Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson has been meeting with the owners of apartment complexes he identified last month as major sources of crime, prodding them to make security improvements to their properties.
This morning, he is scheduled to inspect repairs at the Forest Creek Apartments in Forestville, whose rental license was suspended by the county last month for building code violations. He also expects to announce results of the ongoing meetings with owners.
Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson says he is not trying to evict "law-abiding citizens."
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A Johnson spokesman, James Keary, said that Johnson (D) has met with 10 of 13 owners and that the sessions have been productive.
"There have been several ideas for partnerships forged," Keary said, "and dialogue back-and-forth has been real good. I think everyone has left the table satisfied."
On March 9, Johnson told WTOP radio that he was prepared "to use the power of eminent domain to tear down some of these complexes" if owners and property managers did not adopt better security measures. Several days later, he announced that 22 apartment complexes generated 19,000 calls for police service in Prince George's last year, about one of every 20 calls to police.
The anti-crime initiative has spawned protests from property owners and tenants.
Fearful of being forced from their homes, residents have rallied at their complexes and the county administration building. Apartment managers and owners have fired off angry e-mails and news releases. Vienna-based Southern Management Corp., which runs two of the complexes, has filed a lawsuit against the county.
Managers say they are being blamed for the county's inability to adequately police crime-ridden areas.
Over the last month, Johnson has softened his rhetoric somewhat, stressing that his intent is to improve security and the quality of life for tenants. His plan is not, he said recently, "designed to move law-abiding citizens out of their homes." Johnson also has offered financial assistance to owners.
Arnold Berlin, an owner of Colonial Village apartments, said the executive was "cooperative" in their meeting yesterday, something he had not expected from Johnson's "public utterances."
"It was a good meeting. We will continue to comply with any requirements that are reasonable," Berlin said. "There was no mention of tearing down any complex, at least to us."
Ronald Frank, president of Southern Management, was less sanguine. He said yesterday that his half-hour meeting with Johnson addressed few of the company's concerns about poor policing and safety in the neighborhoods where the properties are located. The company plans to go forward with the lawsuit, he said. "Our next step, I guess, is, 'See you in court,' " Frank said.
Last week, a group of 20 tenants rallied at the Glenarden Apartments to demand that police and the apartment owners provide better protection.
"I'm trying to save my home, because I have no other place to go," said Clara Huggins, 41, who has lived there for 33 years. "There are too many people who [have] no place to go."
Huggins and other residents said they have seen some security improvements since Johnson's ultimatum to owners and property managers. But they added that the changes are not enough to protect them.
What they haven't seen, they said, is a stronger police presence.
"You never see Prince George's police inside the complex," said Sophia Harrison, 37, who has lived there for 10 years. "And when we need them, they don't show up."
Keary said Glenarden's municipal police force, not the county's, is primarily responsible for the problems.
"In every case we've been able to track down, we've found response times to be adequate," Keary said.
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