Colleen McCain Nelson: A high-profile clean sweep

If city can sustain its PR push, struggling crime-infested neighborhoods may see improvement yet

09:39 AM CST on Wednesday, January 23, 2008

With a few City Council colleagues, a small army of police officers and a media mob looking on, the mayor was determined to get his guy.

In dramatic fashion, the city of Dallas launched an innovative effort Friday to rid downtrodden neighborhoods of drug houses. And as city employees and reporters whispered about whether the mayor was wearing a bullet-resistant vest (he wasn't), Mr. Leppert personally went after lousy landlords.

Too bad no one answered the door.

But the property owner in question – Charles Stewart – was quickly located, and the made-for-TV moment on Maryland Avenue was salvaged.

This was hands-on governance in the extreme. But it sent the right message to southern Dallas neighborhoods: The bad guys aren't going to win.

With Mr. Leppert and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway leading the charge, the city finally is getting serious about the problems caused by absentee landlords and their ramshackle properties.

"I'm Tom Leppert," the mayor told the bewildered Mr. Stewart. "We need your help cleaning some of these up."

The soft-spoken property owner barely had time to deny any wrongdoing before the traveling road show moved on. After all, Mr. Stewart wasn't the star of this production. The rotting house he rents out was.

Two blocks over on Ewing Avenue, a city of Dallas lectern was set in front of the crumbling cottage with the caved-in roof. Chickens roamed the back yard as elected officials and Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle explained that this was the start of a sustained effort.

The curious neighbors who were gathering across the street quickly saw this for what it was – an event that was tailor-made for the 10 o'clock news.

But they also viewed this as a glimmer of hope.

Some had called the police to complain about Mr. Stewart's property, only to be accosted later by drug dealers warning them to back off. Neighbors had witnessed up to 10 tenants at a time squeezing into the 952-square-foot house with no running water. And all considered the trashed-out structure a drag on the neighborhood.

As the mayor, the police chief, council members, city employees and police officers descended upon their street, some other homeowners were persuaded that things might be changing.

"It sends a signal," said one neighbor, who didn't want to give his name. "We've got to take control of them before they take control of us."

Police have been trying to rein in this property for some time, issuing at least 12 drug-related citations there during the last year. But new tenants just cycled in. And, according to the city, Mr. Stewart continued to stop by each week to collect 40 bucks from whomever happened to be living there at the time.

Now, city attorneys are seeking restraining orders against problem properties – the first step in a civil process aimed at shutting down "smoke houses" and other safe havens for drug dealers and their customers.

Of course, this could have been accomplished quietly, without the mayor or major media outlets.

But this wasn't just about getting good publicity. This was an aggressive, in-your-face approach, akin to bringing a bullhorn into the neighborhood and shouting from the rooftops. City leaders put drug dealers and complicit landlords on notice.

And in the process, they might have convinced some law-abiding folks not to give up on this east Oak Cliff neighborhood or other struggling southern sector areas.

"People are seeing this," said Mr. Caraway, who represents the area. "They begin to believe."

As we caravanned from one drug house to the next, I began to believe that our new (and we hope improved) City Council might actually begin to lift up some of the neighborhoods that for decades have been dragged down by drugs, crime and code violations. But as is usually the case, follow-through will determine success.

This was a good first step. But to make inroads, the city must replicate this effort dozens and dozens of times – and when the cameras aren't rolling.

Colleen McCain Nelson is a Dallas Morning News editorial writer.

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