House demolition

Dear Editor,
Referring to the letter from Michelle Walters, if the City of Pittsburg is anxious to demolish a house, why don’t they start with 405 E. 21st Street?
My parents lived on the corner of 21st and Joplin (403 E. 21st) for over sixty years and for the last 15 years that my dad lived there, we tried to get some action on the property next door. It hadn’t been occupied for many years, no one cut the grass, and the place was totally neglected. There was brush, trash, vines, an old metal building, metal parts, satellite dish, furniture piled on the front porch, you name it, it was there. Undoubtedly full of termites too. I went to the city countless times trying to get it cleaned up or demolished but there was always some excuse why nothing could be done. It is still an unoccupied, neglected property with a backyard full of brush, trash, vines, metal building, and old parts, etc.
I know nothing of the situation with Michelle Walter’s dad but his property couldn’t be any worse than many other properties in Pittsburg. An example would be the houses in the 100 block of W. 20th St., across from Walgreen’s. These apparently abandoned properties are totally run down, overgrown with vines, they’re a safety hazard and a blight on the neighborhood but the city hasn’t demolished them. And there’s plenty of rental properties owned by slum lords that ought to be leveled. Lots of things to keep the city busy without leaning on a particular individual.
In my opinion, when a property owner puts on a new roof, installs new windows, and makes an honest effort to improve his property, the city should back off and give him time to finish the job.
Ron Dock
Pittsburg