Fourth Ward, Look West residents clean house and help curb crime
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Former Madison resident Nathan Bussan stands outside 182 S. Jackson St. in Janesville's Fourth Ward. The work Bussan is doing is a great example of how things are getting better in near-downtown Janesville, neighborhood committee spokesman Burdette Erickson said. The building was cut into three apartments that housed gang members, drug dealers and tenants who threw trash out the windows, Erickson said. Bussan bought the home in August 2010 and has stripped it inside and out. Bussan is just one of a recent influx of people who are "'moving in and buying our worst Victorian homes to renovate them,' Erickson said. 'I remember the first time it happened. Now it happens so often we can't count,' he said.
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Burdette Erickson
JANESVILLE — In 1998, a small group of inner city Janesville neighbors took an oath.
"Either the drug dealers go, or we go."
At that time, Burdette Erickson could look out his front door and point to seven houses he knew were drug houses. Cars idled four deep in the street, and people lined the sidewalks in front of drug houses "as if it was a wake," Erickson said.
Today, Erickson can sit on his big front porch and see nothing more exciting along the 100 block of South High Street than the stately pair of lions guarding his steps.
"I can sit on my porch and not see anyone for 30 minutes," Erickson said. "It used to be like downtown Chicago."
Erickson and his neighbors in Janesville's Fourth Ward neighborhood as well as some in the nearby Look West neighborhood are pleased with the noticeable reduction in drug traffic in their neighborhoods. They attribute much of the change to hard work by the Janesville Police Department and dedication among neighbors.
The changes don't appear to be anecdotal. Police in 2010 were dispatched to fewer calls in both neighborhoods, according to department data.
In 2010, police were called 4,629 times for service in the Fourth Ward, according to the data. That's an 18.7 percent reduction in calls from 5,692 calls in 2008.
Precise data for Look West was not available because police patrol areas do not neatly fit into the boundaries of the neighborhood. In the neighborhood's southern half—bounded by Court Street on the south, Oakhill Avenue on the west, Mineral Point Avenue on the north and the railroad tracks on the east—police were called 2,861 times in 2010. That's down 6.5 percent from than 3,060 calls in 2008.
In both neighborhoods, 2008 was the year with the most calls for service between 2006 and 2010, according to the data.
'It would be blatant'
Heidi Holden remembers when you could walk by and see drug deals at Washington Park in the Look West neighborhood.
"They were right out on the street," said Holden, a member of the Neighborhood Action Team that works in both neighborhoods. "It would be blatant. You could walk around the block and see the deals happening."
"You just don't see that anymore."
Neighbors see less foot traffic in and out of drug houses, a reduction in vandalism and fewer unsupervised kids out and about after dark, Holden said. Like Erickson, she attributes much of the change to the police department and the hard work of neighbors.
"When we call with our suspicions, when we say, 'This is what's going on, this is what we've seen,' they're being very proactive," Holden said. "And it's going away."
Look West neighbors this month started a neighborhood watch with the help of police, said Dale Hicks, a Look West resident who owns rental properties in both neighborhoods.
Hicks said even the acts of passing out fliers and holding the meeting have had a positive impact on the neighborhood. So has sharing information about suspected crimes with police.
Drug dealers don't want to be involved in a neighborhood that's proactive, he said.
Dedication and determination
It's been decades since a small group of dedicated neighbors took an oath in Erickson's basement to force crime out of the Fourth Ward.
They are not an organized neighborhood watch group but a handful of people who work together to lead the neighborhood efforts. They manage information from a net of more than 250 people who keep an eye on drug trafficking and other criminal activity in the Fourth Ward.
"Nothing happens down here but what many, many people know about it," Erickson said.
Such dedication has come at a price, he said.
"We have 10 people that are the most dedicated people in the world," Erickson said. "Nearly all of us have been threatened in some way. It has made us more determined that we will win and the drug dealers will lose."
Erickson remembers the first time he heard that someone from another city had moved into an old Fourth Ward home with plans to restore the building. It was so monumental he and the other committee members visited the new neighbor to ask, "Why?"
It was the same reason Erickson ignored his real estate agent's advice and moved into the Fourth Ward more than 20 years ago.
"I wanted the house," Erickson said.
