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Slum Land Lord of Subsidized Apartment Complex

I need advice and/or assistance on how to proceed legally against a slum landlord. Enclosed, are a series of news articles that gives a brief history of the subsidized apartment complex in question. Thanks, Khaaliis.




Is the Shreveport Housing Authority Cracking down on The Pendleton?
Reported by: Alexis Wiley Monday, Aug 27, 2007 @04:46pm CST
The last time the KTAL Troubleshooters checked in with people living in Shreveport's Pendleton Apartments, a subsidized housing complex, they were waging war on mold, faulty appliances and leaky plumbing. Our efforts along with an activist's complaints got housing authorities involved. More than 3 weeks after Shreveport Housing Authority officials called the condition of the apartments unacceptable, tenants are still there. The KTAL Troubleshooters checked in to see what's changed at the Pendleton. We spoke with one woman whose mentally ill sister and son live at the Pendleton. She says the problems are still the same. "My sister still has no refrigerator, no stove and cabinets in disarray," she said. The woman, who asked us not to use her name, says she has been asking for the building's management to fix the apartment and nothing's been done. So we contacted Donzetta Kimble, executive director of the Shreveport Housing Authority, to see whether the agency is making the building's management clean up the property and relocate tenants; a claim Kimble made after an August 3 tour of the building. Kimble says since her tour, S.H.A. has inspected 100% of the building's section 8 units. Though it passed previous inspections, this time, it was cited for problems ranging from a leaky roof to poor electrical wiring. "They were given 24 hours for emergency repairs and 30 days for any other repairs," Kimble said. If those repairs are not made by September 3, the owner will not receive that month's rent payment. Tenants will soon be relocated, regardless of the conditions, because the building is being sold and torn down to make room for a movie studio. There are 33 people living at The Pendleton, however, the hurdle S.H.A. officials are facing is whether all of them will be allowed to remain in section 8 housing; seeing as how some have criminal histories and may not be eligible for assistance. We'll bring you more on this developing story as it unfolds.

Is the Shreveport Housing Authority Cracking down on The Pendleton?
Reported by: Alexis WileyMonday, Aug 27, 2007 @04:46pm CST
KAHLAFA KHAALIIS CHERRYP.O. BOX 1956 SHREVEPORT, LA 71166-1956PHONE: Cell(318) 344-1334 or 294-4357 FAX: (318) 632-0347


ENCLOSED ARE A SERIES OF NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THE PENDLETON APARTMENTS IN SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA. THIS SUBSIDIZED COMPLEX IS IN NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS OF BOTH STATE & FEDERAL STATUTUES AND NEED TO BE CLOSED AND INVESTIGATED FOR FRAUD, ABUSE AND MISMANAGEMENT. PLEASE ADVISE ME ON HOW TO PROCEED AFTER YOU REVIEW THE FOLLOWING:

Section 8 Apartment Complex Ruled UnacceptableReported by: Alexis Wiley Friday, Aug 3, 2007 KTAL TV News Report on The Pendleton Apartments Shreveport's Pendleton Apartments are no stranger tocontroversy. After years of bringing attention to the problem,an Ark-La-Tex activist has finally forced officials to takeaction. "Unhealthy and unacceptable all the way from the black mold allthe way down to the drug dealers who frequent this place,"Kahlafa Khaaliis Cherry, a former Pendleton Apartments resident,said. That's how he describes the Pendleton Apartments. He sayshe's been trying to get the section 8 apartment complex cleanedup since 2003, but, city and housing authority officials ignoredhim. "The Pendleton is still not up to standard as far as theirown local statutes or the federal statutes," Cherry said. Friday, Shreveport Housing Authority officials and LouisianaState Representative Ernest Baylor came to see the Pendletonthemselves. When asked how the complex passes section 8inspection, Donzetta Kimble, Executive Director of theShreveport Housing Authority, said, "It passes inspectionbecause it does. It's met the housing quality inspection."Despite the problems, it's always passed section 8 inspectionwith the minimum score. After touring the Pendleton, officialsagreed the complex is still unacceptable. "It's negligent on ourpart to have allowed this to happen," Kimble said," especiallyto depend on an administrator to oversee the section 8 program."That administrator is Pendleton Development Corporation. Thecompany is in charge of inspecting the Pendleton and othersection 8 properties in Shreveport. Kimble says the Pendleton will no longer be a section 8 site andall residents will be moved to other subsidized housing;something Cherry says should've happened years ago. ShreveportHousing Authority officials say they will reevaluate theirrelationship with that company. Residents, advocate push for changes at PendletonApartmentsOctober 14, 2006/The Shreveport Times News ArticleBy Janelle Ruckerhttp://us.f904.