What to do about groups of people loitering around my building?

[Danny Maller]

I'm a month into house hacking my 3 unit and I can't get people to rent because of the crowd of random people hanging out on the side walk between my place and the liquor store just north of me. I never saw anyone outside during the several visits to the place when I was looking at the building and now they're here all the time. This is in Humboldt Park, Chicago, Illinois.

If it's legwork talking with my alderman or going to townhall meetings, I'm ready and willing. I'm curious if anyone has any creative methods like spraying something stinky on the sidewalk when they're not there, or if anyone has had luck installing cameras. They like to hang out in the alley way along the north side of the building as well where I can easily see them. None of them live around here but congregate to smoke cigarettes and look around with one another. Some are drinking which I call the cops immediately for but it doesn't seem very effective. Any ideas?

[Danny Maller]

@Ray Harrell You are assuming that I am assuming. I've witnessed about 10 drug deals in the alley from my kitchen window on several occasions. I've witnessed about 5 men smoking crack on several occasions and standing there in the alley drifting off into space while the cops are en route. I once walked out my back door to see a few crackheads huddled looking at something on the ground outside my fence. They had given a crack rock to an ant and were cheering it on. I took a video of that one right next to them which they didn't seem to care at all about. I found a heroin syringe/needle on the concrete slab for my garbage pickup a week from when I moved into the building. There are drug baggies that litter the neighborhood. These people that hang around don't live in this neighborhood as I found by talking to them. I keep a respectful dialogue with them and ask politely for them to move down the block when I have prospective tenants coming over.

"Either learn to live with it or move!" - worst thread contribution ever, Ray.