We was robbed

So sorry to hear that… I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

Can we organize some sort of crime watch like other neighborhoods where we pull shifts and ride around? I’m SO sorry to hear this for you. I’m also getting very nervous thinking when will it be my turn and how will I handle it. (I’m a me and not a we so even a little more nerveracking.)Do you have an alarm?

Do you have a picture of the bike? My desk is in front of a huge window looking out on 15th St in Shockoe Bottom. I see a lot of stuff and would be happy to keep a look out for it and report anything I see to the police. Hopefully we can catch these f**kers.

I just got off the phone with my roomate who was up at Buzzy’s and said the police just caught the guy who’s been robbing all the houses in the area. He ran out there when he saw two undercovers chasing the guy and then 8 police cars swarmed the area. One of the officers said that he was the guy they’d been looking for so lets hope so!

LH, I HOPE SO. That’d be a load off everyone’s mind. I’m sitting here near tears & a stomach ache after reading so many 1st hand accts of break-ins and just feeling like I can’t even go out of town w/o worrying.

Brandi, if we could muster then interest I would do all I could to help get it up and running.

VCS-Let’s see what we can do. I am going to talk to my roommate and maybe we can get some people together or get some fliers going to let people know what we are trying to do.

I have only been in chuch hill 7 months, and I have never felt unsafe until now. But, this kind of stuff is happening all over Richmond. I think if we can get enough people together, we can make a differnce or at least get some attention!

hopefully the church hill crimewatch will be sending out the phone message soon, once the police confirm they have caught the suspect. hopefully the guy they caught acted alone. if you aren’t on the church hill crime watch alert list yet, sign up now at 648-2710.

John, I am sorry about your loss but I want to say, again, how grateful I am that you have birthed this web site. So many of us are benefitting from it in real time, like the news (and I hope it turns out the cops got the right guy) that at least one of the breakin guys has been caught! ‘LH’ posted that news here probably before most of the cops knew it…and certainly before the formal media knew about it, if they know about it even now! Good news should travel as fast as bad. Kudos and thanks.

The bike looks like this. Pretty, no?

We’ve done everything right and that helped some. We have an alarm, and after the FOJP meeting, I cam home and we put up the extra security tabs on our (vinyl) windows.

El fuck face(s) twisted or pried a back window open. The lock snapped and the frame of the window was bent. They had to exert enough twisting force, though, that one of the panes of glass broke and triggered the alarm (at 1:06pm)

The alarm company called my wife at work. She confirmed that it was not us. While they were on the phone, the alarm trigger on the upstairs porch door was triggered (1:09pm). The front door alarm was triggered when they left by the front door at 1:10pm.

I got the call from my wife and drove very fucking fast from my job @MLK Middle and got here before the cops. On the way home, I stopped an picked up our little dog at the intersection of 22nd and Q Streets (and this is what keeps coming back and freaking me out — what if I hadnlt seen him?).

When I got home, the door was open and one of the bike that was not stolen had been moved to the downstairs by the door.

He/they didn’t make it to the kitchen. They did steal a piggy bank (shaped like a pig!), an iPod Nano (I hope they like Lamb of God), and a swhag Richmond Public Schools totebag.

The window is fucked up enough that it will have to be replaced. I’ve boarded up the window hurricane-style for now.

We had a laptop, a bunch of valuable jewelry, a check book, and my silver mountain bike. Oh yeah, I guess these assholes were thirsty becuase they stole a carton of ice tea!

I am looking forward to meeting up at Buzzy’s!

AMEN CB!! I work hard for what I have and refuse to be terrorized in my own home. You betcha that if I’m there when they decide to hit me up, only 1 of us will make it out alive – and I’m the one w/the gun and a brother who’s a champion shooter. Can I get a ‘You go girl’! ; > )

Our stuff can always be replaced but if the dog or my cats had gotten out I’m sure I would be broken right now. Now I just want to choke the asshole that came into my home!

