One of our neighbors wrote to us this week in what is another example of petty crime in the Church Hill area. However, in this situation, the experience bordered on assault. This is just one more incident in the long line of smashed car windows, burglarized automobiles, package theft, etc. While these are not uncommon in any major city, especially in emerging parts of a neighborhood, it is important that we all stay aware and report these events as they occur.
Just wanted to share an incident from this afternoon. My husband and I were driving home from the Target over on Laburnum and as we passed the cemetery and project housing complex at the intersection of Nine Mile and 31st our vehicle was struck by a rock thrown by a 17/18 year old male (in a large group), causing damage to one of our windows. The assailant and the group were highly combative and aggressive toward my husband when we pulled over to assess the damage and continued to throw things at us and our vehicle while we were on the phone with 911. We filed a police report but would like to spread the message to others to try to encourage everyone to continue filing reports about these types of incidents. This is directly following one of our vehicles being broken into and a package being stolen off our porch in the last month. We are not going to stand for this type of behavior around our neighborhood anymore and hope that the rest of Church Hill will band together to continue sending the message that criminal activity and general disrespect is not acceptable here.
Remember, if you have an emergency, please dial 9-1-1 immediately! In addition, the Richmond Police Non-Emergency Number is (804)646-5100.
Congressman A. Donald McEachin
Ask the Mayor
The Honorable Cynthia Newbille
35 comments
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And things such as this is why my house will be on the market this spring!
This is so Sad glad y’all didn’t get hurt.
I, too, regularly pass by the housing projects (three of them, anyway). These projects are clearly a failed experiment. They are dispiriting, bleak and downright repressive to those who live there. While I feel badly for the residents who suffered through the cold, we should be petitioning government for their removal rather than their repair. We are doing the residents of the projects a disservice by continuing this failed and awful scheme.
After having lived in several major cities across the US, I relocated to Richmond about a year ago. Find this place unique, and not in a good way, particularly the apparent lack of understanding of the issues/concerns of local residents by the city government. Large projects such as the new trans-city bus route, redevelopment of the old Armstrong HS site and the discussions of redeveloping the old city arena are great, IF the more important issues such as maintaining/growing our city schools and crime/safety, are addressed first. We shouldn’t have to deal with un-synchronized traffic signals — stopping at each an every signal whilst traversing the town only is waste of time and fuel and degrades the environment. We shouldn’t have to deal with hearing gunshots and have packages stolen off our front porch. Before throwing money at developing more low income housing, the city needs to do some due diligence…look at what other cities have done and how they have addressed the crime and other issues often associated with these communities. Get some real urban planners who understand the social issues involved with community planning. Don’t just throw more low income developments in the East End and then wonder why their East End Redevelopment plan isn’t working and crime keeps growing.
As a member of the Church Hill neighborhood, I’m with Jacob C. with being tired with all the crime in the area. I think it would be good to actually have a face to face meeting between our council representative and members of the community. I’ve written a bunch of letters to the mayor, city planning department and Newbille over the past 6+ months — none of them have responded.
Anyone else feel this way?
I hate to say what I’m about to say and sound nasty, but these kids’ parents or somebody need to reign them in before they get out of hand – the numbers may have changed, but I remember reading once that one in three drivers in this state drives with a gun in their car.
These folks should press assault charges if at all possible – it may actually save these teenagers from something much worse down the road.
Sad to hear it – Sorry to be "nanny neighbor’ but it’s worth saying that if it happens to anyone else it’s probably better to stay in your car, call 911 & forget about damage till the police are there. The same rock that can damage your car can do worse to your head.
This is actually a felony in Virginia, and I hope the officers who took the report take it seriously: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter5/section18.2-154/
One of our house windows was recently broken by a rock and the trash cans and fence in our alley was recently tagged as well. Falling back on the excuse that this is just how it is when you live in a city is getting old. With the dramatic increase in house prices and thereby increases in tax assessments and revenue for the city, it’s time that we demand better representation for our neighborhood. Enough is enough. If our city councilwoman doesn’t want to step up and actually do her job to demand increased police presence, road repair, etc, it’s time that we find someone new who will. There is so much potential in our neighborhood, and the revitalization is exciting to watch, but it will not be sustainable if something isn’t done about this crime. Time to step it up Ms. Newbille!
Last week, I was driving past Creighton court, on Nine Mile, and as I was driving
by, I watched two kids, ages 13 or 14, hurl two rocks at my car, hitting my trunk.They didn’t hit my windows. I came really close to getting out of my car, and confronting these kids, but my better judgement kicked in, and I rode by. I’m glad that this website is talking about this, because I thought that I was the only person experiencing this. Maybe the police can do something about it,and be aware of what’s going on
lol yall are crazy if u think the police care about a rock being thrown in the projects
@8 SF totally agree.
Unfortunately this little cretins were raised by parents/parent/grandmother who could care less what they do. And for the Rep, these are the same that vote her back in.
#10. Totally agree. The police have more important things to do. I guess the parents don’t care, either. But, then, when you have a City Councilperson that doesn’t give a s… about the neighborhood, what can we do?
Newbille won 76.55% of the vote in the last election. Unless something drastic happens, like, she just doesn’t run, things aren’t going to change.
http://results.elections.virginia.gov/vaelections/2016%20November%20General/Site/Locality/RICHMOND%20CITY/Index.html
Jacob C. – I want to chime in here for a moment. The first thing I want to say is I agree with Kay 100%. Call 911 and try to remove yourself from the situation. Do not stop and get out of your car. You have no idea if someone is armed. A car window/dent can be fixed. You cannot be fixed so easily.
Next, I will say that no one is above the law. If someone commits a crime they have to be held accountable. Period.
