The "concerned citizens of Harrisburg" aren't letting up.
A protest outside the home of John B. Weigle Jr., the owner of a "nuisance" rental home at 223 Eve St., is back on, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Forest Hills subdivision, according to organizer Lori Davis.
"We deserve to live in peace, just as they are," she wrote in an e-mail announcing the plans.
Mr. Weigle, who sells insurance for Dawson Taylor & Co. on Wheeler Road, did not return a phone message left by The Augusta Chronicle on Friday.
He hasn't returned repeated messages left since early July, when 20 "concerned citizens" staged a Fourth of July march in Harrisburg against absentee landlords and drug dealing. Mr. Weigle's rental property was one of three targeted that day, with Mrs. Davis hammering a handmade "nuisance property" sign in the dirt out front.
The group had planned a second protest outside Mr. Weigle's Lake Forest Drive home Aug. 8, but Mrs. Davis canceled it, saying the landlord had agreed through an intermediary to come to the negotiating table. Instead, on that date her group picketed another rental property owner's place of work at Wheeler Executive Center on Wheeler Road.
Mr. Weigle was supposed to sit down Aug. 31, Mrs. Davis said, but he backed out. She said the reason given was that he has a sick child and had to go to Charleston, S.C.
Mrs. Davis said she doesn't doubt that, but Harrisburg residents have waited long enough for him to address problems. She said she's been trying to talk to Mr. Weigle since April 2008, when she sent him a certified letter that was returned unsigned. She said she's since tried to reason with him through one of his relatives and sent a message with the Fourth of July protest.
"This meeting has been scheduled for a long time, I'm going to say three weeks," Mrs. Davis said. "We're going on two years of him doing absolutely nothing."
According to Richmond County Sheriff's Office records, deputies have been to 223 Eve St. 35 times since January 2008 over reports including domestic violence, fights and suspicious situations.
Mrs. Davis said that as vice president of the Harrisburg-West End Neighborhood Association, she has received dozens of complaints about the house from neighbors.
According to the reports, men who don't appear to live there lounge in front of the house, sometimes walking to the corner of Ellis and Eve streets to make cell phone calls. Cars with out-of-county and out-of-state license plates come and go, and the property itself is an eyesore, Mrs. Davis said.
All of that points to illegal activity, she said.
During the July 4 march, a woman sitting on the front porch denied any drug dealing goes on there. Willie Bell told the newspaper her sister lives there and is raising five grandchildren, ages 13 to 19.
Mrs. Davis said she wants Mr. Weigle to work with the sheriff's office and stop people who don't live in the house from coming and going.
Ten people are on board to picket in Forest Hills on Wednesday, including activist and Augusta Commission District 1 candidate Butch Palmer, she said.
"We're going to stay on city property," Mrs. Davis said, "and not do anything to get arrested."
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
So you can make comments on this story but not on the furniture store owner. Things that make you go him.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep up the good work in doing everything possible to make your neighborhood and the city of Augusta a better place. These absentee care less landlords LOVE taking the section 8 government check every time it arrives and yet they allow overcrowding, poor conditions and criminal activity to take place in their homes because they get paid and it isn't near where they live. If the landlords want help clean up these areas then (although difficult) every avenue possible needs to be persued since most of these criminal type residences are supported and funded with our tax dollars.
The problem is more Section 8 system then the landlords. Why don't these people protest the lazy people at AHA who do nothing when you report illegal things going on in section 8 properties and the system who doesn't allow them to do anything if they wanted to. They give them a month's notice for inspection. We report how they move their criminal boyfriends stuff to the neighbors, the drug parphanalia, the fact the kids they are supposed to have don't even live with them, the nasty filthy way they live. An inspection shouldn't be given notice of a month ahead of time, it should be a pop up, random drug testing, take evidence from eyewitnesses telling them when where and how to bust these p.o.s's abusing the system! You may not want these p.o.s's in your neighborhood but neither do we. If all the landlords stop renting to them, the government will just build another low rent aparment complex to put them in, they won't ever really go away, the problem won't be solved until we put a stop to the p.o.s's getting handouts who dont deserve it!! I'll take part in that one!
