The Fear Factor
This came in an email this morning, I think it sums up a good deal of the emotional response that neighborhoods experience when they become the center of attention:
I actually got out of my bed at 12:30am last night to go to the scene to see if I could speak with a member of the press. I am so shocked at how poorly this entire event was handled, I cannot believe it. Here is some information that I lived first hand yesterday that is either not in your story, or contradictory to the information provided you.
First of all, I truly think that the High School was only finally put on lockdown because I called the district. I called South Hills, because my daughter goes there - I live a mile from the school, less than half a mile from the scene - and, I had heard the helicopters overhead for quite sometime. When I went outside, it seemed as though the choppers were right over the high school; so, I called to make sure everything was okay.
First, I received voicemail. So, I called the district and told them why I was calling. They tracked down someone at the high school who told me, "Oh no. We can hear the helicopters; but, we cannot see them. Everything here is fine." By this time, I had already tossed my triplets - in their pajamas - and started to drive there to make sure everything was okay. (It felt like eons before someone at the school finally answered the line.
When I reached the corner of Grand and Cameron - going southbound - there were two cops on the corner, not directing traffic, but staring at the hedges on the corner. I asked them if everything was okay at the high school, and over there shoulder they told me it was.
I am convinced that it was one of these two actions that finally put the school on lockdown.
I called my daughter and left her a voicemail to call me. She called me shortly thereafter and told me she was indeed on lockdown. As I was driving back to my house, there were an officer passed me on my very own street; so, I called the Sheriff’s department, and asked them if it was safe to be out with my kids. They told me, in no uncertain terms - no. They said, "Ma'am, if you live in the area, should remain in your house with your doors locked."
(The chopper continues overhead.)
A short time later, the choppers disappear, and at 12:50pm (WAY less than even "two hours" - per your story - after the murder had even occurred), my daughter called me to tell me that the high school had been released from lockdown. I was very surprised. I called the Sheriff’s department again and asked if the guys had been apprehended. They told me no, and I should remain in my house with the doors locked. WHAT!?
I got in my car, and drove by the high school - sure enough - kids were everywhere. Everywhere. Roaming around to/from lunch, with McDonald's bags in hand, et cetera. I couldn't believe it - but, my email/story is already too long, so I will cap up some of the rest of the day.
No one knew! Not a single parent. I called throughout the day, and noone knew. The district can manage to call every parent through its voicemail system and ask us for voter support for whatever proposition they want passed for more money, but they cannot utilize that same system to inform us the school is on lockdown?
More importantly, as you know, the men have STILL not been apprehended. And, the neighborhood street was lined with cops and bloodhounds last night. In fact - Prospero street - the street referenced where they were searching for one guy, is the CLOSEST street to the high school/elementary school campuses, other than the street they are on. And yet, elementary kids were permitted to walk home through those very streets? High school softball games went on as normal, with coaches finding out only through their kids. (I know this because one of the coaches is twenty-one and a friend/neighbor. She and her sister came and stayed at our house after the game, because they were terrified to be home alone).
And, as far as the home owners being "new to the area." From what I have been told by my sister-in-law, whose parents-in-law live on Quail Valley -a small street right around the corner from the scene - the homeowners lived across the street (from the parents-in-law) on Quail Valley, and recently purchased the house that was burglarized. They had not yet sold the older house, and during the crime, the husband had left to provide a tour of the older home. (Again, I am getting this through a grapevine, but I am getting to the important part.) The point is, my sister-in-law's mother-in-law was sitting on Quail Valley, alone, with her doors unlocked. Cops were all over her street (I know from my tour of the area), but she knew NOTHING until my sister-in-law called her, asking what had happened with her old neighbor's new house. How is it that the cops did not knock on the mother-in-law's - and every neighbor's - door and tell her to LOCK UP?!
And still, when I called the Sheriff’s station at 8:30pm last night, to see if it was safe to be out in our very wooded yards, they told me, they could not tell me if the suspects had been apprehended, or not, "for obvious reasons." What are the obvious reasons exactly? Our safety?
This entire experience has been so disheartening. I cannot wait to leave southern California and go to a place that is a "community." A place where people look out for each other, protect each other, think of the children, first. Anyway, thank you for your time, and your coverage.
Comments
Ugh...my husband just told me about all this and I have chills runing down my spine! I think would LOVE to have some sort of neighborhood organization to promote "Community." Is anybody interested? We have some kind of neighborhood organization over here west of Grand Ave, but it rarely meets (like twice a yr, I think.) All of this is scary. I have heard about robberies in this area. We have dogs and it makes me feel a bit protected, but it is probably a false sense of security. Let's do something!
Posted by: laura | March 20, 2008 12:05 PM
High Noon in West Covina.
