According to Kentwood Apartments Building Manager Elicio Flores, a Central Lubbock apartment complex has been overrun by homeless people and prostitution.
Flores said the residents of Kentwood near 26th Street and Avenue Q have been harassed by homeless people begging for money.
“They will come over here and urinate in front of their doors, my tenants doors,” Flores said. “Or they’ll use number two.”
Every morning, Flores said he walks around the complex with a trash can and gloves.
“I am having to pick up condoms every morning,” Flores said, “which is an ugly thing to do.”
Flores said the complex is covered by security cameras, which came in handy Monday morning when they caught an altercation between Flores and a man he caught having sexual relations in a car in the back parking lot.
“It was a black male and a white female and they were having their thing in the car,” Flores said. “And I asked them, I said ‘Sir, you can not be doing that here. You need to get out of here.’ He immediately got out of his car and came at me with a knife.”
Resident Irene Hernandez saw the altercation from her front door.
“I thought they were going to fight,” Hernandez said. “So I went ahead and called the cops.”
Flores said police did respond, but it took about 20 minutes to arrive and the man and woman left before police could get there.
Now he wants police to step up patrols in the area.
“We need the help of the city,” Flores said. “We need the help of the police officers to come here, patrol more the area pay attention and know we are here. For the officers that do respond thank you, thank you but we’d like to have more of your help.”
Flores said he would like to request a permit from the city and add a fence to the north side of the complex, separating the alleyway from the rest of the neighborhood.
