Facebook page outs problem La Crosse properties

A Facebook page started by a La Crosse neighborhood group is starting to get some social media run.

Neighbors Against Nuisance La Crosse (find it on Facebook here) is where you can find photos and descriptions of places in the city that need just a little more attention, says La Crosse Livable Neighborhoods president Charley Weeth.

“The page was created with the idea of raising awareness at some of the issues with some of the nuisances properties and problems that we have within the community and hopefully finding some solutions,” Weeth said.

Weeth admits, there’s a public shaming aspect to the page.

“Well, to some degree, yeah,” he said. “Because, of course, if you recognize the property, then you know what’s going on.

“But we also know, in some of these instances, some of the property owners, they know what’s going on. They just don’t seem to care.”

The page is peppered with pics of abandoned appliances in alleys, garbage on lawns and sofas on boulevards but it’s not a free-for-all to bash anyone.

“We’ve actually removed a number of posts and banned people already,” Weeth said. “(We’re) trying to stay on top of it because we do want to try and keep this as civil as possible.”

There are also positive posts about how property owners are doing things right. 

Weeth says the page is meant as much as a way to get something done about problem properties, as it is to raise awareness.

“There are people who may not be aware that this is an issue, because it’s not happening on their block or their alley or their street,” he said. “But, it’s happening on the corner or their parts of the neighborhood and it’s having an impact on all of us.”

The page isn’t meant to nitpick over minor issues, Weeth added. It’s only to highlight those properties that are acute or chronic, as well as those that present health risks.

Weeth also wants city government to take notice of the properties that continue to cause problems of blight.