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=jarucker@gannett.comWhen you walk through the Sprague Street entrance ofPendleton Apartments, you enter a common area wheremany of the residents gather daily. There areshopping carts spread around the area, extension cords running from one unit to the next and laundry hanging from the upper balconies. A peek into a few of the units reveals bugs, a water-soaked ceiling and, in one, a refrigerator with no door. "Something's got to be done," said James Jenkins, 58, who has lived at the complex for 16 years. In his bathroom, mold grows and spreads around the shower. Jenkins first reported it to management two years ago. And although he was told it would be fixed, nothing has been done. Self-proclaimed neighborhood activist Khaaliis Cherry is looking for action from the landlord, the federal government that subsidizes the Section 8 property, anyone who can make some changes. "Does this look like the citizens are getting their money's worth?" he said while standing in the common area near an old refrigerator that sits next to a large gazebo. Though Cherry doesn't live at the complex, he has friends who do and has been working to get improvements for the residents since 2003. This time around, Cherry said he's adding some "political muscle." "Somebody needs to say something. My prayer is they get this straightened up." Oct. 3, Cherry called a meeting at the Police Department with community leaders, including state Rep. Ernest Baylor, Shreveport Councilman Monty Walford and representatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "All of the important entities that needed to be there weren't there," Baylor said, referring to landlord Jack Brown and representatives of the local Section 8 housing program. "I left a little bit informed but a little bit confused," Walford said, adding that it was difficult to fully discuss the problem without representatives from every party. Those in attendance agreed that to solve the problems at Pendleton, input from everyone involved is necessary; so another meeting is being planned, said Shreveport police Capt. Wayne Smith, head of the department's Community Policing Bureau. He has taken on the task of setting up the meetings and said he is having difficulty bringing everyone to the table. Officials at the Section 8 housing program were unaware of the meeting, said Assistant Manager Maronda Markhan. If they can get information about the next meeting, she said, they'd see what they can do about getting someone there. Meantime, Markhan suggests residents start voicing their complaints to someone other than management. "They're definitely going to the management, because I haven't heard anything." If there is a problem, residents can call or write to the housing program, she said. An inspector then will be sent out to document the problems, and the landlord will be given a set amount of time to fix them. Markhan was unsure of penalties a landlord might incur if the problems aren't corrected but said tenants could then be encouraged to move to other federally funded properties. HUD spokeswoman Pam Campbell said Pendleton Apartments is inspected annually. Inspectors from the agency's real estate assessment office gave the property a score of 60 when they inspected it in June, she said. "That's the minimum passing score." Inspections grade a property based on the established housing quality standards, Campbell said, and are the responsibility of the local housing authority, not HUD. Housing quality standards cover aspects of a property, including access, sanitary facilities, condition, space and security. All standards are required to be met when a tenant moves in as well as through the length of their stay. One of the property managers, Wendell Thigpen, whom residents identify as the man they go to with repair requests, declined to comment. And the owner didn't return calls from The Times. Walford said he spoke with Brown after the meeting. "It's my feeling that the management and Mr. Brown are more than willing to help." Though the living conditions combined with the crime make it difficult to live at Pendleton Apartments, Jenkins can't think of living anywhere else. "I've got everything in my house. A lot of stuff. Moving would be difficult." Instead of leaving the only home he's known the past 16 years, Jenkins hopes community leaders will step in to help -- and soon. September 28, 2006 Man found dead in apartment complex Shreveport police and theCaddo coroner's office are investigating the discovery Wednesdayof another body at a Ledbetter Heights apartment complex. Caddo911 received a call about a dead man in a unit at PendletonApartments in the 1000 block of Sprague Street at 1:48 p.m.,according to 911 reports. The body is the second to be foundthere since Sunday. There do not appear to be signs of foul playat this point, Shreveport police said. Officials investigate possible heat deathJuly 1, 2005 (Newspaper Article Shreveport Times)By Loresha Wilsonhttp://us.f904.