 
Mtm
Member
Username: Mtm
Post Number: 249
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 5:41 pm: |    |
This past Sunday morning, while my sister took my Dad to church, Dad's house was broken in to. They had just arrived at church when my sister's cell phone went off. She didn't take the call immediately because she gets a lot of wrong numbers and didn't recognize the incoming number but, surprisingly, they left a voicemail.
When she checked the message, it was from a neighbor across the street from Dad's. They had seen four young men climb Dad's fence into his back yard. They called 911 and my sister, then he went across and rang Dad's doorbell incessantly. They say the four go out the back and leap the fence to cut through a neighbor's yard to a car waiting a block away. Neighbors even managed to get the licence number off the get-away car.
DPD DID respond and even had an evidence technician out who managed to get a print. I hate that we have to worry about our 86 year old Dad (former WWII marine and retired DFD of almost 40 years) putting up with having his home ransacked and items stolen. BUT, Dad still won't give up on his Detroit neighborhood because of the wonderful neighbors. They couldn't prevent the crime because many of them are aging but there is some reassurance that folks in the D still look out for each other. |
Michmeister
Member
Username: Michmeister
Post Number: 227
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 6:00 pm: | |
Center of mass, people, center of mass. Inhale slowly, and exhale the same. At the end slowly squeeze off three round bursts. Works every time. |
Trying_2_stay
Member
Username: Trying_2_stay
Post Number: 45
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 8:11 pm: | |
Mtm,
I think the only reason I am still where I am is because our block has wonderful neighbors who try to make sure everyone keeps their yards up and look out for each other. Although we still have alarm systems for the most part we haven't had any break ins in about 25 years. Knock on wood! And then it was some young boy who let his friends into his home and when they knew him and his father weren't home they broke in. Only problem is that the neighbors saw and called the police. They were caught thanks to my Rott,who growled and made them freeze where they were when they jumped the fence into my yard trying to get away from the police, she was trained to protect our house. One of them lost a finger trying to run from the dog and sliced it on the fence. |
Ray
Member
Username: Ray
Post Number: 984
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 8:14 pm: | |
Here's an article that will cheer you up:
O STREET
Welcome to the Motor Theft City
August 20, 2007
By ONEITA JACKSON
FREE PRESS BLOGGER
When I moved to Detroit six years ago, the official neighborhood welcome Week One was my car window being shattered.
Outside my job a few months later, a second welcome, just in case I missed the hospitality committee the first time: another theft attempt. The rogues didn’t get the car I had then (my mom’s 1979 mint-condition Chevy Caprice Classic), but stole a coworker’s 2001 Jeep Cherokee.
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Since then, I’ve observed that the psyche of the Motor City thief is deeply connected to the valuable industrial product of the city itself. Cars. Cars (rims, tires, airbags, the whole car itself…) equal cash.
And because I live in a neighborhood where the houses are nice and the cars nicer (i.e., more inviting and more accessible) and police presence is best friends with the words “almost nil,” we’re always getting hit, homeowners and renters alike.
Last week, the warm and fuzzy hospitality committee was particularly busy.
I saw three committee members in action just before dawn Sunday morning.
I called 911 with the license plate of the getaway car and the direction they were going in, but when Detroit police officers arrived 26 minutes later, the committee was well on its way.
No kidding.
When I spotted the would-be thieves sauntering through the neighborhood about an hour later, I called 911 again.
The officers arrived — hey, aren’t you my neighbor? — and the little hoodrats, who looked to be between the ages of 12 and 16, had disappeared up the street.
I pointed, showing my neighbor-officer where they went and offered more information:
“I read the license plate number to the 911 dispatcher,” who didn’t take my name or number when I asked if she needed it. “She didn’t give it to you?” My neighbor-officer said no.
“She didn’t give you the license plate number!” Oneita the Angry Neighbor yelled, arms flailing. “Good grief, I’ve forgotten it now!”
The lady whose car I saw the would-be thieves working on called 311 to make a report later Sunday evening, and the person who took the call told her she didn’t need to make a report because there was nothing they could do.
“With whom am I speaking?” my neighbor asked. The person on the phone said, “You don’t need to know my name.”
Oh, my.
I switched garages Sunday to one that is a few steps closer to where I live. Friday morning, that one was hit.
I woke to a neighbor yelling a string of expletives outside my window at 6:42: “I don’t believe this ---!” Curse word. Curse word. Curse word. “I’m tired of this!”
I raced to the garage where we park. I saw my car was fine. She was going off about her window being busted — it’d happened before in the other garage where we both used to park — and she was infuriated.
Two other cars in the garage were sitting on blocks |
Ray
Member
Username: Ray
Post Number: 985
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 8:14 pm: | |
Here's an article that will cheer you up:
O STREET
Welcome to the Motor Theft City
August 20, 2007
By ONEITA JACKSON
FREE PRESS BLOGGER
When I moved to Detroit six years ago, the official neighborhood welcome Week One was my car window being shattered.
Outside my job a few months later, a second welcome, just in case I missed the hospitality committee the first time: another theft attempt. The rogues didn’t get the car I had then (my mom’s 1979 mint-condition Chevy Caprice Classic), but stole a coworker’s 2001 Jeep Cherokee.
