Midlo East in court for code violations

Does anybody have the specific details about the hearing? time and place? I can definitly be there.

If any of you are able to, please come out and support ridding our neighborhood of this hazard. Unfortunately, my work will not permit me to be there.

I will also be there.

I realize that it is in the middle of the day and impossible for many of you to attend, but if you have a flex work schedule like myself, or are free, please come and testify to the conditions of this terrible property. Even thought this may not be on your block, It is important to support your surrounding neighbors and their problems with blight- their blight is our blight!

This complex has been a problem for as long as I have lived here, and finally we may see some kind of justice concerning negligent property owners.

If you are planning to attend make sure to leave your cell phone behind. They aren’t allowed in the courtroom and you will be turned away if you have one.

This was a big disappointment. We had four neighbors show up in court though three got there a little late and two others never found the courtroom because I gave the wrong address. (sorry) The hearing was uneventful and frustrating. The property owner was being cited for trash violations from tires and other debris that were dumped on his property two months ago. The judge did not allow the city to call any witnesses (a property maintenance inspector and me a homeowner) and ruled that the the owner is required to appear in court again in two weeks (2/20) and have no code violations on his property over the two week period. Because the owner removed the trash a few days before the hearing he was not fined. What a joke. This is the same court system that fined the owner $100 for failing to cut his grass for six months making it more economical to break the law and hurt the neighborhood than to hire someone to maintain his property. No wonder Richmond has such a problem with blight. We spoke with the city attorney and the property owner afterwards which made for an interesting conversation. Laura Daab really gave it to the owner. It was fun to watch. I think NBC 12 On Your Side found out about the hearing from this site and had a reporter and camera crew there but I didn’t see them. I think the owner was interviewed and a neighbor saw a camera crew filming the apartments earlier in the day. I never saw anything on the news.
The owner of the Midlo East intends to rehab his property and has had permits since last spring though little has been done. He seems to be focused on one unit and as I understand it he plans to do a piecemeal rehab, occupying an apartment as it’s completed and keeping the rest of the property boarded up. It’s taken three years to get to this point and if he continues at this rate the work should be complete in 2034. The owner has a terrible track record of maintaining his property when vacant and I’m not expecting things to get better if they are ever occupied. Illegal dumping isn’t the only issue either. Last winter people were living in the buildings and smoking crack and nothing was done. Scavengers removed the aluminum siding and copper electrical wire and nothing was done. Someone was raped in one of the units last spring and nothing was done. What will it take?