Sure. And flippers in Portland are doing the same exact thing every day, buying up old blighted homes full of trash and flipping them for big profits.RZehr wrote: ↑Fri Sep 08, 2023 7:38 pmThere are indeed ragged parts of Madras. Madras is also the most racially diverse city in Oregon: https://www.homesnacks.com/most-diverse ... in-oregon/ According to https://www.bestplaces.net/people/city/oregon/madras Madras is merely 51% white. Compared with 71% white in Portland.Ken wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:49 pm There are actually crime statistics that one can use to compare various cities. For example, we can do a comparison of Chicago with the small rural town of Madras Oregon (population 7,800) where one of the frequent posters on this site lives and helped found a Menno church. And what do we find? https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1 ... 2=54145250
Well, Chicago has a higher violent crime rate but a lower property crime rate than Madras. Both are above the national average. And I suspect if we talk to someone from Madras they would say "well, that's the bad side of town" which is the same thing anyone from Chicago would say too. And it is probably true. I drive through Madras on occasion on the way to see my daughter in Bend and there are indeed some ragged parts of town. https://www.madraspioneer.com/news/neig ... 028aa.html And it is probably the same exact story. Poverty, addiction, social dysfunction. These things know no boundaries. And the fact that Madras has a Republican mayor and Chicago has a Democratic mayor probably has little to do with the crime rates in either city.
And yet life goes on for those who choose to live in Madras as it does for those who live in Chicago.
I happened to drive by that place in Madras. I would say "That house looks like it is in a pretty decent part of town". There was no garbage around. No feces anywhere in sight. No homeless camps. Seems like the someone took care of the problem. That troublemaker seems to have moved on out, having been arrested on 1/12/2023.
The government seems to have taken action, per your article that says:Incidentally, Yoder is an ex-Mennonite, yes."The new mayor of Madras and Deputy Chief of EMS Mike Lepin stated at the city council meeting “I’ve responded to this house on calls before. I know it’s frustrating, and I know we have a plan but it’s going to take time.”
The plan Lepin mentioned only really began taking shape in the last week after neighbors continued to voice concerns to the police, the city and the district attorney.
“We are working on responding in a new way,” said City Administrator Gus Burril. Burril, Madras Police Director Steve Bartol and Community Development Director Nick Snead recently went out to the property to take photos and are speaking with attorneys, including the district attorney’s office, to identify what they can do.
“We met as a team today to go over an action plan for the community,” said Burril during the January council meeting. “In the next couple weeks, we'll need to figure out what we need to do to get permission to step in. We can't go into details, but we need to go through that process. It’s outside of our authority, but we're going to ask for authority to step in.”
Madras Police arrested the homeowner on Jan. 12, and have tagged multiple vehicles for removal since then.
City Councilor Lamar Yoder, who is also a local realtor, stated at the meeting he also has heard from an investor that is interested in the property. He mentioned the possibility of the house selling at a city council meeting in September when neighbors first voiced concerns to the council. “I have an investor that was interested in that property,” said Yoder. “He came to me earlier this week on Monday and he said that he has an agreement with the owner of the property to purchase the property.”
After selling on 1/27/2023 for $127,500, the house was resold for $299,900 on 3/20/2023 after an extensive refresh, and is now a really nice looking place. Nice yard, green grass, a sprinkler cheerfully watering the yard. Even a new camper onsite. Here are some pictures that look like they were take mid-face lift. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/475- ... 3998_zpid/
This story seems to actually be a story about a city government that actually did put their big boy pants on, and competently dealt with a problem. As opposed to doing the opposite.
My larger point is that blight, crime, addiction, poverty, and social dysfunction are not urban or rural problems. Or red or blue problems. They are American problems.
The partisan glee that some on the right take with pointing fingers at and pretending to be scandalized by news events from cities is mirrored by people on the left doing the SAME EXACT thing. Pointing fingers at and pretending to be scandalized by dysfunction and ignorance they find reported about red rural areas. Left and right twitter is literally full of that stuff and people preaching to their own insular choirs. They are just mirror images of each other. I think the pandemic made it worse actually.
The more interesting and difficult questions are how to we set aside the partisan nonsense and work to make both urban and rural areas better and more healthy places for everyone.