Oakwood not a democracy?

Once again our city officials have chosen to ignore the best interests of the citizens of Oakwood by entering into an agreement with Dayton Metropolitan Authority allowing DMHA to buy properties in Oakwood. That would not be a bad thing if we could expect the people who move into those properties to be law-abiding citizens and good neighbors. However, Greg Johnson, the director of DMHA has told us we can expect people from Dayton housing projects such as Parkside to move into the properties DMHA has bought or provides Section 8 vouchers for in Kettering and Oakwood.

Unfortunately for us, crime rates are very high at Parkside. In the last three years, a survey of only 14 streets in Parkside reveals over 483 police reports of narcotics possession, sexual assault, homicide, burglaries, kidnapping and other criminal activity.

DMHA and county officials are trying to play the race card and to threaten us with Fair Housing laws. I doubt that anyone objects to racial minorities living in Oakwood. What we do object to is bringing in criminals.

Johnson, accompanied by an entourage of board members, as well as our three county commissioners, appeared at the Oakwood City Council meeting on Aug. 27 to answer questions from Oakwood and Kettering citizens. Mr. Johnson asserted that crime is not a problem at Parkside. When I read statistics from police reports on criminal activity there, he said he was not aware of such statistics. They are a matter of public record. If DMHA screens the residents of public housing for criminal records, as Johnson claims, why is crime so high at Parkside? Others and I presented inconvenient truths that DMHA and our city officials did not want to hear and did not want Oakwood residents to know. When our mayor became too uncomfortable with the facts that were being presented and questions that were being asked, she called a halt to further public discussion.

Norbert Klopsch, our city manager, demanded that Lance Winkler, editor of the Oakwood Register, print nothing in this newspaper without his approval. How dare he! Klopsch has informed me to my face that Oakwood is not a democracy. What is it? A monarchy? A dictatorship? I sincerely hope that Lance Winkler will not be intimidated by Klopsch and will continue to print articles presenting all sides of issues concerning our citizens.

Faye M. Wenner
Oakwood

‘Works’ not working

Please, is there no escape from these liberal “do-gooders?”  When are they going to wake up and admit that their “compassionate works” are not working?

Many of the people of Oakwood moved here because they wanted a community where they could raise their children with values and which would be safe and free from crime.  Many have paid a high price for this. And now they are finding that they may have no control over what happens to their town, and the government is moving in people who will pay very little.

This is one of those bright ideas of liberalism.  Build housing for low-income people, but don’t put it in low-income neighborhoods where they grew up, and maybe it will rub off on the clients and change them for the better.

But that’s not at all what happens.  Instead, it brings down the community in which it is placed.  This is common sense, and besides, we’ve had a long history to see the results.

The idea of redistributing wealth is incredibly ignorant and arrogant anyway, because it comes from the false premise that wealth is limited and that if one person has a billion dollars, he is taking away someone else’s “share.”  New wealth is continually being created and there is plenty for everyone at the highest spiritual level.  But it violates the universal principle of giving and receiving when people are forced to give or forced by government to make an unwelcome change in their community.  This is not giving at all, but stealing and tyranny based on a bad idea.
Does the teacher of the New Testament believe that this is the sort of charity Jesus had in mind? It creates incredible resentment and hostility amongst people, and ends up not really helping anyone. People who look to government to “fix” everything, never realize their abilities or “catch a dream”.

Instead of changing the environment of low-income people, we need to stop referring to them as “victims.” As long as people think of themselves as victims, and have some excuse, they will be unable to make helpful changes in their lives, because, after all, somebody is “doing it to them.”

The American Dream is alive and well, contrary to what some would have you believe, but only those who are willing to give up their excuses can realize it.
What’s happening in Oakwood is just one small example of the tyranny that’s taking place across this country.

Joann Scofield

Re: Reach Out (Aug. 28)

So Ms. Cadaret is disgusted with the reactions of those misguided Oakwood residents who, regardless of their opinion, are concerned about demographic changes to their neighborhood.  How dare these feebleminded, elitists voice their thoughts as it relates to the safety of their family and property.

The sad fact here, Madam, is not that people of a lesser economic background are getting closer to the “community.” Indeed there is no DMZ between the haves and the have-nots and, of course, people are free to live wherever they choose. (Short of zoning laws we exclusivists can do little to stop the unwashed from settling down here with us).  But rather it is that a recent graduate of our neighboring university cannot grasp that DMHA housing is a breeding ground for crime.  Please do some research with the Dayton Police Department regarding the frequency of calls and incidents at any of the DMHA residences. We operate a business two blocks from Clyburn Manor and can attest to the problems emanating from that lovely community.

Perhaps you would like to discuss the “obligations” we have to the crack addict who recently robbed us.

I suppose I am ignorant of the root causes of poverty. I too graduated from UD but must have missed that class (probably had to work that day). I am not, however, ignorant of how some of us were able to do well enough to “isolate” ourselves in the Oakwood community.  I sometimes ask myself why I live in Oakwood. Then the answer comes to me. It is because Oakwood is not Dayton. I find I quite enjoy being around people who have a limited amount of tattoos and most of their teeth.

So, we all should reach out. Just how far?  Perhaps we can all take in a renter and feel good about ourselves. Sounds like a great plan for someone living “on the edge of Oakwood.” Please Ms. Cadaret, don’t make Oakwood your home. Stay on the edge. My guess though, is that you will still frequent Graeters, as I hear plans for their new store next to Parkside Homes have been cancelled.

Dave Cronin
Oakwood

Long-Romspert undergoing restoration

The Oakwood Historical Society has a large restoration project going on at the Long-Romspert Homestead on Far Hills. We have several rooms completed and more underway. Our goal is to make the Homestead into an educational interpretive house museum to depict life and home designs in Oakwood from an 1860’s farm to a 1920’s suburban home. The Homestead will also feature an exhibition gallery in which displays will be presented featuring Oakwood’s intriguing history. As you know, we are also developing a program on kitchen evolution from the 1860’s to the 1920’s by using the Homestead’s four separate kitchens. All of this is part of a larger program which involves making The Homestead more accessible to the community and schools.

We will be also be hosting an Open House on Saturday, Sept 29. This event is to heighten the awareness of the Long-Romspert Homestead as it develops into an educational interpretive house museum.

Sincerely,

Mark Risley
President
The Oakwood Historical Society

Editorial

When I stepped up to the podium at the Aug. 27 Oakwood City Council meeting to explain my side of the stories in wrote in the Oakwood Register regarding Section 8 and public housing going up near Oakwood’s borders, I apologized for causing such a stir and likened my actions as the journalistic equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theatre. But, the individuals I obtained my information from unsolicited were both city and law enforcement personnel and as such, hold a high credibility level with me.

Taking the fire/theatre parable a bit further, if you are in the lobby of a theatre and one of the head ushers in the theatre tells you that there is a fire about to start, the first thing one can do is check it out. I definitely smelled smoke - if not a guttering fire in the making.

Lance Winkler
The Oakwood Register

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