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=ljwilson@gannett.comIn 99-degree heat, Fordie Gipson sat outside hisone-bedroom apartment Thursday afternoon, drinkingwater and trying to stay cool. And if you look for himanytime between sunrise and sunset today, that's wherehe'll be.The Shreveport man has been without electricity forthe past month. He can't afford to pay his bill andsays it's cooler outside the Pendleton Apartment unitthan it is inside."I have the window open, but it is burning up inthere," the 55-year-old said. "Each morning when I seethe light, I head outside. All I can do is drink lotsand lots of water. Sometimes feel that I'moverheated." Hours earlier, in a unit above Gipson's apartment, hisneighbor was found dead in what officials areinvestigating as the city's first heat-related deathof 2005.Willie Cathorne Jr., believed to be in his late 60s,was found lying face down and nude inside the SpragueStreet complex, said Brian Crawford, Fire Departmentspokesman. The windows and doors to the apartment wereshut, although a box fan was running. The estimatedtemperatures inside the unit were 10 degrees to 20degrees warmer than the outside temperature, Crawfordsaid."The apartment was completely sealed from any outsideair. The box fan was simply circulating the hot airthat was inside of the structure, " Crawford said.Robert Washington, who also resides at the complex,had visited Cathorne on Wednesday night and when hereturned to check on the man Thursday, Cathorne --known as Peanut -- didn't answer the door."We normally eat together and drink beer, but thismorning just didn't work out like that," Washington,54, said. "I knocked about 6:30, at 8:30, 9 -- stillno answer, then about 10:30 I twisted the door knob. Iknew he was dead when I saw him."An official cause of death won't be known until theCaddo Parish coroner releases the results of theinvestigation. However, Crawford warns residents to becautious of the heat. Because of diminishedphysiological warning mechanisms in their bodies, theelderly often find themselves in a severe heat-relatedemergency before they realize the seriousness of thecondition, he said.The National Weather Service reported the temperaturein Shreveport on Thursday reached 100 degrees, with aheat index of 104."I just hope it doesn't happen to me," Gipson said ashe pointed at an extension cord that extended from anadjacent apartment into his living room. "I can run aTV from my neighbor's apartment, but the air conditiondraws too much electricity." The Times - Standoff ends peacefullyArmed robbery suspects in custody, face charges.By J.L. Scott The TimesA hostage situation early Monday ended peacefully about 10 a.m.through the efforts of the Shreveport Police Department'shostage negotiation team and neighbor cooperation.Shreveport Police spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave said officersresponded to an armed robbery call at about 2 a.m. Monday nearthe Pendleton Apartments in the 1200 block of Sprague Street.That call involved two male suspects who were attempting to robanother male. Upon police arriving, the two suspects fled intothe apartment building and barricaded themselves inside.Police said Alexander Jackson III, 28, of the 1100 block ofEthel Street in Bossier City and Jerry House, 30, of the 3300block of Ironwood in Shreveport, held a 9-year-old boy and14-year-old girl hostage upon entering the building. The9-year-old was released a few hours later.The Special Response Team and hostage negotiators were in phonecontact with the men for several hours. SRT stormed the buildingat about 9:45 a.m. At about 10 a.m., police arrested Jackson andHouseJackson is charged with armed robbery, being a felon inpossession of a firearm and false imprisonment. House is chargedwith being a principal to armed robbery and false imprisonment.A gun believed to be used in the robbery was recovered at thescene, Hargrave said.Police evacuated the apartment complex, which has about 30units, before bringing in hostage negotiators. Hargrave saidpolice are unsure whether the 14-year-old girl allegedly heldhostage knew what was going on. She was taken into custody, butwas later released, Hargrave said."Police think that the girl is acquainted with one or both ofthe suspects, but we don't really know yet," Hargrave said."This is the longest standoff we've had since I've been with thepolice, but this was not a house, and there are other factors toconsider like the residents who live here having to beevacuated."Hargrave said this standoff was one of two during her two yearswith the police department that lasted this long. The otherstandoff