Neighborhood Watch

Attack much? Geez, lay off a bit. Cliff just said, "The vast majority are good kids."

I think the larger point is that we do seem to have a lot of teens roaming around late at night, seemingly without any parental concern. When I have been out walking my dog a little later at night, I always make a point to stop and talk to them. Most are not bad kids, but you know what happens late at night when you are aimlessly walking around in a group. Bad stuff happens.

 

There's really no where for the teens to go in Ashburn......really.

 

Not flaming, but this is something I've heard a lot of. Where could one live where there ARE lots of things for teens to do? Let's look at the district... filled with good kids who never do wrong because they have so much to do, like going to the libraries, museums, monuments, concerts at the Kennedy Center... right? Kids will be kids will be kids and parents need to keep watch and control. Period.

 

Be sure to vote "Yes" to the Broadlands Recreation Center bonds in November. That should help a little. Though, not late at night.

 

No where for the teens to go??!! Are you serious?!

 

Not defensive at all. I do not have a jaded view of all teenagers. Yes, I have names of several incidents that are Broadlands residents. I'm certainly not going to post it here. Given your rather vehement defense of all kids and mischaracterizing just about everything I have said, I would suggest your opinion is a bit "jaded" in the other direction.

I do not have names for most of the times we have experienced significant vandalism. Many incidents are much more serious and intentionally destructive than your naiive characterization of them. I would suggest to you that I am in a position to know because I get the reports and complaints from residents, HOA staff, and the Sheriff's Department.

As I said previously, I agree most, in fact the vast majority, are good kids.

I'm assuming you have not had several conversations with Sheriff's deputies about the hundreds of vandalism issues they deal with and how the vast majority are done by residents of their own community and very often on the same street they live. I have had these conversations.
Go ahead and talk to some deputies. Your opinion might change.

Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that I agree that the vast majority of Broadlands kids are "good" kids? Thought I'd say it again since you seem to miss it.

 

Here are just a few of the things my teenage son does either with me or his friends within fifteen minutes of this god-forskaken area with "nothing to do" for teens:
Walk to Blockbuster to get a movie and watch at our home with his friends
Walk to Subway or Maggie Moo's to eat
Go paintballing
Go to the movie theater in Sterling
Go ice skating
Go to Best Buy
Go to the Ferrari/Lamborghini dealership to gawk at the cars
Ride bikes
Swim during the summer
Play video games with friends at a home with parents

I am sure you can add a dozen other activities. The problem isn't a lack of things to do, that's absurd. The problem is that parents are not actively engaged with their teens or are letting them roam the neighborhood unsupervised later at night. We don't need any more activities here, with our 3,000 - 5,000 square foot homes filled with games and toys and large screen tv's and media centers.

 

Basketball courts
Tennis courts
driving ranges and golf courses
NUMEROUS establishments looking for able bodied employees
library (yeah, I know most teens do not read much)

I will admit, a serious arcade (D&B type) would be great

 

Good additions. I forgot that big one: jobs, jobs, jobs. Plenty of opportunities for our kids to stay busy.

Arcade is fine, but not necessary. And besides, you know that just attracts those bad skaters and arcade kids

 

Oh, I do not want the arcade for the kids!

 

LOL, I should have known!

 

Cliff I do regularly talk to the police officer stationed at ERMS, and he has a pretty good handle on the activities of the kids around here.

As far as having not a lot to do around here, a lot of what was suggested involves teens walking places. This is when they seem to get the "evil eye" from the neighborhood. Especially if they dare walk in groups of three or more and happen to be boys.

Plus a lot of those activities also involve money. Blockbuster, Maggie Moos, Robeks, Quinzoes and the pizzeria...it all adds up quickly. And I'm not sure the managers at the Lamborgini lot are going to be particularly thrilled when I pull up with 5 teenage boys in my car. Just a guess.

Cliff you and I are old timers here, having moved to the Broadlands in the 90s. Remember the dog poop and deck chairs being thrown in the community center pool? The Broadlands letters being stolen as soon as they were put up? Vandalism is nothing new here, unfortunately.

