Prostitutes defecating in alleyways, homeless men camped out on the steps of area businesses, and even a man who lets his pit bull run loose in the Port Authority field.
The Seventh Street corridor between Packer and Oregon avenues has it all — and more, according to several scared residents.
While many in the neighborhood have chosen to look the other way, others like Jackie Esposito, from nearby Franklin Street, and a resident from the 2800 block of South Seventh — who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of her fear — are fed up.
"We’re in the shadow of the billion-dollar sports complex and we have to put up with this? Where are the safe streets?" complained the 13-year resident of Seventh Street.
The chaos is nothing new, maintain these residents, both of whom are seniors and live alone. It’s been going on for years. But it culminated this past summer, they said.
Women in their late teens and early 20s were turning tricks in broad daylight, some of them even servicing truckers who park their 18-wheelers on Seventh Street alongside the ball field between Bigler and Packer, Esposito said.
Fourth District Community Relations Officer Charlie Sarkioglu confirmed that the solicitous activity was taking place where the trucks park, and pointed the finger at traffic.
"The thing is, there is a lot of truck traffic. It’s a major thoroughfare," he said. "The bridge empties off there. You have traffic exiting from I-95 and I-76. It’s a heavily traveled area."
Meanwhile, the residents said the prostitutes hit the streets from about 8 p.m. to midnight, and then are at it again as early as 6 a.m. They use the rear stairwells and parking enclaves behind the houses on Seventh and Sheridan streets as toilets. No local alley is immune, Esposito said.
And more than once, the residents have caught them in the act.
Esposito said she even found a young prostitute, who appeared to be strung out on drugs, standing at her kitchen door one day last summer.
She exchanged words with the young woman, then followed her in her car to Seventh Street, where Esposito said she saw her hook up with a man and another woman.
Drug use goes hand in hand with the hooking, the residents said. It is not uncommon to see prostitutes smoking crack cocaine behind Seventh Street, they added.
The proof apparently is in the packaging: The Seventh Street resident said she can distinguish crack from nicotine because "I find little green Ziploc packets all over the place. I have to wear gloves to pick up leaves and trash."
Meanwhile, prostitution isn’t the only quality-of-life issue in the neighborhood. Esposito said she frequently notices homeless men loitering on the steps of businesses at Seventh and Oregon.
"Doesn’t this neighborhood care that these men are there? How come the police don’t chase them? And the neighbors are up in arms," she said. Esposito added that she is tired of calling police to no avail.
According to Sarkioglu, it is incumbent upon the business owners to call 911.
"Police will respond and ask the person [loitering] to leave. If they resist leaving, we will work from there. We’re not going to arrest them unless they commit a crime," the officer said.
The police work closely with a city organization called Project Home, which aids and rescues the homeless. When alerted by officers or citizens, Project Home can dispatch a van to collect homeless individuals, Sarkioglu said.
But Esposito is more worried about loiterers who allegedly steal from local residents.
She said that, after several statues had been swiped from her own garden, she spotted a cart-pushing man lean into an Eighth Street garden and take something out. He then crossed the street and handed the item to another seemingly homeless man, she said.
Esposito said she now puts only dollar-store items on display. "I can’t put anything nice out now."
She and her neighbor contend that police aren’t doing enough to address the problems afflicting the area.
"Maybe they think this neighborhood is safe because it looks safe because the houses are nice," said Esposito. "I’m wishing that we would have more police protection so we could report something right when it happens."
Sarkioglu said officers do patrol the area.
"We are aware of [the problems]. And we do check that area quite frequently, as well as the ball fields," he said.
To address concerns, Sarkioglu said the Fourth Police District has held several meetings with area residents and townwatch organizations, including Bigler Street Town Watch.
"The community serves as our eyes and ears. We have to work together in partnership in order to affect the quality of life and address crime. People are obliged to call 911," he said.
The Seventh Street resident said she has noticed an improvement in her neighborhood in the last couple of weeks.
"It was almost like a Walt Disney movie when I was walking my new puppy," she said. "I didn’t see any of those prostitutes."