happened in October 2000 when Michael A. Jackson - norelation to Alexander Jackson - was holed up in a home in the6800 block of Oak Branch Circle shortly after 3 a.m. Thatincident lasted nearly as long but with Jackson being shot andkilled by police after firing shots at officers.Jackson's mother, Lettie Jackson, 49, said she received a phonecall about 8:30 a.m. Monday informing her of the situation.At about 9:30 a.m., under police escort, Lettie Jackson stoodoutside the building attempting to get her son to surrender."The first thing that came to my mind is that I didn't want themto kill my son," she said. "I didn't know what was going on, butI thank God that he is not dead, that he is safe. Thank the Lordhe is safe."Alexander Jackson's sister, Yolanda Jackson, said she doesn'tbelieve what police are telling her and her family."This was not a hostage situation like the police are saying.Whoever was in there with them needs to be arrested and go tojail too," Yolanda Jackson said.Others on the scene like KahlafaKhaaliis, who lives in the Pendleton Apartments, said they areglad the situation ended with no bloodshed."The police just came to people's doors early in the morning andtold residents that we had to evacuate the building. And I thankGod everybody was orderly and cooperated," Khaaliis said. "I'dlike to thank the police who responded to the call, because theywere very professional and didn't try to do the John Waynething. And I'm glad everything ended peacefully." POLICE BRIEFS -August 15, 2005Woman found dead in street on Sunday A Shreveport woman wasfound dead in the 900 block of Travis Street Sunday morning. Apedestrian found Joyce Webb, 43, lying in the street about 6a.m., said Kacee Hargrave, police spokeswoman. She had been hitby a car. Webb had just left the Pendleton Apartments, Hargravesaid. Call detectives at (318) 673-6955 with information. Police Briefs - September 29Police uncover plot behind man's deathA man who was found dead Sunday in Ledbetter Heights had beeninvolved in a botched attempt to rob or kill another man,Shreveport police reported Thursday.Shreveport police issued a release Thursday that said RonniePea, 22, of Shreveport had been arrested on a felony charge ofaggravated assault with a firearm.Investigation shows Pea and Lavelle Law, also 22, whose body wasfound Sunday in the 400 block of Mary Court, allegedly had triedto rob or shoot another man at the Pendleton Apartments in the1000 block of Sprague Street about 9 p.m. Sunday, according topolice spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave."However, the plan allegedly backfired when the intended victimpulled a weapon and fired at Law, fatally wounding him,"Hargrave said. "Law ran a short distance, and his body was foundin the 400 block of Mary Court a couple of hours later."The intended victim, whose name has not been released, ran away,but Pea allegedly chased him and fired several shots at him thatmissed, Hargrave said.Hargrave said the entire case will be forwarded to the CaddoParish District Attorney's office for review. Officials investigate possible heat deathJuly 1, 2005 By Loresha Wilson http://us.f904.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=ljwilson@gannett.com In 99-degree heat, FordieGipson sat outside his one-bedroom apartment Thursday afternoon,drinking water and trying to stay cool. And if you look for himanytime between sunrise and sunset today, that's where he'll be.The Shreveport man has been without electricity for the pastmonth. He can't afford to pay his bill and says it's cooleroutside the Pendleton Apartment unit than it is inside. The Pendleton Apartments in Shreveport, Louisiana is amultifamily HUD assisted property that is constantly out ofcompliance with HUD rules & regulations. In the past I havecomplained locally but to no avail in the area of civil oradministrative action. All of my previous e-mails were handledby with no effective results. My allegations are as follows: Tenants do not keep utilities turned on in their apartments.There are cases that I have reported on before and the problemcontinues to exist over & over. Please check the local utilityservice against the occupancy log and you will discover thatsome may date over a year for lack of compliance. Tenants use electrical cords to run from apartment to apartmentto share electric service. In the past I complained abouttenants using the lights in the common areas to provideelectricity to their units which creates a very dangeroussituation. All the down stairs apartments have burglar bars with locks onthem but the tenants don't have any keys to them. This isnothing but a fire trap for the residents. The back gates are locked at night and prevent any egress incase of fire or other emergencies. Maintenance is very slow to none existence for the tenants whoreport problems. There is no way of contacting the owner or managers after hours...The owner refuses