April 14, 2011
Mayor Mike Bell
One Government Center
640 Jackson
Suite 2200
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Re: Stratford Place, Old West End, Toledo Ohio
Dear Mayor Bell,
I am writing to you today to express my concern for the safety of my family, neighbors and neighborhood and to ask for your help. My husband, 4 ½ year old son and I live on Stratford Place in Toledo’s Old West End. Stratford Place has been a wonderful one block street between Parkwood and Scottwood Avenues, although we now fear living in the City and are considering our options. We really want to stay in the City of Toledo, but we have to protect our child from further trauma.
On January 12, 2011, at 12:00 in the afternoon, the steel back door of our house was kicked in and our belongings were stolen. Nearly $9,000 worth of electronics, a few pieces of jewelry including a very sentimental diamond ring, miscellaneous items, and cash were stolen or destroyed. Thankfully no one was hurt, although we feel violated beyond belief. We do have homeowners insurance, but the “good feelings” about the neighborhood are tarnished. After this incident, we had a security system installed in our home.
The Old West End has an Email Alert System, tirelessly monitored by a fellow neighbor. Over the past 6-8 months, we have been alerted of what seems like dozens of robberies or attempted robberies, many more than I have ever heard about in our 9 years living in the Old West End.
This past Saturday, April 9th, at 4:30 pm, our house was broken into again. This time they broke a window in one of our front door side lights, gained entry and violently hacked into our interior wall with an axe to disable our new alarm system. When the door was opened and the thieves walked in, our alarm and motion sensors were set off and our security company dispatched the police to our home. The police arrived promptly (I love the City of Toledo Police), within 10-12 minutes as near as I can tell. My husband and 4 ½ year old son were at the park and I was out running errands when this happened. We arrived home to 4 law enforcement cruisers in our front lawn only to find ourselves again robbed of electronics and irreplaceable heirlooms, victimized but alive.
The Old West End is truly a gem of a neighborhood. The largest collection of late Victorian, Edwardian and Arts & Crafts homes make this neighborhood one of the most beautiful areas in the United States. The Old West End is on the National Register of Historic Places. The rich and glorious history, architecture, and people, make this a wonderful place to live. The Old West End is home to countless historic homes and churches, the Mansion View Inn, The Toledo Museum of Art, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra TMA Peristyle, Rosary Cathedral, Collingwood Arts Center, etc. and has recently been featured in a 3 part series in American Bungalow Magazine. Our neighborhood hosts the Old West End Festival, Garden Tours, Concerts in the Arboretum, and Tours De Noel, all of which bring countless visitors from all around who put money back into our neighborhood and surrounding businesses.
We love our neighborhood. We love our neighbors. We love living in a front-porch community. We are proud to live in such a beautiful and diverse area. We had no intention of leaving our wonderful neighborhood, but we are scared and worried how to manage our trauma and how to see a safe future for our child within the City of Toledo.
The economic downturn has definitely taken its toll on our wonderful neighborhood, with foreclosures, boarded up homes, and now…more crime than we ever imagined.
As the Chief of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department for 16 years and the lead for Homeland Security efforts in our region after the September 11 terrorist attacks, it is apparent that the safety of our great City is of utmost importance to you. I know the City of Toledo Police Department monitors our area. We also have block watches in place and the Old West End Security. While all of these efforts are greatly appreciated, they are not enough. Please help us!
Several of the notices received from our Email Alert System state that witnesses have seen 3 teenage/mid-twenty year old males with hooded sweatshirts and backpacks approach houses and knock on the door. It appears their MO is to make up a name and ask if that person is there if someone answers the door. If no one answers, they attempt to make entry. The thieves efforts have been thwarted on occasion by brave neighbors.
My parents taught me the same valuable lessons you live by, that you must treat people fairly and nothing good comes easy. Our family and home have been violated by people who do not live by these same lessons. I am now fearful to be in my home and fearful to be away from my home. This is no way for anyone to live. We are good people, we work hard for our possessions, we pay our bills, we help when needed, and we volunteer. We do our part to be upstanding citizens of the great City of Toledo and the wonderful Old West End.
