If you've spent much time on the 1100 block of Cornell then you know the house at 1111. This is the long neglected home that our family calls "The Stair House" due to its front stairs being so crooked that one gets seasick just looking at them. Inhabiting the home is Wally, an elderly gentlemen who you can see shuffling to get his daily cup of coffee most mornings. If you stop and speak with him he will pleasantly tell you about last night's news or maybe the weather. The conversation never gets much deeper however and one quickly surmises that Wally's mental capacity is limited at best. When asked who else lives with him he is quick to answer that he lives alone. Though completely harmless and nearly always cheerful, one is left to wonder how exactly Wally is able to care for himself. Suddenly the condition of the property begins to make sense.
This alone is really none of my/our business. We have all dealt with issues of senility and this is a private issue best left to the family. The purpose of this post is not to demonize Wally. In fact, the purpose is to begin a dialog that may in fact him help because I suspect something is rotten in the state of Albany and it is our duty as neighbors (and humans) to help those who are unable to help themselves.
What is of concern in terms of 1111 Cornell is the endless parade of shady characters who frequent the property at all hours of the day and night. Anyone who has spent any time on Cornell knows that this is no exageration. Though I am loathe to profiling of any type whether it be based on race, age, or socioeconomic status one can only describe these folks as appearing to be transients. They do not appear to be residents of the property (as confirmed by Wally).
When one looks at them they quickly avert their glances as if they have something to hide. They always come on makeshift vehicles hauling junk which is often dumped on the lawn for all to see. A month or so ago I passed by to see a distraught man in his twenties with no shirt pacing in front of 1111. He appeared to be yelling at nothing while a pit-bull meandered agitatedly in front of him with no leash. Knowing how many children live at that end of the street (and near the Darmouth & Cornell intersection), it was the first time I was sincerely frightened for the safety of all of the families on that side of the block. One can only imagine what goes on inside the house but it is clear that something unsavory is happening at 1111 Cornell. At the very least it appears to be a magent for individuals who have no regard for our community. My initial suspicion was that it may be acting as a sort of "Safe House" for the undesriables that seem to frequent the property.
Perhaps you feel this is alarmist and I am being unfair. I can certainly understand why. I am throwing around a lot of accusations here with no evidence. So I decided to do a little googling and it didn't take long to find this:
http://www.localcrimenews.com/lookup.php?jid=5138833
We can see that as recently as 07/21/2010 a sex offender on probation was staying at this home illegally. This is to say a convicted felon was hiding out at 1111 Cornell Ave while on probation without letting the local police know. I'd say this leads credence to the "safe house" theory but I will leave that for you to decide. Certainly sex offenders have rights and all people deserve a second chance. My issue here though is that this person appears to have been hiding there.
As I've paid more attention to the traffic on Cornell I have recently discovered something even more disturbing. Many of these characters appear to go between 1111 Cornell and the home at 1244 Cornell on the Berkeley side of the street (near the church). I noticed this a few weeks ago as I saw one of the transients I recognized from 1111 pull into 1244 with his trailor in tow. Since that time I have noticed steady traffic between these two homes. They seem to be hauling goods between the two properties. The plot thickens. What exactly is going on in our little community?
I'm posting on the Patch today for us to begin a dialog about this situation. I do not want to start a witch hunt here. I have no solid proof nor have I been a victim of any crime associated with either address. However, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to put two and two together here. Something is going on and we have reason to be concerned. To be specific, here are my concerns:
* Wally claims to live alone at 1111 Cornell yet there is an endless string of transients entering and leaving the home. When one considers Wally's mental facilities and the link posted above, one worries Wally may be a victim here. Is he being taken advantage of by these people? Does he have the facilities to properly control who is entering his property as the sole resident?
* What is the connection between 1111 and 1244 Cornell? There is a steady stream of non-residents hauling junk between these addresses. Are they selling or trading goods illegally? Shouldn't we be concerned that, on the off chance there is something illegal happening here, that our families could be caught in the crossfire?
* Doesn't the condition of 1111 Cornell pose a risk to the adjacent properties? If I was any of the neighbors I would have serious concerns for what might happen in an earthquake or other disaster as 1111 looks to be teetering on its last legs.
* Why do the Albany Police seem oblivious to this situation? We live in a small community that prides itself on safety, transparency and dialog. Yet there is a dilapdated flophouse hosting all sorts of undesirables right in the open that sticks out like a sore thumb. Why does everyone seem to notice except the Police?
Let's begin discussing the situation here. We have a wonderfully strong and understanding community but we cannot stand idly by and wait for a disaster to happen before speaking up. We clearly cannot depend on the Police to get to the bottom of the situation so we must turn to each other as we always have. Something is rotten in the state of Cornell and we need to get to the bottom of it before, not after, something bad actually happens.
