Crime in Riverside

[Brian Siebenschuh]

This is a copy / paste from my Facebook status.  And I'm livid.

Riverside, after 10 years, 4 home burglaries, and several legally parked cars being crashed into, it took a stolen audio cable (from my Jeep, wide open, no roof, no doors) to realize that you just suck. I hate you. I've had enough of our abusive relationship, and I'm going to move away. Nobody in my part of the district mows their lawn regularly or maintains their trees anyway, so I'm going to move on to a brighter place in the burbs. Stop paying so much attention the Shoppes (eh?) of Avondale and deal with the blight on your outskirts.

*copy / paste over* So much of this neighborhood that I've for so long told everyone that I love SUCKS.  Should I expect my house to be burglarized three or four times every ten years?  Should I expect a car parked on the street to be plowed into every two years (this was all pre - KB/Loft/Garage)?  As I'm sure everybody here knows, I own Orsay along with Jon Insetta, who is in the process of opening up Black Sheep in 5 points - and I've lived in this neighborhood for nearly a decade.  But I'm tired of being ripped off. 

Sorry if this comes off as a bit unprofessional, I generally try to keep my posts relevant to our businesses - but I've just had enough.  I'm leaving (from a residence standpoint).

Feedback is welcome - is it reasonable to expect that you'll lose a few thousand dollars worth of your belongings every single year due to theft in other parts of the city?

Signed,
One of Riverside's biggest boosters, having a bad night, because he got ripped off - and fuck that guy

[BridgeTroll]

This is no way to start the week... ugh...

[jaxlore]

I understand your pain. Robbery is never fun, but you own a restaurant in the area you are ranting about how it sucks? and is crime ridden? Sorry but professionally this does not sound like good pr for business.

I lived here for 10+ years as well and never had a robbery or an accident (knock on wood).  Maybe you are just on a bad street. Not to mention I try my best to make sure my yard is well lit at night and my neighbors watch out for me and I them. And actually I do live right down the street from Lee so I have my share of punk @$$ kids walking down the street.

Now I am not going to lie and say there has been no crime on the street. Leave a large screen tv in your front window where everyone can see it and you are asking for trouble. But I will say if I left a Jeep in my front yard at my moms house in Mandarin with no doors, wide open, it would have been cleaned out by the local white boy hood, so you really cant generalize like that, there is crime ever where.

But I suspect if you make it to your gated community with suburban flare and lazy river (which even i think is cool) you will probably not be happy, especially when the local home owners association puts a yellow sticker on your Jeep for not having doors

[Pinky]

First off, sorry to hear they've stolen your Peace Of Mind..  The stuff is inconsequential, the disillusionment is the real loss.  Sadly, I can relate.

I lived in Venetia for 10 years and my house was broken into twice, and that's with a JSO officer living next door...  After the second time I said screw it; any freestanding house is too hard to secure.  I moved downtown to the top floor of The Churchwell Lofts where it's almost inconceivable that anyone could ever even gain access to my windows or door, but even if they did, there's no way they'd ever get my stuff back out quickly.  There is zero chance of them backing a van up to my front door and loading up my things, unless they can get the van through the secured door in the lobby, up the elevator and down the hallway to my door. 

[ben says]

If you don't mind me asking, what area of Riverside do you live in?

[Captain Zissou]

First off, sorry to hear they've stolen your Peace Of Mind..  The stuff is inconsequential, the disillusionment is the real loss.  Sadly, I can relate.

I lived in Venetia for 10 years and my house was broken into twice, and that's with a JSO officer living next door...  After the second time I said screw it; any freestanding house is too hard to secure.  I moved downtown to the top floor of The Churchwell Lofts where it's almost inconceivable that anyone could ever even gain access to my windows or door, but even if they did, there's no way they'd ever get my stuff back out quickly.  There is zero chance of them backing a van up to my front door and loading up my things, unless they can get the van through the secured door in the lobby, up the elevator and down the hallway to my door. 

I feel the same way.  Growing up and through college I lived in single family homes, but after college I lived at the Peninsula on the 33rd floor and since then I have never really felt very secure in a single family home.  Even just waking up to a piece of trash in the yard that wasn't there the night before creeps me out.  Knowing that someone was in or next to my front yard and eyeing down my property is unsettling enough.  I will say, if anyone does ever break into my house they would be much worse off than me, but I'd hate to have to experience that.

[David]

It does seem to have very much to do with what specific block you're on in Riverside. I spent 3 years living at various locations over there and didn't have any issues, although a lot of those around me seemed to.

I move to the burbs and bam, my driver's side window gets smashed in then my car gets side swiped.

Perhaps moving across the river isn't a bad idea. It's a natural barrier, the areas surrounding San Marco aren't quite as bad as those north of Riverside...if you don't count North Phillips hwy.

[Dog Walker]

Brian lives in a part of Riverside that for years was plagued by the denizens of a foster-care group home for boys on Rosselle Street.  Petty theft, burglaries, auto burglaries, garage break-ins were a regular occurrence.

The home housed (not supervised) twelve boys between the ages of 14 and 18 who were from all over the state.  They were in a group home because they had behavioral problems that kept them from being placed with individual families.

After years of complaints and hundreds of JSO calls-for-service to the home, Councilman Robin Lumb, who lives in this neighborhood and had his share of problems, intervened with the Division of Children and Familes, the supervising agency.  The Regional Director himself inspected the home, interviewed the staff and residents.

Two months ago he ordered the home shut down as other places for the boys could be found.

Since that time there has been no more burglaries, auto burglaries or break-ins in this neighborhood.  All of the activity just stopped cold.

It's too bad that Brian had to be the exception.

Brian,  it's much better than it used to be.  Give the neighborhood another chance.

