We received the following warning from a Sheafe Street resident burglarized last night for the second time in five months:
I am a North End resident of 3 years and I’m writing to ensure our community is aware of the larceny and burglary problem here in the North End. I live on Sheafe Street and my apartment has been broken into and robbed on March 23rd, 2011 and again yesterday July 7th. This is TWICE in 5 months. My roommate and I are both middle-aged professional females in our 20’s and are concerned for our safety in the North End. It is ridiculous our apartment has been broken into TWICE, the police tell us there is nothing they can do. Our landlord tell us there is nothing they can do. What does this mean for ourselves as residents? We cannot be protected?! All of our meaningful, significant personal belongings have now been stolen. My second laptop was stolen yesterday, we were officially cleaned out of all our jewelry, ipods, camera’s…you name it. We have nothing left. Yes, possessions can be replaced….but our privacy and security is jeopardized.
Please warn the neighborhood and spread the word to others so MAYBE someone can start doing something about this.
Ed: At last night’s public safety meeting, it was reported that there were 3 North End / Waterfront burglaries in June 2011 as compared to 14 in March, 5 in April and 12 in May.
Wow when did being in your 20s become middle-aged?
This is a real problem in the North End. I applaud the woman for putting out this warning. Too many weirdos out there especially in the summer.
I didn't say her story was amusing…just the fact that she called herself and her roomate "middle aged professionals in their 20's" Lighten up Not amused.
What I'd like to know, is what the common denominator is between these burglaries. I've heard of several burglaries on Sheafe and Margaret Streets, and I live on one of them. Are these people climbing into open windows? Breaking down doors? Jimmying locks? How have these properties been secured? What should we be looking for?
What I find even more interesting than her claiming to be middle aged is that she thinks being "professionals" is somehow relevant. Not sure what she means by that, but I assume she means that she works in an office(?). What if she worked at golden goose? Or was a T operator? Would I care less about someone in the service industry getting their stuff stolen? Doubtful. At least the "professional" can presumably afford renters insurance, right?
"My roommate and I are both middle-aged professional females in our 20’s"
Bizarre.
middle aged professional…perhaps a target for having a computer…laptop….watch…tv…you name it that perhaps an elder or retired member of our community may not own. This post was a warning to the community….not a post to be criticized for being a 'professional'….or a 'middle-aged' women. I would think people would be more concerned with the break-ins than the description of the victim.
Broken in twice in the past 5 months is not a coincidence. These larcenies can happen anywhere..anytime…we have a front security door that was tampered with…and we had a deadbolt as well as a door lock that were both completely wrecked.
I'm sorry to the people who feel it necessary to comment "amused" on a posting of such sort. Hopefully you are not a north end resident whom I share my community with.
SHE WAS ROBBED LAST NIGHT! Even if you have no sympathy, give her a break on the age and professional thing. She is probably frazzled to say the least. Obviously, Amused and Heather have never had strangers enter their homes and violate their space. It is very tramatic, I know as a victim myself. Gues what Adam, renter's insurance didn't help me sleep either.
Chris is right … what is going on? According to Matt's note there have been over 30 break-ins in the last 4 months. That's a crisis in such a small neighborhood.
The break ins have been going on for months. More people should go to the public safety meetings and pay attention to the police blotter that Matt posts every month. Then this wouldn't be such a surprise to so many people.
@victim
Twice in 5 months sounds like it is either the same person breaking in since he liked what he found the first time or it could be someone who has been to a party at your place or in your building. (or maybe lives in your building) It wouldn't be the first time that happened in the North End.
Your situation is not funny but being in your 20s is by no means middle aged. You haven't even hit your prime yet.
Older residents of the North End own laptops, TVs, watches, ipods, jewelry etc etc. and are just as vulnerable to being robbed as a professional.
It's pathetic that you would even take the time to criticize someone for calling themselves a professional. Young professionals is a term used in this day an age for people between 20 – 40 who have jobs and are active in the community, not someone for instance who stays home all day to read blogs and eventually try and make people feel worse so that they can feel better about themself. That person, you would call either a "drain on society" or "waste of life".
