Clayton Williams guestbook entry of June 2, 2003 ...
my
household has a similar problem,with "juveniles". they begin drinking early
in the day, usually just after noon, then break their empty 40 oz. bottles
in the street which my wife and i must clean up before we can drive or my
kids can play, but my kids can't play because after they get drunk they fight
and curse up and down the street and posture as if they are carrying guns
under their long white t-shirts. we call them the white t-shirt gang. we
called 911 repeatedly. they said there is nothing that can be done. they
said VIDEO TAPE what is going on. i have. i wish i never did.the thugs know
and they are threatening to kill me and my family.they throw chunks of concrete
and bricks at my house and dogs on a regular basis. we have them on tape
saying they are going to rob our house for the video.
my dog and i came home from work, two female juveniles were in my yard.
my dog bit the first on her way over the fence then tore the chain link out
of the gate to get to the other --sorry no dog bite video- i believe she
got 47 stitches. they are undeterred. i am facing 80 years in prison. with
what this is costing me i could have moved away like this one cop told me
to do. these teens have nothing to do and nothing to lose they are completely
out of control. the parents won't talk to me because i "sicced my dog on
their children for no reason" but don't confront the fact that i had tried
to talk to them about the problem before their angels were bitten but there
angels blocked my attempt lying to me and there parents. i started talking
to my neighbors and everybody has a horror story.i was amazed. all talk about
moving and all for the same reason. we all recognize a dangerous element
when we see it. i wish i could "rebuild hanlon" but i have to raise two children
first and it cannot be done here. i hope we get out of here before they kill
us.
My email reply to him ...
What area are you in? Sounds as bad as mine.
You're right about the kids. Couldn't have done what we have here if I'd
had kids to be concerned with.
I hate it when the cops tell you to move. I had an officer tell me the
same thing a while back. My response was pretty straightforward: "Maybe
if more officers had better solutions we wouldn't be in this mess" or
some such thing. Most of the officers I see try.
You should definitely complain loudly to your District's Major. If it's
the Central, I'll put you in touch with him. Ask him what you can do. At
least this Major has never questioned why I live here. He has even taken
a personal interest, coming by on occasion to ask how things are going.
Living in Baltimore sure ain't easy. I'm not sure why I try. I respect
those who do and wish you some success in your battle. I know what it's
like.
Bryan
1708 Madison Avenue
Tanya Williams reply ...
Hi Bryan,
This is Clayton's wife, Tanya. We are in Hanlon. It is in the North Western
district. We have talked to colonels, majors and are always referred back to
the sergeants, who seem to want to help but nothing ever comes of what is
going on. Yesterday morning there was no one out, so I let my children play
in our yard. (they are home schooled) One of the juveniles in question came
outside and started walking back and forth across the street from her yard
to mine. I went and turned on the video camera in time to see her hold up a
steel pipe like a rifle and pretend to shoot my two children and our dog.
(the same steel pipe she carries around because she has promised to bash our
heads in with it when she catches us outside of our yard.) I called my
children in the house and continued to film her as she batted chunks of
brick and concrete out into the street and toward my house. Unfortunately I
ran out of tape. I called the police. They came and saw the tape and said
since nothing was broken they can't do anything because she is a minor and
her file is red flagged, because she has psychiatric behavioral problems
they won't charge her but just release her to her parents. I am so tired of
hearing that if something happens to one of us(we are hurt or killed) then
they can do something. And I was again warned that if she attacks me
physically and I defend my life I will be arrested for assaulting a minor.
It has been so bad that I have had to call the police to come and walk me
and my children to my car because these teens that want to kill me are
waiting for me at my car. They do not go to school, they do not have jobs,
they sit around and drink and do drugs in plain view of everyone and that is
perfectly acceptable. Their parents are just as bad as they are.I
homeschool 2 children, my husband coaches little league, and works full time
as an electrician.I am a search and rescue dog handler, and a state
certified EMT with Woodlawn volunteer fire dept. and I can get no relief or
peace of mind...... Sorry, now I am just ranting. I have followed your site
since I saw it in CP. I hope you all are well and winning your battle. I
hope we live to make it to court, and I hope my husband doesn't get the 80
years he is facing. If he does go to jail they will probably kill me and my
children soon after anyway since the police can't stop them. I don't say
this to be dramatic but the attacks focus on me and the kids and usually
happen when they think he is not here. With all the video I have of the
threats and attacks and illegal activities it has done no good! What a waist
of money that video camera was.
Thanks for entertaining my rant and replying to Clayton's post.
Keep Up The Good Work,
Tanya
My correspondence with the Mayor in reverse order ...
