bullied into being a racist

[Peggy Vogelbacher]

When I walked into the room tonight; some stared at me looking surprised that I showed up. One woman gave me the evil eye, staring me down. She did get her shot at me; getting up from her chair walking towards me; threatening to punch my face in. than proceeded to call me names. Infront of a police officer!

What it comes down to is; I rented to a Puerto Rican family. A week later all hell broke loose. Than it started they broke his Van window the cops being called daily for any and all reason even if imagined ones. The calls to DSS of child abuse or neglect. In the last 10 days they've been called to the property 7times. Now they want the tenants to write Albany to go after the person making the false reports.

I've gone everywhere even to City Hall.

I am not a racist. I've never been a racist and they will not bully me into being a racist. But I have to make these people move when the lease runs out. I personally would have moved long ago and not put up with the crap these people have been dishing out. A contract with Belmont is not easily broken.

I've made appointments for my tenants to speak with a respenative from HOME, Housing Opporutnities Made Equal.

I would say what names they've called me but then I'd proably get booted from the site. It's shameful the way these people have been acting but as they told me in City Hall the Old First Ward of Buffalo is set in their ways about race. Nothing you can do about it to change it.

Before I left the meeting I did speak with our PO Officer. I tried to speak with him months ago but he didn't get back with me so I knew he wasn't going to help with anything. I did finally get him on the phone after we spoke I knew for a fact he wasn't going to help. He has one goal; to go after Slumlords. Never called me back either. Go figure.

I listened to the building inspector speak of a problem property. How he refused to call the guy back or meet with him. Sorry but that's his dam job meeting home owners and inspecting. Not standing in a room full of people proudly saying how he was sucessfully avoiding the guy? How everyone in the room knew he was a Jerk! Calling my Councilman names because he went to bat for this landlord in Court.

I feel the building inspector needs to find another job if this is how he speaks of his bosses in a public forum. If the Councilman had been at this meeting, believe me this inspector would not have spoken about him as he did.

I am not a slumlord. I've worked very hard and invested a lot of money and time into my houses. Only to be told I'm a race loving beachnut.

I wish I could say this was the end of it but it's not, It's not going to end until I evict the Peurto Ricans and the lower tenants who have a grandson that lives with them who is half black.

[Genoobie]

You must not live in the area. Racism is certainly dead here.

I had a person tell me about 1 week ago that the neighborhood is up and coming because the moulies were moving out and the whites were moving in...

yep...

dead.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

You've got some bad tenants. What's that got to do with race?

[SafeWNY]

I agree. Bad tenants have no race. Scumbags come in all shapes and sizes. Peggy - what type of tenant screening do you do on prospective renters?

[Peggy Vogelbacher]

I brought a friend to my tenants yesterday to help interpert for me. They sugared his gas tank over the week-end. Wish I'd known that before the meeting. With help from Belmont and another agency they will be moving as soon as possible; since they now fear for the safety of the kids. The lower tenants have lived on the property for about 3 years. The younger daughter has a 13 month old mixed race baby. At the meeting the neighbor said the parents could stay but the girls have to go. That means so does the baby.

As I sat chatting with a friend I heard fire engine sirens passing, laughingly I said I wonder if they're going to my house? I needed to talk with the lower tenant anyway so I drove there. Sure enough they were there for Big-Ed.

Her oldest daughter who came over because of the fire department was begging me not to make them move. Begging me! All I wanted to do was cry.

Next month my only option is to take these people to Court and try evicting them as a Holdover.

As far as screening my tenants I do check them. I have driven past where they live, spoke with previous landlords. I hold 2 certificates for completing advanced Landlord training programs. I get copies of their ID's and SS numbers. I verify income. I'm called the eviction queen. I can get rid of a bad tenant quicker than dog spit. I've helped other landlords with the 3 day notices and when to give the 30 notice to the tenant informing them they have to move. No reason required when they are on a month to month after completeing inital lease.

When these same neighbors informed me that the previous tenants grandsons were back in town. They moved. They had no choice but move. These famlies are not disrespecting the elderly neighbors in any way like them boys were. They were bad. They were given a choice either the boys go back to their parents or everyone moves. They all moved. These people came with the house and lived there for 13 years.

I have no problems evicting. The house I live in sits in the back and I'm surrounded by neighbors yards. All summer long I hear music coming from everywhere. Kids playing, screaming, yelling and crying. Some days I just shut the windows so I don't have to hear it I turn the volume on the tv up. These are famlies that surround me and famlies make noise. I have 13 kids surrounding me ranging in age from infants to 18 year olds. Famlies make noise.

[Peggy Vogelbacher]

Yes I live in the neighborhood. Walk to the property every other week-end pushing my lawn mower to cut the grass; spent most of my summer scrapping and re-painting windows inside and out. So I was on the property an aweful lot this summer. Gave up 4th of July with hubby to sit on the porch with the tenants untill 11:30 that night only to be told the next day I was a lying beach-nut that I wasn't there.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

I brought a friend to my tenants yesterday to help interpert for me. They sugared his gas tank over the week-end. Wish I'd known that before the meeting. With help from Belmont and another agency they will be moving as soon as possible; since they now fear for the safety of the kids. The lower tenants have lived on the property for about 3 years. The younger daughter has a 13 month old mixed race baby. At the meeting the neighbor said the parents could stay but the girls have to go. That means so does the baby.

