Residents say they will stay despite two shootings
After two shootings in as many days, Vickie Crutchfield has decided not to move out of the low-income housing complex where she’s raising her 5-year-old.
Oak Ridge Apartments are home, “a family among families,” as many of the 100 or so residents in the Midtown complex call it.
Some have lived there as long as 30 years. Most are single parents. They blame the violence on so-called out-of-towners.
Police said the victim and alleged shooters in the Saturday night shooting are from the Kansas City area. However, the suspect arrested in a separate shooting on Friday near Oak Ridge was a St. Joseph man, with an address at Brittany Village Apartments.
Ms. Crutchfield, one of the many single mothers in the complex, is concerned every day about raising her daughter there.
“But you have to have faith. Bullets don’t have names,” she said.
Management at Oak Ridge, a Section 8 housing complex, say there has been no influx of residents wanting to leave.
“A lot of these people have grown up in this area. Most have family and friends that live around here,” said Jean Thuman, property manager.
The violence at Oak Ridge comes at a time when violent crime in St. Joseph is on the rise and property crimes are down.
In the first four months of 2008, aggravated assaults have increased from 37 in 2007 to 67 this year. In April alone, assaults tripled from nine last year to 21.
Police said the changes, especially in assaults, are unusual. Assaults generally happen in households, and a lot of times gang or drug activity is a factor, said Capt. Kevin Castle, a St. Joseph Police Department spokesman.
Thefts, meanwhile, are down 20 percent in the first four months, from 916 in 2007 to 729 this year.
Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.
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WOW, and so many of you can't understand why the residents near Skaith are fighting ANOTHER apartment complex. Shootings at a complex by a man that lives in a apartment.
And the people raising children say that they don't want to move out of the area,....
Posted by Linda on May 22, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)I know a girl who lives in those new apartments off Riverside. She wasn't even involved in the drama that occurred there one night but her car ended up with a bullet hole in it. She wants to move, but hates to because where else can she get a brand new 2 bedroom, 2 bath apt with a pool, workout room and playground all for Free!
Posted by Mr_America on May 22, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)a brand new 2 bedroom, 2 bath apt with a pool, workout room and playground $650 a month.
The chance at any moment to be beaten up, robbed, or shot there ...Priceless.
Posted by biggieroth on May 22, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)Th apartments that they want to put in near Skaith are not Section 8...they are market rate.
Posted by Linda on May 22, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)From what I was told the new apartments there were not supposed to be section 8. Several residents living there do not qualify for free or reduced rent. Many are unhappy that their neighbors are not paying some or any rent.
Posted by across on May 23, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)So when these new apartments do not sell at "market rate" then what wil they do? The same thing that they did at Riverside and before you know it those NICE brand new apartments will be 80% sec 8 apartments. Riverside was also supposed to be "market rate" apartments.
If they can't fill up Riverside and the apartments at the end of Lenoard near Skaith are not full then WHY do we need to build more?
Posted by StJoeMoe on May 24, 2008 at 7:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)Come on biggieroth, speak up -
Those apartments mentioned were also not intended to be section 8, almost exact same selling description was given prior to those being built -
And now look what they've become!
Can you honestly tell us the new complex will not face the same future??????
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