Mosby Express Market and Deli robbed last night
Two men demanded money after one of them displayed a handgun at the Mosby Express Market and Deli in the 700 block of Mosby Street about 10:55 p.m.
Two men demanded money after one of them displayed a handgun at the Mosby Express Market and Deli in the 700 block of Mosby Street about 10:55 p.m.
This is a shame. I know this place, and the Blue Wheeler and the Clay St. Market, get a lot of crap, but they serve a legit need and are generally an amenity to the residents in these neighborhoods. Not that it would have prevented the robbery last night, but I wish the owners could spend a little bit of time and money redesigning their business floor plans and facades using CPTED guidelines. CPTED – Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (might be better to replace “Prevention” with “Deterrence” in the name). Key concepts: natural surveillance, natural access control, natural territorial reinforcement, and maintenance (natural is used in terms of “does not require conscious decision making by participants” rather than “grown naturally in the garden”). The idea is to try to reduce the vulnerability of a space to various crimes by making the space feel less safe for the criminal because at no point can the criminal feel that no one is observing them (owners, customers or folks outside the business can always see them). Entering all of these markets is like entering a cave. No one can see in and no one can see out. No eyes looking out from the business and on to the street and no eyes from the street looking into the business and observing if something odd is going on inside. I think a big security improvement would be achieved if these businesses could simply afford to put some windows in their front facades (maybe with roll down doors to protect them at night when closed) and the owners didn’t block all the sight lines with cigarette and soda advertisements. I wish these business owners well and am thankful that no one was hurt in last night’s robbery.
All it takes is one successful robbery after another & then they become more brazen. This is not only bad for the store owner, but the neighborhood. Providing safety must be a priority! How about metal detectors at the door? At least this would be a warning to the cashier. They have them in schools, for goodness sake, why not in a location w/ money & items to steal?!
Metal detectors at the door of a convenience store?? Totally useless and unrealistic in my opinion.
One more sign that crime is starting to pick up. When are the cops going to start solving some of these cases. It’s starting to feel like criminals can do whatever they want to without fear of getting caught. Our police are too busy hassling law abiding citizens with parking tickets and speed traps and enforcing stupid permit laws. Get back to “protect and serve!”
The Shockoe beating is still open last I checked, despite some solid leads through Youtube. Armed robberies seem to be picking up. Break-ins are becoming a daytime occurrence. This needs to stop soon.
I live near the blue wheeler. It along with these others are asking to be robbed. The Wheeler cashier has a gun on his hip. No offense to the people living nearby but there is no neighborhood watch. There is trash everywhere from the market. The owners don’t care. I’ve complained to them many times as I’ve carried bags of trash from their customers and asked them to help clean up the area. They don’t care and neither do the neighbors. Apparently I do but I’m just one person. Bad market with uncaring owners and neighbors equals trouble. People will continue to take advantage.
I called the police and asked for more presence there at all times. I am quite sick of people walking to the store right in the middle of rush hour, with no care for the cars that have the right of way. They are LOOKING to get hit (and then sue, I am sure). It’s just a blight on the neighborhood. ANOTHER ONE, that is. Counting down the days to get out of the ghetto!
People who violate parking and speed limit laws are not law abiding citizens.
a shit hole is a neighborhood amenity?
Gus, I live very close to the BW and I can assure you that I care and so do my neighbors. I spend hours picking up the BW trash that ends up in my yard. I call the BW when I see a gang of people starting to assemble and hang out in front of the store. I call when it gets too loud over there. The owners are pretty good about moving along the loiterers and panhandlers. They are not at all good about enforcing the “no parking zone” right in front of the store and/or the people that leave their cars running with their x-rated rap music blaring at 10:30 at night. The owners will do some policing of the premises if directly asked by the neighbors but they always wait for the neighbors to make a phone call, which is frustrating. The police are not particularly helpful – they will NOT move along the crowds that amass, they do NOT enforce the no-parking zone in front of the store, they would NOT respond to noise ordinance complaints under our previous noise ordinance (we’ll see what happens with the new one), and they do NOT ticket for littering. I’ve made numberous requests to the city for additional trash cans on the corners, which I have not gotten. But honestly, I’ve seen people open things while they are leaning against the trash can in front of the BW and still throw their wrappers on the ground. The only thing that will change those types of behaviors is police intervention and the BW making a statement by cleaning up their establishment so it doesn’t look like it belongs in the ghetto.
@luckydog, I must say it is highly refreshing to know that someone like you lives in close proximity to where I live. I hope more people become advocates for creating a more positive neighborhood to live in, then change may actually occur. You mentioned that the only thing that will change certain behaviors is police intervention… which is sad because we never get much follow through when contacting the police and I am interested in seeing how things are handled now that there IS a new noise ordinance in place. I do not live close to the BW, but close enough to know exactly what you are talking about.
Thanks again for voicing your opinion, and I hope we see some change happen soon because it is almost to the point where we are ready to give up and move to suburbia.
People, it’s just a matter of time. Be patient. The people who drag the neighborhood down won’t be here forever. The blighted houses and the inconsiderate filthbags won’t last. One house at a time, Church Hill has made leaps and bounds. There will come a point when the element of trash no longer sustains itself. Until then, do your part by supporting the positive businesses and elements of the community… pick up trash, go to civic meetings, volunteer, whatever it takes.
