(This resource corresponds to Module 3.)

Nuisance abatement programs give citizens enforcement power, enabling them to sue for the right to close down neighborhood drug houses and, in some cases, take action themselves to secure abandoned property. Many municipalities have enacted nuisance abatement ordinances which enable residents to document suspicious activity, report it to authorities, request investigations, and sue for damages in court. Where nuisance abatement ordinances exist, properties deemed "public nuisances" can be closed for a given period of time until the owner takes substantial action to eliminate crime on the property. In some communities, residents have successfully used a common-law approach to clean up drug-infested lots and buildings and sue for damages after the fact.

Strategies such as these enable community members to intervene in the difficult and complex area of drug enforcement, which has primarily come under the jurisdiction of police and the criminal justice system. Community members are empowered as they become allies with law enforcement and serve as a "first watch" for troubled areas. Below is one example of how residents of a Baltimore neighborhood used a nuisance abatement strategy to reduce youth access to illegal drugs by closing down a drug house:¹

A vacant and abandoned house in the Butcher Hill neighborhood had become a base of criminal drug operations, drawing a steady stream of dealers and users from around the community. With the support of a local community law center, community members took matters into their own hands, relying on an ancient "common law" of citizens’ rights to eliminate public "nuisances."

First, members of the community notified the owner of the vacant drug house that they would board up the property, giving adequate notice for him to take action himself. When he did not, they boarded up the property, using plywood anchored to frames of 2 x 4s, careful not to cause any permanent damage to the property. They sealed the basement entrance, boarded all doors and windows, and cleaned the backyard of drug paraphernalia and trash.

The community residents then took the owner to court to recover their costs in labor and materials, and were awarded $340.15 from the District Court. The drug house remained secure for months, eliminating most of the drug dealing from the property and surrounding street corners. The Butcher Hill residents plan to continue to use this strategy to deal with other vacant drug houses in their neighborhood.

References

1. Self-help nuisance abatement. Downloaded February 1, 2001 from
   http://www.baltimoremd.com/community/claw/selfhelp.html