From our MV inbox:
Just want to report another attempted robbery in the neighborhood. Someone knocked on my door around 2 this (Sunday)afternoon and when I didn’t answer they broke into the downstairs sliding glass door. Found doors opened and they opened my desk cabinet, but doesn’t look like anything was taken. I think when they heard me upstairs they left. I was in the restroom at the time so I didn’t hear anything after the knock. I was home alone with my 11 week old baby. Called the police and they checked everything out and dusted for fingerprints. I am on the corner of 30th Avenue W and Government Way. Very unnerving and upsetting to have this happen.
?And this one:
I’m not sure if you’ve already been emailed about this from the actual residents of the home (I told them to send you one to help get the word out), but at around 9:00am on Thursday 3/28, a home on 38th Ave across from the blue water tower was broken into while one of the residents was still home. Apparently two males approached the front door and rang the door bell several times to no answer and proceeded to go around to the back of the house and kick in the back door.? Once both men were inside, one of them opened a bedroom door to find one of the residents was indeed in the house, which immediately scared them off.? As far as I know, only a laptop was stolen, but we are so very thankful that no one was hurt as the situation could have been much much worse. None of the surrounding neighbors were home at the time, but someone on the next block due north reported seeing two men run across their yard around that time.? Some news reports say there is no detailed descriptions of the burglars, others say that it was two African American men in their 20s.? If anyone saw anything, your help will be greatly appreciated by calling 911!
And:
New report tonight, unknown if police are involved, two “14-year-old boys” were ringing the doorbell several times of a home unoccupied or at least no one home. Neighbors across the street witnessed and chased them away. On Bertona near the water tower.?If you think about the nature of breaking giant windows in stores and then stealing virtually nothing, it has the work of kids written all over it.
There was a man standing on the sidewalk between my neighbor’s house and mine when I got home last night (around 5:40), looking back and forth and appearing to make notes in a binder. He was wearing a bright yellow construction-type vest, so I thought maybe he was a utility worker or something. Alas, no. “U.S. Mission,” trying to raise money for a group home in Greenwood. I’m nervous about break-ins now because he matched up my car to my house. This is in addition to the “ADT installer” who ignored our No Soliciting sign (and ADT signs) to offer us a free installation over the weekend… (We’re on 29th near Smith.)
Was the US MIssion person selling anything, or solely seeking funding?
I gogoled up “US Mission Greenwood” and found this interesting post from the Phinneywood blog
http://www.phinneywood.com/2010/01/22/suspicious-men-say-theyre-soliciting-for-charities/
Specifically this response from the U.S. Mission:”While Emissaries from the United States Mission do engage in door-to-door, religious solicitation, they do not sell magazines or any product or service. Our Emissaries are all properly credentialed with photo ID, copies of our 501(c)3 determination letter, Washington Certificate of Authority, and other documents, photos, and literature explaining our Mission program as well as providing contact information for the United States Mission, 8560 Greenwood Ave, N, #17, Seattle, WA 98103 (mailing), located at 8720 Third Ave. NW and 128 NW 81st Street, Seattle, WA 98117.
Such persons as you reported are a scourge to our Mission, causing confusion and generating mistrust in the community. They need to be stopped. We shall be happy to do whatever we can to assist you in exposing these frauds.”
I don’t know. He started explaining his situation and I told him I wasn’t able to help him out. He was very polite, but the note-taking bothered me.
Glad he didn’t hassle you. I found some more info,from a KIRO news story about the US Mission.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/homeless-charity-mandates-panhandling-takes-big-cu/nDRg5/
I cannot think of anyone who doesn’t consider door to door sales to be a nuisance and a violation/trespassing on some level. If you are selling religion or whatever, why do it in a way that is guaranteed to turn everyone off to your organisation and whatever your cause? If you have to sell it door to door it obviously doesn’t sell itself by whatever else you do. Do bingo or whatever else makes people pay up for religious causes/services.
You need to be stopped. Do bingo or whatever at your place/church, so the people who want to pay for what you offer can come to you. Everyone considers door to door to be a violation and it thoroughly turns people off to whatever good you think you are doing. The articles back up the fact you are bogus.
The way you have worded this seems like you are speaking to LadyonLynn.
Apologies, that is where they placed it incorrectly. Of course I was speaking to the Mission people. REalize they don’t care and won’t see it, but I have had my fill of religious people coming door to door. Brings back memories of when I was a preteen telling off the Watchtower people who bothered us….used logic, and they were dumbfounded. I questioned if any of them had an elementary school education or ever questioned the nonsense they were pushing.
Phew!
; )
” I questioned if any of them had an elementary school education or ever questioned the nonsense they were pushing.” AWESOME!
We got the US Mission guy wearing the vest too last night around 6pm. Near Viewmont by Discovery.
I have two NO SOLICITING signs by my front door…that doesn’t seem to stop people from coming to my front door. I want to say to them “Can’t you read???” but I am afraid what they might do as they leave my property.
I shared this on a different posting, but hope it might help you. I installed a wooden gate with a lock by my front gate and side entrance. I don’t have a fenced yard, just hedges, but I went from about 8 intrusions of this kind in one year (and I was interviewed for something KOMO did on it in my neighborhood one year) to none in the last two years. The locked gate makes it impossible to be bothered. I go out through the garage. I unlock the gate when I am expecting people. The total cost was $300, including the motion detector spot light on the entry sidewalk. I know someone could muscle in through the hedges, but it is obvious and an effort. In Europe it is considered scenic to see all the walled or gated homes, but people did a lot worse in past times than just try to size up a house or sell magazines, so having houses open to the whole world is an American notion based on different times. This may not be everyone’s solution, but so far we have not been bothered, and have seen the “ADT” pseudo salesman pass us by because they couldn’t come up our walkway.
Good ideas, but how do you get package deliveries and mail? I’d rather not have an unsecure, street facing mail box. We get the mail via a mail slot in the door, which is pretty secure for not getting flat mail stolen. Now if we could just get the postal carrier to deliver mail to the right addresses…
To tell you the truth, I use the mailboxes place in the village. They accept everything and the mail is secure. Obviously that isn’t everyone’s solution, but I really don’t like strangers wandering into my yard, so saying hi to Dan when I pick up packages is the way I go…
Thanks for the reply. Right now the thought of having to pay to get my mail and packages is irksome, but can see that someday the benefit of not having strangers in the yard may out weigh other reasons.
Saw an orange vest/binder white guy about a week ago on 37th by a block east of the water tower. Well at least NOW we know what he is scribbling into the binder….Next time I am snapping a photo with my zoom lens.
Went to the website for Center for United States Missions (white yellow vest guy claims this is the outfit he is collecting for) and at the bottom of the page was the address 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, CA 92612. When I punched it into Google Maps I got an Auto detailing service. This just smells fishy!!!
panasonic and samsung make good quality security cameras. these people, and the other criminals to come, can be caught with some help by folks in the neighborhood. Put your detective hat on and think of what you could do to obtain evidence for law enforcement.
Someone also tried to break into my Mom’s home (34th and Bertona) in the middle of the day on Easter! Thankfully they weren’t successful at getting into the house (Thanks to having ALL the ground floor windows locked, and a wooden stick preventing the slider door from opening – they were able to get the slider lock open but couldn’t get the door open more than an inch!), but caused some damage in the back yard just for fun I guess. I’m just thankful she wasn’t home at the time.