32 Responses to “robber killed on 32nd Street”

1. posted by john m at January 13, 2008 7:52 am :
   

   The RTD follows-up: The robber has been identified as 28-year-old Jevon Woolridge; the family in the house are are shaken by the experience.

2. posted by What the @#!%#@ at January 13, 2008 5:24 pm :
   

   Why in the world is Alicia Raisen a spokeperson for the criminals family. This, while not surprising, speaks volumes of Mrs Raison and her concerns. Looks like the current culture of Richmond is doomed to last til the better end for the hoods. You have to feel bad for poor Mrs Raisen, to not know any better, and to make comments like Woolridge will be missed!!!!

3. posted by william at January 13, 2008 6:14 pm :
   

   Should the table have been turned, would Miss Rasin express the same sentiment? Is this woman out of her mind? What about the victims here? Sorry…the victim was not the thug who broke into a home brandishing a weapon. Woolridge got his just reward for terrorizing an innocent family! Chalk one up for another Richmond resident who defended their rights. The tolerance and justifications by Rasin and the like are some of the reasons why these thugs continue to ruin a community. Alicia Rasin ought to be ashamed of herself.

4. posted by BillConkle at January 13, 2008 11:06 pm :
   

   Alicia seeks to reach out to family’s in pain and to provide comfort where she feels she is needed.

   Is your family perfect? I know that my family is flawed, as am I. I know that a mother’s love is unconditional and that there is no word in the English language for a mother that has lost a child. Everyone is worthy of mourning. Mouring their smile. Mourning their laugh. Mourning what you hoped for when you birthed them into the world.

   Jevon obviously made some very poor choices and victimized others. But now he is dead, all potential or opportunity to make it right gone. His mother and his family weep, as we would weep for someone we loved despite their flaws.

   Alicia provides this comfort to family’s that everyone else is blaming for the crime and the criminal behavior of their loved one. She is not saying the man was doing the right thing, but she is giving a family some comfort in their time of need, and that is righteous.

   It is a job I do not want and would have a difficult time doing on a regular basis. Alicia is able to continue to comfort victims, and I assert that the family of Jevon are also the victims of this incident, despite all criticism from folks like Wthose above…

   Jevon’s family has a right to mourn and express grief for their loss. This does not minimize the rights of the other victims to express their feelings, nor to justify Jevon’s actions. It is a sad case all around.

   Thanks Alicia, for adding a human touch to a difficult situation. Your work has been tremendous in reducing violence in Richmond. Shame on those who are quick to judge your actions and words without fully understanding all that you have contributed to the anti-violence movement in Richmond.

   May your works of peace and understanding continue to serve our community. You have my heart felt gratitude.

   I am personally proud of Alicia for maintaining her ability to provide comfort and be compassionate to those who others may reject and blame. I think every religion and spiritual following has a foundation that follows what she is doing.

   As far as shame goes, shame on you for judging Alicia for doing what she is called to do. Jevon is dead, is there any good in continuing to punish

5. posted by william at January 14, 2008 5:58 am :
   

   Blah, blah, blah……political correctness
   and this idle chatter is ruining a significant portion of our society. Keep tolerating and feeling sorry for thugs and their families.

6. posted by archie bunker at January 14, 2008 8:38 am :
   

   I can see both sides of this one. On the one hand, a family has to deal with the fact that a family member is dead, under highly upsetting circumstances. I do feel that you can feel sorry for the family of the perp without excusing his actions. On the other hand, I see the residents as heros and great Americans. I hope that they find comfort in the fcat that they did the right thing.

7. posted by the other mike at January 14, 2008 9:03 am :
   

   for those keeping score:

   world - 1
   scumbag - 0

8. posted by T and C Oliver at January 14, 2008 10:20 am :
   

   My husband and I are looking at houses in your neighborhood. I love the fact that you all seem so caring about your neighbors. But on to the subject at hand.
   Alot was said about victims in this crime. Jevon Woolridge put himself in this situation. Yes, his family has lost a son. But this son was 28 years old, an adult, he knew the consequences of his actions. My first thoughts when reading this were “What about the family whose home was invaded? They must have been terrified. What about the person who was forced to kill to protect thier family? They will never be able to forget this tragedy.” Taking a persons life cannot be an easy thing to just get over and move on with thier life. Even when that persons actions is what caused thier death. This familys home will never be the secure place it was again. I went through something similar myself. When I was 18, I had moved into my first apartment. It was’nt the best part of town, in fact, it was probably on of the worst. But I was happy that I was on my own, paying my way. One night my roommates and I were standing in the kitchen making dinner, lauphing and enjoying ourselves, when we noticed the blinds in the kitchen were moving around. I went over to inspect, and a very large hand came through the blinds right at me. I was terrified and began to scream, which suprisingly did not stop whoever was out there from trying to come in. He got half his body into our home before I had found a broom and began to beat him with it. My roommates had called the police while this was going on. What if he had gotten in? What would have happened? I could’nt have killed him with a broom. Long story short, during the first month our home was broken into twice, my car was stolen, a man we did’nt know pulled a gun on one of us in the front yard saying a roommate who had never seen him before owed him ten bucks for some crack,(we did not do drugs and did’nt allow them in the apartment) and had our windows busted out. All this in a months time. Sadly, I had to pack what little I had left and go home to my parents house. People like Jevon Woolridge don’t care who they steal from. He was only thinking of what he wanted, and obviously did’nt care who he had to hurt to get it. Growing up poor or a bad childhood is never an excuse. In my opinion, he victimized not only the family he terrorized, but his own family as well. It’s a good thing he was stopped before he killed anyone.