I ask that you increase security in our area and that you consider addressing one of our monthly neighborhood meetings to let us know what is being done to help the wonderful people of the Old West End win this fight against crime. I know there are countless people in our neighborhood who would like to know what additional measures the City of Toledo is taking, or will be taking, to keep us safe.
Thank you in advance for your immediate attention to this matter. My family, and the residents of the Old West End look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Deb Owens-Newland
Proud Resident of Toledo’s Old West End
Ct: Chief Michael Navarre, Chief of Police
4.22.2011
4.12.2011
On becoming cynical and clinical
Our house was broken into on January 12th. Read the story here.
Since then:
we have replaced many of the items that were stolen
i turned 41
unemployment benefits dried up
the boy had scarlet fever
grandma died
On April 9th, our house was broken into AGAIN. At 4:30 in the afternoon, a warm sunny day.
The husband and the boy went to the swamp around 2pm. I have been battling an ear infection and decided to lay on the couch with a heating pad on my ear for a bit. I vegged out in front of the tv (watching some stupid movie with Gina Gershon) until 3:15pm when I decided I should get up and get some things done. I had a couple errands to run.
I ran my errands and was milling around Fallen Timbers looking for one more baby gift for my bff's new baby. I didn't hear my phone ring the first time at 4:31pm. I did hear it ring at 4:39pm as I was checking out at Learning Express. It was one of my other bff's. I ignored it, because I think it is SO RUDE when people are yappin on the phone in stores/at checkouts/in restaurants/etc. I listened to my voice mail when I left the store.
The phone call at 4:31pm was Central Security. Our front door sensor had been tripped, and so had the motion sensors inside the house. They dispached the police. The message from my bff said that she just got a call from our security company that our alarm has gone off and they sent the police.
WHAT.THE.FUCK?
I couldn't think. I couldn't see. I had no idea where I had parked. I felt like I was in a vacuum.
ARE.YOU.KIDDING.ME?
I finally found my car, and in hysterics, hauled ass out of the shopping center and made the 20 minute drive home. The longest 20 minutes of my life. I couldn't reach my husband, via phone call or text. I was driving 85 miles an hour in a 50 mile zone, weaving in and out of traffic, and crying. Totally un-safe.
Mid-way home my husband called. He had not heard the messages or read the texts, so he had no idea what was going on. He found out what was going on when he and the boy pulled into the driveway and saw 2 cop cars in front of our house and 4 cops inside our house.
Sure as shit. We had been hit again.
This time, the ballsy bastards broke one of the windows on our front door sidelights.
OUR.FRONT.DOOR. 4:30PM. BROAD.DAYLIGHT.
They reached in and unlocked the door.
Once inside, they filled their backpacks with our new laptops, new wii+controllers+games, new dslr camera, and pulled the new tv off the stand and destroyed it - kicked it, jumped on it or beat it with something. Upstairs they destroyed my husbands external monitor and filled their bags with TWO JEWELRY BOXES of jewelry I have collected over the last 40 years. Woops...41 years.
The majority of the jewelry missing are earrings and bracelets from my friend Jenny. 8 years of buying from and working for her jewelry. Also missing are diamond earrings, a diamond pendant, several gold/semiprecious rings and gold bracelets, lots of silver including a couple tiffany pieces, john hardy bracelets and my pandora bracelet full of charms. Some costume stuff, but mostly gold and silver. My necklaces hang on a rack and thankfully that was untouched.
Not really sure how to put a price tag on a lifetime of baubles. $5k? $10k? UGH.
It was A.LOT.OF.JEWELRY.
As I was crying hysterically over the missing jewelry, my almost 5 year old boy was so sweet and grown up. He calmly told me everything would be ok and that he was here for me. He asked if I wanted a hug. As we were hugging, he told me he was glad I wasn't home when the bad guys came because they could have shot me.
The thieves were clearly pissed that we had an alarm system. They destroyed the key pad and violently RIPPED IT OFF THE WALL...with a hand maddock. The hand maddock was still sticking out of the wall when we arrived...for effect, I'm sure.
