As the Sun Goes Down

Across the no man's land of the VA Footprint, in a drifting cloud of dust, workers remove the last of the debris from what used to be the second story of 2310 Palmyra Street, the artist's house.

A Series of Rectangles

Generators at Night

The glare of three banks of generator-powered floodlights cuts some of the gathering darkness along S. Miro Street - one at Cleveland, one at Palmyra, and one at Banks.

A man moving items out of his residence tonight said they showed up yesterday.  While it's good to see the lights in place for safety purposes, they certainly give off an eerie vibe.

The artist's house, having been stripped down, loomed in black and white across the mud and desolation of the cleared lots.

On Palmyra, some people are still clinging to their homes.

Fewer and fewer houses are left in the VA Footprint - now that 45 houses have been moved off site, and a similar number have been demolished.

It's getting late.

News

Demolition started on the rear attached portion of the yellow 2-story home at 2310 Palmyra, the former property of Mr. Neivert.

I believe the bottom half of the main portion of the house will be moved off-site for rehabilitation into a new home.

Crime in the Footprint

Criminals, it's become apparent, are targeting the rapidly de-populating VA Footprint.  And that comes even as the NOPD has stepped up patrols of the area.

Last evening, I encountered a man next to his van, its windows broken.  A police office filled out a report in a squad car just behind.  The man, a member of a band, had multiple keyboards and speakers stolen after deciding he was in no position to drive home from Deutsches Haus on Saturday night.

Crews also moved to secure this artist's home at 2310 - after it was burglarized for the third time, according to a neighbor.  The house is one of four being considered for moving intra-site by the VA for use in the final complex.