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
This is no way to start the week... ugh... >:(
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 ;)
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.
If you don't mind me asking, what area of Riverside do you live in?
Quote from: Pinky on September 24, 2012, 08:48:44 AM
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.
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.
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.
Quote from: stephendare on September 24, 2012, 09:33:25 AM
You can always move over here to Springfield where the crime is much lower than Riverside, but we have more interesting prosititutes.
Too funny
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.
Quote from: stephendare on September 24, 2012, 09:33:25 AM
Quote from: Dog Walker on September 24, 2012, 09:29:23 AM
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? ;D
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?
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).
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!
Captain Z, you have me confused. You said
QuoteEven 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.
Here we go again... ::)
Quote from: WmNussbaum on September 24, 2012, 08:22:48 PM
Captain Z, you have me confused. You said QuoteEven 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.
Lol - "Invasion"... "Rowdy Pizza Crowd"...
Seriously? Rowdy Pizza Crowd?!? Could you ever sound more shrill or hyperbolic?
Our property on University has been robbed so many times over the years its not even funny. They even stole the catalytic converters one night. We finally stopped locking the shed because they kept cutting the bolts off. After we gated the shed, they broke in by tearing a part of the roof off.
When a lightning problem came up, we thought it was JEA at first until we found that someone had climbed on the roof and stolen the copper lines from the arrestors to the ground.
Once we had a robber trapped on the ground floor thinking he/she could escape, but the dead bolts prevented them from getting out, They finally climbed back out of the 2nd story window they came in and jumped just before JSO showed up.
Finally fenced in the air handlers because someone kept trying to steal parts off of it (for the copper inside).
That is nothing....when someone pulled up, cut the bolts on a trailer lock, hitched it up and towed it away never to be seen again. Cars parked in broad daylight having windows broken into and misc. items taken at 11am no less.
I could go on and on. Its not just Riverside.
I could easily handle some random pizza boxes or misc. paper on the ground over this nonsense.
Quote from: WmNussbaum on September 24, 2012, 08:22:48 PM
Captain Z, you have me confused. You said QuoteEven 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.
Holy Crap Nussbaum have you taken a fall and hit your head? Your opinion of the Mellow Mushroom Customers "rowdy pizza crowd" is pretty sad. ::)
Brian, Sorry to hear about the crime that ultimately effects all of us. A few weeks ago I had 6 kayaks stolen from my residence. Since then I've been telling my neighbors. Dist. 4 is an out of control crime wave.
In the past our home has been burglarized.
A couple of months ago there was a JSO notice on my front door. A neighbors car was burglarized. Few streets over a door kicked in during the day.
My kayaks can be identified.
3 yellow
2 orange
1blue and white orca swirl pattern
All sit ins. 9' or less
PM me if you see one at a garage sale. Craigslist, pawn shop, neigbors backyard. I'll check it out immediately and if it's mine I'll respond immediately.
I'm in an older neighborhood. Chain link fence with razor wire strung with Christmas lights. Is that the answer?
Quote from: WmNussbaum on September 24, 2012, 08:22:48 PM
Captain Z, you have me confused. You said QuoteEven 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.
I'm sorry, but wtf is a bippy? And in what increments is it wagered?
Everyone knows pizza is a gateway food. Next it's burgers. And before you know it, tacos.
Litter kills.
~j.
@Sieb, if you leave out nice things, people will steal them. Even in Ponte Vedra.
Quote from: stephendare on September 24, 2012, 09:47:04 PM
"You'll all rue the day when one of these bank busting, pizza ponzi schemers comes up with a method of bankrupting the country through the slick use of sub prime mortgage bundling as stock derivatives!"
Just wait till one of these renegade pizza loving pollution mongers startes poisoniing the st john's river with their chemical dumping!
And when the space pizza aliens come----and they will come......to decide who will die like dogs or live like kings, you'll wish you had paid heed to the early warning signs!
LOL! Oh, fantastic! You should become the official troll of the Florida Times-Union comments section!