And I'm glad to hear that you agree that most of the kids in Broadlands are good kids. Good kids do dumb things sometimes and this might be one of those times. But until we have names, I will object to anyone declaring that every act of vandalism in this neighborhood is committed by the local kids.

 

It's only when kids are walking in groups after 10pm--or later, unfortunately--that they fall, rightly so, under suspicion. No one has a problem with kids walking around here during the day, hanging out at Robek's, or having fun.

What's wrong with walking? What's wrong with the kids earning money to go buy a pizza or sub, or rent a movie? I thought this used to be called common sense.

 

Sorry Silence, I have a 14 year old boy and he gets the evil eye walking through the neighborhood during the DAY, especially if he is in a group of 3 or more. Don't believe me? Ask some of the teens around here. They feel unwelcome more places than not.

He does earn money. But not enough to go to those places every day. And even when he spends his hard earned money at those establishments, he often feels unwelcome to hang around and actually enjoy it.

Do you have a teenager?

 

That's pretty sad that groups of teenagers aren't felt welcome in our community. We've lived in Ashburn since 1989 and Broadlands since the early 90's, and our son is now 25. He was very involved in sports, all year rounds and really had little time to roam around, however when he did the only places to roam to would be the swimming pools in the summer or to the sledding hills in the winter, as Ashburn Farm had NO retail when we lived there. Even when the movie theatres opens in Brambleton, the teenagers will have to be driven there. From what I've seen of teenagers in my neighborhood, they all seem like good kids. They just did something more to do.

 

Hi agnesk, as I mentioned in my post, I do have a teenager. But the point is that he isn't just "roaming around." He is either actively involved in sports, working out, working a job, doing an internship...or my wife or I are doing something actively with him.

I think people equate kids who aimlessly roam around as being prone to getting in trouble. This isn't because they are "bad kids." But for the most part (and this was true of me as a kid), when kids are aimlessly wandering around, that's when they do stupid--though in their minds at the time, harmless or funny--things that get them in trouble.

I don't think our kids need anything more to do. How many different activities can be available in this area?! What's wrong with parents being actively involved to drive them someplace? Or parents actively involved in activities with them or guiding them in purposeful activities with their friends?

 

Agnesk-
Yes, I do remember all those activities. Throwing the chairs in the pool is an example of juvenile "mischief." Destroying thousands of dollars worth of lighting fixtures, downspouts, signs, etc. gets to to the "vandalism" category and it's getting worse.

We have many,many cases (as recently as last week) of cars and garages being entered and things stolen out of them. Most of these occurences are on one or two streets. Most law enforcement folks will tell you that the perpetrators either live ON those streets or are only one or two streets away.
It's not a stretch to be concerned that kids that cause destructive damage to "public" property and get away with it will then extend those activities to residences.

Ask the ERMS officers who does this type of activity. I'm pretty certain they will tell you it's the kids in your own neighborhood. They have TONS of cases and evidence that support this. Ashburn Farm and Ashburn Village have the same problems. Since you feel the Broadlands kids don't do the damage here, then Ashburn Farm kids don't do damage there. I guess the Broadlands kids go to the Farm and the Farm kids come here to do their vandalism? That's kind of ridiculous to believe, isn't it?

I won't go into here all the problems we've been having with kids on the hill across from the Sunoco station. All involving kids on foot running away, not driving in here from somewhere else.

The HOA is strongly considering hiring security for the community in the evenings.

 

Neighborhood watch meeting is 24th- not today, right??

 

yup

 

Since the neighborhood watch list serve notification is temporarily not working, I thought I would put this information on the forum in the hopes that it helps should this person come to your door.

This afternoon around lunch time a women in her 20's to 30's with longish red hair knocked on a few neighbors doors to try to sell something. She was carrying no credentials or information. When the homeowners asked that she leave she got very angry and starting yelling at the homeowner saying that they didn't care about "poor people", etc.

This happened to 2 different neighbors and each called the police. The police did arrive in time to talk to this women and were patting her down and had her placed in the back of the police car.

I am hoping to get some feedback from the police and will let you know once I hear anything.

As has been said on here many times, calling the police to report a solicitor is the absolute right thing to do.