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justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 12:34 AM Jan 2012

The state of crime in my once quiet community

Until recently, I've lived in a very quiet, family oriented community. We have a condo association that can be a pain in the ass but otherwise, not many complaints.

About a year ago one of the neighbors was busted for cooking meth in his townhouse. He got busted (yay) and went to jail. In jail he made a new friend and offered his home when the guy got out. After the original guy served his 4 months for cooking and distributing meth, he came home and things were still fairly quiet in the neighborhood. Seems, maybe, he learned his lesson.

Then his buddy got out of jail 2 months later and moves in 5 houses down from me. He's a registered sex offender and has a violent history with women... he doesn't seem to like women at all--he's cussed out numerous women in our neighborhood just for looking at him. About 2 weeks ago, a no-knock warrant was served, the door was busted down and everyone was arrested... this time for growing and selling shrooms. They were out within 24hrs.

Last weekend, someone OD'd in the house--seems to me that would be a violation of probation that I understand everyone in the house is on. After talking with the president of the condo association, I learned that the sex offender has something like 53 arrests on his record. Tonight, I had to call 911 because he and his girlfriend were fighting (outside in the street--up and down the street, then back down the street, then inside the house, then outside the house, etc.) and she starts yelling "Help, help, he's trying to hit me," and running away from the guy. So I helped in the only way I was willing to. 15 minutes later, 5 cop cars come zooming down our little road, lights flashing, sirens blaring--giving the guy plenty of time to rabbit out the back door and get away. I've since found out she didn't press charges against him, so they can't really do anything to him over this.

What I want to know is this... why is a guy with 53 arrests on his record, most of them violent still living in my neighborhood after a very recent drug bust? When he first moved in about 6 months ago, I looked up his name online and he'd very recently been arrested for mugging a woman at knife point (this has nothing to do with his registered sex offender status, BTW). Sine he moved in 6 months ago, there have been 20 different documented violations within the community. Houses have been broken into, wreaths and such stolen off doors. The quality of my safe little neighbor is going to the dogs.

My neighbors have called their representatives and were told the citizens of our fine county elected the judges and there was nothing our reps could do for us--which may be true but come on, at least offer some platitudes, you're politicians after all. We're beginning to wonder if someone has to get killed to get this guy out of here and the condo association's hands are tied in regards to foreclosing on the meth cooking homeowner, and can't kick the tenant out... Argh! But at least all those non-violent criminals are taking up space in our country's jails. Just FYI, our local police have been great with this. They've been working with us, there is undercover police presence and I can imagine they are just as frustrated as we are at this point. I'm sure they want to see this guy put away too but for whatever reason, the judges just keep letting him walk.

Sorry, had to vent.

14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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demosincebirth

(12,518 posts)
2. You're just an average citizen, if you were someone of importance living there, things would happen
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 12:47 AM
Jan 2012

pretty fast.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
3. Wow that sucks. Wonder if you might want to start a recall petition on some of those judges?
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 03:58 AM
Jan 2012

Even if you aren't successful, you ought to be able to fire up the local news to cover the story, and use your fifty three violent arrests asshole neighbor as your poster boy.

If the judges are frightened at the prospect of losing their paydays, maybe they'll start putting a tooth or two in their sentences.

The other thing you could do is ginn up a neighborhood watch--have the cops come over and do their little community spirit dance, make a few friends, etc.

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
5. Sadly, my judges are all Dems
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 08:22 AM
Jan 2012

How's that for a kicker and we are starting a community watch. We've already got two male members of the board doing patrols in the evenings but the guy has already threatened one of them.

As far as the news story, that has been discussed but, according to the board attorney, we CAN'T use the bad guy as the poster boy specifically. I don't know if his arrests could be mentioned without causing trouble... but I really think it's a worthwhile story.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
13. How about a petition to the judges, then, for more rational sentencing?
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 03:02 PM
Jan 2012

No recalls--just a demand that they do their duty.

You could still do the news story, and I'll bet you can find a few other troublemakers to add to your neighborhood list--after all, there were a bunch of ne'er do wells and parolees doing drugs in that townhouse, n'est pas? No need to name names, you can simply say "And this individual, who shall remain nameless, was beating his companion on the street while I was dialing nine one one...and he's STILL HERE!"

They could always do the clever "over the shoulder" shot to obscure YOUR face--because you live in fear from the "criminal element" in your neighborhood!

 

Sen. Walter Sobchak

(8,692 posts)
4. Been there, done that...
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 07:17 AM
Jan 2012

Ultimately it fell to the local Vietnamese gang to persuade this illustrious individual and his friends to find alternate accommodations.

Whodathunk members of the aryan brotherhood would make lousy neighbors?

Shankapotomus

(4,840 posts)
6. Anonymous public shaming?
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 09:18 AM
Jan 2012

Maybe that would drive him out? Secretly posting signs all over the neighborhood detailing his offenses with his mug shot on them? Couldn't drive him more crazy than he already is but it may make him want to move away.

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
7. He doesn't seem to be shamed by the registered sex offender fliers
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 09:24 AM
Jan 2012

that were posted and passed out to the community. That seems pretty darn shameful to me.

obamanut2012

(25,911 posts)
8. Check the condo bylaws
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 09:28 AM
Jan 2012

Talk to the condo association's attorney. Often, something like this is enough to make someone have to sell. If they just rent, then this is definitely breaking a lease.

Even make up flyers about what you wrote and plaster them all over the common areas, maybe even on car windshields, just stay anonymous.

Call up the DA.

Do you have an investigative journalist on the local news? Call them to do an expose.

Are you near a school or daycare of playground?

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
9. The condo assoc. is working on it
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 11:13 AM
Jan 2012

They went as far as to hire a new attorney. I was talking to the condo assoc. vice-president last night about all this and they are trying to find a way to force the homeowner out but the laws of our county are very pro-homeowner. They keep finding violations and citing/fining for them but apparently it takes quite a bit to foreclose on the guy.

We've been in contact with the DA (States Attorney, Senator, Representatives) but they can't do much with the judges. It would appear the entire issue is with our local judges, everyone else seems to be doing their job.

I'm not sure about the investigative journalist but I would assume so considering where I live.

As far as a school or daycare, I don't think they are in close enough vicinity to make a difference (I think I know where you're going with that--letting them know and getting them all fired up to help). Though we are surrounded by churches that may have daycare. I don't know what the guy's sex offender rules are. I'm actually more concerned about his history of violence towards women (I think his sex offender status is tied to statutory rape charges but not I'm not 100% on that--not that it makes a real difference).

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
11. Yeah, especially the older folks that live on either side
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 12:48 PM
Jan 2012

To give an idea what the condo assoc. is doing, when the cops went in with the no-knock warrant (means they broke the door in), the condo assoc. then levied a violation against the tenant for having a busted door. They've revoked all parking privileges and if someone parks there, they get towed (we have to have stickers to park in the lot). So, they are looking at every by-law with the attorney and handing out violations left and right. I'm sure there will be a violation for last night for noise issues.

gulliver

(13,142 posts)
14. Drug laws cause this sort of thing.
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 03:30 PM
Jan 2012

The drug laws, and the criminal education colleges (known as prisons) create degeneracy and criminality on a grand scale. Understanding that requires one degree more thought than "hit bad thing with stick," so there are many who simply don't get it.

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