A woman in a private residence in West Covina was SHOT TO DEATH yesterday at 12:15 PM (15 minutes past noon) it was daylight and in a nice area of the city. It happened while she was dialing 911. The home was an upscale fenced and gated residence. Now someone should ask the hard questions!
1. If she had a gun, and maintained in accordance with the laws of the State of California could she have defended her self.
NO, She would have to unlocked the gun, and the located the ammunition, and loaded the gun………longer that it takes to call 911.
The people we elected have a GREEN ZONE mentality, and they live in the GREEN ZONE, but even an upscale residence in West Covina California is not in the GREEN ZONE.
Our legislator have made it impossible for a citizen to defend themselves from being murdered in the own home. They have made you a criminal if you have your gun loaded and ready to defend yourself. Now only outlaws have guns, and we are all rabbits.
Look at the facts, in the States where people may have guns and carry them GUN RELATED VIOLENT CRIME had gone down. In the States where guns are outlawed GUN RELATED VIOLENT CRIME has gone UP. Washington DC has the toughest gun laws in the US, and the law in being changeling in the Supreme Court of the US NOW. The GUN VIOLENT CRIME in Washington DC has gone up since they passed the law outlawing handguns more that 15 years ago.
In Florida, where you can carry a gun, the GUN VIOLENT CRIME has gone down.
So now we have a real incident of a KILLING that could have been prevented with a GUN, and not a phone.
FACT ---- she was SHOT while on the phone with the 911 operator, and the dispatcher heard the sound of the shots.
The police arrived but did not find the killers, and the searched for hours, with people, cars and helicopters well past 6 PM. The bad guys got away, and may never be found.
You can bet the gun they used is not registered, and was not purchased legally, and it was not maintained legally. The California Gun law did not prevent this crime, they enabled it.
No I don’t advocate everyone carrying a loaded gun, like Arizona, but if a person is capable of and trained to use a firearm, they should not be prohibited from being able to defend them self with it.
The laws need to enable self defense and not enable murder.
The criminals know that we can’t defend our selves and the incident of yesterday will become an all too common occurrences if we don’t get the message to our legislators. They have gone too far, and have put all of us not in the GREEN ZONE in jeopardy.
The economy is in trouble, and crime increased when that happens.
We can’t have the means to protect ourselves that is adequate in the presence of a gun.
The police can’t get to you in time if you call 911, they can only listen to the shots being fired.
An old saying that comes to mind:
When rabbits shoot back there will be fewer rabbit hunters.
Write your legislator, and tell them we want the ability to have a gun and be able to protest ourselves.
Or you can wait until your neighborhood is the subject of a 6 hours search, and learn that the killers may have run thru your back yard, and then gotten away. Not easy to sleep that night, or perhaps the next as well.
Posted by: George McLachlan | March 20, 2008 1:22 PM
In answer to Laura, YES! We need to get together and make our community as safe as possible!
Writing down License Plate numbers, make and model of suspicious vehicles and calling the police if unknown or suspicious people are walking around our streets.
Count me in!
Posted by: Christi | March 20, 2008 4:14 PM
I read your post, Local Boy; I'm sure your anger and disgust speaks for many of us...thank goodness we are angry and still not numbed to all of this crap. I got involved with Monrovia because of relatives living there and now I have to look in my own back yard. 911 couldn't change this woman's destiny and I'm not sure if owning a fire arm would have made a differnce; the perpetrator was coming with no fore- warning and unless you walk around with a gun in hand how is anyone prepared in that instant of need... We've become the 'wild, wild. West' and it's not entertaining.
Neighborhood watches are good in that you meet your neighbor and your local police, but, when
it comes down to folks taking action my own experience has been that most are intimidated and don't want to get involved until trouble comes specifically to their own door. Our neighborhood, like many others has had the one or two families whose kids go through the years of rebelling (parties, drinking, trashing the street, car races, etc). There was a time when I went to the parents directly, but, a good many parents will not accept that their children are not angels...so then I would go to the W.C. police department;Always obliging, always recommending to talk it over with the families directly and willing to patrol the neighborhood upon receipt of a call. Here's where it helps when you're not the only one being persistant! In any case I've learned that it took an investment in security cameras to capture the activity on tape as proof of any wrong doings. I'll tell you this...if someone is going to do harm to my home or family there will be a video if nothing else..
By the way, if you are suspecting someone is about to do you harm..does the law still require that they be in your home before you can take any action?
I am concerend and a bit more apprehensive than ever before especially with many people hurting financially. There's a whole different breed of offenders out there today and they're just as violent as those who have gang associations...( I can't understand why a home invasion robbery facilitated a killing ). There's a lot I just don't understand anymore! I came from a generation that greeted saying, "Mr. or Mrs." Some have argued that "Father knows Best" was far from reality but from the reality I'm living in today's society you can give me that all back any time!
Posted by: Berta | March 20, 2008 10:36 PM