This is Amercia isn't it? SO the police have been there 35 times. Any arrests? If not I would say people are wasting the police's time by calling. I had no idea people in Harrisburg could dictate who you can and cannot have on your property.
Why always jump to blame section 8 for things some people who are on section 8 take pride in thier homes..................
sic 'em Butch! and Lori Davis!
www.butchforaugusta.org
time to clean house in Augusta! Change starts in our neighborhoods. More power to the harrisburgers. I hope they will help out the ppl in Laney Walker who have been dealing with slumlords for years.
If The Chronicle had 5 more Johnny Edwards.. they'd probably be in better shape financially.. just sayin.
the people in harrisburg should start looking in the mirror for their problems and stop blaming everyone else. If you want to better your life then you should start with your own and stop wanting everyone else to do it for you.....if you dont like where you are at then move== oh wait == then your free ticket is gone and you might to actually have to do some work ........get over it
leaveitatthedoor....what you suggest is just what Harisburg folks should NOT DO and that is move. If one moves problems like this only follow them...make a stand where you are! Those folk ain't askin' for nuttin' they are working to do it themselves! Read again my friend...they ARE doing it themselves!....what's this "free Ticket" you are talking about? Are they asking for anything but a decent place to live???
...year after year "things" get worse in Augusta. I really think there will come a time when Augusta will not be a decent place for decent folks to live. I am so sorry to say this however I really think it is true......were it not for Medical jobs this City would have gone under some time back.....it's getting to the point where medical workers will have to have an escort to and from their jobs! Already it has become dangerous to worship in some churches because of the danger of being mugged....this sounds like Washington, DC....
Just because there haven't been any arrests doesn't mean crimes were not committed. If there is an organized group of concerned citizens for the safety and well being of their community, then they have the right to protest and bring pressure for change to ensure everyone's safety.
section 8 dosen;t work.it brings the nieghborhoods down.value of the homes go down.crime goes up.and they don't take care of ther rental property paid for by the hardworking taxpayers,and the landlords dont give a hoot as long as they get the check from the augusta hausing ath.
wow....I woke up this morning thinking there was still freedom of speech. Thanks for clarifying that for me Augusta Chronicle. Deep pockets got the comments on the Weinbergers wiped away, huh?
I don't get it. Why protest the owner of the building? What the heck is the property owner supposed to do? As far as I know, tenants have so many rights or protections, it is nearly impossible to remove them. It sounds like a law enforcement issue to me; if they are doing crimes, they need to be caught and do some time. If I were the owner, I would stay far away from there.
Weinbergers have money just like the owner of this paper and you know that the rich are going to protect the rich at all cost. Plus if you are a theif with money you will be protected.
Outraged you have bought into the class warfare that communists around the world have ALWAYS used to attempt to overthrow free countries & impose their authoritarian rule...very much like what is happening in this country today..it is the unmotivated & uneducated in the electorate that these evil people use as their pawns..useful idiots...now as for Weigle he and ALL OTHER SECTION 8 LANDLORDS know good & well how destructive MOST of those tenants are to neigborhoods & this society as a whole.. They know it is a gross waste of assets & leads to just more human misery by supporting aberrant, unproductive & uncivilized behavior..& THEY DO NOT CARE..it is their greed & desire to participate in the GIVErnMEnt welfare program that motivates them. In doing so they participate in & subsidize behavior that is tearing this once free & strong country. Their actions also precipitate the actions of the class envy groups that are going to destroy this country. The bottom line is this IF EVERYONE that has a hand out for something from the GIVErnMEnt for the WRONG reason would cease then there would be MORE THAN ENOUGH left to help the TRULY NEEDY in this country as we have ALWAYS DONE IN THE USA
This man ought to "man up" & meet with these citizens to hear their (legitimate sounding) complaints. Why act like you have something to hide? It is not just a few "Harrisburgers" that believe you are acting cowardly & irresponsibly..JOHN YOU ARE TAKING GOVERNMENT MONEY you owe an explanation to taxpayers for it....These neighborhood associations are doing more good for this country than i think they may even realize. They are helping ALL OF US who would like to see this welfare system mean something productive for those it is designed to help. It also a huge help to point out those who purport to be conservative on the PUBLIC WELFARE ROLES...There used to be a thing called principles & ethics in behavior..i for one could have participated in this section 8 program but i like many others i know are opposed to the RESULTS of this program so we have chosen to invest in PRODUCTIVE assets that CREATE JOBS which help people become SELF SUFFICIENT & able to care for their families WITHOUT GIVErnMEnt help...Radical sounding huh?
