SUN Wins National Award For Our Anti-Crime Work

Syracuse United Neighbors has been honored by the MetLife Foundation with a third place finish in their 2006 Community-Police Partnership Awards. One of nearly 200 applicant groups from around the country, SUN was honored both for the partnerships we have developed and for some of the innovative approaches for crime reduction we have championed.

SUN will be presented with our award at 6:00 P.M. at 625 Otisco Street, site of the city's new Near-West Side police storefront. SUN members provided information that helped federal agents close a big drug trafficking ring operating out of a corner store in the building. SUN was also the catalyst in convincing the city to accept the building after it was seized and turn the building into a storefront.

SUN Helps Shut Down The A-Shack Market

The police shut down the A-Shack Market on Friday July 21stfor being a public nuisance. SUN members staged an impromptu hot dog roast and celebration outside the market when the police invited SUN members to watch the boards being nailed up on the market's windows and doors.

The A-Shack, located on the corner of Midland and Bellevue Ave. has long been a problem for area residents. Drug deals were openly conducted on the front stoop of the store. The store has also recently been involved in investigations for food stamp fraud, sale of bootleg DVD's, alcohol sales to minors and numerous citations from the state Agriculture and Markets Division for spoiled food and poor sanitary conditions.

SUN members had testified at three separate Nuisance Abatement hearings on the store's inability to keep drug dealers from using the store property as an open-air drug market, as well as a hearing before the city's Planning Commission to try to get the store's permit to continue selling prepared hot food denied.

Syracuse United Neighbors helped write the original legislation creating the Nuisance Abatement law in 1991. In 2004, SUN helped write new regulations that guaranteed neighborhood residents the right to present written and verbal testimony at all Nuisance Abatement hearings and convinced the city Common Council and Mayor's office to adopt the new regulations. Since that time, SUN has organized residents to testify at over 20 hearings, resulting in sanctions for 15 separate properties. The A-Shack Market is the fifth property to receive the maximum penalty, closure for a full year.

This Budget Is A Lemon

At the April 27th public hearing on the city budget, city Common Councilors each found lemons on their desks. In SUN's opinion, the new budget is a lemon and we're asking the city to address some serious issues in our neighborhoods.

Among the problems this budget does not address:

1) Why are the police unable to field a full roster of officers for patrol shifts on weekend nights?

2) Why is their no funding for a public power feasibility study?

3) Why have the number of vacant houses stayed in the 1100 range for several years, despite the millions of dollars spent on board ups and demolition by the city?

4) Why is the Division Of Code Enforcement not given the funding necessary to do the extra work it has been assigned in recent years?

5) Why is there no plan to deal with the damaged sidewalks on the thousands of lots that are either vacant or have an abandoned building?

6) Why is the Parks & Rec. Department planning to take down more trees this year (400) than it plans to plant (250), while at the same time eliminating city support for the volunteer Communitree Stewards program?

This Budget Is A Lemon

This Budget Is A Lemon
Originally uploaded by Phil At Sun.

At the April 27th
href="http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/11462

14726208210.xml&coll=1">public hearing on the city budget, Common

Councilors like Pat Hogan and Ryan McMahon shown above, each found lemons on

their desks. In SUN's opinion, the new budget is a lemon and we're asking

the city to address some serious issues in our neighborhoods.



Among the problems this budget does not address:



1) Why are the police unable to field a full roster of officers for patrol

shifts on weekend nights?



2) Why is their no funding for a public power feasibility study?



3) Why have the number of vacant houses stayed in the 1100 range for several

years, despite the millions of dollars spent on board ups and demolition by

the city?



4) Why is the Division Of Code Enforcement not given the funding necessary

to do the extra work it has been assigned in recent years?



5) Why is there no plan to deal with the damaged sidewalks on the thousands

of lots that are either vacant or have an abandoned building?



6) Why is the Parks & Rec. Department planning to take down more trees this

year (400) than it plans to plant (250), while at the same time eliminating

city support for the volunteer Communitree Stewards program?

SUN Wins Customer Service Improvements From National Grid

Meeting With National Grid
Originally uploaded by Phil At Sun.

At a meeting held on Saturday March 25th with National Grid, the multi-national conglomerate that runs the local power company, leaders from SUN and the American Friends Service Committee forged an agreement to improve customer service. National Grid agreed to contact all customers submitting a "Heat Spot" card--a form created by SUN and AFSC to detail individual problems faced by utility customers.

This victory brings back a measure of personal service lost when the utility's predecessor Niagara Mohawk eliminated direct personal service at its offices downtown. The 1-800 number that customers had been forced to rely on has become known for inefficient and rude workers.

In addition, National Grid agreed to work with SUN, AFSC and other interested community groups to create understandable, plain-language descriptions of bills and payment plans.

The leadership team that ran this public acountability meeting was unable to find agreement on winter shut offs and utility-financed weatherization programs, issues that will not be abandoned. STAY TUNED!