There, I fixed it for you! You're welcome. P.S. The use of "blackboard" is racist around these here parts. Ten demerits for you too. ;-)
as a neighbor i too am bothered by the flow of scruffy visitors.. wally is a kind person, willing to help neighbors at the drop of a hat. he is child like in his willingness to believe what others tell him. . he has extended his hand to help others, and they have failed to do as they promised, like leave his home, to not cause any disturbances with neighbors, and to not leave alot of miscellaneous junk in his yard. wally is "special" in many ways, but totally capable of paying his bills on time, grocery shopping, and seeing his medical people. he just has some issues surrounding being understood at times, and getting stuck when he asks people to leave and they hunker down and ignore him. as far as wallys house at 1111 cornell ave. being in the rediculous shape it is currently in, well that is not on wally. part of wally's unique "specialness" is that he is almost anal about everything being in a certain order. the top to dishwashing liquid has to always be pushed down when washing is done. etc. that house has been filled with stuff from the George family and wally is quick to say so. i know the situation pretty well, and some of what others have stated is definitely enhanced or filled with misleading and untrue statements. if don george would get rid of people staying at 1111 cornell ave., ,except wally, then the only concern would be the house being repaired.
unfortuneately there are some that live their lives by using others,those are the ones that ignore the wishes of those that have been the recipent of anothers generosity.
yet, you continue to write letters stating no changes have happened. perhaps your camera wasn't working that night. for you to somehow think you have the right to keep an elderly and lonely senior from having any friends over to watch a football game, or the horses or even storage wars is crazy. you had my support in not wanting sex offenders in the area!!! really though i don't believe it's your call as to what the people wear, or whether they are homeless or not, visiting a friend. they aren't going to 1106 cornell., afterall. truth be known, neighbors by nature of living in close proximity to others could pretty much find something irritating about one or another. most people choose to be understanding and not create problems with neighbors. mr. dawson deserves to have companionship, and unless it's someone dangerous to him or others, i don't believe it's your business.
As certain people continue to take action that ultimately could render him homeless. Mr Dawson is comfortable on cornell ave., it has taken him years to obtain a sense of acceptance and familiarity with most that live around him. If he was forced to relocate, it would be his undoing.. He would not easily settle , or feel comfortable in any new environment, probably in his life time. It is part of his "handicap", for lack of a clinical term. He has eliminated the people that neighbors complained about. Mr. Dawson's situation is one that deserves others to be Humane in their vigilance to address issues that will determine how the remainder of his days will be spent. Thank you
These are the same neighbors who participated in and/or supported the illegal and completely pointless ME ME ME ME activity known as "Occupy the Farm." These are the same neighbors who decided that the appearance of the Tot Lot did not meet their lofty liberal standards and thus assembled a group to vandalize City of Albany property without making any attempts to first work with the City of Albany to improve the situation. These are the same neighbors who told those who live in the next block of Cornell, those who have dared to complain about living near someone who held the police at bay for seven hours and who continues to drive down property values and disturb the general peace and quiet with her day to day behavior, that they were racists and intolerant and how dare they not understand the situation. Yet when actual push came to actual shove, all they had to offer this woman was a Vote for Ulan campaign sign for her yard. They don't give a flying fig about Mr. Dawson. Never have, never will.
Hope it somehow benefits me Dawson. One might speculate that some neighbors who bought property at market high are now feeling the sting of same property being valued much below purchase price... Which could add to their angst... No matter what , all this talk of concern , as you aptly stated for Mr. Dawson, is not the agenda for them. It's sad and unfortunate to witness, and certainly not the united front, friendly neighborhood recalled not all that many years ago on Cornell Ave.
I'm not saying that the neighbor's complaints are unfounded, that they should tolerate the situation or that they should not be fighting back. All I am saying is that their motivation has always been their own peace of mind and their own property values. They just lack the guts to come right out and admit to such so they hide behind faux concern instead of embracing honesty from the get go. Liberals in fear that people will find out they have normal, healthy levels of self-interest. That's why they can spend years fighting for the rights of death row inmates, for instance, (cough cough) so that other liberals will pat them on the back for being such GOOD PEOPLE but something like a less than desirable neighbor, a disruption in their own living space, drives them around the bend. It's VERY easy to be liberal from afar. Not so easy when it's up close and personal.
If they truly had Wally's best interests at heart, they would not have taken the very public route of publishing this on Patch, thereby exposing his personal life to all. You forget, I know what these people do or have done for a living. They know the system VERY well. This could have been handled much differently, if, indeed, it was about Wally's well-being. But it wasn't. It was about them. I have no problem with that. Just, at least, be HONEST about your intentions.
Chin up! There's always another ME ME ME ME I'M A GOOD PERSON ME ME ME cause right around the corner! ;-) http://albany.patch.com/articles/open-letter-development-referendum-effort-flawed-by-lies
Dover, I have to agree with you there. He is vulnerable, and Don seems to be doing the best he can in memory of his sister. We all need to try to protect Wally as a member of our community, and I don't even know how I would help if I lived as close as you folks do. But, in the neighbor's defense, the house looked really bad (the stairs!), and the comings and goings at all hours can be scary. Just reading about the standoffs on Cornell at the neighbor's house nearby was horrifying. The extra attention seems to have made Don see that Wally needs help. I appreciate many of your comments, even if I do not agree with you every single time, sir.