Thanks
Bryan
Please email the mayor at the address below. Give
him your address and phone number. I believe he wants to help.
Bryan
-------- Original Message --------
Bryan -
My
office has no correspondence from Tanya Williams regarding this
matter
so
it's the first I'm learning about it. I could e-mail her directly, but
would
you
be kind enough to tell her to send me an e-mail with her exact
address
and
contact phone information so I can get someone on this?
Thanks for your help.
Martin O'Malley
Mayor
There are
always two sides or more to any story, as I'm sure there was with the
Dawson's, but there's got to be something more that can be done for these
people. I don't believe our Major would let this happen in the Central
District.
How can they Believe in the
city?
Bryan
And her email to the mayor today ...
-------- Original Message --------
| Subject: | Tanya Williams in the Hanlon Community |
|---|
| Date: | Thu, 5 Jun 2003 02:38:09 -0400 |
|---|
| From: | "tanya williams" <tanya.williams@verizon.net> |
|---|
| To: | "Bryan" <Bryan@RebuildingMadison.info>, <mayor.martin.omalley@baltimorecity.gov> |
|---|
| CC: | <vsmith@citypaper.com> |
|---|
Dear Sir,
Thank you for taking an interest in my situation.I am dismayed that
you have not yet heard of it. Last month Tony Bridges our neighborhood liaison
from the Mayors Office of Neighborhoods attended our community association
meeting at the behest of our association president Elise Jude
Mason because of this very issue. My family has been under varying degrees of
attack at various times for about a year. Because our attackers are juveniles,
the police have seemed reluctant to protect my family. My husband and
I have gone out of our way to be neighborly, caring and giving to
everyone in their household and others in the community. We have attempted to
employ them and find them employment, taken them to job interviews, promised to
transport them to work for the first 30 days that they are employed, bought a
brand new basketball goal and several balls some of which disappeared in hours.
We have attempted to talk to them about breaking bottles in the street with
varying degrees of success depending on who is present. When there are 20
or more teenagers, which is frequent, and the bottles contain liquor there is no
talking to them. They congregate on the porch of 2421 Denison Street, where
there is very little parental supervision sometimes for days. Their arguments,
drinking, and loud ruckus behavior spill out onto the street and to other
properties. Calling the police only serves to antagonize them. And until we
complained in the offices of the North Western District the police didn't even
get out of their cars when we called. After calling the police when a bottle was
thrown into my yard and stating I saw who threw the bottle the officer said, "I
don't know if this bottle has been here 5 minutes or 5 years. It's your word
against his." Then he told us we should video tape their behavior. We video
taped Easter Sunday. Monday my husband attempted to show the video tape to a
parent about three blocks away from our house who's two teens were at 2421
Denison on Easter drinking, arguing, and attempting to stab another teen with a
broken bottle. The son answered the door and prevented my husband from speaking
with the parent. The son immediately told the residents of 2421 Denison that we
had video taped them the day before. While my husband and his dog were at work
the teens began to come onto my property and insult me with racial slurs and
overtly threaten to kill me and my family. I have them on tape drinking and
threatening me at various times throughout the day. They were inside my fenced
yard when my husband came home from work with his German Shepherd dog. My
husband had a broken arm at the time and could not restrain the dog. The dog bit
the first girl attempting to escape over the fence. The dog then ran
through the gate tearing the chain link out of the frame and bit the second
girl. The blood was in my yard inside the gate and three police officers saw it.
My husband was arrested, jailed, and forced to pay 40 thousand dollar bail. He
is facing 6 felony charges. We have been married 15 years, and have two
beautiful children, Cedric 8 and Arrissa! 5. We volunteer in our community and
anyone would be happy to have us as their neighbor. We begged the police for
help before the girls were bitten and I feel let down that nothing was done to
stop them before they came onto my property to harm me and were injured. I tried
to call Sgt. Roper in community affairs but was unable to make contact. The
patrol officers that answered the 911 calls would not even look at the tapes or
try to find out if there were adults in the house.They said there was
nothing they could do because they are juveniles and to stop
calling them. Since they were bitten we have been under constant
attack from them, their friends and even their parents have threatened to kill
us and our children. Still nothing can be done until we are hurt or our property
in damaged. I am seeking peace orders and have filed charges myself by going to
juvenile justice but it seems unlikely anything will be done to stop the threats
and harassment. We are resolved to move because there is no quality of life in a
place where incorrigible teens rule and are able to bat rocks at your
children and call them Oreos because their mother is white and their father is
black. Their behavior is reinforced by ineffectual
policing. Until we can afford to move we live in fear.
Tanya Williams