You can protest the landlord all you like, but if the tenant is paying the rent on time there is little the landlord can do. I've owned rentals in the past and you wouldn't believe how your hands are tied by laws that protect the tenants and NOT the owner. Wait until you own a property that ends up with a meth lab and you have $30,000 or more in environmental cleanup costs that MUST be done before you can rent or sell the property. At least they are doing legal protests. I've heard of some "nuisance houses" being burned to the ground by angry neighbors.
Good for you Lori! Harrisburg must change, and it takes one house at a time. I wonder how Mr. Weigle would feel if that kind of riff-raff was next door to HIS home?
To set the record straight. It is my understanding that the Weigle house is not Section 8. Mr. Weigle was asked this question specifically over a year ago, and he said that it was not. He was told personally over a year ago what was going on at the residence, and he has done nothing. He has been sent two certified letters, and has had multiple phone calls from many different people in the neighbrhood, which he does not return. Auben Homes who owns the house next door to 223 Eve. can not rent because of the day and night activity that goes on there. They have contacted Concerned Citizens of Harrisburg for help.
Mr. Palmer is talking about making a local law that will stop chronic nuisance properties. ALL of Richmond County will benefit from his suggestion if it is made into law: wwwbutchforaugusta.org We need Mr. Palmer. He is truly for All of Auguata.
The rif raf have to live somewhere!! And they keep tearing down the "problem" low income complexes and they put them into our neighborhoods and building them new complexes or renovationg the existing ones!! I don't understand why. The tenants themselves are the ones who made the places they live crime ridden drug infested and destroyed. So lets tear them down and give them all new places to screw up! I have seen countless neighborhoods and apartment complexes ruined. Rather than start taking away thier handouts or letting them live in the trash and filth they created since obviously they don't care, the "givement" helps them more while destroying areas where good hardworking people live!!!!
Ah yes another healthcare "bean counter" sitting fat and happy on the interest from insurance premiums. Isn't it amazing that these people hate low income riff raff except on pay day? One thing the group protesting should remember is there is plenty of scheduled city busses going to Forest Hills to make sure the maids have a way to work. BTW I wonder if the folks at Forest Hills realize that soon, very soon, they are either going to have to clean their own houses or provide health care for their part time slaves.
GO! Protest these guys, bring it to their front door! God Bless America and Freedom of Assembly!
I agree Brad.. I don't live in harrisburg.. but I think I might join them next time.
Harrisburg has some excellent landlords who have assured us that it is not that hard to get people out of your property. It just takes a little time and effort. Concerned Citizens of Harrisburg would be willing to go to court with any landlord interested in removing their tenants . Georgia happens to be a landlord friendly state. The City of Augusta needs to look at passing some new laws dealing with landlords. Other cities require landlords to have a license to rent. After three calls to the police on a given property, the landlord's license is revoked. The City of Augusta is way behind the power curve in enacting laws that would help the quality of life for its residents.
Off-topic, but ZCock (posted at 1:34 am) I was thinking the same thing! Who decides when a story will allow NO comments?? If it's innapropriate, that's what the moderator is for!
Hillguy,
Feel free to join us. We have people ask us all the time if they can join our protests because they agree with our cause.
Talk to people in ALL Augusta neighborhoods. Let them know that by helping these Harrisburg portesters that they will ultimatly help make their neighborhoods better too. EVERYONE PLEASE SUPPRT THESE PORTESTERS. JOIN WITH THEM. I AM