Evicting Their Demons

NEIGHBOURS CHEER AS CRACK ADDICTS TOSSED OUT ON STREET

Area residents rejoiced yesterday as they watched 15 drug addicts
being thrown out of two King Edward Ave. crackhouses.

"What a wonderful day. You can see this by the number of people
standing on their porches watching," said neighbour Chris Grinham,
35.

An eviction order for 187-189 King Edward Ave. was issued just before
9 a.m. by a sheriff who was accompanied by Ottawa police officers.

Twelve people were booted out of unit 189, a three-bedroom apartment,
many of them shouting at the assembled news media.

One woman asked if she could have her confiscated crack pipe
returned.

Three people were removed from the other unit.

Police had been trying to shut down both apartments since January
after a flow of complaints from neighbours since November.

Refused to Leave

"We have a lot of children in this neighbourhood and it feels good
that they can walk around the neighbourhood now and we don't have to
worry," said Grinham.

A couple of weeks ago, police officers testified at a tenant tribunal
about heavy drug activity occurring in both units.

An eviction notice was issued and the tenants were given 11 days to
leave but they refused.

Then police had to convince the landlord to fork over $340 per unit
needed to have a sheriff come and evict the tenants, which is required
by the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act.

On Friday, the landlord was to pay the $680 but initially said he
didn't have the money. He eventually paid the fee to have the tenants
removed but under protest.

Unfair Having to Pay

"I don't think I should pay. I think the community should. If the
police want them out the police should ... or waive the fees," said
George Taza, who bought the units more than a year ago and acts as the
property manager.

"Things were happening behind my back. I didn't know.

"We are very friendly with the police. We want the law to take its
action. We don't like to have any drug dealers or drug users in my
apartments," said Taza, 60.

Relief

Police said shutting down the houses doesn't really fix anything as
most of the addicts will just move to another location, but it does
give the community the relief for which they've been looking.

"Crackhouses are transient in nature," said Sgt. Paul Johnston. As we
shut them down, they reopen. We've actually seen them move across the
street.

"This had to be done because the community could only take so much."