FINISH STORY ON TENANT ACCOUNTABILITY

On Aug. 12, the Quad-City Times published a story ("Crime calls soaring at
Courtland") about the number of police calls at the Courtland Apartments.
The Quad-Cities Rental Property Association, or Q.C.R.P.A., found several
inaccuracies that need to be clarified and rebutted.

The article states, "Just who to contact is one of the problems at the
complex that has been a source of a steady stream of complaints about drug
dealing, violence and other crimes."

The Q.C.R.P.A. had no trouble contacting a representative of The
Partnership for Affordable Housing, owners of the Courtland Apartments.
City housing officials Greg Hoover and Mike Farris said at the Aug. 9
Public Safety Subcommittee meeting that they and the owners were in contact
on a daily basis and the owners were in an ongoing effort to hire a local
manager.

Second, the article details the number of calls to the building but not one
word about arrests, indictments or convictions. The city blames the lack of
on-site management for the problems. City attorney Tom Warner is quoted as
saying, "There has been enough crime going on there that the nuisance
abatement is going to happen. But there has been such turmoil there with
the management. There hasn't been anyone to plug into." Therefore, as soon
as a manager is found, the city is waiting to charge him for all past and
future crimes.

Third, Alderman At-Large Bill Sherwood is quoted as saying, "If there is a
way to do it, we should bill the owner for not doing the things they should
be doing." Is it the owner's job to arrest the drug dealers, stop the
violence and somehow stop all crimes being committed at or around the
Courtland?

Fourth, did you know that once evicted, tenants can apply for up to $500 in
relocation assistance from the city and an additional $500 in relocation
assistance from the state. Let's put this into perspective. The owner, who
is working to rectify the situation, is charged. The manager is charged.
The building is closed. The drug dealers get $1,000 and move on to destroy
yet another building in Davenport. Great system!

In 1998, the Q.C.R.P.A. began a campaign to hold tenants accountable for
their own actions. Iowa law, Section 562A, requires tenants be held
responsible for their own actions. The Q.C.R.P.A. wants the city to pass an
ordinance to mirror the state law. We have worked hard for three years to
get the aldermen to consider such an ordinance.

Immediately preceding the Aug. 9 discussion of the Courtland Apartments,
there was finally a vote on tenant accountability proposed by Alderman
George Nickolas. The Public Safety Committee voted it down. City staff
literally lined up to talk against it. Mike Farris, manager of the city's
housing inspection program, acknowledged his staff was not enforcing the
tenant accountability ordinances. Farris complained about all the time that
he and his staff would need to spend in court. Sherwood said he did not
want the city to take over the job of the landlords. Yet he seems to have
no trouble billing the landlords for not doing the job of the police. In
the end, Nickolas voted yes, Alderman Steve Ahrens, Sherwood and Roland
Caldwell voted no.

Let's relocate the problem tenants to jail and leave the good tenants who
live in the Courtland alone.

The Times story states there were 681 police calls to the Courtland in the
last 19 months. If half of the calls resulted in an arrest, half of the
arrests results in an indictment, half the indictments resulted in
convictions and all of the convictions resulted in jail sentences, 85
people would not be continuing to cause problems at the Courtland. Tell us
that would not make a difference.

We believe the police are doing their job, but just how hard are the city,
county and state attorney's office working to indict and convict these
people? Just how hard are the judges on those convicted?

Quad-City Times, you have just started the story. Please finish it.