No one deserves to get robbed, and I think that you agree with that. But why would it even come across your mind to write a negative comment about what they had to say? I feel bad for you, I really do.
Sorry about what happened to your apartment, just move out.
To Joyce- Agreed…20's is NOT middle-aged. Was a bit frazzled when writing the post….and felt through these experiences….I've been through ENOUGH!
The verbiage used by the victim is not the issue in this story. The issue is that the home of two of our neighbors was burglarized. Twice. Burglary is a violating and devastating crime. Imagine a stranger ransacking your home and searching through your personal belongings. Rummaging through your clothes, jewelry, dresser drawers, bank statements and photos. Invading your most private of spaces- your Home. Do not judge the victims. They have done nothing wrong. Their age, profession, sex and whether or not they carry renters insurance does not mean that they will or will not be burglarized. This was a crime which occurred in broad daylight, both times, and could have happened to any one of us. I have lived in the North End for 11 years and have always felt safe until recently. The number and frequency of burglaries of homes and also cars, has dramatically increased over the past few years. Not to mention the sexual assaults which began during the summer of 2002- several different attackers with different M.O.'s none of whom have been arrested/charged. We as a community should demand action and more importantly, demand answers on what will be done to improve the safety of our residents. What might have happened if one of these women had come home during this crime? This could have been a very different story.
To answer questions that I have received, the report of 2 break-ins at this address is "real" and confirmed.
Adam B,
Posting this warning to residents in the North End was an extremely courageous and selfless act by this victim. To be thinking about the safety of others, following such a traumatic personal event, is admirable.
When I read your response to her story, I actually felt sick to my stomach. I spent 8 hours today caring for a patient with cancer. There were 3 of us helping him and he said, "two weeks ago we were all strangers… and now, you are the most important people in my life."
I feel sorry for you Adam. You read this poor girls story and then you criticized and mocked her.
The day may come where you need a strangers kindness to support and help you. Unfortunately for you Adam, what goes around comes around.
"Obviously, Amused and Heather have never had strangers enter their homes and violate their space."
My parents' home was vandalized when I was a kid. Stuff happens.
@Not amused: My 1st apt was robbed while my roomate and I were both home cowering in a closet….by a guy who lived in our building. Daylight breakins have been a problem for awhile. She is not the first, only, nor the last who will be traumatized by an apartment being robbed in the North End. The holier then thou attitude by you and so many people posting is amazing. Are the other 30+ people who have had their apartments broken into this year somehow cowardly because they didn't sent a post to this blog. Or did they just choose to tell the police, their friends and neighbors and family?
The police have been warning the residents of the North End …unfortunately nobody seems to listen.
@Jen…the victim did make it sound like she was somehow more of a victim because she was a professional who had more goodies then other north end residents. Adam B was making the point that such an event would be traumatizing to even a lowly service worker and that her status as a professional was irrelevant.
So sorry to hear that this has happened to you!
I think @Chris is dead on. What is going on with these robberies and can they be prevented in any way by our community?
Our building had an "afternoon" of break-ins that thankfully ended before getting to my unit. This was a number of years ago but they happened in the middle of the week day when no one was home. This means someone had been observing the building. They jimmied open windows via access from the fire escape. Those units that were robbed had the typical quick sell items taken, portable electronics and cash.
With regards to what we should be looking out for – in our case it would have been random people on our fire escape! But if no one was around to see it as something out of place I don't know that it could have been prevented. I also don't want to get to a point where every person on a ladder at a window in the North End should be suspect. It would be helpful to know in the cases of these robberies HOW the break-in happened. I'm sure these are posted somewhere but I don't remember where.
Obviously reinforcing any window with access to the street and a fire escape (without creating a fire safety hazard) would be my first suggestion.
So sorry to read a post about someone being broken into *2ce*! It's a horrible experience & you were obviously still traumatized by the experience when you wrote to warn us all. Sorry there are so many editors out there. I'm hoping someday you can roar with laughter over having described yourself as middle-aged–because other than that there is *no* way to find humor in being burgled. Thank you for posting about this, Sheafe St. isn't that far away from me.
As far as what we as neighborhood action, eyes on the street is probably about all we can do. Yeah Christine, if you see people on as fire escape (they're to be used to escape a fire & not for entering or exiting buildings) what if we were to whip out our cells, snap a photo, & call 911.
