Northwest Indiana Discussion

Sitting around the campfire, people stopping by have been more charitable, couple cans of beans, some hot chocolate and some new gloves were dropped off to me at my abode under the hohman ave bridge.

Listening to people comment, taking bits of information in, I had to process the death of three children, a father badly burned and other children in this tragic story, who will live with the scars of the sibley street fire for their entire life.

With that being said.... WTF http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-officials-apartment-where-3-kids-died-had-no-utilities-20140109,0,2571947.story?page=1 an article quoted in the Chicago Tribune states:




EXCUSE ME, Hammond City Officials knew the electricity was shut off in March, gas service a month later and water service stopped in October!!!! Must be to frigging busy shaking down landlords to do their jobs?

Then lets spend 30 seconds on Real Estate Equity Solutions of Indiana, LLC


THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE REPORTED REAL ESTATE EQUITY SOLUTIONS AS THE OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY.

Quote:

[color=#800000]City Attorney Kristina Kantar said. “Obviously, if our inspectors found people living there without water or power or heat, we would not let them stay there.[/size]”

Obviously.... Obviously... WTFThe question is what did Hammond inspectors do after each of the utility services were turned off? Did anyone really knock on a door or did they do a drive by. Tenants up stairs? Watch the late night oil burn adding notes into their reports over the next few days covering their tracks.

Considering the December 6th federal litigation filed by Sonia Moreno-Avalos Vs Hammond and others named in the litigation, a very hard look needs to occur with Hammond's Code Enforcement Department. http://www.northwestindiana.com/discussionforum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11488&sid=eee54e28ba91eba9e9f919c8b968ac2e

In Avalos's case, she alleges a code enforcement agent brought someone working in a related department, licensed as a Contractor to her house, and the contractor/city employee, per the plaintiff made a offer to keep code enforcement off Avalos' back if they did her roof, if some one else did the roof, code enforcement might find something else wrong.

Code enforcement with such spare time on their hands....that specific city employee is no longer with the city for some unknown reason, but found a job in Munster's Code Enforcement Department. Such a co-incidence... I wonder who helped that landing and for what reason?

Who's responsible?

A lot of people, neighbors for not notifying Indiana's Protective Child Services, Hammond doing away with their Public Health Department, as they might have been making well baby visits with this family, neighbors for not notifying Code Enforcement, (but then when calls are made to code enforcement, they write up the whole block, don't they? Yes, that is the policy. So why call Code Enforcement if you and your neighbors would get a citation). The political use of code enforcement, a mayor who very well may have stayed on way past his time because he has no other options, and using the department to keep people in line, who runs for Governor, Lt. Governor, US Senate and several private sector jobs......

City Leaders, including past Fire Chief David Hamm, the Current Fire Chief and the Fire Fighters Union, City Council members who instead of being suck puppets making $107,000 a year, should be promoting 4 person staffed fire rigs providing increased success fighting fires.

Hammond is made up of century old housing, balloon construction, old aged wood, they go up in an instant.

And if you want to lay blame about they should have had... there are a lot of should have had's in this story, there are a lot more families in this situation than you might think... a lot more. There is a segment of our population who have exhausted their resources, given up hope finding a fair paying job, but get work at $9.00 an hour at a local big box chain that city officials pound their chest as economic development, economic opportunity.

On the long walk out to the 644 Sibley residence last night, it was a long trek in the weather. I stood in front of the candles, you could smell the reminents of the fire, imagine the confusion, horror that occurred a few nights ago, and I could hear a beeping smoke alarm coming from the back of the house.

Who else do I blame? On the long walk back, I also though, OBVIOUSLY, all those people who don't vote or just vote a straight Democratic ticket. Who put up with the ineptitude, corruption and graft.....it will continue.


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Maybe the now retired fire official, XMPT, with that cushy county job, might say the same thing about the death of these kids, as he once wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.

Again, XMPT is not Opinker, my apologies to Mr. Opinker.

To the deceased children, may the angles carry you on their wings into the heavens for all eternity.

The pictures found on the assessor's web site show this to be a very well kept home on the outside. If I get time I will work at posting that photo.

When the utilities were turned off, someone should have, could have boarded up this house?

Naw, it cost too much money, right Tom?

I see that the tribune story that JCMT posted a link to has different info from that which Matt posted. Looks like the online info that Matt relied on was inaccurate because it wasn't current.

JCMT, How do you sleep at night? Your ability to lie and selectively post mistruths to try and paint a picture for your political agenda is sickening.

Your fake indignation is equally sickening and a clear sign of a sociopath. Using the death of 3 kids as a political tool (much like you did your dear insane freetime) is the lowest of lows. If Hammond had better economics you and your slumlord friends wouldn't have anyone to take advantage of, now would you?

