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B&E suspect seen going door-to-door
12/16/2013 6:31 AM by John M
nbc12 has a story about a man going door-to-door around 32nd and Marshall who is a suspect in a B&E in the area:
Investigators say the person of interest is described as a black male, with a medium build, in his 20’s. He was wearing plaid, pajama- type pants that were reddish, orange or brown in color. He had on a black fleece jacket. He was last seen in the area of the Blue Wheeler Grocery store.
We did some work with Blue Wheeler on cleaning up that curb a year or so back and perhaps I’m mistaken but I thought they had or were planning to get surveillance cameras for the streets. Perhaps one of the others from that group can chime in but the police may want to look into that to see if they can grab a good shot of this creep.
I called the police Thursday night on who might be this same guy. He wasn’t wearing flannel pj’s, but he knocked on my door at 8.45PM asking for money. I was having a dinner party and asked him to go away. He loitered outside my house until my dinner guests were leaving and then pestered them. I was annoyed and called the non-emergency number, they sent a car within a couple of minutes, got out and searched the surrounding premises. Apparently he had moved on.
Anyway, thanks to RPD for a quick response and I hope they catch this guy. I’m 300 block of 32nd St, so it’s right in the area where he’s been spotted.
The guy we saw was mid twenties, muscular and didn’t really seem like he actually wanted to talk. He quickly asked “uh, can you tell me how to get to Chimborazo park?” When I answered.
We had a man who was standing on our front porch of the 400 block of N 23rd St, smoking a cigarette. Did not knock, he was apparently just standing there. Our neighbors came out of their house and he tried to act nonchalant and just walked away and headed down the street. We, too, called the non-emergency 911, they were here in no less than 2 minutes, if that, however by the point the neighbors contacted us etc he was well on his way. This person was wearing a tannish colored coat. No more real details I’m afraid.
#2 John-
If this man lingered AFTER you asked him to leave and he had trespassed, why would you call the NON-emergency number? Not being critical, just trying to understand the logic here….The way I see it, the man was a threat to you and your dinner guests after you asked him to get off your property.
Surely his behavior warranted a 911 call, no? Am I overreacting?
RVA Drew – I live on the same block as John and I wouldn’t have called 911 either. We have people loitering and/or ringing our doorbells to ask for money way too often. This guy rang my doorbell that same night but, after he saw my dogs, he didn’t stay long enough for me to answer the door. Additional info – the police stopped by my house that same night to ask about the man and I saw them make an arrest of a man later that night in front of the Blue Wheeler. Not sure if it was the same guy as he didn’t stay at my house long enough for me to see him. While the BW has been cleaned up some, it still brings in loitering, panhandling and drug deals. We did have a camera but it was only to address a specific issue. It’s been gone for a while.
John – Eric and I saw this man (blue flannel PJ’s, black jacket) leaving your front porch last Thursday evening. We were with the dog at the first lady parking sign. He walked towards the Blue Wheeler and lingered there.
Wow- I live off Chimborazo and based on the way some of you folks react, I would be on the phone every night. I had to come to grips with my racism and accept people for whom they are. By chance were any of these people you called the cops on white?
WS – the only person who has mentioned anything about a specific race in this thread is you. Just saying. And can I get your street address?? The next time someone asking for beer/wine/cigarette/bus money rings my doorbell or blocks my access to my vehicle or panhandles one of my guests, I will send him/her to your house.
@WS, your Stephen Colbert bit did not fly here. Further, you are very than welcome to call the police on persons of every color of the rainbow if your motivation is the betterment of our neighborhood.
#8 so in your world it’s ok for someone to stand on your porch without permission? I think it was perfectly reasonable for the poster in #4 to call the non-emergency # in that situation. get a grip.
@8 – your heart’s in the right place but your thinking is wrong. It’s exactly that type of white guilt that results in the cops not being called when someone is doing something sketchy.
