Melrose Neighborhood Association: take command of your neighborhood

As if the folks living under the aegis of the Melrose Neighborhood Association did not have it hard enough losing their neighborhood school — Roosevelt Elementary — they find themselves under attack from beer swigging, penis exposing, public urinating, vendor patronizing, litter bugging Hawkeye football fans every home game Saturday in the fall. According to the front-page headline in today’s Press-Citizen, they dread gamedays.

Please excuse me for not feeling any sympathy for them. They are the ones who willingly moved into a neighborhood with a 70,000-seat Big Ten football stadium.

Last night, the Iowa City Council approved regulations and a permit system for the food and clothing vendors who set up shop along Melrose Avenue during Iowa football games, possibly putting to end (for now, at least) the somewhat stupid drama started by the Melrose Neighborhood Association. The MNA first wanted the city to ban the vendors outright due to problems regarding litter, public urination, and people cutting through yards. If I remember right, there was also bitching about cars being parked on lawns, though those who allow parking on their yards seem to do so voluntarily and at quite a profit.

It has been an annoying saga. I have kept track of it off and on, and feel offended that part of the enjoyment of gameday — the festive atmosphere on Melrose (though oversaturated with light macro adjunct) contributes to the pleasure of a visit to Kinnick Stadium — is under assault by overzealous locals. Back before I became a vegetarian, I often enjoyed a gyro or brat from the vendors before or after games, and my dad and I often got tickets from the scalpers walking the sidewalk. I understand that dealing with well-hydrated and sometimes ill-mannered fans passing through your yard or wandering on public streets could be annoying, especially when one does it six or seven times a year. But what do those living in the neighborhood expect?

First, the MNA pointed to the city to control the vendors. Then the city pointed to the university, saying, “This pissing and littering thing is your problem. Deal with it since it’s your event.” I keep waiting for the university to pass the blame and responsibility, but to whom? How about back to the MNA? It is their neighborhood, so why don’t they do something about it?

Instead of expecting someone else to fix the problem, why don’t those in the MNA take the initiative and do something about it? They have already logged official complaints and made demands, but I am talking about taking an active role. (Perhaps they already do, but I have not read anything about it.) Erect fences to keep people from cutting through yards and gardens. Barricade side streets, set up a neighborhood watch or patrol, and put up signs to shepherd fans. Work with the property owners along Melrose who allow vendors to set up on their lawns to deal with concerns about trash and excessive drinking. (I am assuming the vendors do not impose their entrepreneurial will on the homeowners there.) Be vigilant and work with the police, requesting additional officers to patrol the side streets on bicycle or foot. Work with the folks in University Heights, who do not seem to have as big of a problem with the gameday overflow of tailgaters and fans, probably because they do not deal with as many students. (It’s not like public urination stops at the UH line. I should know: I’ve done it there.) Communicate to the fans passing through or staying in the neighborhood for the game that you expect their respect and will not tolerate their bad manners.

The whole ordeal represents our national tendency to eschew personal and neighborhood initiatives to deal with civic problems. Instead of being proactive, Americans pass the responsibility to someone else, usually shadowy, and apparently omnipotent, officials. “They need to do something about this while I sit on my couch. They should fix the problem and not charge me a cent for it.” Obviously, local government is a community-wide initiative to oversee and manage city issues, but it should not be used as a dumping ground for blame and responsibility. Americans themselves need to step up, be accountable, and take charge. If that means keeping tipsy Hawkeye football fans from watering the garden with light beer, so be it.