Crime is everywhere some are just prettier than others.
Quote from: WmNussbaum on September 24, 2012, 08:22:48 PM
Captain Z, you have me confused. You said QuoteEven 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.
Awwww Wussbum. You patiently lay in wait for me to say something that somewhat goes against my opinion on a separate issue, and then when the moment is right you SPRING FORTH TO MAKE NO SENSE!!! Those sleepless nights sitting at the keyboard have sure paid off.
I seem to have lost my bippy, can I borrow yours??? I have no idea what a bippy is and I can honestly say I've never had, used, inhaled, or whatever you do to one.
I should have clarified in my previous post. The house I am currently living in sat vacant for a while before I moved in. The interior was in great condition, but there was a crawl space filled with trash. About a month after moving in, I was informed that some homeless people had taken residence in the crawl space below my house for a month or two while the home was vacant. These people harrassed us for a while when we first moved in by stealing from our cars and leaving a lot of trash. I have seen these people sleeping in Boone park within 100 yards of my back fence. They aren't leaving beer bottles, but blankets or other trash from their 'home'. These are the people that make me feel unsafe, not the casual passer by who drops their big gulp.
Sorry that I didn't clarify that there are people who live just out of sight from my back door and they wait and watch for the nights that I leave my car unlocked, but it wouldn't make a difference to you. A bum with a grudge is pretty much the exact same as a "rowdy pizza crowd", right? You and your bippies can crawl back into your cave and lurk creepily until i make another post that you think supports your Pizza-pocalypse conspiracy theories.
Little known fact, Rowdy Pizza Crowd was the original name of N.W.A. but it was rejected because it was too hardcore.
"Straight Outta Avondale"
Quote from: Bridges on September 25, 2012, 10:42:15 AM
Little known fact, Rowdy Pizza Crowd was the original name of N.W.A. but it was rejected because it was too hardcore.
YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard a rumor that MM was actually funded by Al Qaeda and was a vehicle for transporting their forces into America.
"Rowdy Pizza Crowd". Legendary.
(http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz177/bookcoverselection/Inext_p_lfoo_turtles_pizza.jpg)
JUST BECAUSE I'M FROM THE R.P.C. / PUNK POH-LICE AFRAID OF ME
Classic!!!
Maybe I'm just fabulously unlucky. Somebody suggested I'm on my way to turning into "one of those guys who goes crazy and lights up the front lawn with spot lights and sirens any time anyone sets food onto the property" :)
Because I didn't know either:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bippy
QuoteBip·py [bip-ee]
noun, plural bip·pies. Slang .
an unspecified part of the anatomy (usually used in the phrase You bet your ( sweet ) bippy ).
Quote from: Brian Siebenschuh on September 25, 2012, 03:18:22 PM
Maybe I'm just fabulously unlucky. Somebody suggested I'm on my way to turning into "one of those guys who goes crazy and lights up the front lawn with spot lights and sirens any time anyone sets food onto the property" :)
Motion detector lights and fences make good neighbors in my experience. I wouldn't live there to begin with. But I see the problem. I cannot imagine leaving a vehicle unlocked in town or in the burbs. Our house in St Louis was on a good street but near a bad one. The fence, and dog were deterents that seemed to work. Parking on the street was always an adventure. One day the manic landscaper neighbor used a garden rake to run off a pistol packing hold up man.....er.....kid. Before the dog and the motion light at the side of the house the neighbor was attacked on our bulkhead. The electrrician next door had his truck broken into. They took the radio and left all his tools and test equipment. The joys of living downtown.