I am really curious as to what area everyone lives in without giving exact addresses. And, as far as policing… I rarely see one here unless they are reporting to the scene of a crime. For goodness sakes, we are only blocks for the police station. And, you may want to be careful giving a whole lot of info. on this site because as ignorant as these animals are, our tax dollars are paying to teach them to read. Since they are stealing computers, they may be reading all of our info. I want to put emphasis on the word “animals”… they are crapping in the alley beside our homes. They roam the streets all hours of the night. They do not work. They are ANIMALS. I would love to work to stay on the lookup and will certainly report anything suspicious, but since I have only lived in CH for 1 month and in Richmond for 1 year, I am ready to get the H*** out of here. This sucks.

As furious and unnerved as I am about the break in, I’m so thankful that you two are safe. And that you have an alarm. Without it, it could have been worse. Nobody these days should be without a security system. Jim & I would gladly buy you a big-assed gun, but at the very least feel that that y’all (residents) should carry stun guns, pepper spray or something to protect yourselves while out and about. Think about it, ok?

Damn John I hope you send this and the other 2 threads on the situation up to the Mayor’s office and any other email box the City may have….this is disturbing stuff to read…….I’m wound up tighter than a $2 watch and it’s only 7am. I walked in on one of these cretins last Friday in my house and would love to have the chance to face him again…on a line up.

Please keep us posted as to the Crime Watch Patrol idea as I’ve always thought we needed more eyes on the street…even if it met with a lukewarm reception when I suggested it to Capt Monroe…something drastic needs to be done and without blame we all need to know the police can’t do it alone.

I dunno how bikes depreciate. It was a wee bit expensive when new, but that was 3 years ago.

John, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for your bike. I checked out the Felt web site. That’s no ordinary bike! I wonder if the jackass that stole it knows how recognizeable it is? Of course not. And I hope that works to your advantage. You now have a multitude of people who are now working to help you get it back. Ah, the power of communication and community. You should get some sort of award for this site…

Lora wrote that a guy had purchased their stolen bike on the street. Were you able to get it back, Lora, or was he adamant that it was his?

I’d think it would be obvious to a person buying a bike or any other household item on the street that it’s “hot.” Which leads me to wonder if the police have the means (funds, time) to broadcast fliers (or something) that warns people about buying things on the streets – just like a pawn shop is liable for purchasing stolen goods. I’m not sure if it is legal or not to tell people “don’t buy stuff on the street that is most likely stolen.” Though I know people reading the fliers may laugh at it, I’m curious whether it will a) give them pause on buying stolen goods and lessen the demand and, b) make it known to the criminals that the police and community are well aware of these transactions and they’re being watched. Too bad most of us have day jobs, eh?

If the police don’t have the time or funds, but it’s legal (and feasible) and they allow the citizens to do get the message out themselves, I’ll dedicate both.

I’m not sure if this is a stupid idea or not. I just started thinking that these people are stealing because somebody’s buying. Except for the tea. I think they drank that.

And I am so glad you found your dog! That is the one thing that Carl & I are most worried about if someone breaks into our house – that they’ll let our cats out.

My mountain bike was not that valuable in cost, but I had only had it for a month. I just loved cruising the hill and looking at all the cool architecture. I also felt safer riding it than I did jogging. It does not matter if I paid $5 at a yard sale, it is the principle of the matter!! I have a friend that gave me a free cheapo bike. I have thoughts about chaining it up somewhere with a hidden camera. I always wanted to be a detective.