You drove Freetime into her brain addled delusions as much as McDermott's minions did. Using her as a tool as she slowly lost her mind. Her blood is on your hands as much as anyone else's



Let's post the actual quotes from your article ........

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-officials-apartment-where-3-kids-died-had-no-utilities-20140109,0,2571947.story?page=1







You cast blame at many different sources, yet not one word about the slumlord that allowed living conditions to exist at this house and then delayed inspection.

Sadly, I am not inaccurate! Equity Trust is the Custodian holder of the property for an IRA for Joseph Wittig.

45-02-36-429-013.000-023 644 SIBLEY ST Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Joseph Wittig IRA
45-06-01-451-025.000-023 6336 GARFIELD AVE, HAMMOND Equity Trust Company FBO Joseph Wittig IRA #78534
45-06-01-458-007.000-023 6421 VAN BUREN AVE, HAMMOND Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Joe Wittig IRA
45-07-03-379-023.000-023 3512 163RD ST Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Joseph L Wittig IRA
45-07-13-177-022.000-003 2326 BURR ST, Gary Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Joseph Wittig IRA
45-07-25-385-011.000-001 4433 GERRY ST, GARY Equity Trust Company Custodian for Joe Wittig IRA
45-08-05-255-008.000-004 345 CLEVELAND ST, Gary Equity Trust Company Cust and FBO Joseph Wittig IRA
45-08-14-228-029.000-004 2816 CENTRAL DR, GARY Equity Trust Company Custodian F/B/O Joseph L Wittig IRA #78534
45-08-22-381-025.000-004 3670 VIRGINIA ST, GARY Equity Trust Company Custodian for Benefit of Joseph Wittig IRA
45-08-22-407-022.000-004 3469 KENTUCKY ST, Gary Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Joseph L Wittig IRA 78534
45-08-22-479-008.000-004 1257 E 36TH AVE, GARY Equity Trust Company Custodian for Benefit of Joseph Wittig IRA
45-08-27-177-022.000-004 3966 MARYLAND ST, Gary Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Joseph L Wittig IRA #78534
45-08-34-476-006.000-004 5149 TENN ST, GARY Equity Trust Company Custodian & FBO Joseph Wittig IRA
45-09-05-301-010.000-004 6516 MILLER AVE, GARY Equity Trust Company FBO Joseph Wittig IRA #78534
45-11-02-152-001.000-006 303 S GRIFFITH BLVD, GRIFFITH Equity Trust Company Custodian for Benefit of Joseph Wittig IRA
45-11-02-152-002.000-006 305 S GRIFFITH BLVD APPROX, GRIFFITH Equity Trust Company Custodian for Benefit of Joseph Wittig IRA

https://www.trustetc.com/



Joseph Wittig is who is responsible for the property .......

https://www.trustetc.com/real-estate-ira/how-it-works

Maintain Your IRA Investment (How Income and Expenses Flow)
All payments/profits related to an investment in your self-directed IRA must be made from your IRA and return to your account. In addition, all expenses related to your investment must be paid from your self-directed IRA.

From the assessor's website "equity trust" is named owner for benefit of a person's IRA with last transfer date in 2004. The tribune story says the property changed ownership in 2012, and that the current owner is Real Estate Equity Solutions of Indiana, a(n) LLC. The 2012 transfer is not reflected on the assessor's site. Maybe Matt has other information that shows that the IRA trust account and the LLC's ultimate beneficiary are the same person?

picture of 644 sibley,
this appears to be a rather nice house from this picture. so as to your comments of a slumlord, so now your taking the sparks view that every landlord is a slum lord.

as to freetime, had you ever talked to her? someone who had been harassed by mcdermott's minions, phone lines cut, lug nuts shot at her house, harassed with late night phone calls, medical information released... and much of that coming from people getting the direct knod from mcdermott, right xmpt?

fact mcdermott, hammond and members of his team are faced with a federal lawsuit, http://www.northwestindiana.com/discussionforum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11488&sid=63dd76ca6b76e9c3cea5afda85b363e4 alleging misuse of authority, violation of civil rights and in this case the plaintiff documents her contacts with code enforcement, reporting, in summary, someone who works for the city stating if you have me do your roof, i keep code enforcement off your back, someone else do your roof, they might find something else wrong.

then we have mcdermott's misuse of code, using it as a tool to intimidate. just after the baker announce his intent to run for mayor, didn't one of mcdermott's people in code enforcement go into their business to do an inspection?

that is only one example... as i am short of time, now in my sick mind matt, that sums up hammond's code enforcement.

the house appears recently remodeled, the assessor's picture reveals a pleasant property. many people who own property have problems with someone inspecting their property, many tenants have problems with someone violating their quite enjoyment.

