I hear that the recent work done there is in anticipation for visitors from the U.S. Social Forum.

That place was a drug den before we got the county involved. The former owner was a total dbag and had the nerve to expect rent from tenants who were still there after the fire consumed most of the interior. The only reason they stayed was because they couldn't get signatures from the landlord to get state help or emergency section 8, and had no other place to go. The recently de-funded Helping Hands org helped some of them find housing. The others stayed and keep an eye on the place. "Friends of Spaulding Court" are working with the community to develop it into something cool and workable.

The dbag even threatened to burn the rest of it on devil's night [[to make it appear like a random act of arson) because he couldn't stomach the idea of the place being used for anything other than a dope spot, and I got stuck sitting behind it all night on angel's night patrol.