Now, it's happening so often Erickson can't keep track. Families and individuals are moving in and restoring the neighborhood house by house. Families already living in the neighborhood are doing renovations on the outsides of their houses, he said.
One of the buyers is the city of Janesville, which has spent nearly $2 million buying and renovating or demolishing some of the worst houses in the city.
Kelly Lee is a neighborhood development specialist for the city. Among other things, she works with contractors to restore the city-owned homes. Attractive, well maintained neighborhoods deter crime, Lee said.
"You talk about broken window syndrome," Lee said. "If one window gets broken, it's contagious. We hope the rehabilitation is contagious."
Affordable housing certainly hasn't hurt the effort," Erickson said.
"The downturn in the economy has really helped us," he said.
'The way it's supposed to be'
The police department's job is to keep that momentum going, Police Chief Dave Moore said.
It's no secret Janesville has been struggling economically for the last few years, Moore said. Eventually, things will improve, and more businesses will look for places to expand, Moore said.
They might consider Janesville as long as the community maintains its reputation as being safe for families, he said. That's why the department has focused on the Fourth Ward and Look West neighborhoods for several years, Moore said.
The city will be judged on its ability to keep those two neighborhoods safe, he said. People will perceive the crime rate for the entire city based on the crime rates in Look West and Fourth Ward, Moore said.
"We've got great schools, a beautiful community and beautiful parks," Moore said. "We see the police department's role is to keep the community safe. If Janesville remains safe, the jobs and citizens will come. If we don't keep Janesville safe, jobs and people will go somewhere else."
The department patrols all the neighborhoods in the city but pays special attention to the two inner-city neighborhoods that historically have a high number of poorly maintained rental properties and a history of street crime, Moore said.
In addition to extra patrols, police work closely with landlords, the city's code enforcement office, its public works department and with neighbors to keep a handle on things, he said. One officer oversees enforcement of the city's chronic nuisance ordinance, which focuses on houses with repeat offenses.
The extra focus is paying off, Erickson said.
Earlier this month, Erickson took two walks around the Fourth Ward. Each time he walked with a different neighbor.
"The most surprising thing we saw was that we didn't see one thing that disturbed us," Erickson said. "This is the way it's supposed to be."
To learn more
If you would like to participate in the Neighborhood Action Team, which promotes safety and positive events in the Fourth Ward and Look West neighborhoods, call Kelly Lee at (608) 755-3052.
If you are interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch group with your neighbors, the Janesville Police Department can help. Call (608) 755-3100.
Oct 27, 2011 at 10:12 a.m.
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The person working for Nathan was actually living at that house, Nathan let him stay there while the guy worked on the house.
Oct 26, 2011 at 12:07 p.m.
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The Fourth Ward of Janesville used to be "like downtown Chicago"? That's more than a tad delusional.
Oct 26, 2011 at 10:55 a.m.
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Thankyou for your input Jnsvlhousewife. I don't know who did what--maybe Shelterman does. The point I take from what I witnessed is that it was a big deal, and usually police "raid" a location where a crime is committed, not a criminals employer--unless, ofcourse, the employer is involved (Nathan is still around so I'm assuming it's the latter). Either way, it's bad.
Oct 26, 2011 at 10:21 a.m.
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The "raid" on Nathans house was for someone working for him, not for Nathan.
Oct 25, 2011 at 6:17 p.m.
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The whole suburb of Janesville should be renamed "Gothamville." That used to be Rockford, IL. They all came up here. They took the heat in the 4th ward, and moved uptown. WAIT, no they didn't, just more of them moved in and took over. Beloit had no more room.
Oct 25, 2011 at 5:12 p.m.
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Excuse me, I misread. That was you, Frogger, that mentioned calling--an effective tool, no question. My point remains.
Oct 25, 2011 at 4:59 p.m.
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Yes, Frogger. I remember that. Police enforcement practically surrounded the block--and that house was the target. I wouldn't be surprised if Erickson's group has some influence on what makes the paper, when it concerns the Fourth Ward. I've been pretty convinced they have a good handle on which code violations are addressed, as that has something to do with calls recieved. Look at what Jnsvlhouswife wrote about making phone calls. While it's certainly not a crime, when you have an organized group of people making calls about designated issues you have to credit them with the calculated effect, as well as, acknowledge that they regulate to some degree, the call volume for any given period. So, I think using a statistic that they have some control over to measure their own success is somewhat unfair. As a responsible, law-abiding citizen who has the privelage of keeping a clean and attractive home, it's becoming difficult to live in a neighborhood where you're constantly reminded that "a dedicated few" own the place.
