MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two homes in North Memphis were shut down and declared public nuisances after receiving more than 8,000 calls in approximately two years.
Speaking in front of one of the homes, authorities said officers executed two search warrants at 829 and 839 Crockett resulting in four felony arrests. They found crack, marijuana and powder cocaine along with at least $3,000 inside.
Deputies say people in these houses were largely responsible for crimes that include a recent, deadly drive by shooting.
An environmental court judge can declare property a public nuisance for a number of reasons, including crime.
It starts with a request, but people in that neighborhood wonder why police, deputies and prosecutors didn’t ask for it sooner.
Tarsha Rolling is one of them. She lives right up the street with her four year old son.
“If there was 8,000 calls, so, what that mean that they just want to see us in crime around here?,” Rolling said.
She saw police at these homes all the time.
“They take somebody to jail and then it just go back to being the same way,” Rolling said. “They know how it is in this neighborhood. So, why didn’t they shut it down quicker than they did?”
Shelby county district attorney Amy Weirich says the public nuisance process takes time, but admits it should have happened sooner.
Especially with those thousands of law enforcement calls.
“So it may be that yes those calls were made and work has been done and police responded and what was supposed to happen happened in that moment but often times connecting the dots doesn’t always happen,” Weirich said.
It eventually did, but not soon enough for a lot of people in that neighborhood.
Officials say the owners of the homes passed away but their relatives will have a chance to reclaim the properties.
If they can’t convince a judge the houses could go to public auction.
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