TheNeighbor

Summer 2013

The 3rd Wards voice of

choice.

Volume 1, Issue 2

Third Ward Groups Make Progress Toward Rental Property Regulation

he Mayors Rental Property Task Force was created under Mayor Gaulrapps administration to propose a solution to unsafe conditions in some rental properties in the City of Freeport. The Task Force is a group of about 20 members with representatives of city council, banks, nonprofit organizations, and landlords. Neighborhood organizations CAPS and Neighbors United each have two representatives in the group. After the first meeting, the group voted that the top three problems with rental properties are bad physical conditions, lack of enforcement and follow-through with property inspections, and lack of accountability for owners who dont keep up their properties. In a presentation to the group, John Menke, the citys only building inspector, made it clear that the city needs to put more staff and resources toward enforcing building codes to ensure that buildings are safe for families to live in. Several members of the Task Force also argue that we need to first improve the appearance of Freeport by focusing on the exteriors of buildings, rather than prioritizing interior inspections. The Rental Property Task Force faces a big challenge. Rental properties have been deteriorating for years with little action from the city and the community. Many tenants are in a position where theyre afraid to speak out about poor living conditions, and some landlords, knowing they can get away with poor upkeep of their properties, do a minimal amount of work. Sheila Fane, a member of Neighbors United and a tenant in a rental unit on Prospect Terrace, is standing up for her rights by serving

on the Task Force and giving the group a tenants point of view. The Task Force agrees that many landlords in Freeport are good and do their jobs well, and tenants often create problems, too. Its the bad landlords that create a need for regulation and who hurt the business for everyone else. And its time for that to change. Within the next couple of months, the Rental Property Task Force will recommend a course of action that the City should take to fix the long-standing problems with unsafe, unregulated rental properties. Neighbors United believes that this recommendation should require landlords to register with the City of Free-

port, and that it should have the City perform more inspections of rental propertiesand increase staffing and funding so that more inspections and enforcement of codes is possible. Community groups Neighbors United and CAPS have been campaigning for Rental Property Regulation for a few months. Weve made progress, but our fight is not over. The Task Force continues to meet at City Hall and soon theyll give a proposal to City Council. Members of the community need to show up to City Council meetings (see dates below) to show our representatives that we care about the safety and appearance of our neighborhoods, and we need rental property regulation.

N .U. Members discuss their rental property campaign and upcoming projects at their bi-monthly meeting.

Whats Happening
July 1 July 2-3 July 3 July 9 July 10 July 17 Freeport City Council Meeting @ City Hall @ 6p Carroll Ave Garden Project @ S Carroll Ave @ 1p-5p Neighbors United Bi-Monthly Meeting @ FACC @ 5p Freeport Commitee of the Whole Meeting @ City Hall @ 6p Rental Property Task Force Meeting @ City Hall @ 3p Neighbors United Bi-Monthly Meeting @ FACC @ 6p

Youth Create Art at Hip-Hop Studio University

During a series of community recorded songs. Poet Christopher Sims It was fun and learning experience meetings at FACC last fall, caring resienjoyed working with the group, and to have helped make it happen organidents voiced the need for more youth sees potential in the program. cally, says Sims. Once more youth get activities in the Third Ward, involved, it will be a big asset particularly for high-school to the community in Freeport. aged youth and young adults. FACC wants to continue to The King Center on Libuse our location and resources erty Avenue offers a variety of to benefit our communitys programming that benefits youth. But we need community youth and families, but their members, local artists, and programs can only reach so youth to be involved. many kids. FACC hoped to The performing arts center reach out to more youth has great potential. What we through Hip-Hop Studio Unineed is local musicians, dancversity, a ten-week program ers, and performing artists who that let youth explore their want to develop and lead proskills as writers and to use grams, says FACC director high-quality studio recording Dean Wright. equipment. If you are interested in joinEach week, the young ing the movement to bring more participants learned about spoyouth programs to the 3rd Ward, ken word, rap, and writing contact Neighbors United at from guest artists from Rock815.233.0435 ext 5 or by email Local youth write and perform their own spoken word poetry ford, and two young artists at jackiefacc@aeroinc.net.

The Art of Hip-Hop

at Hip-Hop Studio University at FACC.

Neighbors United: Past, Present, and Future

When third ward resident Scott Bentz saw a chance to help improve his neighborhood after a series of shootings last fall, he jumped at the chance to take action. I joined because wanted to be able to make a difference, he says. Neighbors United is like community organizations in other cities: we find a problem that needs to be addressed like unsafe streets, vacant buildings, or bad landlords. Then we come up with a campaign and organize to make change, or to demand change from those in power. To be successful, community residents need to come out in large numbers to take action and show their support. One person can only do so much, but if a lot of people get involved, the city will know were not playing around, said Bentz. Our city officials will only feel pressure to make the changes we ask for if they see that residents careas long as we stay silent, our neighborhoods will continue to be neglected. Now that we have momentum, we need to keep it up, to keep taking care of our neighborhoods, showing up to city council meetings, and holding our city leaders accountable. You dont need to give a whole lot of time to make a difference in your neighborhood and your city. Neighbors United meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month do discuss the issues and plan campaigns. But if you cant commit to bimonthly meetings, we also need people to show up at important City Council meetings, and to take action in other ways. We can contact you when we need residents to take action, and just an hour or two of your time could make a huge difference. You might not be able to give a lot of time, says Bentz, but every little bit helps. Its hard, especially being a single parent, but you have to do what you can. More people in the third ward need to become part of the solution. We wont know what works until we try. For more information please contact Neighbors United at 815.233.0435 ext. 5

Join Us!