Statistically speaking, more of the crimes in our neighborhood are committed by African-Americans. So while I’m not at all suggesting that we rush to call the cops when we see an African-American just hanging out, it’s foolish to suggest that calling cops is always racist. We have at least one example here where, in hindsight, the cops probably should have been called. My guess is that the residents likely felt they were being racist to suspect that and stifled their instincts.
If someone is lurking around alleys, checking lots of homes to see if people are in, watching the mailman closely, etc. please call the cops people!
I don’t know how calling the police on people standing on the street is motivation for a better neighborhood. Whether you agree with me or not, the truth is these are the people in our community and yes, they may not be in the same social-economical status, but that shouldn’t matter. If anything, we are in fact, relatively new to this area and should be more understanding, and more encouraging to build up and not tear down. @Chimbo- you said the “betterment of our neighborhood” but do you really mean that? Or do you mean the betterment of YOUR neighborhood? The way you believe it should be. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between true fear and stereotypes spurred by hundreds of years of racism. I was only commenting on my specific feelings and what I struggle with on a daily basis living in Church Hill. I love my neighborhood because of the people, not despite of them.
WS – I love my neighborhood and my neighbors too. There is not another place in the world like Church Hill.
However, if someone I don’t know is standing on my porch having a smoke and trying my door knob or going on my neighbors porches and testing their door knobs I am going to call the police. People that prey on others have no part in this community. That has nothing to do with the color of the skin but the content of the character.
@13 “They” and “we”? Reallllly? *face palm*
@14…Well stated.
WS- What do you think the intended purpose of someone trying door knobs would be? Red, green, white, black or yellow- what would be their reason for this behavior?
I cannot believe that the “race card” is in play on this topic.
I have lived in this neighborhood for 23 years. My friends and neighbors are of all races. My friends and neighbors throughout the years have been robbed, pistol-whipped and robbed, burglarized, home invaded and attempted car-jacked. Who did this? Criminals.
I dislike criminals. Most of the crimes against property and person(s) in this neighborhood are committed by blacks. Does that mean that I dislike blacks. Nope. Does that mean that I dislike this neighborhood? Nope. I simply dislike criminals.
The nbc12 report that prompted this thread involves a black suspect in a B&E in this neighborhood. His M.O. is similar to other recent crimes…check out a house, determine that no one is home, break in and steal their shit. It has happened numerous times on my block and on surrounding blocks recently. The only way to stop this is to report suspicious people. I don’t give a rat’s ass about their color, creed, perceived economic status, taste in music, fashion style or gift of gab. Call the police and let them sort it out. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…it’s a duck.
WS achromatic, are you implying that white people would not call the police on a white person who is casing homes, stealing packages, accosting citizens, dealing drugs on the street, etc., because the person doing these things is white like them? Kinda sounds like it…
There is a criminal element in this neighborhood. Always has been, always will be. Be aware of it. Don’t accept it. Heed your gut feelings. Call the police.
peace to all.
Before a riot ensues….Let me just clarify my position. I am merely talking about someone standing or loitering on the public sidewalk. Nowhere in the previous comments prior to mine did anyone mention “door knob turning” or “refusing to leave the porch while smoking a cigarette. If in fact someone was on my porch and after I asked politely for them to leave and if they chose to stay on my porch then, yes I might call the police only after I made another attempt. You all can chastise me or tell me how ridiculous I am, but we all know deep in our hearts, that racism exist at some level. Peace, Love and Joy… I’m out!
WS – I can only speak for my heart… racism doesn’t exist there. Peace, Love and Joy back at you! Merry Christmas 🙂
Just checking back @ RVADrew. It’s already been answered by sleekitdogs, but yes, if I called the emergency number for everyone who loitered, pan handled, knocked on my door etc. on my block, it would just be crying wolf. I didn’t call the emergency number because I never felt unsafe. I called the non-emergency number b/c the guy was being a pain in the ass to my guests and at that point had made himself unwelcome in front of my house.
@AC Garmon, I didn’t notice he was wearing flannel PJ’s. Guess it was the same guy.
To my neighbors who say he backed off after seeing their dogs, he was being barked at by my lab the whole time, so at least he’s aware that I’m packing a loud dog.