South Bend residents urge stronger enforcement at Highland condemned properties after weapons, trespass reports

Residents told the South Bend Common Council during public comment that condemned houses and trailers near Highland have become a public-safety problem, with reports of trespass, weapons left on a rental property and alleged use of an illegal well that prompted a lifted condemnation.

Nut graf: Neighbors said the situation has persisted for years and that recent incidents — including a .22 rifle left where a 3-year-old visits, an unknown person threatening a homeowner, repeated police calls and what residents described as continued habitation of properties that had been sealed — require stronger action from city departments responsible for health, building and code enforcement.

Residents described a series of incidents they say show enforcement gaps. An unnamed resident who spoke first said a ".22 rifle was left on a property where a 3-year-old girl comes to stay with her father," and later said, "Somebody's gonna get hurt." He also said police were called after neighbors appeared to try to break into his house while he was out of town. He said officers told residents the youths involved were juveniles and that the police response felt inadequate.

Kathy Kirschner, a resident of 538 Marquette, described video she said shows an unknown person entering an alley and her property and said she has spent $700 to install an additional privacy fence to protect a renter, a 24-year-old with a 2-year-old child, at 2234 Highland. Kirschner told the council she believes water from an illegal well is being run through a garden hose to supply several condemned houses; she said the presence of running water led the health department to lift a prior condemnation. Kirschner said she spoke with "Mark from the health department," who told her the issue could be considered a building violation, and that she was given conflicting instructions about which office should act.

Judy Hagedorn, who identified herself at 2220 Highland, said she had called 311 about overgrown grass at 2311 Highland and that two trailers have been placed on condemned properties. "It's time to take his properties because we're done with it," Hagedorn said of the owner she identified as Gerald Zock, adding that fines have not stopped ongoing work without permits and that the situation has "escalating" police calls.

Speakers said enforcement has been piecemeal: according to one resident, the city has been involved "for over a year," and another commenter said there were "17 documented complaints" to Officer Cole in the last couple of weeks. Residents asked council members and staff to clarify which agency should inspect and, if appropriate, shut down an illegal well, reapply condemnation and take stronger steps than fines to secure the properties.

Council staff or council members did not announce formal action or a vote during the public-comment period. No motion or directive was recorded in the public comment transcript; residents requested that council members refer the matter to the appropriate departments and asked for clear next steps before leaving the meeting.

Ending: Residents asked for practical steps and immediate follow-up. The transcript shows they pressed for health-department and building-department coordination and said they want enforcement beyond fines, including re-condemnation and potential seizure; the council did not state an outcome on the record during public comment.