The truth about the school city's debt.

Plenty of police calls in other areas of the city, though.

Robin Banks wrote:

Plenty of police calls in other areas of the city, though.

The cockroaches have a tendancy to scatter when the heat is on, or their nests are disturbed.

thin the heard!

Tiger1 wrote:

Robin Banks wrote:

Plenty of police calls in other areas of the city, though.

The cockroaches have a tendancy to scatter when the heat is on, or their nests are disturbed.

That's true, but they are still there and eventually come back and do their damage.

So, why would one choose an area full of gangs and drugs, as described by Sparks, as a location for a school?

Robin Banks wrote:

Tiger1 wrote:

Robin Banks wrote:

Plenty of police calls in other areas of the city, though.

The cockroaches have a tendancy to scatter when the heat is on, or their nests are disturbed.

That's true, but they are still there and eventually come back and do their damage.

So, why would one choose an area full of gangs and drugs, as described by Sparks, as a location for a school?

Ever hear of "urban gentrification"? There are many areas in Chicago that have benefited from what Sparks proposed. The Cabrini Green neighborhood is a perfect example.

Cabrini Green is condos, not a school.

Because of demograhics....it's close to IL; E.C., why change things?

That's the point, though, it won't change things, no matter where you build it. The gangs already have Hammond by the well, you know.

Robin Banks wrote:

Cabrini Green is condos, not a school.

Geez, Cabrini-Green was just on the news this a.m. Busted for shitz-load of drugs...what the heck?

Condos or schools, doesn't matter where you plant a damn new high school in Hammond. The reputation is so bad, you won't need one in a few years, except to baby-sit kids.

Robin Banks wrote:

Cabrini Green is condos, not a school.

Whether it's a school or housing it's still redevelopment.

UrRight wrote:

Robin Banks wrote:

Cabrini Green is condos, not a school.

Geez, Cabrini-Green was just on the news this a.m. Busted for shitz-load of drugs...what the heck?

That was a case from 2 years ago that just got adjudicated.

sparks wrote:

There was a gentleman at a school board meeting last summer who owned one of the 47 properties in the footprint of the new high school. He wanted to know when the school city was going to buy his home. With all the drugs,gangs and abandoned homes in that area, he knows the only way he will receive a good price is if the school city buys it. I'm sure most of those property owners will welcome offers for their homes.

Then he will have to eat a huge loss, since the school can only pay what the average of 3 appraisals states the property is worth.

And considering he is so adament on the school buying the house, it looks like he has had his house on the market for awhile and realizes that no one wants to buy a house in Hammond right now

Hell, I am looking to buy yet another house right now, but I am not looking in North Lake County, instead I am looking towards the southern part of the county and Porter and LaPorte Counties, because not only would I get a good chunk of land to go with what I am looking at, but the crime rate is lower as well

it is lower till all those bad renters decide to move south to get away from the crime. you'll see what I mean!

voter3 wrote:

it is lower till all those bad renters decide to move south to get away from the crime. you'll see what I mean!

Really, its just renters causing the crimes in Hammond then?

I guess the people who rent my house in hammond are criminals, even though they hold steady jobs and have never had the police called to the residence or been late with the rent at all in the time they rented from me right?

So nice of you to paint every renter a criminal Voter. Nice attitude to have there.

No wonder Hammond has the issues it has, its people like you that ruin cities

Mike,I think what Voter meant is that a much higher percentage of renters commit crimes versus homeowners. I certainly think so.

Mike there ARE some good renters. We had 2 of them on our street, one in an apartment, and one in a house. Both families were clean, neat, respectfull, and never caused any problems. One family had to move out of their apartment and with other family, because of health problems. The other family, were evicted by the mortgage company, because even though they paid their rent on time every month, their landlord was not making the mortgage payments. That family absolutely didn't want to move, and tried negotiating with the mortgage company, to no avail. So, the house has been empty since last year, and is on the market for 1/2 of the mortgage balance.

voter3 wrote:

it is lower till all those bad renters decide to move south to get away from the crime. you'll see what I mean!

dont try to read between the lines Mike. they are coming and it is just a matter of time!

sparks wrote:

Robin Banks wrote:

Are you suggesting that bulldozers will chase out the drugs and gangs?

It worked pretty well with River Parks Apts. There hasn't been a police call in over a year now.