Advertisement
Since then, I’ve observed that the psyche of the Motor City thief is deeply connected to the valuable industrial product of the city itself. Cars. Cars (rims, tires, airbags, the whole car itself…) equal cash.
And because I live in a neighborhood where the houses are nice and the cars nicer (i.e., more inviting and more accessible) and police presence is best friends with the words “almost nil,” we’re always getting hit, homeowners and renters alike.
Last week, the warm and fuzzy hospitality committee was particularly busy.
I saw three committee members in action just before dawn Sunday morning.
I called 911 with the license plate of the getaway car and the direction they were going in, but when Detroit police officers arrived 26 minutes later, the committee was well on its way.
No kidding.
When I spotted the would-be thieves sauntering through the neighborhood about an hour later, I called 911 again.
The officers arrived — hey, aren’t you my neighbor? — and the little hoodrats, who looked to be between the ages of 12 and 16, had disappeared up the street.
I pointed, showing my neighbor-officer where they went and offered more information:
“I read the license plate number to the 911 dispatcher,” who didn’t take my name or number when I asked if she needed it. “She didn’t give it to you?” My neighbor-officer said no.
“She didn’t give you the license plate number!” Oneita the Angry Neighbor yelled, arms flailing. “Good grief, I’ve forgotten it now!”
The lady whose car I saw the would-be thieves working on called 311 to make a report later Sunday evening, and the person who took the call told her she didn’t need to make a report because there was nothing they could do.
“With whom am I speaking?” my neighbor asked. The person on the phone said, “You don’t need to know my name.”
Oh, my.
I switched garages Sunday to one that is a few steps closer to where I live. Friday morning, that one was hit.
I woke to a neighbor yelling a string of expletives outside my window at 6:42: “I don’t believe this ---!” Curse word. Curse word. Curse word. “I’m tired of this!”
I raced to the garage where we park. I saw my car was fine. She was going off about her window being busted — it’d happened before in the other garage where we both used to park — and she was infuriated.
Two other cars in the garage were sitting on blocks |
Frumoasa
Member
Username: Frumoasa
Post Number: 41
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 8:21 pm: | |
I must say the same thing. When my husband and I were gone for the 4th of July, someone took the liberty to help themselves to stuff in my house by breaking a window (the noise wasn't heard due to fireworks). As soon as neighbors saw what was going on, they called the cops and someone actually did come out although we were not at home at the time. When we woke up the next morning, there was a message (phone was on silent) that someone broke in and got away within 4 minutes. That night, the neighbors nailed back my fence (all of my gates are nailed or chained shut, so the crackhead just disassembled my wood fence), tried to close the broken window as best they could and put a "beware of dog" sign on the alley facing fence. I made sure to thank the neighbors for looking out as best they could while staying safe. It definitely makes a difference when people look out for each other. |
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 72
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 10:38 pm: | |
I'm with Michmeister, Squeeze a few rounds, I know I will! |
Michmeister
Member
Username: Michmeister
Post Number: 231
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 11:02 pm: | |
Guaranteed to stimulate the thought process for the next ones. |
Pam
Member
Username: Pam
Post Number: 2386
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 7:14 am: | |
How would a gun have helped in this case? The homeowner was not home during the break in. Are you saying the neighbors should have shot the thieves? I don't think you can get away with that. You can't claim self defense if it is not your own home being robbed. |
Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul
Post Number: 1489
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 7:53 am: | |
Mtm, what do you want us to say? Sorry to sound rude, but are we to applaud your dad for staying the neighborhood? A coworker of mine and her husband just recently bought a house on the nice side of Charlotte (the south side) and it was broken into on Monday and ransacked. The Charlotte police had a similar response and outcome to your father's incident. So I guess, good work DPD! Unfortunately I do indeed feel bad for your father but I don't really know what more to say than that stuff happens in ANY city. |
Defendbrooklyn
Member
Username: Defendbrooklyn
Post Number: 450
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 9:03 am: | |
Guns are great for hunting and home defense...
In the cases stated above a neighbor could have went over to break up the "action" and in the anticipation of something going wrong brought a shotgun...If the dirt bags responded in such a way, bang bang bang. However, i doubt any of us would have the courage to go to a neighbors house to break up a break in. Its a hypothetical. |
Buyamerican
Member
Username: Buyamerican
Post Number: 153
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 9:08 am: | |
The only reason I can think of for someone to stay in a neighborhood that has a large criminal element is because they can't afford anything else. Why would someone jeopardize themselves and their family by staying in a home or an area that puts you at risk? Any thug can just look at a well kept home and in their screwed up minds think that there is money inside, so you're easy pickings. Why stay and take the chance that it may not be a robbery next time, it may be an injury, rape or murder?
That's why I took my family out of Detroit. The City could not protect me against the criminal element in Detroit. The police had their hands tied by City government and couldn't do their jobs. |
Rocket_city
Member
Username: Rocket_city
Post Number: 365
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 11:25 am: | |
Let me know when dad's going to sell. I'll buy his home for the price of what it's worth. (at least in my fantasy world I would)  |
6nois
Member
Username: 6nois
Post Number: 440
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 12:35 pm: | |
I think the point that many of you are missing is that, the reason why Mtm's father is staying is the neighbors. You don't have that type of neighborhood in many suburbs, where everyone returns from work and drives into their driveway never saying hello or having contact with anyone else. Its the human element, and that is important to some people. |
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