Glass all over the floor...and in/on our shoes (because, you know, we take our shoes off at the front door and that's where they sit). Glass. 101 year old wavy glass. They just don't make it like that anymore.
Our cats, once again, were not harmed. I am sure they ran and hid when the window was smashed. Thank goodness.
So, here I am. 13 days later. The boy - yeah, he's sleeping in our bed. Because I want him there. Everyone I see with a backpack is a suspect. Every group of kids I see walking around the neighborhood are suspects. In my dreams I have staged elaborate sting operations where I end up shooting the thieve(s). In the face. With a shotgun.
Neighborhood email list has documented many of the break-ins, and there have been many recently. Witnesses of other break-ins, or attempted break ins, have seen a group of 3 teen/early twenty year old males in (apparent) action. One will walk up to the door, knock, and if no one answers, two of them will break in while the other stands guard. If someone does answer...they will ask if "so and so" is home. When they are told they have the wrong house, they leave.
Our awesome little street alone has been hit 7 times in the past 6-8 months. This is our 9th year in our house and we have never had a problem. Only incident I ever heard about from a neighbor was a stolen car...a car that was parked on the street and unlocked. I guess our windshield was smashed several years ago, but so were 20+ others in the neighborhood. Just distructive jerks with baseball bats. Not a huge deal.
I've seen how the economic downturn has hurt our neighborhood. There have been many foreclosures. There are now many houses boarded up. I have been thinking about photo documenting it...but don't want to attract any (more) bad press. And now, I don't have a camera anyway. It seems as if the bubble has popped.
We love our house. We love our neighborhood. We love our neighbors. We don't want to move. We don't want to let the skumbags win.
I.DON'T.WANT.A.DOG.
I don't really like dogs. And I'm worried about my 12 year old cats. They go ape shit bonkers if someone brings a dog up on our porch. I don't want to stress them out. They're old. And they are our first babies. BUT, we are considering a dog. Talking about it. A puppy. A puppy who grows up into a big ass dog. Hubby wants a German Shepard. We have not said a word about it to the boy, because you know he REALLY WANTS A DOG. He's been asking for one since he could talk.
Eventhough I am upset about the weight gain from this medication, the meds do help keep me sane. Otherwise I think I would be committed to a mental facility by now.
Since then:
we have replaced many of the items that were stolen
i turned 41
unemployment benefits dried up
the boy had scarlet fever
grandma died
On April 9th, our house was broken into AGAIN. At 4:30 in the afternoon, a warm sunny day.
The husband and the boy went to the swamp around 2pm. I have been battling an ear infection and decided to lay on the couch with a heating pad on my ear for a bit. I vegged out in front of the tv (watching some stupid movie with Gina Gershon) until 3:15pm when I decided I should get up and get some things done. I had a couple errands to run.
I ran my errands and was milling around Fallen Timbers looking for one more baby gift for my bff's new baby. I didn't hear my phone ring the first time at 4:31pm. I did hear it ring at 4:39pm as I was checking out at Learning Express. It was one of my other bff's. I ignored it, because I think it is SO RUDE when people are yappin on the phone in stores/at checkouts/in restaurants/etc. I listened to my voice mail when I left the store.
The phone call at 4:31pm was Central Security. Our front door sensor had been tripped, and so had the motion sensors inside the house. They dispached the police. The message from my bff said that she just got a call from our security company that our alarm has gone off and they sent the police.
WHAT.THE.FUCK?
I couldn't think. I couldn't see. I had no idea where I had parked. I felt like I was in a vacuum.
ARE.YOU.KIDDING.ME?
I finally found my car, and in hysterics, hauled ass out of the shopping center and made the 20 minute drive home. The longest 20 minutes of my life. I couldn't reach my husband, via phone call or text. I was driving 85 miles an hour in a 50 mile zone, weaving in and out of traffic, and crying. Totally un-safe.