Oct 25, 2011 at 3:23 p.m.
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*Ill stop talking about it when the federal govt stops wasting trillions of dollars and valuable lives on pointless, fruitless conflicts, while we have high local unemployment,and high local crime rates. They are all RELATED, whether you like it or not!!*
The federal government is empowered by the Constitution to provide for the common defense. It has no power to intervene in the economy at large or in the microcosm of your little burgh/county/state. Furthermore, we live in a capitalist nation--ours is not a command economy.
No one in, say, Maine, cares whether or not you let your own neighborhood go to seed by electing horrid local leaders who waste your LOCAL tax money on folly. It is neither their business nor their concern. Further, money should not be confiscated from other citizens to fix the problems YOU created by your poor choice of representatives.
I'm not sure why this concept is so difficult for some people to understand.
Oct 25, 2011 at 9:27 a.m.
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shelterman- please explain better. You are saying Nate has been busted in on?
Oct 25, 2011 at 8:37 a.m.
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Nate seems like a nice guy, but he he did something that makes drug dealers seem harmless, and if thats your shining example, you don't have a clue about what's going on!! His house was raided by more special crimes units than I have ever seen in the Fourth Ward--battering rams and full gear police with shift command units!!! How could the "informed few" or the Gazette miss this. You hypocrites! Shame on your boasting. Do yourselves a favor, Sell your homes and leave my neighborhood!!!!
Oct 24, 2011 at 7:35 p.m.
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Some years ago we lived in the Look West district. Early 80's and 90's. The house across the street was a drug house. Cars came and went at all times of the day and night and a van from Illinois would show up and trash bags full (maybe pot) were unloaded. We were on a major intersection where school kids walked. I offered our tv room to the police. The reply I got was: "If we bust him and not his supplier the shop will move and it will take us 6 months to locate the new drug house"
This was 30 years ago. Janesville has had a problem for a long time. The attitude really has not changed and the court system is still to lax in regard to charging the individuals.
I applaud neighborhoods trying to get their neighborhood back. We also renovated our Italianate house, lots of money even back then. $30,000 and 10 years later we sold it and made $2,000 on it. The Realtor made more than we did. Janesville needs to be more proactive and less complacent about the drug problem in Janesville.
Oct 24, 2011 at 6:09 p.m.
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Is Burdette Erickson the same guy that did all those ammusement park commercials?
Oct 24, 2011 at 6:08 p.m.
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I'm not familiar with the area. Is this just a matter of moving the problem elsewhere?
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Yes. Currently, it's right off of Milton Avenue in the Benton area. There's a lot of cheap historic bungalows there for slumlords to buy and ruin.
Oct 24, 2011 at 5:50 p.m.
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lovemycountry, thanks, I do appreciate it.
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I'm tickled this went off on a tangent about 19th century architecture. As frogger eventually determined, yes, Victorian is a broad category, just because Queen Victoria had such a long reign. Italianate was just one of the styles popular during that period. The photographed house is an excellent example of a wood-frame Italianate, which is the same style that the Tallman House used, although with more expensive brick construction. The Fourth Ward and Look West neighborhoods actually kept growing into the 20th century, sometimes with infill as side lots were sold, so there is a very diverse mix of historic homes in both neighborhoods. You can pretty much find almost any style you prefer. The houses are one of the main reasons some of us love this neighborhood despite its drawbacks.
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BigJbias, be assured, we in the neighborhood know the difference between kids playing or adults quietly visiting and a drug house. We have a lot of experience, unfortunately, and there's a pretty predictable checklist of behaviors.
Oct 24, 2011 at 5:09 p.m.
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excellent Vato! Amazing how we agree when its not talking about schools.
You want to separate the two like apples and oranges, kinda like Herman Cain wants to implement a new 9% federal sales tax on everyone!! WHat a great Idea, he says apples and Oranges too, but if everyone pays for both apples and oranges then why can't we compare?
Very similar argument to be made on Trade, the federal government keeps making terrible trade deals that affect millions of middle class Americans everywhere, yet unless our local officials make a deal with Mexico its not fodder for discussion?