Neighbors United and CAPS have exciting neighborhood projects coming up, and we need you to be involved! Here are the details:

Carroll Street Garden When: July 1st-July 3rd What: Transforming an abandoned lot into a community garden. Who: Everyone is welcome no experience necessary! Prospect Terrace Cleanup When: July 13th What: Join your neighbors in beautifying the Prospect Terrace area in the Third Ward Who: Everyone is welcome to help!
Call (815) 233-0435 ext. 5 for more info or to sign up!

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Com m unity Police H ope to Build Trust w ith Third Ward Resid ents
Trust between the third ward commuCole. says. nity and the Freeport Police Department Coles friend Terrance Plunkett Plenty of Third Ward residents, has not been great in recent years. Part of agrees, adding, Theyre quick to give though, have responded positively. the reason is that, when police officers you a ticket for spitting on the ground, Most of the people Ive talked to are just drive through the neighborhood in but arent there when theres a problem pleased about it, says Third Ward Aldersquad cars, theyre man Ronnie Bush. They not interacting with think something should have and building relabeen done a long time ago. tionships with resiAnd after just a month of dents. patrolling the streets by For the past bike, Wainman and Krieger month, officers are starting to see a differCraig Wainman and ence. Tim Krieger have Even with just two of been patrolling the us, people are saying how Third Ward by bike much better things are. Its a in Freeports revived result of a collaborative efCommunity Policing fort...part of it is our inprogram. Craig creased presence, part of it Wainman was a is our work contacting landCommunity Policing lords and the fire and build(COPS) officer ing inspectors when we have when three officers problems in buildings. patrolled the Third Over time, they hope to Ward by bike beginadd more officers to Comning in the 1990s. munity Policing. Wainman We had a strong said he hopes that, over community connectime, people will feel that tion then, says they have more control Officers Craig Wainman and Tim Krieger have been patrolling the Third Ward over their neighborWainman. by bike for the past month as part of Community Oriented Policing Services. Residents in the hoodand that a neighborhood saw neighborhood safety us as their officers. that needs to be dealt with. group could emerge as it did in the past. The program ended eight years ago Cole says he understands the purpose People consider us more part of the when federal grant funding ran out. of community policing, thoughso does neighborhood; were not just zipping Newly-elected Mayor Gitz has dedicated Wanda Ford, a resident whos also had through on squad cars, says Wainman. two officers to the program because of its negative experiences with police in the With the dedicated help of residents, the effectiveness in the past, and because past. Shes skeptical of community policCommunity Policing program could mean residents have expressed desire for the ing, but I hope it has a good impact, she a safer neighborhood in years to come. program. Eight years after the program ended, theres a greater sense of disorder and lawlessness in the neighborhood, in part because people know that police will just drive by and keep going instead of directly addressing issues with residents. The Junior Police Academy is a week long program designed to reach out to With the current program, Wainman area youth and inspire good citizenship through criminal justice education. It and Krieger talk to residents to get acconsists of a series of classes and discussions from 9am-4pm each day, from quainted with whos in the neighborhood July 22-26, 2013 for 9th-12th graders. There is no cost to anyone who enrolls. and to strengthen relationships and trust. GOALS: However, because of the history of

Freeport Police Department JUNIOR POLICE ACADEMY

mistrust between residents and the police, some residents need to see more positive results with policing overall if theyre going to embrace the program. Last night we called because we heard gunshots, and it took them 40 minutes to get here, says resident Andre

To encourage young citizens to be partners in building safer schools and communities.

To develop relationships between youth and police in order to establish a safer community.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO APPLY CALL: Officer JoLynn Sanders (815) 232-0420

Freeport Area Church Cooperative 514 S. Chicago Ave. Freeport, IL

815.233.0435 p 815.232.7260 f jackiefacc@aeroinc.net

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Freeport, IL Permit No. 46

Neighbors United
1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month

Third Ward Alderman Ronnie Bush says that, without the pressure from a few in the Third Ward group JOIN THE MOVEMENT citizens Neighbors United, intersections in the Third and Fifth wards would not be seeing the improvements in street lighting that theyre seeing today. Crews from ComEd have already begun to replace outdated streetlights with brighter high pressure sodium lights, beginning in Third Ward and Fifth Ward intersections that have recently seen increases in crime. Neighbors United first brought the issue up to City Council back in March, presentNeighbors United an organization ing an analysis of street lighting in several working to create positive change in Third Ward neighborhoods. If residents Freeport through community involve- hadnt spoken out about the need to imment, brainstorming, planning, and prove street lighting in the Third Ward as a public safety measure, it may not have mobilization. been addressed at all. For more information call 815-233-0435 According to Alderman Bush, It ext. 5, or email jackiefacc@aeroinc.net really helps out when people show up.

(July 3rd and 17th) 5pm @ FACC 514 S Chicago Ave

Neighbors United Secure Street Lighting Victory

MAYOR JIM GITZ 815.235.8200

1st WARD ALDERMAN TOM KLEMM 815.233-1245 2nd WARD ALDERMAN SHAWN BOLDT 815.297.9115 3rd WARD ALDERMAN RONNIE BUSH 815.238.8530 4th WARD ALDERMAN JENNIE DEVINE 815.235.2381 5th WARD ALDERMAN DENNIS ENDRESS 815.238.6875 6th WARD ALDERMAN SCOTT HELMS 815.232.2776 7th WARD ALDERMAN MIKE KOESTER 815.238.4958 ALDERMAN AT LARGE ANDREW CRUTCHFIELD 815.231.6861 NEIGHBORS UNITED/FACC 815.233-0435 ext 5