From Living the Law of Attraction: "Whenever somebody discredits you, and tells you that you can't do something, keep in mind that they are speaking from within the boundaries of their own limitations. Ignore them. Don't give in. In this crazy world that's trying to make you like everyone else, find the courage to keep being your awesome self. And when they laugh at you for being different, laugh back at them for being the same."
This sort of applies here and I should just ignore it, but I can't.
People send my stories around in emails. I don't like it. I know I should love the exposure, but I don't care for it. I have a good friend that does that. He'll send good news, bad news, whatever, to people. Usually if I write about someone he'll send it. I wrote about Wendy Williams at Books & Books and he sent the article to Books & Books, I'm sure if he know how to reach Wendy, he would have sent it to her. I write about the Glass House RFP and he sends the story to people involved with the RFP and the City, but for some reason, it always ends up with someone complaining about something. So in this instance, people were sending my story on the recent crime in the Grove around in emails. They were sending the story to the authorities and asking them, "Why aren't you doing anything about the crime?" When in all reality, we know the police are doing all they can. It's not a "Murder She Wrote" episode where the crime is solved in an hour, it takes time.
Ron Nelson, Commissioner Sarnoff's Chief of Staff, usually calls me on things, literally on the phone, but here is an email going around that he wrote after people read this story in the Grapevine and in emails shared by the neighbors. I think Ron and I are on the same page and people may be reading other things into what's written but I only state facts that I get from people involved in the incidents. I don't make the stuff up.
For many years I did not report crimes because I just didn't feel it was necessary, but people requested that I do, so I am. If you guys don't want me to, I won't. It's work getting the stories and the facts and speaking with the police, etc. And yes, I only publish the facts as told to me. I don't speculate. I do add color, like calling the Red Haired girl a Creep, but the facts about the case are all facts told to me.
There has been lots of emails going around from neighbor to neighbor in the North Grove, I don't receive any of them from the group emailing back and forth, but I have been mentioned in them. There are dozens of people cc'd in the emails so once in awhile someone will randomly send me one of them. The red below, are my comments to Ron's email regarding one of the emails I was mentioned in, I just want people to understand where I am coming from. I don't like people talking behind my back. I respect Ron, I know he respects me.
From Ron:
There have been so many emails that I think most are now confused. The emails below are particularly troubling to me. The Grapevine is a blog and Tom many times writes thoughts and opinions mixed with goings on. Sometimes the stories are factually correct and sometimes they are not.
(My stories are as correct and factual as I can make them, I get the info from people involved in the stories, if they give me wrong info it is corrected as soon as I am given the correct info, but I never just make things up for the sake of making things up. This has been how I have operated for eight years, if there is an error, someone will tell me and I'll change it without making a big deal about it. No one has corrected me on the subject of the recent burglaries so I am assuming it's all correct).
The police do not and should not report every action they take.
(I agree, but the do like to talk when people ask).
The residents that live near the 27th Ave Metro Rail Station are quite pleased that the police have reacted to issues near the station.
(These are Douglas Park residents, not Coconut Grove residents. Not that it matters, but they are having burglary issues, too, and there is a big meeting at Douglas Park next month with the Mayor, Commissioner and Police, It is June 4, I was invited to attend. I'll post the details tomorrow if you all would care to attend.)
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There is no evidence that these purported “homeless” people have moved into our neighborhoods and are stealing from North Grove residents.
(It wasn't purported homeless people, I specified that it was the Red Haired Girl and Her Gang, the 3 to 5 of them), I don't even know that they were homeless, they just were known to hang out at the Metrorail according to my police source. They said they were living there. I got these facts from the police. But it stands to reason that if these loiterers were chased from the Metrorail Station, they ended up elsewhere, they didn't just vanish into thin air).
It is not against the law to be homeless.
(I have NEVER said it is against the law to be homeless and I feel for homeless people and always think, "There but for the grace of God go I." I am one of the few who support them any way I can especially when the police and others are hassling them. I know a lot of the homeless people in the Grove by name and they know me. I used to feed the homeless until I was told by authorities not to).
