Cost of blight: Neighbor says Rockford girl's death should be a wake-up call
No one needs to tell Eli Durante boarded-up houses do a lot more than drag down property values.
He was home last weekend when squad cars descended on his 10th Avenue neighborhood, bringing with them the news that a little girl had been killed.
Police say a man plucked her up from outside her home in the middle of the day, strangled her and left her lifeless body in a secluded area by one of the vacant, run-down homes that pepper the street.
It's not unusual for people to be in and out of those houses at all hours of the night, Durante said. Syringes and beer bottles litter the ground outside. Squatters will come by and use the water spigot on the side of Durante's house.
All of that pales, of course, Durante said, to what happened to 10-year-old Destiny Huggins last weekend.
More: Friends, community rally around Rockford family of slain 10-year-old girl with GoFundMe
"I'm just glad my kids weren't here to see this," Durante said as he thought of his children, ages 19 and 12.
As shocking as the discovery was, Durante said he was not totally surprised.
"They could have a dead body in there right now, and no one would know until it begins to stink," he said gesturing to another boarded-up home across the street.
Ald. Isidro Barrios, who represents the neighborhood on the Rockford City Council, said he is aware of the dilapidated homes in the area and the dangers they pose.
"We're doing the best of our ability to solve the problem, and this is no time to blame police or inspectors or the fire department," Barrios said. "It's time to come together and continue our efforts to improve the lifestyle of our citizens."
Speaking at a news conference announcing Huggins' death, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara acknowledged Durante's concerns.
"You look at some of these neighborhoods that have high crime rates and have high poverty rates, too many of them have vacant, blighted and abandoned buildings," McNamara said. "That's why myself, City Council and our administration has made fighting blight so important, so critical."
The city is working with multiple partners to address blight from the Region 1 Planning Council to the Community Development Financial Institutions program to Habitat for Humanity and others.
"The problem often is outweighing the resources that we typically have," he said.
Antonio Monroe, the man arrested in connection to the death of Destiny Huggins, made his first court appearance Tuesday. His bond was set at $5 million.
Monroe, 44, of Blue Island, is a registered sex offender and has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of aggravated battery via strangulation.
The attempted murder charge and second count of kidnapping and strangulation are for Huggins' little sister, who Monroe allegedly abducted, as well. The 6-year-old managed to escape.
Schaumburg Police Department also considers Monroe a person of interest in a case involving the July 5 death of a woman named Natalie Negray. She was found dead in a hotel room.
Schaumburg police said Monroe was seen with her before her death, the cause of which has yet to be determined.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Neighbor: Rockford girl's death should call attention to blight