In my 27 years of having a series of houses in Mandarin things have happened. One of my Mandarin neighbors dissappeared and/or moved when the FBI and FWC raided them one night. Another neighbor killed his wife and dumped her in the Shands parking lot. Still another one, with the assistance of his Beaches prostitute, killed his wife in their garage and took her body to Regency Sq parking lot and left it. A drug dealer was raided that kept a tiger cub for a while. There was a raid on a house where bomb making was found. There was a neighborhood where my friend's teenage neighbor was dealing from his bedroom window. His customers would hit cars on the egress from the neighborhood for radar detectors and other things. A cop I know had a shot gun stolen from the trunk of his patrol car. My co-worker's boat was stolen broken trailer and all. I know of a few burglaries and break ins. Sometimes you come out and the whole car is missing. One night the ladies coming out of Mandarin Prespeterian(sp) one night were held up by a armed robber. The Shell station at St Aug and Losco was held up and someone shot while I was out of town. In one neighborhood the parents knew which house to go to when ever a bicycle turned up missing. Thieves are everywhere.
Oh.......stuff gets thrown in my yard a lot too, but the homeless have never lived under the house. I'm sorry about the grass. I'm going home now to mow.
I lived in Riverside as a single woman for 9 years. I had my house burglarized once in 2008 but I didn't move until I sold my house in 2012. I did get a security system after the the burglary. I still think the neighborhood is great. Brian - you may have bad luck. Either way, there are a lot of issues with expansion in the area that impacts businesses and the neighbors who live there, which is another total thread of discussion that I don't wish to discuss here. I am just sorry to see good people leave a wonderful neighborhood. BTW, I moved to the Southbank downtown and the security here is great. As some background info, I wouldn't have sold my house in Riverside if I hadn't wanted to leave the city for other unrelated reasons.
Quote from: coredumped on September 25, 2012, 05:28:19 PM
Because I didn't know either:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bippy
QuoteBip·py [bip-ee]
noun, plural bip·pies. Slang .
an unspecified part of the anatomy (usually used in the phrase You bet your ( sweet ) bippy ).
BIBBY from the
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bibby&page=2
6 up, 30 down
3. Of, or relating to, a person or people that seek out narcotics in exchange for a sexual favor.
*Wildly used among members of faternaties and sororites on University campuses*
"Did you just see her come out of the bathroom with him? What a effin Bibby."
"If you really need it that bad, you could always pull a Bibby on her."
Quotea stolen audio cable
Wow, Brian, a stolen audio cable, holy hole in a donut. I mean here in Avondale, across from the Grace Baptist Church, people steal anything not locked down, planters, bags of mulch, Halloween decorations, but an audio cable, dude, you need to run to Springfield where the living is easy and the trannys are so much better looking than at the Metro......
Wow!!!
Jack, I'll go toe to toe with anyone that's lived in the 'hood for nearly a decade like I have on the value of stolen or destroyed property. If you read my initial post, my house has been burglarized FOUR times. That's 2 XBox 360's, a couple Windows notebook computers, an iMac, a Macbook Pro, and random other odds and ends. All while I've had home security circumvented by the fact that it doesn't make sense to put sensors on every single one of my twenty windows - or that I had (most recently, I know for a fact) somebody climb in through my dog door, grab a pot of off my pot rack and beat up my dogs, and go back out through the dog door in order to not set off the alarm.
Ignore the multiple vehicles that I've had to have repaired / totalled out from people crashing into them in the middle of the night while they were legally parked on the street.
So like I said in a previous follow up, maybe I'm just unlucky. I've learned to budget the $500 / $1000 insurance deductibles. But, hey Jack, sorry to hear about your bags of mulch and Halloween decorations. Paying for those a second time must have really been tough.
And guys, get real. I'm not actually leaving the 'hood. I was just venting. Does anyone actually believe somebody like me could actually afford to sell a house in this market?! I love Riverside. Even if I do hate it. It's an abusive relationship, but that's the only kind that I'm familiar with :)
Quote from: Brian Siebenschuh on September 27, 2012, 02:30:32 AM
I had (most recently, I know for a fact) somebody climb in through my dog door, grab a pot of off my pot rack and beat up my dogs, and go back out through the dog door in order to not set off the alarm.
OMG, that's horrible! Hope your dogs are ok.
If there's any justice in the afterlife, there's a special circle in hell set aside just for a*holes that beat up dogs!
QuoteDoes anyone actually believe somebody like me could actually afford to sell a house in this market?!
