Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Making a fuss gets things done

I noted on a previous post that in recent months we have been finding syringes and other drug taking paraphenalia in the doorway of the building we leave in. In the last few weeks this has got worse as several times Mrs Velkyal and myself have come home and the junkies have been in the doorway quite openly and casually shooting up. Yesterday I came home at 17.30 and there they were, quite openly filling their veins with crap. So as usual I rang the police, they came, moved them on and when an hour later I went to meet Mrs Velkyal, there they were loitering on the street. Just after I called the police, I sent our landlord a message to let him know.

A major part of the problem has been the herna bar on the ground floor of the building - a herna bar is basically a pub with slot machines which is usually open 24/7. Just yesterday I was discussing with Mrs Velkyal and a couple of other residents that we could get a petition raised of residents to have the bar shut down, or look into getting their licence revoked on public safety grounds.

Three or four hours later I received a message from the landlord to say, thank you for calling the police, that he knew the situation was bad and that he had cancelled the herna bar's rental contract. So hopefully in a month or two the place will be closed down and the problem solved.

The closing of the herna bar is also an opportunity, unfortunately not one I can take because of our plans to cross the Atlantic. We live in an area which is enjoying a lot of inward investment, with the main railway station being renovated, new businesses moving into the area and of course the large number of tourists in the area. Thus for someone with a little nouse and the intention to set up a higher quality establishment, this soon to be vacant bar space would be an excellent investment.

But today I am just enjoying the fact that making a fuss gets things done, rather than meakly sitting in the corner saying "but what can I do"? I am also enjoying the fact that we have a really fantastic landlord who takes on board the concerns of his tenants.

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