http://renovatedsm.com/taxonomy/term/13 Comments for "News and Action" en http://renovatedsm.com/node/59#comment-15 <p>I am President of the River Bend Association and was asked to reply to your question. First, I'm very pleased that you have fallen in love with one of the neighborhood houses. There are many folks who felt the same and have bought and rehabbed wonderful old houses here. I am one of them! Second, River Bend generally has a lower rate of crime than surrounding neighborhoods. However, that continues to be a challenging issue for us. Last summer was definitely not good. We are fortunate to have a new Chief of Police who has become very involved in improving neighborhood/law relations. Last summer she formed the Neighborhood Enforcement Strike Force (NEST) which had a huge impact on crime in our neighborhood and other neighborhoods. We have been told that a similar initiative will be launched this spring and summer. We have also been told that a new vice and narcotics patrol unit is being formed and will start this summer. This will be an evening patrol for the whole city, and it has been many years since such a unit was part of the police force. </p> <p>We also strongly believe that landlords who are indifferent to the activities of their tenants are contributing factors to crime. In the last two years we have successfully sued landlords to hold them responsible for the criminal and nuisance activities of their tenants. We are getting the message out that landlords cannot just collect rent without being held accountable.</p> <p>Lastly, we cannot do any of these things without the committed participation of members of our association. We have a strong organization and we do our best to address the concerns of the neighborhood.</p> <p>I would be happy to put you in touch with other residents to get their perspectives. Thanks very much for your interest in River Bend.</p> <p>Jeanne Johnson</p> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:56:22 -0700 Anonymous comment 15 at http://renovatedsm.com http://renovatedsm.com/node/59#comment-14 <p>Do any of you live in this neighborhood? I'm afraid I've fallen in love with a house... right by the corner the man was shot last summer. It seems that there is slow improvement there-- can anyone give any comments?<br /> Feel free to contact me directly.</p> Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:18:24 -0700 Pamlyn comment 14 at http://renovatedsm.com