Nightmare in Madison: Progressive Repression

Since it is landlords who will feel the repression and the lash of the Madison whip, tragically, it is unlikely that the city's progressive community will speak up.

A new proposed ordinance allows the city to declare a property a 'chronic nuisance' if it receives three police actions within 90 days or five building code violations within a year. Once a 'chronic nuisance' is declared the owner has 30 days to meet with city officials and develop a plan to rectify the problem. That then sets in motion a range of penalties that include additional fines and even charges for the cost of future police calls.

While recently discussing the problems of crime and poverty in Madison with a city hall insider, I was told there was a plan to make the landlords solve the problem.  Now I understand.

I have no sympathy for landlords who neglect their property or exploit tenants, but it is unconscionable for a city government to expect property owners to solve major societal problems that the city cannot handle:

• This proposal is another admission by city government that it has failed to deal with problems of crime and poverty.
• The notion that citizens are charged for police services to their property is as right- wing as it gets.  It comes from reactionary play-books designed to privatize both police and fire services.

Next you know, the city will require landlords to provide jobs and job training to tenants.

The irony: progressive local governments, bought into the conservative mantra of keeping taxed down. Now they cannot fund justified employment and training programs, adequate public heath, or solid community policing.

Landlords: abandon your property, give the keys to the city and let them manage it. 

Comments

[Xavier]

Perhaps this is just "Chickens Coming Home To Roost" and the Landlords can't blame anyone but themselves for buying "into the conservative mantra of keeping taxed down."

I sense this won't bode well for tenants either.

[jody]

So any family of renters that has "domestic issues" that result in 3 calls to police over a 3 month period have no to choose from being the reason the ENTIRE BUILDING full of tenants feel "consequences" of that family member's calls for help or just basically bear the beating as silently as possible?
Or an elderly person who is seeing "bad stuff" and is scared and wants to call - they should be aware that the meter is running? They might be charged? Their landlord pissed off?

How can this even be legal? Won't it impact a citizen's right to use the protective services they are paying for with taxes? Crime itself will not reduce, but won't crime reporting?
Maybe Madison will become a Crime Island - Evil Doers will hear of the too-frightened-to-report populace and arrive by the vans full.

Pretty progressive stuff.

[jody]

My typing was a bit off there, sorry. Hopefully I was able to convey the concept of a "Report a Crime - Lose your Home" scenario. Sad.