Ill stop talking about it when the federal govt stops wasting trillions of dollars and valuable lives on pointless, fruitless conflicts, while we have high local unemployment,and high local crime rates. They are all RELATED, whether you like it or not!!
Oct 24, 2011 at 4:23 p.m.
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jvlhousewife- keep on calling that is how. Yes there are lots of calls for that area. Just keep calling. The druggies or beaters will get tired of the police coming and hopefully leave Janesville or straighten up.
Oct 24, 2011 at 2:53 p.m.
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janesvillean - thank you for helping making our community a better place.
@no - tax dollars at all levels is still our money. We elect the people who decide how much of and where our money will be sent.
Oct 24, 2011 at 2:26 p.m.
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*We can spend 1 billion dollars to help oust Gaddafi (and billions to rebuild Iraq and Afganistan) but we can't clean up the gangs or heavy duty drug dealers in our neighborhoods?*
Oy, vey, not this again.
Common national defense: federal power & money.
Local police force: city/county power & money.
Oct 24, 2011 at 2:05 p.m.
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@fly_on_the_wall yeah I noticed the 2 addresses as well. Which is basically what this article is about isn't it, People who bring drugs into these two areas of town? You take information that is public, use it in a constructive way and the Gazette treats you as if you have done something wrong when it was them you got the info from. One word, WOW! Does anyone remember the article about a week ago where Police and special units were running a sting operation up and down the city part of Center Ave. and ended up with ended up in tons of citations and I think 50 arrests, most of which were drug related? I applaud the police for putting their time in to take care of these problems, now it's time for the courts to step up and do the right thing.
Oct 24, 2011 at 1:56 p.m.
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Mr. Erickson has nothing against kids out playng, I beleive when he says that they saw nothing that disturbed them he means that they didn't see any drug deals, no fights in the streets, no people yelling obsenities, these are all things (and more)that we used to see in the neighborhood and have not been seeing lately. I think he was trying to point out that it is a very family friendly neighborhood now. My husband I moved to the neighborhood over 14 years ago with our 1 year old son and we had a few problems that left us feeling that we needed to get out of the neighborhood, Mr. Erickson is the main reason we have stayed to raise our 2 boys, and he showed us how to fight the drug dealers and other "bad people", we all work together to have a safe neighborhood. As part of the Old 4th ward Committee I would like to make sure people know that we are not out to get rid of people we don't like in the neighborhood, we are after the people that make us feel unsafe in our own homes and the people that can't seem to live by the rules.
Oct 24, 2011 at 1:40 p.m.
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Haha I love how fast the second part of my comment was removed. The gazette must have been worried about being liable for the information I put. For those who didn't get to read it, I randomly picked a person from 10-23-11 public records section of the Gazette and ran their name against Wisconsin Circuit Court Access which anyone can do from their own home. I believe this particular person had 10-12 entries which 5-6 were pretty severe charges. The point I was attempting to make with that is those are charges a person like me, who has never been arrested or charged with anything, would expect to get in a lot of trouble over. But apparently this person was let off very easily every single time because there was constant charges being entered from 1999-2011. The person I chose just happened to be arrested for possession of Heroin and had a 4th Ward Address as their most recent offense. Look at Janesvillean’s stats on prisoner %. I fully believe that the reason you have that kind of stat is because you are not tough enough on crime the first time. The Courts look at it as your first offense and go easy on you, then after awhile you almost become business acquaintances because you see each other so much and it's hard to punish an acquaintance. Taking me back to my first comment, if something is not done too greatly resolve the drug problems in this city, state, country, you will start to see vigilante mobs out there taking care of the drug problems themselves and if they do I will be the first one to shake their hand for a job well done because it was the system that failed those honest citizens. I hope my comment isn't removed this time because I have the instincts of a boxer. Every swing you take at me, the harder I'm going to punch back.
Oct 24, 2011 at 1:07 p.m.
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It is a pleasure to see postings on a story that are mostly hopeful and interesting, versus negative political philosophy discussions.
I am also a person who grew up in the Fourth Ward from 1968-1986. The best part? The people I met who remain life long friends today.
Oct 24, 2011 at 12:38 p.m.
