Homewood's "Killing Fields" are being demolished (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: section 8, houses)

[PennHillsNative80]

I guess this is old news, but it's new news to me. Apparently parts of Homewood's notorious "Killing Fields" have already been demolished. I just read on the City of Pittsburgh's Demolition list that the rest of the rowhomes on Formosa Way were up for bid for demolition.

I'm glad to see these structures gone.

Here's the Demolition link:
Demolition Postings

Here's an article about the demolitions:
Demolition gives Homewood residents hope - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[Uptown kid]

Formosa Way along with other old, hostile, violent, post apocalyptic barracks such as Reed Roberts Manor, East Liberty Gardens, & Elmore Square/Bentley Drive in Addison Terrace were razed/are beginning to get razed... Though this is only a good start to cleaning up the streets of predominitly black, inner city Pittsburgh.

-Race Street was the war front with out killings
-The Molher Projects is where the killaz lived
-Formosa Way-Collier Street is where the killings happened
This trio of bad areas is what Homewood so bad IMO (not to say most blocks of Hamilton Ave, Kelly St, Tioga Way, Felecia Way, Forest Way, Bennet St, North Langley Ave, North Homewood Ave, Idewild St, North Braddock Ave, Sterrett St, Inwood St, Brushton Ave, Blackadore Ave, Wheeler St, etc aren't BAD)... Perhaps Homewood South will see improvement; though I'm guessing near by grimy, slum lord managed, section 8 rowhouses will take the Killing Field's place in "DxwnTxwn Hxmewxxd" (they X out the O's in most Crip & LAW gang affiliated neighborhoods so I typed it intentionally).

It's called the Killing Fields mainly for the black on black automatic firearm killings, shootings, shoot outs with the cops stabbings, robberies gone wrong and overall violence in the 90's ('93-96 especially), but in the late 80's it was BAD too. The crack epidemic hit the area hard so prostitution, drugs, gangs formed as a result, and in an area of only a few blocks the streets quickly got outta' control. In the late 80's-early 90's the notorious DownTown SQV-436 Formosa Way Crips (the East Coast 1st crip gang) led by a local deceased gang banger who went by the assilance of "King Koo Kell" ran drug market in the rowhouses with noteable acts of violence and hostility. When he got locked up there was a power struggle so from the late 90's early 2000's there were violent inner gang power struggles. In the mid 2000's though the rowhouses were largely border up it was still debatably the Burgh's badsest street... Now it's gone after decades of plight, its gone! I can tell you in it's hay day it was an infamous and iconic site in Homewood & inner city Pittsburgh.

[PreservationPioneer]

It's too bad these rows of houses were associated with murders and crime, and in such a bad neighborhood. I think they were really cool circa 1910 row-houses.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

It's too bad these rows of houses were associated with murders and crime, and in such a bad neighborhood. I think they were really cool circa 1910 row-houses.

Agree, it was like a slice of West Philadelphia, in Pittsburgh.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

Agree, it was like a slice of West Philadelphia, in Pittsburgh.

What a shame... those are awesome.

[Uptown kid]

Here's a video of the 7500 (not 456) Formosa Way Crips (former set of DownTown Homewood Crips gang) posted up on Formosa Way during some time from 2006-2008. FORMOSA WAY CRIP HOMEWOOD PITTSBURGH PA - YouTube
The main person who gave the tour was killed this February and almost every other gang member on video is dead too. At this time the set ceased to exist, but members and former members of the DownTown Homewood Crips who grew up on the street were present for the documentary. It really starts at 8:17.
Also, even though the buildings are razed if you want to see how bad the plight and graffiti really was before its gone, go to google maps street view of 7500-7600Formosa Way, Homewood, Pittsburgh 15208; as the images are from the late 2000's. They use the letter C to replace the letter K, X out O's, turn A's up side-down to look almost like V's, "KC" stands for "Killa Crip", and "RWG" & "CIP" stands for Rest With G's and Crip in Peace...

[Sealtite]

"Killing Fields"? Never heard of it.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Uptown kid

7500-7600Formosa Way, Homewood, Pittsburgh 15208; as the images are from the late 2000's. They use the letter C to replace the letter K, X out O's, turn A's up side-down to look almost like V's, "KC" stands for "Killa Crip", and "RWG" & "CIP" stands for Rest With G's and Crip in Peace...

Wow, I can't believe that Google Map driver would go through there. He is lucky to get out alive. That looks really bad. Imagine all the needles on the ground. Of course many might be picked up and reused. It always amazes me how bad places in Pittsburgh actually are. I don't know how people can go through life like that. It is such a gift, yet people sure seem to want to waste it. No pride at all I guess.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

It's too bad these rows of houses were associated with murders and crime, and in such a bad neighborhood. I think they were really cool circa 1910 row-houses.

True. The housing wasn't the problem. I'm sort of fantasizing of a systematic plan to rehabilitate the housing and couple it with a WQED home remodeling program called "Dis Ol'Haus".

But seriously, I suppose it could work if WQED teamed up with Preservation Pittsburgh. Obviously the $$$ is a problem.

[Goinback2011]

So if they're razing the housing, where are the killers moving to?