous battle, but I figure I can't control what other people do, but I can control what's on my property, so that's where I focus. One more thing. As for the loud music, it's called disturbing the peace, and you are perfectly entitled, and encouraged to call the police about it. If you don't want to do that though, another solution which I discovered in college is earplugs . Good luck!

[averysgore]

This certainly won't solve all your problems, but there's the Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office:

https://www.facebook.com/SCFBCCommun...elopmentOffice

At the very least, you should find some like-minded people who want to improve the community.

[freemkt]

My eternal question: How does someone improve their bad neighborhood without getting priced out in the process?

[JR_C]

Armstrong, here's an inspirational story about a guy in Youngstown, who found himself in a situation similar to yours:
Most Intriguing: Big Jim London Has Big Impact | Business Journal Daily

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by cruxan

I would harvest the weed they are growing on you're property, dry and smoke it


but leave them a few buds of weed, they were nice enough to leave you half a prescription..

LMAO....yeah his neighbors aren't so terrible after all.

I think all has been said already...if you live in a shabby neighborhood with otherwise good people, you can make a difference. But you can't do much when trashy people are the majority, rather than one bad house on an otherwise good block.
edit: good news on the eviction, perhaps it will be worth sticking out since your landlord seems to want to make you happy there.

[Cleverfield]

Originally Posted by freemkt

My eternal question: How does someone improve their bad neighborhood without getting priced out in the process?

Easy: buy, don't rent.

[SquareBetterThanAll]

Originally Posted by Cleverfield

Easy: buy, don't rent.

Short term solution, but depending on the rate of escalation of values, people can get priced out of their neighborhood based on taxes alone.

Perhaps more of a hot market issue as opposed to a NE Ohio issue, but it happens.