That is beause it is still VACANT. Duh, Sparks - unless I am wrong, what TOOK ITS PLACE that required a police call? Even when you catch a THIEF, bring him/her in, the cops won't prosecute...they tell you to take him home so the "prosecutors" can call.

Do I sound mad? Damn right, I do. You haven't been through what I have been through. Hammond wants "Neighborhood Watch," yet, there is NO NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH. The cops don't care; I know from experience. Hammond is a waste of time when it comes to caring. All the cops care about is citizens' doing the "work" for them, presenting evidence, then they sudedenly, "forget". Get in line with "the other 7,400 residents that have been ripped off; your case is just as important...." Yes, important enough for me to leave. Enjoy. The court is a kangaroo court. That is all I need to tell you. The lawyer will spell it out for the rest of the cops. It's a gigantic joke in the City of Hammond when it comes to being professional and efficient. I've never in my life experienced a court of law like I did in Hammond...with "REFEREES". Excuse me?

Bitter enough to abandon the house.

UrRight, I appreciate and understand your frustration.

Tiger1 wrote:

UrRight, I appreciate and understand your frustration.

Tiger, I tried. I tried with all my heart, and I got burned. They drove me out of my own home. I will fight back, not for my home; it's safe with my child. Grown up kid. I will fight for equal rights, for the behind the times, ways of the court. For the court being wrong in conducting themselves in the way they do.

It was not professional, not consistent with Federal laws; from there, I will go forward, cuz, I have nothing to lose. I still have my home, not in my name, but I have a job ahead: change the way the court / city courtm, federal regulations not being followed in regards to city court, the back-wards way of the cops, the out-dated system of how they handle simple tickets that turn into nightmares for law-abiding citizens, the fight to transfer your disabilities without being subjected to doctors that don't know anything but pregnant 15 year olds and being immigrants, having more rights than a woman of 55 that worked her way to owning a home, that doesn't have equal access to health care, demanding me to go without medication that would kill me - that is not transferable to allow me to live a few miles east abnd give my whole life up for what? To give away a little two bedroom slate home, because they treat me like I'm a god blessed criminal? For what? Owning a little freaking house equivalent to a rental? To keep it up, I get punished? I tried so hard to get my healthcare in Indiana, AND I got shit on as a property owner, forcing me to quit deed my house. I got tramped on by the cops while my house got robbed, the house got robbed next door. It was like
HO hum....

It is like it was acceptable to the police. I did everything - I did all the investigations, I knew two weeks after the break-in the family moved out. What struck me was, it took a shot at the chief of police to get ahold of him through the NorthwestIndiana.com. I had to write there, and warn them I did not want to be published. I just wanted access to him. I went in the cop station at least three or four times with the boxes, hoping they would check out the fingerprints, the pawn shops, and asked to speak to the assistant police chief, the chief, anyone. I was directed out of the police station.

I no longer felt safe at home, with my hearing aid out at night. I left in January, I think I went there one time or twice to pick the mail up for my son. I have not succeeded in my two year endeavor to transfer my disability(disabilities) heart conditions, whatever, it does not matter. I will not give up my doctor for a house to die in without my doctor. All I can do is keep sending letters to Indiana,....President Idiot, telling them my life can't be confined by state boundaries. Hell, for once I would like to go somewere, a trip to California while my daughter is back there in May, to visit for whatever, and not worry about running out of medicine.
What is really sad is...Indiana SUCKS when it comes to transferring people from other states that want to live there, have the history of heart disease, whatever, and they want you to apply for medicaid/medicare, going without your medicine, risking your health, and deny, deny and deny.

It's no wonder that the gov in Indiana claims we (or you,) at this point is in surplus,....they don't want the older ones on Medicaid/Medicare, nor do they have jobs to offer to allow you a reason to go that way.
There's a surplus downstate and I want everyone to know...don't even think about moving to Indiana.
Think about your health, first. They suck in Indiana...they don't even allow you an appt. You are greeted with someone saying, "OHHHHHH, you don't want to move here; keep your address in ILLINOIS". Which is what got nme in trouble - staying legal, visiting my once home, signed over to my son.

