Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Calling landlords into action

Landlords and Springfield citizens met with Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont Jon Ophardt, along with police and town officials Tuesday to discuss action against opioid use and trafficking, especially in rental properties.

www.eagletimes.com

www.rutlandherald.com

www.houstonchronicle.com

15 comments :

  1. so why didn't they use the government to take the house the school district bought,could of saved some money

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  2. There also needs to be community awareness of where to turn when friends or family become drug users. I have been down the road of seeing a loved one using drugs, and feeling powerless to find help for them. Ultimately, this individual seems to have (at least for now) gotten back on track, but I'm left wondering what I could have done better to facilitate that return to "normal". And what will I do if there is another detour in the road.

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    Replies
    1. Simple, instead of getting the monkey off (their) back with possible a prison sentence, lock in room, tie to bed, be there by their side 24 7, a few weeks and their on the way to possibly not going to prison (or worse). Don't reply that takes to much time (to save a life)?...like saying the nicotine patch is to expensive compared to a carton of butts at $60.00. Get tough. Time for cold turkey, hey just remembered got some in the fridge.

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    2. Philip Caron12/2/16, 9:44 AM

      Forced rehab does not work. The change occurs by volition in the user's mind.

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    3. chuck gregory12/2/16, 4:38 PM

      Absolutely, Philip~~

      Here's Dr. Gabor Mate's summation of that:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCzXbsGAXiI

      Delete
  3. It's about time to hold landlords accountable. Were it not for them giving addicts and dealers safe heaven, the drug problem would vanish. Mandatory drug testing, criminal background checks, and requiring EVERYONE who lives there be on the lease and undergo them, are PEFECTLY LEGAL, as are criminal and civil penalties for landlord who rent to dealers and other criminals. Stiff fines and jail time for slumlords will, if enforced, make them get rid of the criminals, or get out of the business.

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  4. How about holding the people that have been running the town for years while it descended into the abyss accountable? The police chief and selectmen that have been helpless in preventing the deterioration while the town burned. The town has been hell bent on preventing self-dependent businesses from operating in Springfield. You want to fix the town instead of blaming the land lords? Throw the bums out. I am not talking about just the druggies and dealers. Throw the town management out.

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    Replies
    1. chuck gregory12/5/16, 8:42 AM

      We are still very much in the grip of the shop-town mentality: One of the shop workers told me that in the old days when a floor supervisor switched his choice of service clubs (say, from the Elks to the Moose), everybody on the floor would also switch. In the waning days of Precision Valley, I asked a young worker if that was still the practice, he said, "No, but we have a name for it: Brown-nosing."

      A shop-town mentality makes a person believe that there's supposed to be somebody else, not him, to handle the problem, because, hey, that's what my supervisor does-- or is suppose to do. That mindset also makes the person feel entitled to complain when nothing is done-- hence, Anonymous comments on this blog.

      And finally, the rape of Precision Valley was not common in industrial America at the time, so we really were unprepared to prevent it. It would be nice if we took steps to keep that from happening again, but as one of our candidates said of Springfield's now-biggest employer, "The owners would never sell it." The very next week, they sold it.

      The new owners could sell it to Unilever, and we could lose it. But we could put safeguards in place.

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    2. Chuck, you are making assumptions (far-reaching assumptions) on faulty data. The group-service-club-change phenomenon was neither common nor anywhere near 100% when it did occur. What does that do to your 'shop-town mentality?'

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    3. Chuck, brown-nosing aside, one of the better books I've read on professional development is, Swim With The Sharks. In it the author details that winners promote and surround themselves with subordinates sharing their goals and interests.

      The author cites a successful example of a faceless, young, manager spending thousands to join an exclusive health club frequented by senior mgmt. In my case it was an up scale gentleman's club. It's good to be king!

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    4. chuck gregory12/5/16, 9:13 PM

      Good point, Machinist! But for every winner, there are a thousand lackeys-- and, judging from the Anonymous complaints found on this site, they stayed in Springfield when the sharks left with Precision Valley.

      Delete
  5. Totally agree 8:12. Landlords have some responsibility, but when the town does nothing to encourage economic growth and development-this is what happens. Look at how many properties are for sale. I for one would leave in a heartbeat if I could. This town thrives on human services. I blame the town management,police and local reps in Montpelier who have watched this town deteriorate. Slumlords are everywhere. But it is supply and demand, since Springfield is in demand they provide housing. It isn't rocket science. So many houses get sold, cut up and rented. What is sad is we live where there are opportunities to have industry and accessible to 91 and 89 and Springfield has totally wasted it.

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  6. Would someone please explain how they think the police have made things worse?

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    Replies
    1. Not responding to numerous complaints from the community regarding drug use. Lack of leadership. Need to have new blood to help facilitate solutions. I know many people, including myself that are property owners who have witnessed numerous drugs deals and have been victims if theft and report it. Nothing happens. How many robberies has Springfield seen over the last few months, I can't believe that the only one that was solved was because the idiot was driving a known stolen ATV that is bright yellow. It was the community, not the PD that helped apprend the guys.

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    2. Ask the town manager and selectboard about the issues that were brought to them about the PD administration. Many of the cops on the street have ideas to be more effective, those ideas fall on deaf ears and those cops are ostracized for not getting along. It has been going on for the last 10+ years. Frustrated cops leave, the administration doubles down on their ways, or a knee jerk reaction happens (foot patrols, lunch with a cop, crime mapping, cameras down town...) Ineffective leadership, leads to ineffective cops, which leads to crime, which leads to property values dropping, which leads to blight and more crime

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