Brian - Tell you what, I won't tell you how to make my favorite pork chop at Orsay, please refrain from your commentary on real estate. Just as I would not walk into your kitchen and know how to make the world famous steak tartare, you would be amazed how easily and quickly your house could sell, as there are few houses on the market in Riverside and Avondale and it has turned into a sellers market.
But alas, please do not spit in my food. ::)
Quote from: Brian Siebenschuh on September 27, 2012, 02:30:32 AM
It's an abusive relationship, but that's the only kind that I'm familiar with :)
Insert passive-aggressive snarky comment here.
Quote from: mtraininjax on September 27, 2012, 09:48:26 PM
But alas, please do not spit in my food. ::)
Insert asshole-ish comment here.
Quoteyou would be amazed how easily and quickly your house could sell, as there are few houses on the market in Riverside and Avondale and it has turned into a sellers market.
Point taken. I'm always down to be proven wrong - it makes you learn.
Wait, no, I'll say it makes ME learn, since I've just been admonished for making declarations outside my realm of expertise. I can only speak for myself, and being shown that I'm wrong makes me realize that I don't know everything.
Open call to real estate agents in the area, if you can sell my house (out the door, as it were) for $1 more than what I owe, I'm probably interested in selling. But Zillow doesn't point toward a promising outcome.
And Jack, you're always welcome at Orsay. If I'm around the next time you come in, I'll even make all your food personally :)
When you've had a break-in, I think the biggest loss isn't the actual stuff you get stolen, it's the loss of that sense of security. You feel violated and have a hard time feeling comfortable or secure in your home for a long time afterwards.
We can sit here having a pissing contest and comparing war stories, but that accomplishes nothing. We all have different experiences. Some people have lived in Riverside or Avondale for many, many years without incident. Others haven't been anywhere near as lucky.
Sorry to hear about your situation, Brian. I hope you come to terms with it and find a solution that works for you.
QuoteWhen you've had a break-in, I think the biggest loss isn't the actual stuff you get stolen, it's the loss of that sense of security. You feel violated and have a hard time feeling comfortable or secure in your home for a long time afterwards.
bingo
Yep, 100% accurate, knowing somebody was IN YOUR HOUSE, beating your dogs away with some of your own kitchen appliances while they're unwiring your electronics. It sucks. But hey, apparently that's our lot in life over in here in the '04. Have you heard about the atrocities in AVONDALE? RIGHT ACROSS FROM A CHURCH? They're stealing PLANTERS, and BAGS OF MULCH, worth at LEAST ten bucks. AT LEAST.
fsquid and Adam W, thanks for understanding my need to vent.
The first one sucked, the second one made me question the neighborhood, the third one made me feel stupid for letting it happen, and the fourth one forced me to close up my dog door and (coincidentally) get another dog (a French Mastiff that wouldn't have fit through the door anwyay). Tank is having some behavior issues these days, but I'd be more than happy to have him unleash his teenage angst on an intruder.
Quote from: Brian Siebenschuh on September 28, 2012, 07:57:18 AM
Yep, 100% accurate, knowing somebody was IN YOUR HOUSE, beating your dogs away with some of your own kitchen appliances while they're unwiring your electronics. It sucks. But hey, apparently that's our lot in life over in here in the '04. Have you heard about the atrocities in AVONDALE? RIGHT ACROSS FROM A CHURCH? They're stealing PLANTERS, and BAGS OF MULCH, worth at LEAST ten bucks. AT LEAST.
fsquid and Adam W, thanks for understanding my need to vent.
The first one sucked, the second one made me question the neighborhood, the third one made me feel stupid for letting it happen, and the fourth one forced me to close up my dog door and (coincidentally) get another dog (a French Mastiff that wouldn't have fit through the door anwyay). Tank is having some behavior issues these days, but I'd be more than happy to have him unleash his teenage angst on an intruder.
I've seen Tank and think that if an intruder came into your house they would disappear forever and you wouldn't have to feed him for a couple of days! Dogs are the best security devices.