As I sat chatting with a friend I heard fire engine sirens passing, laughingly I said I wonder if they're going to my house? I needed to talk with the lower tenant anyway so I drove there. Sure enough they were there for Big-Ed.

Her oldest daughter who came over because of the fire department was begging me not to make them move. Begging me! All I wanted to do was cry.

Next month my only option is to take these people to Court and try evicting them as a Holdover.

As far as screening my tenants I do check them. I have driven past where they live, spoke with previous landlords. I hold 2 certificates for completing advanced Landlord training programs. I get copies of their ID's and SS numbers. I verify income. I'm called the eviction queen. I can get rid of a bad tenant quicker than dog spit. I've helped other landlords with the 3 day notices and when to give the 30 notice to the tenant informing them they have to move. No reason required when they are on a month to month after completeing inital lease.

When these same neighbors informed me that the previous tenants grandsons were back in town. They moved. They had no choice but move. These famlies are not disrespecting the elderly neighbors in any way like them boys were. They were bad. They were given a choice either the boys go back to their parents or everyone moves. They all moved. These people came with the house and lived there for 13 years.

I have no problems evicting. The house I live in sits in the back and I'm surrounded by neighbors yards. All summer long I hear music coming from everywhere. Kids playing, screaming, yelling and crying. Some days I just shut the windows so I don't have to hear it I turn the volume on the tv up. These are famlies that surround me and famlies make noise. I have 13 kids surrounding me ranging in age from infants to 18 year olds. Famlies make noise.

Still not understanding what any of this has to do with you being "bullied" into being a racist.

[Concerned in OFW]

Peggy,

As someone who is active in the community, trying to make a difference I take exception to many of your comments. One of the biggest problems in the OFW and every other neighborhood in the city are landlords who are interested in one thing, collecting the rent and not putting any money back into the property to make it an acceptable living environment for all.

In short Peggy the house in question is a pig stye. A new roof is desperately needed, many of the storm windows are missing or broken, babies diapers are found on the lawn at times, and garbage is everywhere. In the summer when windows are open, there are no screens, curtains and clothing are always hanging out and blowing in the wind. These tenants who you so staunchly defend have little or no regard for their neighbors. They change their motor oil and when draining the old, let it just drain on the street, they did the same with antifreeze which is toxic to humans and animals. The fire department had to be called to clean up the mess (you should be billed for that). You make it sound like every other neighbor on the street is confrontational, but make no mention of how confrontational and nasty your tenants are. In fact, you lost good tenants in the back house because these so called pillars of society broke in and robbed them, not once but twice. Not of of these 8 people who live in the upper apartment work, if anything this house should be spotless. Anyone with that much time on their hands should be cleaner.

Why do you favor these tennants over the people who live in the lower? I can sum that up in 1 word, Belmont. The rent you get from them is considerably more because it comes from taxpayers pockets. I guess you could say that each and every homeowner on that street who works and pays taxes pay the rent for them
and in fact are indirectly your tenants. It's also ironic that the people who are paying the freight suffer in quality of life and a decrease in home values just because you want to make a fast buck. They have every right to voice their concerns. I'm sure you're pressing for the tenants in the lower apartment to leave because they are not on Belmont so you can replace them with someone who is. I have no problem with rental assistance program, but I do have a problem with tenants who bleed the system and put nothing back, and landlords who do not invest in thier community.

You've also called yourself the queen of eviction in a section of this post. All that indicates is that you constantly have tenant issues and have a lot of practice. I've been a landlord for 30 years and have not had to evict one tenant. You really need to stop the denial and admit to yourself you are a slumlord.

You claim to have taken 2 landlord classes. My question is, why would anyone need to? All you have to do is show up and you've passed. Anyone who just used common sense, did proper screening of their tenants and had respectful long term people who are willing to contribute to the community and care for your property, would not have these issues.

Quit blaming the neighbors and calling them racists, any problem you've had concerning your tenants was caused by your greed and your inability to use common sense when renting.

[Frank Broughton]

huh? just call Bungo, Rickie or Mike Z, they will take care of these rats, er wait they are dead, just as most of the neighborhood is now.... The streets are pot hole ridden and a disgrace. The only place you can get a DWI for driving in a straight line. The sober swerve all over dodging the pot holes. It is a crying shame how this once beautiful neighborhood has gone downhill because of politics, alcohol, drugs and slumlords.

[Linda_D]

Ms Vogelbacher, I think I'm on the side of the posters saying that it's not race that's the real issue here but your crappy tenants. This may come as a shock to you, but low-lifes not only come in all races and ethnicities, they are universally disliked by non-low-lifes.

Frank, I have the OFW described in many terms but I have never, ever heard it described as a "beautiful neighborhood". I guess beauty really is in 'the eye of the beholder'.

[Frank Broughton]

Frank, I have the OFW described in many terms but I have never, ever heard it described as a "beautiful neighborhood". I guess beauty really is in 'the eye of the beholder'.

I go back a few years Linda!

[joe d.]

GEEEEEEE...I wonder what caused this neighborhood to go "down the tubes".....Hmmmmm ...must of been all those RENTERS??
NAWWWW....had to be the owners..they be the ones that break the windows, smash holes in the walls, throw papers and garbage on the street and lawn, break railings off the porch,and cant cant keep the doors on the hinges.!!...and the list of reasons goes on and on!