This is ridiculous.
Jun. 27th, 2007 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smb814So, an update on the ongoing saga/insanity at home with the robberies and, now, harassment.
Our house wasn't hit last week, but a neighbor's was. They broke in through a side window, stole the family's laptop computer, and walked out the back door. The neighbors had seen someone walking up and down the street three times (gee, not suspicious AT ALL) and gave a description. The guy who was robbed drove around and around the neighborhood, looking for someone, and -- get this -- actually SAW the kid, with his computer in his hands, outside an apartment building near their house. He started going after the guy, but the guy ran into the apartment, and then three or four other guys came out of the apartment. Needless to say, he backed off.
The Milwaukee police took FOUR HOURS to respond to his call. I guess our 1 1/2 hour response time was great compared to what it could have been. By then, though, of course, there wouldn't be any evidence left. I'm sure that computer was sold immediately after that. But the guy did see this kid's face, good.
The next day, our next door neighbor noticed someone on the street who looked suspicious. She slowed her car down, and the guy hid his face under his hood. Gee, also not suspicious. Nope. Not in the least.
We got a security system last week (ADT). Expensive, but ultimately we didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. This creep/these creeps just refuse to leave our neighborhood -- and us -- alone.
So things have been quiet for a week...until last night, when they decided to steal the ADT sign outside our house. Didn't take anyone else's security signs, but they took ours. Basically, that's the equivalent of giving us the finger. We're guessing they came back to steal our cars with the keys they took from us this last time, but got pissed at us for changing the locks. Idiots. Because, you know, I was going to HAPPILY hand over my car to you. *rolls eyes*
I bought a lock for my computer and monitor, so at least it'll take them awhile to find a way to take it with them. And the longer it takes them to get anything valuable inside the house, the more likely they'll be to get noticed and caught. But I have a hunch next time they hit us (because obviously they're not bored of "playing" this "game" with us yet), it won't be to steal anything. It'll be to destroy things, maybe even the house itself. I could see this turning into someone throwing a pipe bomb through the window and running off, laughing hysterically at the "power" they have over us. Hey, it's happened elsewhere in the city, and within the past few days, at that.
So I moved even more stuff out of the house. Everything on my computer (which is home again) is backed up in case they destroy the thing or steal the hard drive. Everything extremely important is on me at all times.
This is no way to live, though. I'm getting so, so tired of all of it, living out of other people's houses and sitting with a baseball bat consantly beside me and having to run to the window any time I see movement outside. These kids (probably late teens/early twenties, judging from the few descriptions we've had) are nothing short of terrorists. Money and possessions mean nothing to us, but the loss of your peace of mind and feeling of safety and security and being able to function like a human being without being paranoid about everyone around you is irreplaceable. And why? Because these idiots are hooked on drugs, or bored, or "practicing making trouble" or just that miserable with life that they decide to make everyone else miserable, too.
We did nothing to them but try to protect our own possessions. We put in glass block windows; they decided to trash our house to "get even" with us for trying to take away something they apparently now see as theirs. We get a security system; they give us the finger. I'm sure they're planning something else. Heck, they probably just think we put the sign outside to scare them off and don't really have a system. I'm scared. I want to move out of the area -- out of the city -- but where do we go? Because we didn't WANT to move, it's not like we have a destination in mind, other than somewhere that we get a better police response time than 4 hours. You can't just drop everything and move, either; moving takes time, especially since we've been in this house for nearly 35 years, have a ton of stuff to go through, and have lots of upkeep to do to it yet, just so we can try selling it for a reasonable price.
And you know what's the worst part of all this? Coming to the realization that, if I was home alone the next time these creeps hit, I have the capability in me to beat them to a bloody pulp and potentially kill them. I never, ever wanted to come to that realization about myself, because it's not pretty. But it's realistic. Out of self-defense, I could kill a person. Especially knowing that, even if they're caught, they'll probably either get off scot-free on a technicality or will only be sentenced to a month or two in prison, because laws are just that lax nowadays. And they certainly won't feel bad for everything they've done.
I can't understand this mindset that people nowadays have, the lack of caring and the "entitlement" attitude people seem to have. "If I can't have it, you can't either." I don't want to understand it, because the mind of a monster is an ugly, ugly place. How did life get to be this messed up? How do we fix it? Is it even possible anymore?
What else can my family do? We reported the incident this morning to the police, and I just looked up a whole mess of phone numbers/email addresses for our alderman and police department and other assorted things. But this isn't going to stop until these kids are caught or get so bored that they move on to someone else to target. And as much as I want my life back, I wouldn't wish what we've been going through on anyone else.
Does anyone on my flist have ANY idea what else we could do to stop this continued harassment? Any idea whatsoever?
Our house wasn't hit last week, but a neighbor's was. They broke in through a side window, stole the family's laptop computer, and walked out the back door. The neighbors had seen someone walking up and down the street three times (gee, not suspicious AT ALL) and gave a description. The guy who was robbed drove around and around the neighborhood, looking for someone, and -- get this -- actually SAW the kid, with his computer in his hands, outside an apartment building near their house. He started going after the guy, but the guy ran into the apartment, and then three or four other guys came out of the apartment. Needless to say, he backed off.
The Milwaukee police took FOUR HOURS to respond to his call. I guess our 1 1/2 hour response time was great compared to what it could have been. By then, though, of course, there wouldn't be any evidence left. I'm sure that computer was sold immediately after that. But the guy did see this kid's face, good.
