Though still little-publicized, more and more young people are falling victim to the demons of addiction, especially opioids. Law enforcement officials in Oakdale noticed a surge in heroin use among young people in 2013, and attributed it to the availability of cheap “black tar” heroin that has caught a rising number of teen-agers and young adults in the cruel trap of an addiction that drives a host of crimes ranging […]
Homelessness in Modesto
Like it or not, Local Leaders Own Trump
Every Stanislaus County Supervisor supported Donald Trump, as did most local politicians, including Jeff Denham. Lately, many have been hearing complaints about the president’s support for racists and Nazis as well as criticism of his appointees. Just before the Stanislaus County Supervisor’s meeting of August 22, a supervisor was heard telling a friend he was, “tired of hearing about Donald Trump.” He added, “What does Donald Trump have to do […]
More Trouble at 624
Reports of a missing child brought a mini-fleet of police cars to 624 9th Street Saturday afternoon. Supposedly taken by a young woman known as “Baby Girl,” four year old Thomas (TJ) couldn’t be found in or around the building when his mother notified police. At least one resident of the condemned building thought the child had been taken away for a bath or shower. “We can’t use our showers […]
Falling Through the Cracks at 624 9th Street
When Israel Gonzales first heard there would be help moving to a new location, he was hopeful. “I don’t want to live in the park,” he says, “it’s not safe. There are too many bad people.” But two weeks after news of the condemned building at 624 9th Street in Modesto shocked city officials enough to allocate relocation money for tenants of the vermin-infested structure, Israel Gonzales still has nowhere […]
Ninth Street apartments: “Worst I’ve ever seen,” says attorney
“Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members—the last, the least, the littlest.” Cardinal Roger Mahony, 1998 With fifteen years’ experience representing tenants’ rights, Joseph Tobener has seen a lot of dilapidated buildings and apartments, including the warehouse that was the location for Oakland’s notorious “Ghost Ship” fire. But when he saw the horrid conditions at the recently condemned 624 Ninth Street location, […]
Condemned to Homelessness?
The stories told by residents of 624 Ninth Street in Modesto sound like a dystopian nightmare. “I was in the bathroom when the ceiling caved in,” says one. “Once the ceiling came down there was a rush of water and when it stopped I looked up and saw rats looking down.” Bruce Curtis, who’s been a resident of the condemned building for three years, said the owner and manager were […]