I live in and out of my car, now. My pit stops are relative homes. Especially when cops pull me over and I'm American. Visiting a Mexicano store for a can of soup, having to visit court twice cuz they don't know their shitza from the hole in the ground. Referee?" Reported. Clerk telling a referee something the interpretor said was just "plain wrong!" Priceless. No CART to record, no court secretary! Wow, what a whopper to report to the FEDS. You idiots at City Court have no clue since 1976 what the laws of court are. You are WAY behind, and I will do my best to bring it updated. You already have about three federal violations, make it four....disobeying the ADA laws. Then will reign in the rest. Referees? Hilarious!!! Asking a CLERK what the hell is going on...A CLERK telling a REFEREE, not a JUDGE...long way to go, and wow...I can't wait.

It sucks, just like Obama does to America. Reality sets in. It was no problem with the house; it was not being able to transfer over SS, Indiana wants BABIES and YOUNG GIRLS/kids and according to a reputable court person I met, they kick the elderly off the roles.

Thanks. But, no thanks.

I'm 55, feel 35; I'm not gonna sit in a house and act like "this is it!"

I'll eventually return, only with security....in the house. Until Hammond gets their crap straight, I'll stick the security sign up, and that's it.

Wow UR - don't know where you lived in Hammond but not in my area apparently. We do have a neighborhood watch and we do have bi-monthly meetings and we do send out newsletters, etc. But it took the neighbors banding together to get it moving. I did NOT expect the city to make it happen, I expected the neighbors to make it happen and it did.

As far as the police, once again, sorry if you find that they don't care. Been in my neighborhood now since 1993, and for the most part, they have always responded quickly. I have never seen where they asked any citizens to do the police's job. The house across the street got broken into and they came out immediately and my neighbor told me that the police were very respectful and helpful. In fact, they stayed around to talk to a few of us afterwards about what we should watch for and what we should be doing to reduce the risks for break-ins. We had asked the police to please patrol the alley where we live because we get a lot of kids walking thru and occasionally messing with property. Now I always see them driving down the alley.

Yes my area has problems, but the neighbors here do not put up with any crap from troublemakers and it has gotten better once some of the problem makers realized it was not going to be tolerated. United we stand. Sorry you didn't find your neighbors felt the same way. The more the neighbors band together and take control, the better chance you have to make a difference. Is it utopia? No way, but I can't seem to find utopia anywhere on this planet.

With two retired cops (one facing 173rd and one facing the corner alley, next street over), on ACTIVE cop, directly behind me, one neighbor on a corner witnessing it, I got no where. That made me more afraid than living in an urban, rural neighborhood.

Of course they saw the burglarly. One corner neighborhood saw the hood there, in broad daylight. Except the cops send the letter to the neighbor next door, whom was never home. The guy that witnessed it, refused to comply with a statement I asked the neighbor next door to forward to him, since he witnessed the kids.

She apparently didn't care; she abandoned her own home. I am stuck with a house that she intends to rent, that looks like a pc. of crap out of E.C.

The point is, I hired the kid to rake, he broke in at exactly NOON, after I asked several neighbors when exactly my back window got busted into. The fact is, I turned in evidence, I had the kid confess, willing to turn in his buddies, but NO ONE cop would get involved. They "had to call the prosecutor's office".

Excuse me. My train of thought without a degree in criminal investigation is, once you find the culpret, willing to confess because he voluntarily confessed, willing to nominate the two guys, and show the cops on a Saturday afternoon, no cop reigned him in. Intead, they kept saying, "I can't arrest him". Because of my hearing, I insisted the cop question the stupid IQ of a chimp to show where my stuff was, turn the other two guys in, show the cops where they lived. Instead, again, I guess that cup of coffee and donut was more important.

All they did was LIE when I emailed the chief. As if they did all the investigating. I already knew what they told me and already USED their tactics, driving that little beast around. bluffing him. They were more than 6 weeks late in tellng me what I already did and don/learned.

Neighborhood Crime watch is useless when it comes to Hammond cops. I did their job for them. So, we still have three criminals, capable of breaking in your home betwen 9 a.m. and noon, walking down a street/ alley with a hamper of games. beer., and controlled medicine.

Makes you wonder how many other crimes they got away with, when the Hammond cops don't step up to the plate; your retired cops, one active didn't see a damn thing, or don't answer their door. Yet, they were the first to repor no address numbers on the garage, and even before I moved in, had reported a garage three days after being a homeowner, to fix or demolish it. I wish there was a crime for them for acting like they never saw anyone ripping a screen, tearin a window down, busting other windows, wiping me out, right outside their backyard patio windows, where they eat breakfast and lunch.

Guess they would rather I had not bought the eyesore on the street. Bunch of idiots.