Glad to see there are some folks by the BW who care. I’m the one who mowes the block and actively picks up trash. Happy to help with anything else to keep up the area. Might be worthy to band togrther to voice our concerns. I’ve tried through our police lieutenent, council rep etc with no luck. My wife and I are at the point of moving due to the BS that goes on and lack of response from the city.
I believe the Blue Wheeler is a neighborhood amenity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a backyard barbecue and someone has run over to the Wheeler to grab beer or other refreshments. I’d much rather have one of my friends pop over to the corner store, then get into a car and DRIVE to the Market after drinking. There are many of us living on N. 31st and N. 32nd who pick up trash and there are lots of people who for one reason or another toss trash on the ground. Calling them “inconsiderate filthbags” doesn’t really get at the problem – picking up trash, recycling, and being a good steward of the environment are culturally engrained behaviors. Someone taught you to care about your surroundings, while others have not been taught the same values. Doesn’t make them “filthbags.”
@Brad is right – BW and CSM need better CPTED. It would be great to be able to see into the BW and know what’s going on in there. Probably would help the owners to do some of the policing mentioned by @luckydog.
Being one of Lucky Dog’s neighbors, I can tell you that I care. As one with young children, I hope that the noise of bass thumping and aforementioned x-rated lyrics can be abated somewhat. When my 3 year old daughter asked me recently, “Daddy, why would people throw their trash on the ground?” I had to answer honestly with a non-appeasing answer of “Honey, Daddy really has no idea”
Amy, I used to live on 32nd and have been to the Blue Wheeler many times. Even though I live in Union Hill now, I still stop by there. But the people who drag the block down by throwing trash on the ground and thumping X-rated rap *are* filthbags in my book. No one *taught* me to give a shit about my neighborhood, I just do so by virtue of common sense/consideration. Perhaps I have the logic of John V’s 3 year old… I don’t understand why people are so inconsiderate of their neighbors, be it by littering or robbing run-down corner stores. *** Like I said in my other post, it’s just a matter of time for CH to be cleaner/safer. Meanwhile, I’ll be picking up trash that the filthbags leave. They do know better. We all do. Some of us just follow through.
I agree with the posts that consider the Blue Wheeler a cancer in the neighborhood. This place attracts folks to it that just don’t belong in any decent neighborhood. Luckydog and others who live in the immediate area….have you emailed Mayor Jones directly with your concerns? Not just about the Blue Wheeler but about concerns in general? I’m certain he would respond to your concerns for having more trash cans placed in the area, the trash and debris in the empty lots and addressing the overall blighted look of Marshall Street. When Wilder was Mayor, I called him regularly about issues that were not being addressed in my neck of the woods. He was VERY responsive and made sure every concern I ever had got addressed. You may have many opinions about Wilder or our current Mayor…but they respond when a homeowner who has enough chutz-pah to call them directly asks for assistance. Skip the folks in the middle and head straight to the top. Other great contacts…Dexter White…Chris Beschler. Call…call…call and don’t give up. They’ll get it done.
I lived a block away from the Blue Wheeler for a year, that was 3-4 years ago, and I never went in. If I still lived there, I’d try to get all of you guys who have posted here together and form a BW Clean-up Association. Unfortunately, I’m no longer there and don’t feel that I have the energy to do the organizing but I still think you guys should get together. Might make a diff. Good luck.
Thank you all for your posts in response to my concerns. You gave me some good ideas (emailing Mayor Jones – have not done that) and a reality check (thank you, Chimborama!). We moved here 4 years ago and it is so much better now than it was then. We no longer have the BW drunks hanging out directly behind our house, cursing and yelling, urinating on our fence, etc. – they are not gone, just moved down Marshall another block. While I am not thrilled with the situation at the BW, I do not consider them to be a “cancer” on the neighborhood. I do not shop there very often myself, however, I sincerely appreciate having a corner store every few blocks and have absolutely no desire to see them leave the area. I don’t care who shops there. IMO, that’s what we opted for when we signed up to live in an urban neighborhood. You live around all kinds of people. I do, however, think that the BW should police its premises better. I do have a problem with loud gangs of people hanging out in front of the store, the loud x-rated rap music from cars parked under the no-parking sign, and getting hit up by panhandlers every single day when I come home from work. The owners cannot see what is going on outside their store (no windows) and they aren’t going to do any policing unless you ask them directly. They do respond when asked, but you have to ask. I don’t know if anyone else ever asks them but, if you live in the area and you notice a gang starting to form, a car left running with blaring rap music, panhandlers, etc. and these things bother you, give the BW a call immediately and ask them to deal with the issue. Maybe if they get enough calls, they will start to be better neighbors. The phone number to the BW is 226-0276. In the meantime, I’ll shoot off a note to Mayor Jones.
Funny, the headline is about the Mosby Express Market, but almost all of the comments are about the Blue Wheeler.
Does any body have the e-mail address for Mayor Jones. i would like to e-mail him about the Mosby Street crime and surrounding area.