[ben says]

You can always move over here to Springfield where the crime is much lower than Riverside, but we have more interesting prosititutes.

Too funny

[rjr120]

I can't really speak to crime in the area as I've never really experienced any, but there has got to be some more standards enforced in Riverside as far as maintenance is concerned.  (The weaponized Jax code enforcement isn't really the route to go so I'm not sure how that would be accomplished.) This applies to both property owners and to the city.

After ten years in Riverside, I've found walking in the neighborhood to be a challenge, though less of one than in most other area's of the city.  For the city's side of things, the sidewalks are deplorable through 90% of the neighborhood.  If I'm not walking on along one of the current or former FDOT roads, then I have to glue my eye's to the sidewalk in order to avoid spraining or breaking a something.  You can't get more than a block without tripping over broken sidewalk pieces, if there's is a sidewalk at all.

For property owners, you've really got to start mowing your lawns.  For a small portion of those owners who live on their properties and are outside of immediate Shoppes of Avondale area who do maintain your yards, kudos.  There are a large majority of owners who do not live in the area and do not maintain their properties.  I can't tell you how many overgrown yards I pass on a daily basis on my walk or bike to and from work, and I take multiple routes so I see a lot of the neighborhood.  Yes, there are a couple blocks that are nice, but most blocks have one or two well maintained yards with the rest all overgrown.  At a minimum you should mow your darn grass folks, including the ROW up the street.  This also keeps your yard from swallowing what little sidewalk remains in front of your property.  If you are a landlord, it IS NOT your tenant's job.  Hire a lawn guy to mow on a regular basis.  You are not absolved of your responsibilities just because you don't physically live in the neighborhood.

In addition you need to keep bushes along the sidewalks trimmed.  That's another hazard to walking in Riverside, keeping from hitting your head on a overhanging limb or walking into a bush that's taken over half the sidewalk all while your busy trying to keep from tripping over the broken concrete.

Oh, and one last thing, what's with the hexagon stamped sidewalks?  They are just as bad as putting down tiles.  The stamped edges wear down quickly and they become just as dangerous to walk on as the unmaintained tiled sidewalks.  There's something to be said about the simple beauty of a nice, wide, solid, concrete sidewalk.  It's easy to walk on and doesn't distract from any natural beauty in the immediate area.  In fact, it enhances it.  Leave the fancy tiled sidewalks to the shopping districts where they are actually maintained properly.

OK, rant over for now, LOL.

[Dog Walker]

Brian lives in a part of Riverside that for years was plagued by the denizens of a foster-care group home for boys on Rosselle Street.  Petty theft, burglaries, auto burglaries, garage break-ins were a regular occurrence.

The home housed (not supervised) twelve boys between the ages of 14 and 18 who were from all over the state.  They were in a group home because they had behavioral problems that kept them from being placed with individual families.

After years of complaints and hundreds of JSO calls-for-service to the home, Councilman Robin Lumb, who lives in this neighborhood and had his share of problems, intervened with the Division of Children and Familes, the supervising agency.  The Regional Director himself inspected the home, interviewed the staff and residents.

Two months ago he ordered the home shut down as other places for the boys could be found.

Since that time there has been no more burglaries, auto burglaries or break-ins in this neighborhood.  All of the activity just stopped cold.

It's too bad that Brian had to be the exception.

Brian,  it's much better than it used to be.  Give the neighborhood another chance.

So, the boys home was shut down but the problems are continuing?

Btw. Sorry Brian.  You can always move over here to Springfield where the crime is much lower than Riverside, but we have more interesting prosititutes.

No, Stephen.  The boys home is gone and so has the crime.  Brians problem and a stolen weed whipper is all that has occurred around here in months.  BTW, the weed whipper thief was apprehended with a few minutes thanks to an alert neighbor who called JSO.  We have developed a very active and strong neighborhood watch group, a side effect of the predation from the group home.

Our cars, like Brian's, are more vulnerable here because all of our houses were built before cars were common i.e. before WWI.  There was no provision made for driveways and garages so most of us have to park on the street especially if there is more than one car in the household.  This makes unlocked or open cars more vulnerable and the thieves from all over the city know it.

And how do you know the prostitutes in Springfield are more interesting than the ones in Riverside?   

[funwithteeth]

Crime can and does happen anywhere. I've not been a victim of anything in Riverside for the 5 years I've lived here. When I lived in the suburbs of Southside, I twice in as many years had my car broken into. Does that mean Southside was/is unsafe?

[thelakelander]

You can't escape crime.  Speaking of the Southisde, since I've been in Jax (late 2003), I've had a townhouse broken into and a car stolen in the Southside.  My property in Springfield (since 2007) had the AC stolen when it was under construction, a neighbor caught a local contractor trying to steal concrete block on the construction site (2007), and someone once climbed a 30 foot wall to paint graffiti (2010).

[Miss Fixit]

Btw. Sorry Brian.  You can always move over here to Springfield where the crime is much lower than Riverside, but we have more interesting prosititutes.
[/quote]

Stephen's not kidding - I lived in Riverside, Avondale and San Marco before moving to Springfield.  Had constant problems with theft in those neighborhoods.  Springfield is more entertaining and nobody steals my stuff!

[WmNussbaum]

Captain Z, you have me confused. You said

Even just waking up to a piece of trash in the yard that wasn't there the night before creeps me out.

, but yet you support Mellow Mushroom's invasion of Avondale. I sure hope you live somewhere far removed from the area that will be affected by MM's plans, if approved, because if they are, you can bet your bippy (and I suspect you had one not too long ago) that there will be a couple of pieces of trash in your yard after the rowdy pizza crowd heads for home and just can't find another suitable place to dispose of that styrofoam cup, or beer bottle, or pizza box, or whatever.