These little f–ckers need to be stopped! The police did not even finger print our house at all. My roommate and I were both away when it happened. We both called the police to follow up and they did not even show up until the next day, unannounced! We own the apartment in the back of us and the tennants were robbed as well. They found one of their kitchen knives on the floor. I know the police are busy with murders and patrolling the streets to make sure that you move your car for street sweeping, but I am pissed that they never finger printed!! I got my boyfriend to take pictures of the damage and our belongings that were slung everywhere so that we could turn it into our insurance. I saw more cops at the parade that was going through CH last Saturday than I have ever seen!! The cops are probably afraid of these assholes as well. I do not even go out and jog anymore. I am not even so sure that I want to converse with most of my neighbors and I thought that I lived in the safe section of the hill, if there is one?! Whoever posted about these assholes being ANIMALS, you are right on! Thugs that are awake at these hours running the streets are f–cked up on drugs and do not give a shit what they do or who they hurt. We need to get them locked up or send them back to the ghetto.

John M., Thank you for your message. If we start throwing stones (name calling and threatening), we are no better than the ANIMALS that I referred to yesterday. We need to watch that term “ghetto”. We all live in what used to be the “ghetto”, but through the revitalization and long time families that wanted to make changes, good things are happening. Please do not ever make this a racial thing. Our community is very diverse. This is one of the things that brought us here. Though I do not want to stay because of the murder in front of my home, we need to stick together while we are living here together.

It seems, sadly, that the break-ins have accelerated rather than lessened. Is this true, or was I just unaware? I have stopped walking because I no longer feel safe. The break-in has changed my life and my habits. I too have only been in the neighborhood for a short time. I have always been careful, the windows & doors were locked, used light timers etc…. I have now added many more anti- theft devices, however, that does not make me feel that I am any longer free to walk down to the store, or go up to the park as part of my exerise regime. Our house has four different vehicles with 4 different people coming and going at all times with their different work schedules, which only tells me that our house was being watched very closely. There was a small window of time that they entered into both apartments as well as both floors, which says that numerous people were involved in the break-in. I have nothing else of value for them to take, they got it all the first time; most of which cannot be replaced. I suppose they would just have to back a truck up now and move out the furniture! I am more frightened that someone would come in with a gun like this week down the block from us. I have never considered myself a gun “advocate” but in order to protect myself I feel it is necessary to own a gun and have it loaded.

I would be willing to be on “patrol” as well. Just let me know.

CB are you certain that the screen was pried off from the neighboring rooftop and not blown off by Ernesto’s winds? Screens on my block are containtly blown out whenever it’s windy.

CB is sure about the screen and I’m glad she called to let the police know about it. There may still e others out there up to no good so let’s not let our guard down. I would personally like to thank every that calls the police whenever something is suspicious. As one officer told me, “I would rather come out a thousand times for what you may think of as nothing instead of coming out one time and it really be something.” I agree with Ralph, this too shall pass.

Brandi,

I am trying to figure out why you insist on taking shots at the police. You’re roommate referred to us as “ignorant” last month and you think we are afraid. Neither of you have told the entire story about your situation. One officer (who works a desk job) let you down. You make it sound like we did not even find your break-in until the next day. You also say that we did not take prints. Did you talk to your roommate? We did try to lift prints off the window and guess what? There wasn’t any. In my career I have been shot at, spit on, hit, kicked, bottled, rocked, egged, and bricked. If I was afraid I would have left a long time ago. Why don’t you walk into the Precinct and request to go on a ride-along? Any citizen (that’s not afraid) can do it. Then you can see for yourself what it is that we are and are not doing.

The thing thats gets me is how many people dont leave lights on at night. You should always have a light on outside and also inside. There are many people who live in renovated homes whose dwellings sit in the dark. You can also buy a dusk to dawn adapter to place on your outside light to take the work out of turning them off and on every day.

Are there security systems with a video camera hook-up? It would be a great if you could get pictures of these creeps and just circulate them around town. Regarding the cyclical nature of the crimes… sure it will die down at some point, but how do you keep it from coming back. If these guys think your area is an easy target, they will be back. Who knows what the answer is… this reminds me a lot of Baltimore a few years back, even stores of Boston. Perhaps there are things to be learned from neighborhood associations in those cities.