Lived in springfield until I was 31- zero issues. I think someone took a plant off our porch and the neighbors went through cycles of shit-ness but never had any safety issues. Moved to r'side and someone broke in after 3 months. I was lucky in that I work nights and was in bed when they tried to come inside. They were lucky because they got spooked after knocking over a metal vase that was sitting inside the window because I would've killed them. We've got another year here but I don't think I'll stay in the area after that. We're on the first floor and I'd like to be up high enough somewhere that coming in through the windows isn't an option. I love having the windows open in the fall and I don't think we'll be doing that anymore while we're here. We have some of those screw-on window guards ( like this: http://www.amazon.com/High-Security-Sliding-Window-Lock-Installation/dp/B00065XR2M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_1 ) but I don't know if they work that well, or at least enough to trust them while I'm asleep.
Quote from: Brian Siebenschuh on September 28, 2012, 07:57:18 AM
Yep, 100% accurate, knowing somebody was IN YOUR HOUSE, beating your dogs away with some of your own kitchen appliances while they're unwiring your electronics. It sucks. But hey, apparently that's our lot in life over in here in the '04. Have you heard about the atrocities in AVONDALE? RIGHT ACROSS FROM A CHURCH? They're stealing PLANTERS, and BAGS OF MULCH, worth at LEAST ten bucks. AT LEAST.
fsquid and Adam W, thanks for understanding my need to vent.
The first one sucked, the second one made me question the neighborhood, the third one made me feel stupid for letting it happen, and the fourth one forced me to close up my dog door and (coincidentally) get another dog (a French Mastiff that wouldn't have fit through the door anwyay). Tank is having some behavior issues these days, but I'd be more than happy to have him unleash his teenage angst on an intruder.
Brian... just a suggestion... How about installing surveillance Cameras? ..
Am sorry to hear about your extensive list of misfortunes. Cannot say I blame you a bit for your position . :(
Brian,
CPTED & SHADCO are your friend.
I grew up in Riverside, and some of my most vivid memories are of random gun shot & DV victims knocking on the door for help (multiple times), prostitutes working Stockton Street, being jumped after school on Myra and Ernest Streets, and being targeted by sex offenders. Those were the days (late 80's to mid-90's). Thankfully, most of that is in the neighborhood's past now....and that's awesome. Here's to progress.
Quote from: Timkin on September 29, 2012, 12:07:05 AM
Quote from: Brian Siebenschuh on September 28, 2012, 07:57:18 AM
Yep, 100% accurate, knowing somebody was IN YOUR HOUSE, beating your dogs away with some of your own kitchen appliances while they're unwiring your electronics. It sucks. But hey, apparently that's our lot in life over in here in the '04. Have you heard about the atrocities in AVONDALE? RIGHT ACROSS FROM A CHURCH? They're stealing PLANTERS, and BAGS OF MULCH, worth at LEAST ten bucks. AT LEAST.
fsquid and Adam W, thanks for understanding my need to vent.
The first one sucked, the second one made me question the neighborhood, the third one made me feel stupid for letting it happen, and the fourth one forced me to close up my dog door and (coincidentally) get another dog (a French Mastiff that wouldn't have fit through the door anwyay). Tank is having some behavior issues these days, but I'd be more than happy to have him unleash his teenage angst on an intruder.
Brian... just a suggestion... How about installing surveillance Cameras? ..
Am sorry to hear about your extensive list of misfortunes. Cannot say I blame you a bit for your position . :(
I have an 8 camera DVR system at my place of business, and honestly, it's not the answer unless your perp is so well known that the responding officer immediately recognizes his/her face from the video. Otherwise it's just "ok, white guy around 5'10"... However, if you use the "direct to mobile" and "motion sensor" functions, it'll stream live video to your iPhone whenever it senses movement. If you see a bad guy and then call 911 and say "I'm watching my place get robbed" the officers will respond immediately, as opposed to checking out an alarm call which is low priority and usually not even dispatched for a long period of time. (For example, my Safetouch system at my old house would blare away for a minute by default, then someone would come over the "2 way communicator" and ask if there was anyone present and if so, if they had a password. If there was no response they'd then begin calling my various listed phone numbers trying to reach one of us to see if it was an accidental alarm. In the meantime dudes are carrying stuff out of your house... Then, eventually, the alarm company will call the JSO and report it as an alarm, which is a low priority call.
