"We have lots of kids growing up on the block, and we don’t want outsiders coming here doing all these things."
Abul Hoque and Mohammad Alam are new neighbors on Carl Street, but share the issue of living next to vacant homes.
Hoque, who called 7 Problem Solvers, said since moving to Carl Street eight years ago he has seen unwanted guests and violence at the home next door including:
- Squatters
- Fights
- Kids breaking in the home
- Drug usage
- Sex
"Someone died in my backyard," said Hoque. He's referring to the July 2017 shooting that Buffalo Police said killed a 20-year-old.
"It's impacting my life, my kids life, and all the other homeowners," said Hoque. "Kids are watching that witnessing that and that’s not what we want on this block."
Across the street Alam is dealing with the same issue.
"I have an 8-year-old he gets scared when he sees this kind of things outside," explained Alam.
He said the house next to his was boarded up a couple weeks ago, but before that he said people were breaking in, drinking on the propetty and throwing garbage. Alam said he paid to clean up their overgrown neglected backyard.
Their Masten Cuncilman is Ulyssess O. Wingo who told 7 Problem Solver Michael Schwartz he has been trying to get legislation passed that would penalize people who don't maintain properties in Buffalo.
"When we can come together, which we've been trying to do, I think that’s when you begin to see a difference," said Wingo.
Wingo said Masten is the only district in the city to have a housing court liason who advocates for residents weekly. He said his office proposed that every duistrict have a housing court liason, but it wasn't approved in the budget. When asked about this, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown did not provide an answer.
For Hoque and Alam, they want to see the houses cleaned up or even demolished for the safety of their kids, and the other children on Carl Street.