to give out his phone number oraddress to the tenants and the managers only appear on the firstof the month to collect rent. Tenants use & sell drugs openly in front of owner/managers withno consequences such as eviction, etc. Drug dealers sell Crack Cocaine & Marijuana on the property both day & night with full knowledge of the owner/managers. The complex is constantly on the news from anything from hostage taking to murder. The Shreveport City Fire Department has made over 300 calls tothis apartment complex in the last few years, most drug relatedresponses. Empty Apartment units are never locked and are freely used forall types of illegal & immoral acts by the general public. People come in off the streets with loud music, vulgar language,fighting, and generally being vagrants...often late at nightbetween midnight and 5:00a.m. May I again remind you that in the past my complaints havefallen on deaf ears locally via the HUD office. Theowner/managers have never been punished financially for theirobviously exploits of the HUD rules & regulations. My prayer isthat HUD investigate the management of this complex because theylack accountability both physical and financially. Please allowthis correspondence to serve as my written request for youroffice to take effective and aggressive civil and/oradministrative enforcement against the owner/managers of thisproperty for violating & abusing HUD's requirements. There aremany other reasons not mentioned that your office need to startdebarment proceeding against the owner of this HUD assistedProperty. Please contact me at my e-mail address with the results of yourefforts. Thanks in advance for your assistance in this pendingmatter. Prostitutes use empty apartments to sell their bodies seven daysa week. Pest (Roaches, scorpions, etc) are everywhere in theunits and there has been no pest control maintenance for years.Some tenants apartments are fitly and unhealthy for the tenantsand for their neighbors. Raw sewerage has been running from the apartment complex intothe streets for months and has never been properly corrected. Things has gotten out of control at the Pendleton Apartmentswith the Drug Dealers, Drug Users & Prostitutes. Most of thesepeople are nonresident but some are also residents of thecomplex. All of their actions are illegal and against local,state and federal statutes not to mention HUD rules &regulations. My prayer to you, Chief Campbell is to have your officers ofDistrict 3 to deliberately stop by the Pendleton Apartmentsconstantly and engage the many people that are standing in frontof the complex selling drugs, public drunkenness, loitering,prostituting, playing loud music and generally creating anunsafe & unacceptable environment for the tenants. They caneasily enforce some common laws that these people are violatingsuch as the following: Louisiana laws concerning vagrancy (R.S. 14:107 VAGRANCY), Istrongly suggest your officers start with enforcing that statutebecause it covers many of the surface problems. The trespasspolicy can also be enforced to help eliminate some of theseissues. The owner/manager can assist by applying the HUD regulationsagainst drug use in a property that receive governmentassistance. The Supreme Court has ruled recently against anytype of drug selling or use by any tenant(s) or tenant guess.The Court created a "zero tolerance" in this area. The owner canassist your office with eviction of any tenants that deals withillegal drugs or drug users. Please communicate with the owner/manager(s) to see what you andyour department can work out to eliminate this menace from thePendleton. Thanks in advance for your cooperation in thisdeplorable matter. Please e-mail or call me if you have any needto communicate with me in the future. Sincerely yours, Kahlafa Khaaliis FOR OVER SIX YEARS NOW I HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO GAIN JUSTICEFOR TENANTS AT THE PENDLETON APARTMENTS WITH NO SUCCESS. WILLYOU PROVIDE ME WITH ASSISTANCE ON OBTAINING LEGAL ACTION WITHDEBARRING THE LANDLORD AND AGAINST THE SHREVEPORT HOUSINGAUTHORITY FOR WASTE, FRAUD, ABUSE AND MISMANAGEMENT. IF YOU CAN'T ACT ON MY ALLEGATIONS, PLEASE FORWARD THIS DATA TO ANOTHER AGENCY FORLEGAL PROCEEDINGS.SINCERELY YOURS, KAHLAFA "KHAALIIS" CHERRY JACK BROWN, OWNER PENDLETON APARTMENTS818 Unadilla Street Shreveport, LA 71106 Phone: 318-861-1813 HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF SHREVEPORTDonzetta Kimble, Housing Director623 JORDAN STREET SHREVEPORT, LA 71101PHONE: (318) 221-5383 Section 8 Pendleton Development CorporationMaronda Markhan or Sarah Roberts533 Jordan Street Shreveport, LA 71101 Phone: (318) 227-0906 HUD SHREVEPORT FIELD OFFICE401 Edwards Street Room 1510Shreveport, LA 71101-5513Phone: (318) 676-3385 HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF SHREVEPORTADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES2500 LINE AVENUE SHREVEPORT, LA 71104PHONE: 227-8174