The next day, our next door neighbor noticed someone on the street who looked suspicious. She slowed her car down, and the guy hid his face under his hood. Gee, also not suspicious. Nope. Not in the least.
We got a security system last week (ADT). Expensive, but ultimately we didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. This creep/these creeps just refuse to leave our neighborhood -- and us -- alone.
So things have been quiet for a week...until last night, when they decided to steal the ADT sign outside our house. Didn't take anyone else's security signs, but they took ours. Basically, that's the equivalent of giving us the finger. We're guessing they came back to steal our cars with the keys they took from us this last time, but got pissed at us for changing the locks. Idiots. Because, you know, I was going to HAPPILY hand over my car to you. *rolls eyes*
I bought a lock for my computer and monitor, so at least it'll take them awhile to find a way to take it with them. And the longer it takes them to get anything valuable inside the house, the more likely they'll be to get noticed and caught. But I have a hunch next time they hit us (because obviously they're not bored of "playing" this "game" with us yet), it won't be to steal anything. It'll be to destroy things, maybe even the house itself. I could see this turning into someone throwing a pipe bomb through the window and running off, laughing hysterically at the "power" they have over us. Hey, it's happened elsewhere in the city, and within the past few days, at that.
So I moved even more stuff out of the house. Everything on my computer (which is home again) is backed up in case they destroy the thing or steal the hard drive. Everything extremely important is on me at all times.
This is no way to live, though. I'm getting so, so tired of all of it, living out of other people's houses and sitting with a baseball bat consantly beside me and having to run to the window any time I see movement outside. These kids (probably late teens/early twenties, judging from the few descriptions we've had) are nothing short of terrorists. Money and possessions mean nothing to us, but the loss of your peace of mind and feeling of safety and security and being able to function like a human being without being paranoid about everyone around you is irreplaceable. And why? Because these idiots are hooked on drugs, or bored, or "practicing making trouble" or just that miserable with life that they decide to make everyone else miserable, too.
We did nothing to them but try to protect our own possessions. We put in glass block windows; they decided to trash our house to "get even" with us for trying to take away something they apparently now see as theirs. We get a security system; they give us the finger. I'm sure they're planning something else. Heck, they probably just think we put the sign outside to scare them off and don't really have a system. I'm scared. I want to move out of the area -- out of the city -- but where do we go? Because we didn't WANT to move, it's not like we have a destination in mind, other than somewhere that we get a better police response time than 4 hours. You can't just drop everything and move, either; moving takes time, especially since we've been in this house for nearly 35 years, have a ton of stuff to go through, and have lots of upkeep to do to it yet, just so we can try selling it for a reasonable price.
And you know what's the worst part of all this? Coming to the realization that, if I was home alone the next time these creeps hit, I have the capability in me to beat them to a bloody pulp and potentially kill them. I never, ever wanted to come to that realization about myself, because it's not pretty. But it's realistic. Out of self-defense, I could kill a person. Especially knowing that, even if they're caught, they'll probably either get off scot-free on a technicality or will only be sentenced to a month or two in prison, because laws are just that lax nowadays. And they certainly won't feel bad for everything they've done.
I can't understand this mindset that people nowadays have, the lack of caring and the "entitlement" attitude people seem to have. "If I can't have it, you can't either." I don't want to understand it, because the mind of a monster is an ugly, ugly place. How did life get to be this messed up? How do we fix it? Is it even possible anymore?
What else can my family do? We reported the incident this morning to the police, and I just looked up a whole mess of phone numbers/email addresses for our alderman and police department and other assorted things. But this isn't going to stop until these kids are caught or get so bored that they move on to someone else to target. And as much as I want my life back, I wouldn't wish what we've been going through on anyone else.
Does anyone on my flist have ANY idea what else we could do to stop this continued harassment? Any idea whatsoever?
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-27 06:03 pm (UTC)As far as anything else to do.. I don't know. Maybe you can get creative and rig something over the window they keep coming in. Pour a bucket of something on their head and snap a picture. It's childish I know, but so are they.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-27 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-27 06:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-27 07:30 pm (UTC)I'm so sorry you're going through this.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-27 08:10 pm (UTC)And possibly with a wasps' nest, too... :P*more huggles*
no subject
Date: 2007-06-28 02:23 am (UTC)The good thing is that you're already doing it. You took steps to make yourselves less of a target, and more importantly the neighborhood is getting involved. The best way to keep bad eggs from doing stuff is to keep an eye out. Not necessarily in a formal neighborhood watch sort of way (though that doesn't hurt; here, if you form a Neighborhood Watch you'll have a contact in the police department once you form), but just in the sense of everyone being alert and reporting suspicious people or activities. Obviously the slow response time makes it seem like you shouldn't bother, but you should anyway. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and an occasional patrol.
The bad thing is that it sounds like these hoodlums live in your neighborhood and I know from personal experience that short of constant police harassment (which is what the police did when we had drug dealers living next door, but I lived in a small town where they had nothing better to do), there's not much to make them move. Except catch them doing something and send them to jail. In order to do that, they'll need the neighborhood's help -- mainly to report things. That way, when these jerks get caught the police can connect everything together into one big case -- more counts of burglary get more time.
Oh and something really obvious, but just in case, make sure your house is lit front and back. It also doesn't hurt if you're out at night to leave a light on (behind the drapes/blinds) to make it look like there's someone still in the house.
I was only in middle school when we had the dealers next door and I still remember how horrible it was (they chopped down one of our fruit trees and threatened my mom, among other things), so I really feel for you in all this.