Be on the Alert for Two Mischievous & Destructive Neighborhood Youth
Stolen, and recovered, holiday decorations.
Yesterday, as I was walking home from Georgia Avenue up Princeton Place, I saw two young African American boys, around the age of 7 or 8, riding bikes south on Warder making a commotion and carrying Halloween tombstone decorations. Upon looking closely, I realized that the tombstones they were carrying were, in fact, from my yard. I followed them onto the Park View Rec Center grounds, confronted them, and recovered the decorations. Initially, they denied stealing them, but finally fessed up when I wouldn’t let it go. They also indicated that other decorations had been stolen and blamed an older youth for that. I had them show me where the youth lived, and along the way I was shown another tombstone that they had destroyed. I also called the police to report the theft. All in all, five tombstones were stolen. One was destroyed, three were recovered, and one is completely gone.
In talking to another neighbor on Princeton Place I was informed that these two boys are trouble and have been riding their bikes around the area recently. The neighbor on Princeton relayed a story on how the boys have been digging around in a construction dumpster on the street and leaving their bikes in the street. He confronted them, made them get out of the dumpster for their safety, and watched them ride away. Later, the boys came back, went onto his property and pulled construction debris off of his yard and dumped it on the sidewalk to get even.
While these may seem like simple issues, in both cases the boys came up into the front yard of the property as far as the house and maliciously destroyed or removed property.
As a word to the wise, be on the look out for these two youth and be mindful of anything you may have in your front yard that is unsecured. Also, don’t hesitate to call the police if you see them destroying private property.
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Park View, D.C. 
October 27, 2014 at 7:16 am
Are your tombstones more important than the cry for help from these children? I’m so glad that you have begun talking to them. Please go talk to Ms. Angela about them if she still lives in the neighborhood. She is a saint who takes in troubled youth and mothers them, invites them in her home, helps them with homework, and gives them love. If you don’t know Ms. Angela please go to Bruce Monroe ES and ask one of the 2nd grade teachers if Ms. Angela is still in the neighborhood. Also, you know the 6-40 crew starts recruiting at around 8 years old and has the ‘initiates’ doing some annoying vandalism to corrupt their hearts and get them hardened gradually for a (short) life of crime. Your post and proactive intervention can save their precious lives. And so I want to thank you and encourage you to please help those boys.
I am a former Bruce Monroe ES teacher who used to teach their brothers (most likely) and I’m too far away (in the Middle East) to go scouting the neighborhood to help them.
October 27, 2014 at 8:37 am
Will they be convicted for theft?
October 27, 2014 at 9:18 am
No. They are about 8 years old so I’m sure there will be no formal legal action.
October 27, 2014 at 8:58 am
These 2 sound like the one I caught in my neighbors backyard steeling a bike. I told them if they dropped by and asked I am sure the owner would allow them to borrow the bike but that they should stay out of other people yards.
October 27, 2014 at 9:13 am
Thanks for the info Kent. definitely reach out to Angela. She knows all the kids in the neighborhood and probably the parents as well.