John- so very sorry about the bike- Did it have a serial number? Renters/homeowners insurance may give something back to you if you can come up with a figure. My guess is that it will end up in the woods somewhere because the perps will think it has really shitty pedals!

In answer to Nick’s question, I didn’t get my bike from the guy riding it. He was adamant that it was none of his business that my house had been broken into, and that he had nothing to do with it. Since I wasn’t prepared to fight the guy, I didn’t press things too much. My sister DID remind him that he was in possession of stolen property, though.

After he took off, I called the investigating detective for our case and let him know what had happened, but I haven’t heard back from him.

I’ll be a lot more persistent, and quicker with the phone, if I see anyone on John’s bike:)

I am constantly on the look out for that yellow bike. I have it committed to membory. It is unique and will show up somewhere, hopefully soon.

There will be a Block Captain meeting Thursday, October 5 at 7:00pm inside St. John’s Parish Hall at 2401 E. Broad St.

This is a great opportunity for all of you to put your energies into DOING something about your neighborhood along with posting comments about it.

Nothing wrong with posts, but active participation is key. The Block Captain program is designed to help people help themselves – and not just about crime. There are a lot of issues in our neighborhood that go unnoticed/unnattended everyday such as abandoned cars, animal control issues, trash, weedy sidewalks, delinquent properties, unlawful signage, etc.

I’m sure many of you work very hard to address these issues. Becoming a Block Captain empowers an entire block to tackle these things. It’s not a perfect solution, sometimes it feels like a band-aid solution more than anything, but it’s better than nothing and does matter.

The program can give you the information your block needs to call the right people, take the right actions, follow through to solve problems.

There are currently about 40+ Block Captains in Church Hill, but because of the recent housing boom, I lost several good people – they need to be replaced, and we need to add more blocks to the roster.

As a Block Captain, you will be given a manual with a wealth of information about how to deal with most of the issues that affect our nieghborhood. You, in turn, will be given materials to give to your neighbors. If you don’t have one already, you can form a phone tree/email list that can be turned into Shelby Long so that your block gets on the Crime Watch phone tree.

I’d sure appreciate seeing some of you at the meeting, and hope that you will consider volunteering for these important jobs.

You may already have a Block Captain and not know it. I know, you’re thinking, “That’s silly, what good is it then?” It’s possible that you’ve moved into the neighborhood after a Block Captain was assigned, and they haven’t connected with you yet. It’s also possible that some of our Block Captains aren’t keeping up with their duties. That’s part of why we’re training again – to recruit and retrain old Captains.

Other obligations have kept me from having a meeting in a while, so some of the fault is mine. But if you would like to know if you have a Block Captain, contact me at my email with your block location and I will let you know. It will also let me know if the Captains are effective or not.

This is a CHA program but you don’t have to be a CHA member to be a Block Captain – you can even hate the CHA if you want to. But, the CHA does do many great things for this community, this being one of them.

I would like to repeat that this is a program that is designed to unite the neighborhood by empowering people to help themselves and their neighbors.

SO, are you sure that we do not have some sort of urban Robin Hood, stealing bikes from the yuppies what gots em and giving them to those that aint? That might explain why there are no witness to many crimes…

avic — I’ve deleted posts before, but not recently. And when I have, I’ve emailed the posters to explain why. I’d be inclined to chalk this up to a technical error.

go laura! you rock!

If I’m correct, there is a martial arts studio opening soon beside Church Hill Herbs.

Just curious but how long have you people lived in this area. It seems like you would have a real reason to b***** if you were born here. If you moved here in the last 5-10 years though, you knew exactly what you were getting into. You probably got a “good deal” on your house and you convinced yourself the neighborhood wouldn’t be that bad. Now you are realizing it was a mistake. Why don’t you take the money you spend on buying a house in the ghetto and buy a new bike with it.

j — I can’t afford to, I’m a teacher 🙂