9. posted by edg at January 14, 2008 10:45 am :
   

   I don’t think this is about political correctness has anything to do with human compassion. I am sorry about the whole situation and do not place blame on the family that defended itself. However, I am sad that four little children’s daddy is dead.

10. posted by william at January 14, 2008 10:49 am :
    

    Great comment T&C Oliver. I hope you find a nice place here in our neighborhood. We would be fortunate to have more folks like you. Fortunately, situations like this are rare and becoming moreso.

    Children are a product of their environment (and yes, there are always exceptions) but the family that produced Jevon Woolridge has to take some responsibility for this animal. I’m sorry for the outcome–but, he had it coming to him and obviously he didn’t care a bit about the real victims here. What’s that say about Jevon’s family? I could not agree more that the piece of mind and sense of security of these victims have been shattered forever. Is Raisen “advocating” for them? No, she is not! Sounds like some misplaced priorities here.

11. posted by Jennifer C. at January 14, 2008 11:02 am :
    

    Most of the time I applaud Ms. Rasin’s efforts in the community, but this time I think she missed the mark. There is an entire household of traumatized people who were victimized by this man, and she evidently made no mention of them in her statement(s). It would not be disrespectful to the man’s family to mention that his actions led directly to his death, particularly if it keeps someone else from making the same poor decision.
    The guy took a gun to a knife fight and lost, after all.

12. posted by Dave at January 14, 2008 11:47 am :
    

    I applaud this family’s courage. They choose not to be victims. Had this man been successful at this location odds are he would have broken into more homes, this time maybe yours or mine. As a gun owner and firm believer in the right to protect yourself and family, I hope what has occurred here will send a message to other would be thieves that this type of crime will not be tolerated nor left consequence less in the Hill. Good luck to that family as they try to cope…

13. posted by polytope at January 14, 2008 12:42 pm :
    

    Someone said:

    “Fortunately, situations like this are rare and becoming moreso.”

    I think we’re about to see a resurgence of this type of activity. With the economy on the downswing and the possibility of recession on the horizon, there will be more people out there hitting hard times. Hard times lead to crime.

    With that in mind, I’m researching home defense. Any recommendations out there?

14. posted by edg at January 14, 2008 12:48 pm :
    

    Let’s remember that Alicia is soothing the man’s family, his four young children and young girl friend. These people are innocent victims, too. Like another reader mentioned, Jevon victimized both families here.

    Fortunately, no one died in the invaded house, so she does not have to comfort the next of kin there.

15. posted by DJ at January 14, 2008 12:53 pm :
    

    Political correctness…hardly

    Its compassion. But your family is perfect right? Yes, what this young man did was wrong, he took his chances by enetering someone elses home, and he paid the ultimate price. But to judge another woman for being a decent human being is rediculous. You need a reality check.

    Not to blame the victom here, but the article states they only had a latched storm door. Why at midnight are you only securing yourself with a latched storm door? At that time of night, I make damn sure all my doors are dead bolted. Dont invite the criminal to your house; this includes making sure all ladders are locked and hidden, removing valuables from clear sight in your car at night, locking your doors, keep lights on the outside of your house, establish a network with your neighboors to look after one another.

    The criminal element does exists, we dont need to make it easier for them.

16. posted by edg at January 14, 2008 4:23 pm :
    

    Thank you, Bill and DJ.

    I am shocked by some of the comments. I’m not the best Christian in the world, but I know right from wrong.

17. posted by william at January 14, 2008 4:40 pm :
    

    “Not to blame the victom here, but the article states they only had a latched storm door. Why at midnight are you only securing yourself with a latched storm door? At that time of night, I make damn sure all my doors are dead bolted. Dont invite the criminal to your house; this includes making sure all ladders are locked and hidden, removing valuables from clear sight in your car at night, locking your doors, keep lights on the outside of your house, establish a network with your neighboors to look after one another.