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Sarahb1- that sounds about right" the Victorian Era"
The Victorian era is generally agreed to stretch through the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). It was a tremendously exciting period when many artistic styles, literary schools, as well as, social, political and religious movements flourished
Styles conceived in the Victorian era
Jacobethan (1830–70 the precursor to the Queen Anne style)
Renaissance Revival (1840–90)
Neo-Grec (1845–65)
Romanesque Revival
Second Empire (1855–80; originated in France)
Queen Anne (1870–1910)
Scots Baronial (predominantly Scotland)
British Arts and Crafts movement (1880–1910)
[edit] Other styles popularized during the period
While not uniquely Victorian, and part of revivals that began before the era, these styles are strongly associated with the 19th century due to the large number of examples that were erected during that period. Victorian architecture usually has many intricate window frames inspired by the famous architect Elliot Rae.
Gothic Revival
Italianate
Neoclassicism
Oct 24, 2011 at 11:35 a.m.
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We can spend 1 billion dollars to help oust Gaddafi (and billions to rebuild Iraq and Afganistan) but we can't clean up the gangs or heavy duty drug dealers in our neighborhoods?
Oct 24, 2011 at 11:26 a.m.
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I would have to assume he meant "ruckas" walking by. I like when people walk by, say hello, and talk about the flowers or what ever. Sometimes I say hello to passerbyers and they just look at you funny. Say hello back DUH. Maybe I should text hello to them?!
Oct 24, 2011 at 11:06 a.m.
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Congratulations to Erickson's group of oath-takers from 1998. I'm sure they have put alot of time and effort into seeing specific changes in their neighborhood, and I don't doubt that they have something to do with the "calm" they now report. The thing that bothers me a little about this group every time I read about them in the paper is that it seems like they want the look of quaint upscale society of days gone by without the people and kids running around. To Burdette Erickson (I don't know him, just observing his comments) more than a couple people in front of a house looks like a wake. He measures the success of his program by being able to sit on his front porch "and not see anyone for 30 minutes". And "the way it's supposed to be" is that he can walk around the neighborhood and "[not] see one thing that disturbed [him]." There are so many wonderful outreaches to children that come into the fourth ward. This is the old part of town, with old structures and alot of affordable housing for low income people. When someone has a desire to help people in need, they know where to go. I don't hear that desire coming from this group. It sounds more like they want to sanitize the view from their picture windows so they don't have to be touched at all by the tragedy and stench of the people that exist around them. Yet, at some point, they chose to move into the Fourth ward.
Oct 24, 2011 at 11:02 a.m.
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I'm not familiar with the area. Is this just a matter of moving the problem elsewhere?
Oct 24, 2011 at 10:43 a.m.
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""'moving in and buying our worst Victorian homes to renovate them,"
I think there are more Victorian than Italianate so they were just speaking in general terms. They should have used the word "historic homes"
Oct 24, 2011 at 10:42 a.m.
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The Fourth Ward has the potential to be the most interesting neighborhood in the city. I'd love to see it happen.
Oct 24, 2011 at 10:25 a.m.
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tpaine- I would call it Italinate. My house is Italiante but on the assesment the city calls it Victorian.
Victorian can be "stick Victorian" just simple and not very ornate but I agree this looks Italinate.
I am glad they are trying to fix up these areas.
Those police calls- holy crap- seems like alot. Ave of 13 calls a night just in one area. WOW.
It would help as Lemke said if people would stop beating up each other.
Oct 24, 2011 at 8:49 a.m.
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it's the "broken window theory"
also to the gazette writer the house is not a victorian although, it was built in the era.
Oct 24, 2011 at 8:32 a.m.
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fbcoach66- Ok, let me explain it in a way thats more easily understood...
Do you see a half-dozen houses burn to the ground before people have to "get together" to get the fire dept. to start putting them out before the fires get that far?
Now, I'm not placing "blame" on any particular person, group, policemen, etc., but do you get the point?
Oct 24, 2011 at 8:13 a.m.
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Maybe I'm looking at the map wrong, but what appears to be Milwaukee St. is labelled Court St.
Oct 24, 2011 at 2:41 a.m.
