A resident of Eighth and Fulton Streets reported to city council during Monday’s voting session that while the condemned houses are beginning to come down, issues with drugs and drug addicts are continuing. P-J file photo

While some of the condemned houses are now coming down on Fulton Street, neighborhood residents are reporting issues with drugs and drug addicts are still continuing.

Fulton Street resident Paul Wolff and Raven Corvus, who lives on the corner of Fulton and Eighth Street, were both in attendance at Monday’s voting session, saying that while it is a good thing that houses that have long been scheduled for demolition houses are coming down the drug addicts have now moved to the porch of the house on the corner where the owner lets them use.

Wolff also spoke briefly on how city ordinances are affecting the neighborhood and the continuing issue with absentee landlords not cleaning up properties and not suffering any consequences.

Corvus reported ongoing issues with a specific neighbor who was kicked out by their cousin and now roams the street.

“Now she is just roaming the neighborhood, and she will yell and scream at all hours of the night and when I called the police last week I felt like I was the problem,” Corvus said. “She was threatening to burn all of the other houses down, kill all the pets, and she ramps up. She goes down the road and gets her drugs and then just ramps up; every hour she gets louder and louder until we try and tell her to shut up. That just enrages her more.”

Corvus said the neighbor was finally taken away by police but was out again about two hours later. She expressed that after talking with the police for about half an hour she continued to feel she was the problem for being the one to call them, and is now the neighbor’s target as the police told the neighbor that Corvus was the one to call. Additionally, she said she does not understand why people causing these types of problems cannot be taken in under public nuisance or public intoxication, especially as they are in an area where there are children.

“We have to deal with this every day,” Corvus said. “We call law enforcement, and we get some really amazing officers, don’t get me wrong, the city of Jamestown police officers are amazing and I know they’re overwhelmed, but at the same time can we get a little creative to try and get some of these people off of the street? Even if it’s an appearance ticket, the more they have under their belt the better it would be to get them help or committed.”

Corvus said she knows there is a lot of paperwork involved, but added that there needs to be something done to help with the homeless and drug addict problem. She added that it is more of a drug addict problem than homeless, because homeless people allow people to reach out and help, but the others do not want help, including the neighbor causing issues.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Corvus said. “We’re living with this every day. It’s like we get rid of one problem and now, ever since they did the sweeps downtown they’re coming into all of the neighborhoods. And if it was on your guys’ block, you wouldn’t be very happy about being woken up at three, four, five in the morning when you have to go to work the next day because you’ve got somebody crazy saying they’re going to burn your house down. It’s exhausting.”

Corvus said she is also taking care of two elderly parents and that she came to Jamestown for a better life from Seattle because it was so bad there, and is now faced with these types of issues every day.

“I thought it would get better, but it seems that it’s just getting worse,” Corvus said. “I’m just wondering, what can we do?”

Police Chief Timothy Jackson said this neighbor has been cited multiple times by the department, though getting creative will not help get them behind bars, adding that he would like to see them there as well. Corvus added that everything is on film as well, as she has cameras all around her house. Councilman Russ Bonfiglio, R-At Large, asked if once the rest of the houses on the street are down if some of the problem will be helped, and Corvus said she thought it would as most of the drug addicts go down Fulton to do their drugs and other activities.

“I love the city of Jamestown, it’s a great town we have here,” Corvus said. “It’s just really sad how it’s going downhill really quickly. In just the two and a half years that I’ve been here I’ve noticed a big change, and I know a lot of it has to do with your hands are tied with the whole bail reform thing and stuff like that, but at the same time I call some amazing police officers but then sometimes I feel like I’m the problem because I’m calling because I care about my neighborhood. I care about my neighbors and the children that play out there. They shouldn’t have to see someone shooting up heroin or smoking meth and having mental breakdowns. Nobody should have to be subjected to that.”