The key is to make your house just a little bit less attractive than your neighbors. Remember, thieves are lazy; they'll go with the easy targets first. Big dogs are good if the perp is dog-averse. (Clearly, not all are.) Burglar alarms will make them think twice, or even burglar alarm stickers on the windows. Lamp timers to make it look occupied help, and an unpredictable schedule is a plus. Outdoor lighting helps too, although both of my robberies were mid-day.
My house has been burglarized once, which included items that can never be replaced. My vehicle has been broken into twice. The second time was on the night of my birthday. I now have a gaping hole in my dashboard, which I'm not going to replace while living in this neighborhood. I'd rather not replace the window again. I can live with music from my phone, although I usually just drive in silence.
I have ranted and raved against this neighborhood for years, which my husband is so attached to. New Year's Eve, 2010, I made a resolution to "appreciate" the neighborhood I live in. Part of which, was joining this message board that year. Although I haven't made it to Orsay, yet, it is definitely in the plans, now that my children are old enough to take care of themselves in the evening.
I no longer hate Riverside and am looking to move every moment, but I still bear ill will toward those who steal my kids' scooters off of my porch, toward those who knock on my door and ask my children for money, etc. I hope that you do not choose to move, Brian. I am so glad that you own and operate one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants here. I also hope our neighborhood improves.
Minda
Quote from: Pinky on September 29, 2012, 08:25:50 AM
I have an 8 camera DVR system at my place of business, and honestly, it's not the answer unless your perp is so well known that the responding officer immediately recognizes his/her face from the video. Otherwise it's just "ok, white guy around 5'10"... However, if you use the "direct to mobile" and "motion sensor" functions, it'll stream live video to your iPhone whenever it senses movement. If you see a bad guy and then call 911 and say "I'm watching my place get robbed" the officers will respond immediately, as opposed to checking out an alarm call which is low priority and usually not even dispatched for a long period of time. (For example, my Safetouch system at my old house would blare away for a minute by default, then someone would come over the "2 way communicator" and ask if there was anyone present and if so, if they had a password. If there was no response they'd then begin calling my various listed phone numbers trying to reach one of us to see if it was an accidental alarm. In the meantime dudes are carrying stuff out of your house... Then, eventually, the alarm company will call the JSO and report it as an alarm, which is a low priority call.
The key is to make your house just a little bit less attractive than your neighbors. Remember, thieves are lazy; they'll go with the easy targets first. Big dogs are good if the perp is dog-averse. (Clearly, not all are.) Burglar alarms will make them think twice, or even burglar alarm stickers on the windows. Lamp timers to make it look occupied help, and an unpredictable schedule is a plus. Outdoor lighting helps too, although both of my robberies were mid-day.
I was talking with CompoundJoe the other night about this very thing. Your normal CCTV cameras are NOT going to be up to the job. The resolution isn't there, and all you can do is tell that someone has been there. The likelihood of them catching the perp is virtually nil.
I highly recommend IP cameras, as the resolution achieved with them is untouchable by regular CCTV camera and off the shelf camera systems. My current favorite is Ubiquiti Airvision (http://www.ubnt.com/airvision). The cameras are cheap, about 100 bucks a piece, and have features of 500 dollar IP cameras and are high resolution. They will email you pictures on motion/events and can store back to a central server or repository to pull up in the event that something happens, and most importantly YOU CAN READ TAGS AND IDENTIFY people.
Thanks for the tip, Loki, you have just saved me from a mistake. I was going to cheap CCTV route because of the cost of the IP cameras.
Man, someone stole my potted saguaro last night. Who steals a cactus?!?