Mid-way home my husband called. He had not heard the messages or read the texts, so he had no idea what was going on. He found out what was going on when he and the boy pulled into the driveway and saw 2 cop cars in front of our house and 4 cops inside our house.
Sure as shit. We had been hit again.
This time, the ballsy bastards broke one of the windows on our front door sidelights.
OUR.FRONT.DOOR. 4:30PM. BROAD.DAYLIGHT.
They reached in and unlocked the door.
Once inside, they filled their backpacks with our new laptops, new wii+controllers+games, new dslr camera, and pulled the new tv off the stand and destroyed it - kicked it, jumped on it or beat it with something. Upstairs they destroyed my husbands external monitor and filled their bags with TWO JEWELRY BOXES of jewelry I have collected over the last 40 years. Woops...41 years.
The majority of the jewelry missing are earrings and bracelets from my friend Jenny. 8 years of buying from and working for her jewelry. Also missing are diamond earrings, a diamond pendant, several gold/semiprecious rings and gold bracelets, lots of silver including a couple tiffany pieces, john hardy bracelets and my pandora bracelet full of charms. Some costume stuff, but mostly gold and silver. My necklaces hang on a rack and thankfully that was untouched.
Not really sure how to put a price tag on a lifetime of baubles. $5k? $10k? UGH.
It was A.LOT.OF.JEWELRY.
As I was crying hysterically over the missing jewelry, my almost 5 year old boy was so sweet and grown up. He calmly told me everything would be ok and that he was here for me. He asked if I wanted a hug. As we were hugging, he told me he was glad I wasn't home when the bad guys came because they could have shot me.
The thieves were clearly pissed that we had an alarm system. They destroyed the key pad and violently RIPPED IT OFF THE WALL...with a hand maddock. The hand maddock was still sticking out of the wall when we arrived...for effect, I'm sure.
Glass all over the floor...and in/on our shoes (because, you know, we take our shoes off at the front door and that's where they sit). Glass. 101 year old wavy glass. They just don't make it like that anymore.
Our cats, once again, were not harmed. I am sure they ran and hid when the window was smashed. Thank goodness.
So, here I am. 13 days later. The boy - yeah, he's sleeping in our bed. Because I want him there. Everyone I see with a backpack is a suspect. Every group of kids I see walking around the neighborhood are suspects. In my dreams I have staged elaborate sting operations where I end up shooting the thieve(s). In the face. With a shotgun.
Neighborhood email list has documented many of the break-ins, and there have been many recently. Witnesses of other break-ins, or attempted break ins, have seen a group of 3 teen/early twenty year old males in (apparent) action. One will walk up to the door, knock, and if no one answers, two of them will break in while the other stands guard. If someone does answer...they will ask if "so and so" is home. When they are told they have the wrong house, they leave.
Our awesome little street alone has been hit 7 times in the past 6-8 months. This is our 9th year in our house and we have never had a problem. Only incident I ever heard about from a neighbor was a stolen car...a car that was parked on the street and unlocked. I guess our windshield was smashed several years ago, but so were 20+ others in the neighborhood. Just distructive jerks with baseball bats. Not a huge deal.
I've seen how the economic downturn has hurt our neighborhood. There have been many foreclosures. There are now many houses boarded up. I have been thinking about photo documenting it...but don't want to attract any (more) bad press. And now, I don't have a camera anyway. It seems as if the bubble has popped.
We love our house. We love our neighborhood. We love our neighbors. We don't want to move. We don't want to let the skumbags win.
I.DON'T.WANT.A.DOG.
I don't really like dogs. And I'm worried about my 12 year old cats. They go ape shit bonkers if someone brings a dog up on our porch. I don't want to stress them out. They're old. And they are our first babies. BUT, we are considering a dog. Talking about it. A puppy. A puppy who grows up into a big ass dog. Hubby wants a German Shepard. We have not said a word about it to the boy, because you know he REALLY WANTS A DOG. He's been asking for one since he could talk.
Eventhough I am upset about the weight gain from this medication, the meds do help keep me sane. Otherwise I think I would be committed to a mental facility by now.
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