If it's a legitimate person climbing around on a fire escape or climbing in or out a window, oh well. But if it isn't. We'd have a photo & perhaps hope of catching this guy.
The cops can't be everywhere all the time, but as neighbors, someone (or ones) is pretty much everywhere all the time.
So yeah, sadly, "every person on a ladder at a window in the North End should be noticed captured in a cell phone picture & if it's a landlord or an owner or someone doing repair, I'm sure they'd be glad to know a neighbor was paying attention so that if it weren't legit, the damage would be trackable.
My other thought this morning is to re-ask the questions posed in an earlier post. How did the burglers get in? keys? pried-open/propped-open/broken doors/windows? Chris put the questions well when he wrote, "what is the common denominator between these burglaries. I've heard of several burglaries on Sheafe and Margaret Streets, and I live on one of them. Are these people climbing into open windows? Breaking down doors? Jimmying locks?"
I have lived on Sheafe Street for 48 years. About 25 years ago our apartment was burgalized. So unfortuately this is nothing new. It's not a sign of the "new" neighborhood or it's new residents. Somethings to keep in mind. If you pruchase a item of value. Might be wise t not leave the empty box in front of building to inform the thief that there is new flatscreen in building. Cut the box into pieces and place in black trash bag. If you had an item shipped to you, don't throw the box away with your name,address and apt.# shipping label still on the box. I can't tell you how many times I see this on Sheafe Street. Also, judge for yourself if the items of value can be seen from a open window. Even at a distance with a set of binoculars. Let all be good neighbors.
TC is right about the boxes. I see this all the time. People picking through the trash aren't just looking for bottles and cans.
I am truly sorry that this happened to you (TWICE) and I am also sorry it happened in our community! Burglary is a very serious and traumatizing thing and should not be taken lightly no matter how big or small. Whether you are a T-Operator, service worker, investment banker, or, middle aged 20 something you should not have to live in fear of being robbed, and have what you work hard for, be stolen from you. The victim was trying to be a “member of the community” and let everyone know that, this is what’s going on and to be aware. I wish more people had the sense of camaraderie and unity that this person has, these things would not stop but, you would feel a little more at ease knowing that others in your neighborhood had your back, and not look to kick you while you were down (Adam B) I can only picture you now, no friends, blogging on a Friday night, eating your feelings because you truly are a “drain on society” and just an all around “waste of life” for making that comment! Adam my friend I hope they get you for every last possession and your dignity! Opps sorry!!! You lost that a long time ago….If this was the North End of 15-20 years ago?!, two things, one we wouldn’t be blogging and two, Adam B would be getting what we call a Soap Pahhhhttty! Google it if you don’t know what it is, it will 100% make you chuckle.
To the victim, good luck on your new apartment search!
@ Christine and others……the break in happened between 11am and 5pm on a Thursday. The break-in back in March, they somehow got through the security door, and forced entry through our apartment door (which did not have a dead-bolt at the time but was since installed). The break-in last week, they forced entry through the security door again AND the deadbolt on our apartment door. The first floor neighbors were on vacation for the week, and 3rd and 4th floor tenants were at work. I'm assuming if anyone was actually in the building at the time, they would have heard something since the door was wrecked. Similar items were stolen both times, but this past time it was apparent they spent more time in the apartment…since the mess was that much greater, and looked EVERYWHERE for cash…safe keepings, etc…
My roommate and I are quiet, have never had a party in the apartment, and have only been living here for a year. The previous tenant lived here for 7 years and never had a break-in.
@victim – I want to thank you for warning us, both back in March when you taped a sign to our door, and this time around for posting here AND for reaching out directly to your neighbors. In March I saw your note and alerted my landlady, who lives on the first floor of our building. This time, my landlady alerted me – because you reached out to her. I understand why you'd want to leave after being hit twice, and hard – but I'm sorry, because you're a good neighbor. Best of luck to you.
They had alot of time and they only robbed your apartment when the whole builidng was empty? That makes me concerned along with the fact you have been robbed twice in such a short time. It might be someone you know and knows your schedule.