Crime In Midtown

[ricco67]

...but it was for his mother garage door in another city. I wonder how long that guy

went up and down the streets clicking at various garages?

As much as it would make me giggle for some guy to go block to block trying garage doors, unfortunately, with replacement garage openers, they simply use the default. You'd be amazed how often you can go down the street and open up a neighbor's garage.

[Charles Z]

Thanks for the feedback regarding the public safety meeting.

[stmkit37]

This is true, though I, personally, have beeen assaulted/robbed twice in the last two years in Midtown, once with a gun involved. While my incident may be unique in the circumstances involved, I do not believe for a second that the assaults are mainly limited to "bum fights" or drunk patrons at bars as you suggest.

I agree with you. The major incidents are not in fact committed by the homeless, but rather the vagrants that live on the other side of 59 that come over during the day and cause trouble. They have been seen committing burglaries in broad daylight, jumping fences and stealing property, etc. Even the area constables say that the homeless are an issue, but they are opportunists, committing petty crimes such as grabbing your purse walking by or stealing a bike left outside. They are not the ones breaking down doors to rob electronics, etc!

[Slick Vik]

In front of coco's about 20 minutes ago a guy on a bike snatched a purse from a very intoxicated girl walking back to her car. Scary.

[brian0123]

In front of coco's about 20 minutes ago a guy on a bike snatched a purse from a very intoxicated girl walking back to her car. Scary.

I hope she wasn't planning on driving. If so he inadvertently kept a drunk driver off the road.

[TonyM]

In front of coco's about 20 minutes ago a guy on a bike snatched a purse from a very intoxicated girl walking back to her car. Scary.

On a bike? I wonder if this is the militant and downright awful bum that rides/walks around Gray/Baldwin area harassing people. He's a serious nuissance as I've seen him literally chase people down Baldwin/Pease in attempts to get money from pedestrians. And when he doesn't get any, he proceeds to curse you out and yell at you through your car window, etc.

Did the guy on the bike have glasses?

Edited March 13, 2012 by TonyM

[Slick Vik]

On a bike? I wonder if this is the militant and downright awful bum that rides/walks around Gray/Baldwin area harassing people. He's a serious nuissance as I've seen him literally chase people down Baldwin/Pease in attempts to get money from pedestrians. And when he doesn't get any, he proceeds to curse you out and yell at you through your car window, etc.

Did the guy on the bike have glasses?

Not that guy

[Slick Vik]

Dear Resident:

We feel that you should be informed of an incident that occurred on Valentine Street. Specifically, a resident reports that, as he was parking his car outside building A on Valentine Street around 11:25 p.m. last night, he was approached by 6 men described as African-American in a white Chevrolet Impala. According to the resident, the men accused the resident of having hit their car. One of the men held a handgun and requested the resident's wallet and iPhone. The Houston Police Department is investigating the incident.

[LTAWACS]

No bueno. Gotta be careful out there.

[Andrew Broadfoot]

Lived in midtown for a while now. Like any other area, you just have to have your street smarts with you.

[kylejack]

That particular area in Midtown still seems to be in transition.

Edited July 6, 2012 by kylejack

[skwatra]

where's Building A? Not that Valentine is that big, but just wondering if this was up closer to Dallas, or down near Gray.

[kylejack]

Probably Post Midtown?

[Nole23]

It's Post Midtown because I got the email also.

[Slick Vik]

I wonder why a resident would be parking on the street, and especially at that time of night on a weeknight, and especially on that street, which is away from the action. Once Coco's closes that area has a lot less people around. Layal and Front Porch are still open but their crowds vary by the night. That little stretch there is basically abandoned.

[kylejack]

Many apartment buildings only give you one or two parking spaces in the garage, right? Is that the case at Post Midtown?

Anyway, I don't think 11:25 is that late. I've parked over there to go to Front Porch Pub at that hour before.

[TGM]

Yet another reason I am happy to be "post-midtown"

[Nole23]

I was walking back to that building around 11:30 that night from Blackfinn and there were still plenty of people out walking around. Valentine St is pretty dark and behind all of the action like someone mentioned above. Maybe once phase 3 is complete, that street will see more action with the new retail that will come.