By the way, according to this article in The Miami New Times, the City wants to make it illegal to be homeless.
Tom did make a very important point. If a person on the street is trying to sell you something that is obviously under value or brand new still in the box, DO NOT BUY IT, and report it to the police. (Amen).
The police have repeatedly tried to get the CVS store to take action against the continuous shoplifting. To date the store and the corporate have refuse stating that confrontation is more dangerous and that it is simply a cost of doing business. Perhaps the cost of doing business should be the loss of our business.
Tom writes about a traffic enforcement issue, and I hope that is an over simplified explanation. There is one thing I can tell you. We get many more complaints about the lack of traffic enforcement than we do enforcement.
(Not sure what this means. I agree we need more enforcement, I think I posted a story recently about the crazy drivers around here, the police officer I wrote about was just being nasty that day, when they aren't our usual NRO's they aren't so friendly).
Please remember that the young woman with red hair has not been positively linked to any crime.
(And yet all reports say so, including homeowners who have been burglarized, the police and the report below from Crime Watch).
All of that said please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police and your neighbors. The All Grove Crime Watch meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at Stephen’s Church. This group has received national recognition, and if you really want to know what the police are doing and what is going on you should attend.
Best and respectfully
Ron Nelson
Chief of Staff
Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff
City of Miami District 2
(Or you could read the updates here in the Grapevine since we are all on the same page and reporting the same thing. I just don't understand how my facts are being called wrong but Crime Watch is being called right, when the facts are exactly the same. I actually left some items out because I wasn't sure they were correct so I didn't want to publish them, like the "vigilant neighbor" [see below] spotting the suspects. I wasn't sure they actually saw the "real" suspects, so I didn't report that).
The "vigilant neighbor" ended up being friends of mine who saw the supposed suspects, they called the police and the police actually told them to call Crime Watch if you can believe that. The police dispatcher spent most of the call asking my friend if he had a case number, if he was victimized, if he knew for sure it was them, etc. So you see something, you say something and nothing happens. Maybe it's the lack of police on the force and they try to be diligent about just sending an officer out for every call. After 20 minutes on the call, my friends just gave up and I don't know if an officer ever was sent out to look for the suspicious people.
This is quite strange in that it happened right near Commissioner Sarnoff's house near the dog park, so for all these people claiming he has 24 hour security at his house, etc. apparently that is not the case.
HERE IS THE CRIME WATCH REPORT THAT WAS SENT TO THE NEIGHBORS WHO ARE ON THEIR EMAIL LIST. NOTICE THEIR DESCRIPTION OF THE GIRL AND ONE OF THE GUYS, QUITE CLEAR IS THE COLOR OF HER HAIR:
FROM CRIME WATCH (The group that has received national recognition):
Please be on the lookout for a female, 18-20, with shoulder-length fire-red hair and a male companion, possibly Hispanic; both who appear 18- 20 years old.
They are apparently involved in recent home burglaries in the Grove, several which have occurred this month in the North Grove between 22nd and 27th Avenue, and also in the Center Grove.
Yesterday afternoon (Friday) around 5 pm, they were spotted by a vigilant neighbor on Shipping Avenue near Mary street in the Center Grove, walking toward the Dog Park, with the female wearing a black top with jeans, and the male wearing a black FSU shirt with white cargo pants.
The police were called by neighbors, but the pair, sensing surveillance by neighbors, fled before police arrived.
If you see these persons, please do the following out of sight of the suspects:
1. Call 911 and request a marked unit to the scene.
2. Then after speaking with 911, immediately call all the following numbers to give detailed description
A) Commander Gentry at 786-521-0599
B) Neighborhood Resource Officer Vasquez at 954-821-4755
C) Neighborhood Resource Officer Vital at 786-529-7524
D) Police Grove BID Officer at 786-343-2765
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