And it appears the fire was caused not by property rented by the landlord, but the condition of not having electricity/gas and using propane, open flame heaters. There are hundreds of homes, occupied with people/families, who do have working utilities in this area. Falling thru the social net fabric... a property with out utilities since spring, per kantar uninhabitable... unfriggin inhabitable.

now the two properties below stand because of years of effective code enforcement practices... McDermott has been mayor now for almost 12 years... no one else to blame right matt so point the finger at me, right...





This two flat has people living in it.

do you really have any first hand experience with being a landlord? having interaction with code and/or kantar...

years ago i had a conversation with someone working in code enforcement, we had a private off the record conversation. the person told me they couldn't wait to leave because of the influences and orders they were given to carry out.

diombala said as much as well.

mcdermott and the people he puts into managements spots are the problem with hammond.

Why not move back into hammond matt.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/official-inspection-might-have-prevented-tragic-hammond-fire/article_e4860fd8-1173-5a36-a6ac-0493e17d2002.html




Apparently the property was not fit for habitation since SPRING 2012.

Mr Wittig has numerous shell companies that he moves his properties around between. Just searching from the addresses that are billed, he has at least 7 different companies sent to his home address in Crown Point. He also has others go to his name at a PO box in Schererville, some go to his name at Caribou Properties in Highland, and still others to Caribou's office at a trailer park they own in Gary.

From the Sun Times ...... http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/24879114-418/hammond-wanted-home-where-3-died-to-be-declared-uninhabitable.html





So is he a scumbag landlord yet, or is he what you aspire to be if you aren't there already?

matt... really angry are you.... scumbag land lord is that the best you can do? Starting to sound like sparks, or getting your information from the same sources.... how many scheckles of silver do you get for your pre election seasonal contributions here?

Why not move back to hammond Matt, you can pick up any number of houses for $35,000. Put your money where your mouth is.

You know you are rather incoherent so early in the morning? Not that most of what you post makes much sense anyways.

I talked to Marsha on 2 different occasions and both times she was nuttier than a fruitcake. She ramble on and on about everything and made no sense just like on this board. She was hoping Dedelow would run again so he would give her a job. She was already out of her mind in 2007, and I had a discussion with someone from this board a couple of months before the fire and I thought she would be dead of other causes inside a year. Her diabetes had made her delusional and on the verge of dementia.

You then used her as a tool for your gain, just as McDerott's Minions tortured her.

Not all landlords are slumlords, but there are plenty of them in the City of Hammond. This one in particular is one of the worst of the worst. Multiple shell companies, investigations for bankruptcy fraud and illegal homestead exemptions. Links to Kerusso Konstruction and their fraud investigation.

The social net in Hammond was not ruined by McDermott, although he has done not much to fix it. It's been 50 years in the making. Guess what ... Janiec had no plans to fix it either. How did he think he was going to move Hammond forward with the wonderful ideas of a volunteer fire department, turning park maintenance over to volunteers, and letting Lost March go back to a Marsh.

You paint yourself as the opposition when all you are is a political opportunist that has an ax to grind. Your just upset that "your guy" isn't in office and looking the other way.

Same sources? You mean the Lake County Assessors database? I am quite good at research as you have seen by now.

I have no use for Hammond or NW Indiana for that matter. I grew up there and have seen first hand how backwards it all is. Hammond is beyond saving at this point. It was at a tipping point about 8 years ago and it it lost. It took many years to get there, but there is no bringing it back.

matt, i have no guy i want as mayor. it is sometimes a choice between lesser evils.


i believe law enforcement outside jr's reach have picked up on a couple of things, with very competent witness, along with a paper trail which points right back to mcdermott.

and Mr. $75,000 in the basement ceiling person has lots to worry about.

Matt's quick online researching has provided some good initial information. The sources and links are helpful too. Some of it irrelevant but other valuable information can be pulled from those stories. City officials have made statements that they knew that utilities were shut off to the unit. City officials have made those statements, I presume, because they have some kind of documented evidence of such. Perhaps the city will say that it was after the event that they learned of the utility shutoff? I don't believe it. We have no evidence that the landlord knew about the utilities. The city is now trying to say "If only the landlord had allowed us to do an interior inspection of the unit, a tragedy would have been averted." But I believe the city already had all it needed to know to mark the house uninhabitable. Invasive inspection was not needed to know about the utilities. NIPSCO routinely coordinates with building officials about service turn ons and offs. Would the city's chief electrical inspector be the contact?

The landlord didn't know about the utilities? You mean he hasn't visited the properties in the last year and noticed that the electrical meter was gone? What kid of F'd up landlord is that?

Don't most landlords have a landlord tenant agreement in place with NIPSCO? Don't most landlords have it in their leases that tenants must keep utilities on as a condition of their lease (where utilities are paid by the tenant)?

I don't know, maybe Mr Wittig just has too many properties, under too many business names, at too many addresses to keep track of all the details.

I have cited 3 different articles that showed that their landlord dodged court over citations.