[Andrew Broadfoot]

So this was around that little neighborhood back there? Freeman's Town?

[Slick Vik]

It appears the complex has hired security now. That's more a deterrent than anything; what is one lanky security guard going to do against six thugs?

[kylejack]

So this was around that little neighborhood back there? Freeman's Town?

Yes, Freedman's Town. By West Gray.

Edited July 8, 2012 by kylejack

[TheNiche]

It appears the complex has hired security now. That's more a deterrent than anything; what is one lanky security guard going to do against six thugs?

The guard is for the apartment owner's safety, not the tenants'.

It's just the management company making a show of things. If this sort of thing were to happen again (which it will by virtue of its location) and management had not provided notice to you and upgraded their security presence in some form or fashion, then the victim may have a good case against the apartment operator for negligence. When a suit of this nature is victorious, damages can come in at utterly ridiculous amounts--tens of millions of dollars. And yes, even if the tenants should've known that their neighborhood was unsafe, the landlord is still exposed to this risk. There's no accounting for incompetence on either side, only for the landlord's 'reasonable' efforts to stem a known problem.

[TGM]

Based on my experience everything is done for the sake of show. When a group of significant power thinks the real issue can be resolved by hiring a PR firm rather than more officers then you know that the perception that the area is safe is more important than actually going after the intrenched criminal problems.

[Slick Vik]

Having a real HPD officer would be more reassuring

[TheNiche]

Having a real HPD officer would be more reassuring

If you want to be more assured of your safety then move out of the 'hood, Slick. No matter their badge looks like, a guard can only be in one place at any given time.

[innerlooper]

Niche I know you don't necessarily believe in this liability, but where did this notion develop that a private property owner has a duty to prevent crime in a public street abutting the property? Looks like judges need to be quicker to dismiss, and juries to get real, otherwise a lot of folks here (yes you gentle reader) could be on the hook for what goes on in front of their cribs.

I can't afford CC cams, never mind a guard. I guess I'll just have to post signs on the sidewalk that say: "WARNING CITIZEN: THIS IS A DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD/ STREET. YOU MAY BE ROBBED, ABDUCTED, RAPED, TORTURED, AND/ OR MURDERED."

Will that do to reduce liability?

[TheNiche]

Anybody can be sued for anything, but someone with a large non-homesteaded asset is especially likely to be a target. And who wants to be the unfortunate defendant to set a precedent by losing their case? Nobody, that's who. Settlements are expensive, too, and so if marginally effective means of deterring crime might be more effective at deterring legal frivolity, then that's what's going to happen.

[RedScare]

It was one robbery, not one per day. I was robbed in the middle of Rice Village, and it survived. Of course, that was back before the internet existed to blow things out of proportion. A quick glance at HPD's crime stats shows that this appears to be the 5th robbery in that area this year. For comparison, the White Oak/Studewood restaurant row has had 6. Montrose Blvd. has about twice as many robberies as both of these areas.

It is not the end of the world.

[Blade Runner]

Further proof that people need to arm themselves against this urban street trash...

[TheNiche]

It was one robbery, not one per day. I was robbed in the middle of Rice Village, and it survived. Of course, that was back before the internet existed to blow things out of proportion. A quick glance at HPD's crime stats shows that this appears to be the 5th robbery in that area this year. For comparison, the White Oak/Studewood restaurant row has had 6. Montrose Blvd. has about twice as many robberies as both of these areas.

It is not the end of the world.

Actually, it is the end of the world for white people and attractive Asian women under the age of 35. And that's the only thing that actually matters in life. Or weren't you aware of that?

Seriously though, I think that the rate at which crime is reported has a lot to do with ethnicity (a given), that people don't think of Montrose or the Heights as being as shady as they are and therefore are less cautious or outright avoidant of the area, and that when a crime does occur in a 'safe' area, there is a sense of indignant outrage...whereas if someone gets mugged in 4th Ward, that's expected to be pretty much par for the course. So yeah, I don't trust the crime stats as a predictive indicator of whether any given pedestrian walking 500 feet through a neighborhood is likely to be a victim of violent crime.