    The criminal element does exists, we dont need to make it easier for them.”

    I really over-estimated the mental capacity of some of the readers of this blog!

18. posted by HomeDefense at January 14, 2008 5:31 pm :
    

    Re: home defense. we learned from the B&Es of a few summers ago 1) dogs aren’t necessarily a deterrent, 2) entry sometimes occurs via a 2nd floor window, in which case alarms set up only with contacts on first-floor doors/windows are triggered only if the perp exits one’s home through the front door (but not while roaming around inside!). Ever since reading about that detail on this blog, motion detectors have struck me as a good idea. But I’m not a professional or anything.

19. posted by BillConkle at January 14, 2008 6:36 pm :
    

    I hope in no way do my comments minimize the violent episode the victims experienced at the hands of Mr. Woolridge. I applaud them for standing up to this home invader and sending a message to others who may have similar plans for your house or mine. I also thank them for their compassion and the class they showed in this morning’s RTD by saying they were sorry for the death of Mr. Woolridge. Even though they acted in self-defense, they never intended to take the life of another person, and I know they are struggling with outcome of the incident.

    Alicia Rasin provides a great service to our community in many ways. A vast majority of her service is to the families of murder victims, where she comforts the family, assists them where needed and serves as their spokesperson with the media. Because Alicia does this, the community is given insight into the person who was murdered. And the family has a chance to give their statement about their loved one. Because of Alicia, the community gets the information they desire.

    This case is unusual in that the person committing the crime was inadvertantly killed. Alicia provided the same services to this family, because they were also victimized by the actions of their loved one, which resulted in his death. She once again provided comfort, assisted the family, served as the family’s spokesperson and provided us with some insight into the life of the person who was killed and the feelings of the family left behind.

    I think openly and harshly criticizing Ms. Rasin for assisting this family is just very cold, especially in light of her service to reduce violence and crime in our City.

20. posted by Sylvain at January 14, 2008 7:47 pm :
    

    Good for the good guys. One less trashy thug on the streets.

21. posted by payback sucks at January 14, 2008 7:52 pm :
    

    All this back and forth is useless. Its quite simple, either you know better or not. Alicia always represents the victims of crime. In this case she chose to represent the black criminal versus the white victims. She makes reference to the fact that he went to so and so high school. The school is most certainly embarassed that the street trash animal graduated from there, but who cares anyway. This animal was 28 years old, whats the relavence of what high school he went or that his family will miss him, maybe they should of thought of that when they were raising him. Im just glad this wild animal was put to sleep by civilized society. Let that be a lesson to you animals who still walk the streets. You rape, pillage, murder, and destroy your own kind as you do everyday, yet when you deal with anybody with any honor, any sense of self worth such as this family you will be dealt with…be it the court system or at the hands of your superiors.

22. posted by john_m at January 14, 2008 8:01 pm :
    

    In this case she chose to represent the black criminal versus the white victims.

    Just to clarify, I think that the folks who had their house invaded are black as well.

23. posted by jdr at January 14, 2008 8:02 pm :
    

    You have to be really stupid to blame Alica. Kudos to all of you coming to her defense. Ya’ll are right on the mark!

    POLYTYPE:

    There is plenty of good info on the web, though there are certain actions (some mentioned here already) that you can take right away. Though remember, there is NOTHING one can do, short of barricading themselves in their homes with guns and other weapons that will keep them 100% secure.

    Here is what I recommend to people who ask my advice on this.

    1. Deadbolt locks on all doors.
    2. Window locks on all windows, including upstairs. Also, adding a blocking mechanism that doesn’t allow the window to go all the way up (unless you are on the inside) can help as well. Sometimes a simple nail will do (but some people don’t like this because of the way it looks).
    3. Home security system/alarm. It doesn’t need to be a professional company such as Brinks, ADT or Vector, but it can be do-it-yourself. Remember, you should have something that will trigger a piercing siren such as motion/glass break sensors.
    4. Cut all bushes and trim trees (or get rid of) around the house to reduce places to hide.
    5. As someone mentioned, dogs aren’t necessarily a deterrent, but they can help (you’d be surprised by how many people are afraid of a barking dog).
    6. Motion lights on the outside of the house. 2 or 3 well placed lights (such as in areas where a potential perp might be hidden from the street or others view).
    7. Get to know your neighbors. Even if you don’t really like them, coming to some “agreement” in terms of watching out for one another can help.
    8. And as mentioned above, do not leave ladders or other things that can help a perp climb to a second floor etc…

    There are other measures one can take such as adding storm windows, which make it harder to break in because there are two sets of windows. However, those listed above are a great start.

    I hope this helps.

    john r.