Reward if found, Remington and McDuff area.
(http://i.imgur.com/lA6X3.jpg)
^ Damn Cactus thieves >:(
I know crime rates are often worse in other cities, but I really think it's a Jacksonville thing to have blatant crime everywhere. My parents live waterfront in Ortega and have some amazing war stories you just wouldn't believe (of course I missed all the action, even when I lived with them...I don't think either event disturbed them as they were "excited" and energized for weeks afterward!). Then there is "gypsy season", which I have only heard of being an occurrence in one other city. Oh and I have a friend and know of a couple of others who have been robbed gunpoint in their driveway upon returning home from school (followed), one in front of his parents watching from inside...in Ortega/Ortega Forest (lest we forget the crimepit at Lane and San Juan is a mere 2-3 miles away, 103rd St is right there).
Then two friends in particular always have crazy stories when they come and visit. Crazy stories. Not to mention some of the parties I went to in HS (won't go into details, but white Ortega kids certainly partied harder than anyone I've met from almost anywhere else...I mean like dangerous drug dealers came to these parties).
And one thing I have not heard since moving away are the constant police copters. Every week on at least one night I would see or hear copters hovering around overhead (this is not normal...I travel a lot now and never see or hear police copters elsewhere, certainly not in the "good parts").
I seriously think the difference between Jax and many cities is the fact that crime/rough areas are mingled in everywhere, and it's really not just "one side of town". My dad always described New Orleans as sort of checkerboard (partially literally black one block white the next, but I think he really meant in terms of wrong/right side of the tracks, too).
As is the case with Ortega/Avondale/Riverside, even within the neighborhoods themselves you can have downright ghetto not 3 blocks from $3MM homes. I know of a few people who moved to the area from other cities, having found "similar charm" in Avondale or Ortega as their previous neighborhoods, only to move out to the beach because they got tired of dealing with the riff raff not 2 blocks from their million dollar investments.
To my many previous points likewise iterated by others on this thread, I think appearance will help things along. Clean the sidewalks and increase city and private lighting. Mow lawns. Maintain parks and enforce nighttime rules. This will also raise values, helping current residents and keeping not so nice future residents out. There are houses that look abandoned not one block from the Shoppes (mainly on the Riverside Ave side), with overgrown yards...which probably leads to outsiders parking illegally on those yards. This situation is certainly not a deterrent to crime.
I just have to add a prominent doctor was shot on his morning jog at Baker Park near the Ortega Bridge when some thieves tried to jack his car (he threw the keys away and tried to run away and was still clipped...I'm probably telling it wrong but he was def shot). He lives. There was another prominent Ortegan who was not so lucky in a similar situation. Apparently it was so bad 2-3 years ago the JSO was holding neighborhood meetings at all the churches on a weekly or monthly basis to update people on what they were doing to curb the crime wave. A house of a HS classmate of mine in Venetia across from THE Ortega officer (Moulder) was robbed in broad daylight of many many items (like a truckload came to pick everything up, and thankfully someone noticed and called the cops, which weren't home across the street at the time).
I think the only place where one is probably "extremely" safe from assault, vandalism, burglary, etc is Ponte Vedra Beach, if you are part of the 1% that can afford it and don't mind being surrounded by a ton of retirees and across the universe from everything (but next to the beach :)).
Quote from: simms3 on October 04, 2012, 12:20:53 AM
I think the only place where one is probably "extremely" safe from assault, vandalism, burglary, etc is Ponte Vedra Beach, if you are part of the 1% that can afford it and don't mind being surrounded by a ton of retirees and across the universe from everything (but next to the beach :)).
Please stop typing.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on October 04, 2012, 08:35:28 AM
Quote from: simms3 on October 04, 2012, 12:20:53 AM
I think the only place where one is probably "extremely" safe from assault, vandalism, burglary, etc is Ponte Vedra Beach, if you are part of the 1% that can afford it and don't mind being surrounded by a ton of retirees and across the universe from everything (but next to the beach :)).
Please stop typing.
?? :o