Fighting Crime in River Bend
The Des Moines Register has published an in-depth story of River Bend neighborhood residents' fight to reduce crime.
Troubled by the high number of renters and multi-family homes in the area, Jenison said her association has lobbied for zoning changes.
"We would like to swing the balance over more toward homeowners because of the investment they make," Jenison said. "Homeowners are vested in the neighborhood."
The article says that the neighborhood association is interested in exploring zoning changes to promote de-densifying apartments into single family homes. Home owners provide who invest sweat and money in property improvements tend to be more involved in neighborhood organizations over time. A long-term resident population can certainly be a stabilizing neighborhood influence.
Improving the physical environment (renovation, property maintenance, infrastructure, and amenities) is one means of influencing outside perception. "Outsiders" typically have two primary sources of information about a neighborhood: what they see when they drive through and what they see on the news. River Bend residents are attempting to deal with both aspects of neighborhood perception in substantial and meaningful ways. Sustainable community development involves negotiating the inevitable conflict between providing affordable housing and services for a diverse population while also seeking to raise property values and increase home ownership.
River Bend
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?
Feel free to contact me directly.
River Bend
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jeanne Johnson