Weed out criminals in C.R. neighborhoods

By Tara Farris

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I am a longtime resident of Iowa and have resided in the Wellington Heights area of Cedar Rapids for almost five years. I had a son in October, and I am growing more concerned with his safety as well as that of my husband and myself. I hear gunfire often in my neighborhood and I grow fearful that a stray or intentional bullet will come through my home.

In September, as I was leaving my house for work, I caught a young man sitting on a bike directly in front of my porch. He looked at me, then looked over to the side of my porch. I walked over and was shocked and angered to see another man trying to enter my side gate into my backyard. Then I saw a third man standing on the corner of Bever Avenue and 19th Street, as a lookout. They all took off on bicycles in different directions. I got into my truck and turned north onto 18th Street SE, where I saw the same three black men riding bikes together in the same direction. My husband, two weeks earlier, had the same experience with the same three.

We found out later that the three I caught casing my home had robbed our next-door neighbor a month earlier and were still on the streets. A week after the incident at my home, they attempted to rob the same neighbor again. That neighbor informed us that one of the three lived within two blocks of our homes.

I chose my house because the area is full of beautiful houses. It is rich in history and the houses contain amazing wood fixtures, antique light fixtures, claw-footed bathtubs and stained-glass windows. I love my house and have been working hard on it to give it back the glamour it would have had 100 years ago when it was built.

But the neighborhood now is no place to raise my son, and we are going to move out of Cedar Rapids as soon as we can sell the house. It is no longer a safe community.

Many stories I read in The Gazette reference that many of the criminals invading the neighborhood are from Chicago. Many people who no longer qualify for public assistance in Illinois/Chicago are moving into Iowa where qualifying for such programs is easier.

When you apply for a job in Iowa, nearly every employer requires that you pass a drug screening. So why not require applicants for public assistance to take the same testing?

Would it not save money for taxpayers and the state if public assistance had stricter requirements and weeded out those who do not deserve help?

Also in Wellington Heights are many houses that have been converted into multiple-family dwellings. This allows a haven for gangs and other people who engage in robbery, drugs and prostitution. Many of my neighbors and I feel that this is directly related to the low-income homes and multifamily houses.

We want a law requiring landlords to be directly responsible for their tenants. Also, the historical district guidelines should be enforced by the city. It would turn multifamily houses back into single-family homes, and the area would see a drastic change.

I am appealing to the leaders of Cedar Rapids and the state. This is not just an issue for the police. The problem is deeper than that. Our public officials must solve this problem before more gang riots occur, before more people are shot and killed.

Stop focusing on traffic cameras, a hotel the city does not need and where your new offices will be. Focus on your citizens and their safety.

Tara Farris is a Cedar Rapids resident and is an administrative assistant with Iowa Health System. Comments: taraco23@yahoo.com