Dangerous building owned by federal gov't.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Trash, snakes, rats, animal bones... How would you like it if all of that was in the yard next door to your home? A woman in northeast Houston says she's lived next door to that for over 10 years and she calls it a disaster waiting to happen.

Shirley Davis takes pride in keeping her yard neatly manicured, but she's not able to enjoy the view of her beautiful flowers from her front porch because of an eyesore right next door.

Davis said, "Out of the 10 or 15 years, I think (city workers) have been out once. The only thing they did was just cut in the middle. They never cleared the fence line."

Davis says squatters and drug dealers are now living in an old fish market that closed its doors in 1995. Others are using the abandoned building as a place to dump furniture and trash. From the inside you can see the building is caving in.

"The rat infestation and the snakes (are so bad) I can't even let my grandbabies play," Davis explained.

After doing some digging Eyewitness News learned this dilapidated and dangerous building is owned by the US Small Business Administration. That means even a city the size of Houston has its hands tied when dealing with the federal government.

"Can we fine them? No," said Monticella Flaniken with the Neighborhood Protection Corps.

"I want the building demolished," Davis said. "It needs to be taken down."

Davis might get her wish. Officials with the Small Business Administration said they will send someone out to inspect the site.

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