by Donna Shreve 2019
Eight years ago in 2011, a woman in her 40s followed a car into our gated complex. She was riding a bright pink bicycle with a wire basket up front that carried her backpack. It was summer time and she had on several layers of clothing. Her long unkempt hair flowed in the wind as she traveled past the pool area in our complex. Jack, a resident in his 70s watched and became instantly suspicious. He left the pool area and got into his truck and followed her to see where she was going. She did not look like a resident.
She parked her bike in the court where Jack lived and she was no where in sight. Jack parked his truck in his driveway and came up with a plan. First he moved her bicycle to the opposite side of the circle so her escape route would take longer and be in his path. Then he just waited.
At this time two women residents walked by and ask Jack what he was doing there and he said there was a burglar in their midst. They decided to call the police and then wait it out with Jack and watch the show. After a bit the woman returned through some sideyards and headed for her bike that was now across the court where Jack and the women were waiting.
The bike woman went over to her bicycle and tried to get on it to leave. Jack held on to the bike and informed her that the police had been called and she was not going anywhere. She ignored Jack and tried to get on the her escape vehicle. Jack then placed his hand on her shoulder. She reached down to her boot and pulled out a box cutter and slashed at Jack’s arm. She was quickly disarmed and thrown to the ground and sat on by Jack. He told her he had not been in the Army for 30 years without some training.
The two observing women now called the police again and said the previous call about a burglar had now become an assault as the woman in question had attacked Jack with a weapon. Now the police were concerned and said a unit was on its way. To add to this scene a fourth resident came along. Randy was told the tale and said he would sit on the perp while Jack cleaned up his wound. Jack and Randy exchanged places and now the woman was screaming that she had to go to the bathroom. Randy informed her that he was not letting her get up until the police arrived. At this point she proved that she was in need of a bathroom by relieving herself and soiling the concrete, herself and Randy. Randy did not relent and she remained trapped.
The police showed up and handcuffed her and put her in the back on their cruiser. They knew her and even called by her name.Then they searched her backpack. They found a front gate clicker, condo keys, paper towels, toilet paper and 12 different drivers’ licenses. When the 12 driver licenses were taken out, one of the policemen remarked that this find would solve a number of recent burglaries. The clickers, keys and paper products were returned to Jack and they kept the rest. Jack then asked if they wanted his statement and they said no they had all they needed. We found out later that a formal statement from Jack would have involved a bunch of paperwork for the two officers and it would have had the same results. Jack yelled to the perp for her to spread the word among her friends under the bridge that we did not put up with intruders in our complex. Through checking with various sources that residents had, we discovered our perp was held for 48 hours and then released which is the usual procedure.
It turns out our homeless woman had followed a car in about two weeks ago on her stolen bicycle and hid until nightfall. She then found comfortable patio furniture in a private backyard where the residents happened to be on vacation. When it was late at night she tried the doors of various condos. She hit the jackpot when she discovered an unlocked back slider of a recently renovated condo that was being set up for a renter. The workmen had opened up the condo after painting and had forgotten to latched the back slider. On the counter in the kitchen the workmen had left the front gate clicker, keys to the condo and paper products. The homeless woman had found many useful items for her survival. The residents noticed track marks up and down her arms so she needed some help to feed her addiction.
In an attempt towards protection the residents inside this condo complex have made an effort to recognize all residents so anyone else is noticeable. There have been other intrusions but the strangers are quickly spotted and are approached by various ploys to get them to leave. We have a bridge very close to us which offers protection for homeless and is a popular site for camping spots. The police can charge the person with trespassing and fine them $100. By the time the police have taken the offender to jail and then to court, the whole operation has cost the city $1000 for a $100 offense that is rarely collected. The city has removed the camps for various reasons but has never solved the cause.
I realize there are many reasons for homelessness with a variety of solutions all of which need money and support from leaders. However, our society has not found viable solutions and the homeless have become more visible and larger in recent years. When will the tipping point happen to get the public to support some alternative ideas to combat the causes? There are ideas out there in many cities but I keep reading or hearing “Not in my backyard.” Getting a solution with public support is vital as now, as I see it, people want a problem solved that does not involve them.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 