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As some of you know or remember from my postings, I live in the Fourth Ward. In fact I can look out my window right now and see a drug house. Still, things have definitely improved -- I measure from Memorial Day to Labor Day, more or less, and this year was one of the quietest that I can remember since the 1990s. Not just criminal calls, but fires, ambulances, and other issues. So there has definitely been an improvement, although I attribute this as much to the economy as anything else. Somehow, the unemployment rate around here has meant that a lot of people cleared out, seemingly a lot of people with criminal records and unsavory habits (and apparently, closer ties to some other city, such as Rockford or Milwaukee), leaving the people who are committed to the community a chance to reclaim it. It's a strange upside of the bad economy.
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Still, I knew some maroon would come in here and say that the problem is people not being sent to jail enough. The United States is home to 5% of the world's population, but 25% of its prisoners. We send more people to jail for longer sentences than any other country on the planet, and yet we still have people saying jail sentences need to be longer. What more proof do you need that PRISON IS NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM?!
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Fortunately we have a very successful drug court in Rock County, a program being studied by other jurisdictions. The problem with drugs is twofold. First of all, you have people who get addicted to them, and treatment is the only way to solve addiction. Second, the criminal penalties actually make it more likely that drugs will be a product of the criminal underclass, and criminals tend to bring other problems. We're concerned right now about a blatant drug house that seems to be connected to a violent incident. So I firmly believe that decriminalization is an important part of any anti-drug strategy. Take the drugs out of the hands of the brutal gangs, starve them of the money they compete over and buy guns with, and everyone will be safer.
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Finally, as a neighborhood we are having greater success in part because we are treating drug and other crime as part of a pattern of nuisances. If we relied solely on the police to solve the problem, there isn't much they can do except launch a months-long investigation. But the city has a nuisance ordinance now, and it's been a successful tool to pressure landlords who allow this activity. All too often drug sales or whatever go hand in hand with a whole bunch of other quality of life issues (noisy parties, trash in the yard) and those are tools we can use to target landlords, who have the power to very quickly solve a problem by getting the tenants out of there. If they don't, well, they will hear from us.
Oct 23, 2011 at 11:54 p.m.
Oct 23, 2011 at 11:53 p.m.
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The sad part is they call almost 7,500 Police calls/yr to those 2 areas of Janesville an improvement. I watched Vigilante a couple nights ago on Netflix and while being a film, it did have a message. Basically because police presence is lacking, a group of guys set out to combat drug dealers and suppliers by basically beating the living daylights out of them and working there way up the chain which basically reached as high as the corrupt judges that let these criminals roam free which brings me to my next point.
In Rock County, there aren't many crimes that go punished appropriately. It's fun to go through the public records columns and search those people on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access for past offenses. I’m talking about retail theft, battery, drug possession, assault, etc. and see how many have rap sheets and read the details of the court case. It's amazing you can find people with possession of illegal drugs and they only have to pay a $200 fine and get 3 months probation. That's basically a slap on the wrist. And you see them in court for the same thing over and over. It's not the Police's fault either because they only enforce the law; it's the judges that sentence the crimes. None of those Judges want to be known as "that guy" who is putting taxpayers through the ringer with sentencing everyone to prison. Instead you get a little fine for the bother and a little probation as punishment. You look like you're doing your job and you keep getting elected so you can feel high and mighty about what you do. And here's a little info to prove my point. I randomly picked a person who I do not know from Sunday's Gazette. <continued>
Oct 23, 2011 at 10:08 p.m.
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oops Fourth Ward.... to late at night
Oct 23, 2011 at 10:07 p.m.
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Truth1 no it is not terribly pathetic it is infact what this country was founded on. A group of citizens working together for their common good! These people are to be commended for taking pride in their neighborhood and making a difference, not used by you for some anti-government bash. The people in the story have nothing but praise for the police department! So high fives for the people, their pride and the JPD!!!
I love seeing the lovingly cared for houses as I drive through the Fourth Road.
Oct 23, 2011 at 9:37 p.m.
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I grew up on high street close to St. Pats. I'm happy that part of the city (which holds a lot of history) has not been forgotten and people want to clean it up. I will be going through that neighborhood more often now. Thank you!
Oct 23, 2011 at 7:21 p.m.
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expected
Oct 23, 2011 at 7:20 p.m.
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Its terribly pathetic that citizens have to "get together" and force something to be done instead of it just being done like anyone else would accomplish an excpected job completion.
It seems to be like this all over America.
What does that tell you about trusting gov't agencies to look out for your safety and welfare???
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