Steve Burns
WMAL.com

ROCKVILLE, Md. – (WMAL) The explosion last month at the Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring is a wake-up call for many on the County Council as they confront what one Councilmember describes as the “other” Montgomery County, one that consists of low-income, often immigrant communities living in substandard living conditions, often facing fear and retaliation for reporting any problems.

Those were the stark realities presented at a lengthy hearing Tuesday afternoon in Rockville, seven weeks after the explosion that killed 7 and displaced dozens of families.

“I don’t think we spend enough time talking about the other Montgomery County,” Councilmember Tom Hucker said. “They are already living here. The folks that live in my neighborhood who pick up our recycling, clean our neighbors’ homes, drive our Ubers, wash our dishes and make the meals in our restaurants that we’re very proud of.”

Hucker indicated multiple examples of residents living in shoddy conditions – mice, vermin, mold, peeling paint, cracked walls and floors – who were too fearful or unaware to report violations. He said at a recent meeting of Flower Branch residents, almost two dozen people said they had smelled gas but did not call 911. Some residents told him the landlord threatened a $500 fine if they called 911.

“It’s my hope that this tragic event will be a teaching moment that forces us to have an overdue county-wide conversation about what we’re doing to meet the promise of Montgomery County for all of our county residents,” Hucker said.

The apartment inspection process is also coming under scrutiny. Complexes like Flower Branch are inspected every three years, according to county officials. At its last inspection in 2013, Department of Housing and Community Affairs Director Clarence Snuggs reported 437 violations found among 362 units, though he noted the vast majority were minor and not life-threatening. He also noted gas line examinations are not a part of the county’s inspection process.

Some Councilmembers expressed a desire to increase inspection rates and accountability measures for landlords, as well as to expand bilingual outreach for residents to understand their options to report problems.

“I felt very aware of the fact that somehow we’re still treating this (immigrant) community as if it just got here,” Councilmember Nancy Navarro said. “That’s not acceptable.”

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(Photo: File Photo, Heather Curtis)