To the editors:
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The issues aren’t whether or not Merel’s buildings have enough Dumpsters, or people hanging out, or trash accumulation per se. It’s community standards. Instead of having a photo of Joe Moore trying to look tough, a picture of one of Merel’s buildings side-by-side with a better managed building would have given readers outside of Rogers Park a better idea of what’s going on. Merel’s not the only owner who doesn’t occupy one of his own buildings, and thinks “good enough” is OK. Their attitude seems to be that because we all choose to live in a racially and economically diverse neighborhood, this disrespect by wealthier, absentee, investor-property owners is what we deserve.
The landlords don’t care about their tenants engaging in antisocial activities as long as the rent is paid. While nobody expects the landlords to make their tenants into model citizens, they can cooperate more with tenants expressing an interest in being responsible neighbors, and they can also tell their less interested tenants what kinds of behaviors will not be tolerated. They can encourage recycling, plant gardens (and hire community residents to tend them), and ask tenants how they make their rent money if they’re not employed (we have many self-employed people who file tax returns, and public-aid recipients who volunteer on community improvement projects).