However, what is the bigger picture here? What leads to these kids committing these crimes in the first place? How can we help as a community?Personally, one thing that I think is critical is to give these kids, at an early age, role models. If they don’t have the support and examples at home then as a community I think it’s important for us to step up. Volunteer. Become a big brother/big sister. Go to your local school and participate. I think I might be inspired to write my next post ?
It’s definitely a criminal act and can result in a car crash, death, etc. Just the other week there was a story of 4 teens going to prison after throwing objects off a bridge at passing cars and killing someone as a result.
So don’t dismiss this as “kids being kids”. Call the police, email Newbille, and do whatever you have to do to make this neighborhood safe for everyone.
Yes, urban planning is poor. Yes, projects are a failed experiment. Yes, we don’t have the brightest people in charge. But communities change because people in them make it happen, not because the major decides it.
Besides, I did some crazy stuff when I was a kid. But you have to be a bona fide dipshit to find throwing rocks at passing cars to be an amusing past time.
Jacob, I can connect you to the boys and girls club in Church Hill if you want to write about how they can help and how citizens volunteer. Whatever it takes to keep kids making positive decisions I am all game for! Also having people get involved in their PTA is important, more faces changes paces…
Taking a picture might be helpful to the police.
We’ve lived in Church Hill for nearly 50 years… and had this stuff from young boys and adolescents (and worse stuff from older males) for decades. It really takes a “village” to deal with it, and a good crime watch helps enormously. Less scattered communication… coordinating and cooperation among the various groups (CHP News, Nextdoor, Civic Associations, CH Crime Watch, Block groups and others) dealing with and talking about this is important as well as working closely with police.
It is apparently never going to happen unless we have a dedicated concerned community to stand up and say something. The bottom line is that no one wants to get involved. We see it over and over again. An issue arises, people squawk and complain but when it comes to going to meetings to make their case, they are no-shows. Interest quickly fades and an issue is forgotten about. Also, keeping the same old people in office will result in no change.
I also have to take an issue with the school system if they don’t want to teach children any better. I am sure children and teens speaking ghetto slang and dressing for the ‘hood, and the attitude that goes with it isn’t taught in our school… or is it? Or how to fit into society and work with “all” people. If you do not teach children the difference between right and wrong in the classroom and get the parents involved to continue it at home then you have the making of bad seeds anyway. But also if you have parents and even grandparents who are no better then how do you can’t expect them to teach their children and different? It is a domino effect.
#1 – You aren’t alone in your decision to leave Richmond.
@18 Melinda S.
I am not sure what happened to our Neighborhood Crime Watch program? You might as well take the block signs down and throw them in the trash. When Shelby Long was overseeing it, we got regular recorded calls and emails. It has now been years since I last recall getting anything from the person who was supposed to have taken over from Shelby after her passing in 2015? Even after I asked to make sure we were still on the list to be called.
The Block Groups have failed over and over as well. The “CHA Block Captain” program that Laura Daab started back in 2006, and had at least 40 families as a start to be block captains and community contacts, quickly fell by the wayside. Again, no one wants to get involved.
Civic Groups like Church Hill North, Concerned Citizens Civic Association, Eastview Civic League, New Birth Civic Association, various “Friends Of…” and others all disappeared.
So I would say either suck it up and live with it or stand up and make a change. There is an old adage… “The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions”
Passive Complacency = No Change
There is a new show on A&E called Undercover High where 7 adults go into a high school as student transfers. I just started watching it but I believe it will give us good insight to the drastic changes present day high schoolers face. It’s a new world that is chaging at a dizzying pace. Perhaps we can make better choices dealing with todays youth if we understand their world. Loss of respect, responsibility, privacy, all issues that must be dealt with. The instant gratification element is the most harmful, in my opinion. Good luck with your community. The houses/architecture are beautiful.
@23 K Toms… thanks for the heads-up about the television show. I had not heard of it. But we could get into a deep and heated debate about “parenting” since there is a divisive group when it comes to discipline.
Of course, I grew up in an era where throwing temper tantrums were not allowed. And doing anything remotely like what these kids did, resulted in harsh punishment. Teachers had the ability to shame you in class or even smack you or send you to the principal’s office for a paddling. There were dress codes and you did not go to school looking like slouch slobs or gangstas.
Children were meant to be “seen and not heard” unless spoken to first. Never to sass or talk back to adults but respect them. Parents were “parents” and not “friends” until they were adults. Timeouts did not mean having access to television, computer games, or cell phones (none of those, except TV with 3 channels, even existed when I was a kid). And the list goes on.
And I feel the end result due to the lack of enforcing or the ability today to do all of the above, has lead to an undisciplined, selfish bunch of brats who want to rule the classroom and terrorize the teachers… while the system allows it to happen. Counterintuitive to education and so, you end up with people full of hate, confusion, and self-segregation which in turn, leads to other more serious issues.
Off of my soapbox 😀
My family and I got off the highway, and were driving on Nine Mile/Bunche around 2:20pm today. A teenager (13/14 year old male) walking with a group (teenagers and young kids alike) in front of Creighton Court threw a rock at our car.
Thankfully, we were fine. We ended up calling the police and told them what happened. Be careful.
Nowhere else to put this, but for those tracking or interested in violent crime in Church Hill, there was a stabbing yesterday in the 1600 block of N. 30th Street: http://www.nbc12.com/story/37419378/man-stabbed-in-church-hill
Hey CHPN,
Why no coverage of the stabbing on 30th? Just curious…..
@Dubois2 and lanny – thanks for the tips! just posted.
“When you prevent a whole class of people from building wealth, accessing capital, or leaving impoverished areas, you guarantee cultural dysfunction and deep, generational poverty. When it comes to inner-city poverty—we built that.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-we-built-the-ghettos