24. posted by Celeste at January 14, 2008 8:05 pm :
    

    I agree with Bill’s comments (post #19). This is what Alicia does, I’ve met her, she’s an extremely kind woman and she goes out of her way to help people who have lost someone, usually due to murder. Unless you’ve done a combination of grief therapy and arranging funerals, I don’t think there’s need to criticize her.

    The family whose home was invaded said they didn’t mean to kill him, the woman was quoted as saying she’d never forget it, and they didn’t find out he had died until afterwards, so they didn’t have the intent to do serious harm, they were just probably extremely freaked out and they reacted.

    Alicia is just doing her thing, her calling, comforting another family. The facts behind why the guy who broke in was violent are conjecture, I tend to agree with whoever said his background counts but…. come on folks, let’s not be attacking Alicia here. She’s spent years providing a valuable service.

    Matter of fact, I knew someone who died of an asthma attack and Alicia provided not only comfort but help in getting her buried, the woman was in her thirties and was raising her grandchildren when she died. The kids mother wasn’t in the picture, and someone had to take charge. Alicia did that, and it was greatly appreciated. So she doesn’t always just help the families of murder victims, she helps with grieving in all manner of ways.

    BTW, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned compassion for the family on 32nd Street, so I’ll say this - I hope they’re calming down a bit now. If I’d gone through that just last Friday, I’d probably still be upset now.

25. posted by BillConkle at January 14, 2008 9:58 pm :
    

    This anonymouse poster states knowingly:
    “In this case she chose to represent the black criminal versus the white victims.”

    What is implied is that Alicia is a racist, but what is revealed is that the poster needs to examine his own assumptions and biases.

    The assumption is telling and the
    rantings are transparent, yet safely anonymous.

26. posted by Norma Jean at January 14, 2008 10:11 pm :
    

    Careful Mr. Conkle, you’ve made the same assumptions about others in past posts.

27. posted by rm at January 14, 2008 10:42 pm :
    

    I am assuming that no geese were hurt during this altercation.

28. posted by 3ll3 at January 14, 2008 11:09 pm :
    

    Personally, I live less than a block away of the individuals that got robbed. Yes, the events that transpired are quite unfortunate for both parties. However, I drive past their house everyday on my way home from work - anyone who moves to the ‘hood and leaves their front door open every single day for the entire world to see you eat your dinner and watch TV is asking to be robbed. I’ve witnessed on numerous occasions very sketchy people walking into their house without hesitating.

    There are certain precautions that you must take regardless of where you live and (duh!) there is a reason why Church Hill has such a bad reputation (even though it is slowly improving). I do not feel afraid here and I am friendly to all my gangsta’ neighbors but that doesn’t mean that I invite them for a cup of coffee either. If you open yourself up for an attack, guess what? Hopefully, you know the answer to this one.

    It just takes a little common sense to keep yourself safe. Not a Billy Bad-A** attitude.

    And just FYI, for all those naive people living in the area, this isn’t Mayberry. Lock your doors. Set your alarms. Close your mini-blinds or curtains. Be aware of your surroundings. Be friendly to ALL of your neighbors; they’ll watch out for you.

    I’m 22 years old and know this, shouldn’t you?

29. posted by ann at January 15, 2008 4:40 am :
    

    “jdr”, thanks for the good tips on security in your post (23).

30. posted by cagitate at January 17, 2008 6:11 pm :
    

    “One less trashy thug on the streets.” Why wait until they invade your home? Let’s start eliminating all the trashy thugs we see on the street.

    I’ll get the sharpened sticks.

31. posted by Paul Hammond at April 1, 2008 12:22 pm :
    

    I don’t have time to read the whole thread, but here’s a short story about my experience with Alicia Raisen.

    I went to a vigil near Mosby Court for a man known in the neighborhood to sell popcorn, clean trash and look after kids. I had never heard of him before his murder, but felt the same way about him I felt later about Susanne Thompson. Senseless deaths should not pass unnoticed or unmourned.

    The vigil consisted of Alicia, some fellow preachers who brought their family with them, myself and a friend and about 6 people from the neighborhood. The next 45 minutes were spent preaching revival and Christ to bored residents who wouldn’t even come off their porches. I’m not sure I blame them. Neither myself nor my friend are Christians and felt like we were hijacked for personal purposes, not to remember and mourn the death of a kind old man.

    I will attend another CAC memorial tomorrow night for Virginia Commonwealth University student Tyler J. Binsted. I urge you to come too. If it turns into another Alicia Raisen show, I will take my flowers elsewhere and mourn privately.

32. posted by Anon at August 11, 2008 10:20 am :
    

    Maybe if she wont the known pill lady!! But they dont tell you that on the newa

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