Apartment Personalities in Rockwood

Apartments in Rockwood make headlines. The apartment complexes and the MAX transit are perceived as the reason gangs remain in our area. Because of my unique position as the only coffeeshop in the community I believe I am one of the few people that learns about the problems from all sides. Because of my unique position, I feel that with the information I have learned I have some responsibility to find answers, but have none.

The Tenants
The two notorious complexes in the area are Barberry Village and Riviera Gardens. I have customers who are tenants from both of these locations. My customer from Riviera Gardens sits in my coffeeshop while her husband goes to his appointments. I ask her why she doesn't wait at home instead of going out in the cold. She is frightened to be in her apartment by herself. She has related many incidents of mischief and violence she has experienced or witnessed.

My customers from Barberry Village are a young family who are happy that they can move out of the complex and out to Clackamas soon. They too, have witnessed violence, prostitution and live in the complex where the double homicide shooting occurred 1 month ago.

The Gang Issues
I talk to local police officers who see a transition that is going on now. The Barberry Village apartments were once controlled by the Hispanic gangs. Now the complex is being taken over by the Black gangs, with a whole new level of rivalry and hierarchy at play. The Riviera Garden apartments are still controlled by the Hispanic gangs and those that are not, are not treated well in the complex.

The Landlords
I know three good men that visit my shop who are landlords of complexes in Rockwood. Prior to meeting any one of these men, my theory was landlords in Rockwood were slumlords. All three of these owners are just the opposite. They own complexes in the roughest areas of town but conscientiously screen their tenants and seem to have limited problems. Regardless of how well they keep their units, their complexes are plagued by the reputation of the area. Their rent, their quality of applicants, and the vandalism keeps them from ever having a top notch complex.
The Social Workers
And then there are the social workers: Many complexes have partnered with social agencies who are stationed at troubled complexes. This provides an additional resource for the apartment dwellers and we appreciate the apartment owners' willingness to participate. Other complexes have members from the Compassion Connect group who work to build community there. These individuals bond with the families and make sure the children's needs are met in many cases.

All of these personalities attempt to maintain a level of peace and safety at the complexes. What is the ingredient that is missing to make all of these efforts gel into a comprehensive solution? If only we knew...