From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
(Edgewood, MD – November 27, 2009) –Harford County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a homicide that occurred in the 600 block of Yorkshire Drive, Edgewood MD. The victim has been identified as Brandon Jerome Sanders, 25, of Edgewood, MD.
At approximately 7:30am on November 27, 2009, deputies responded to a 911 call in the 600 block of Yorkshire Drive in Edgewood MD, in reference to a body found lying in an open space near the caller’s home. Deputies determined the unidentified male had been shot in the upper torso region of his body. He was verified as deceased at the time of discovery. While canvassing the area, deputies were able to reveal that several neighbors had heard shots fired sometime between 11:00pm and midnight on Thursday evening, yet no calls were placed to 911.
While no identification was on the deceased, Harford County Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to establish the identity through a variety of methods. While there are no solid suspects at this time, the homicide does not appear to be an act of random violence. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Aksomitus of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division at 410-836-5472.
And people wonder why there’s a problem in Edgewood…
Congratulations citizens of Edgewood! Way to stand up for whats right in your community. Absolute Pinnacle of Harford County!!!! I mean really?? Not even an anonymous call to the police?
At least some people are making an effort:
http://www.daggerpress.com/2009/11/27/robinson-this-is-not-simply-a-law-enforcement-problem-this-is-a-community-problem/
Wild wild west.
GD!
If I would have heard the shots then a call would have been made. So please don’t lump everyone that lives in Edgewood in the same category. Had I only known the area better before being stationed in MD believe me I would have asked for Colorado.
AS, in Colorado, they recognize the second amendment.
What does that have to do with anything?
Maybe it’s time to set up a anonymous line in harford county for these types of things.I’m sure people don’t want to get involved alot of times fearing for their families safety!Don’t think people are secure enough to think they can call the police without being involved!NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!
Change,
Anyone can call 911 anonymously. It happens all the time. The call taker might try to call you back for more information, but you don’t have to give your contact information or even your name (though less credibility is given to anonymous callers unless we get multiple calls about the same incident.)
I usually get dispatched to at least a couple anonymous 911 calls a shift. There’s no need for an anonymous emergency line (and I doubt any jurisdiction in the country has one.) There already is an anonymous tip line, but that’s not going to do you any good if you need the police right now.
If you call 911 from your home phone they have all that information.
So call from your cell phone….or don’t call.
You’re the one complaining about the police not doing enough. If you won’t call to report crimes in progress then you have no room to complain. The police can’t be everywhere at once.
There is a line to help after the fact:
http://www.metrocrimestoppers.net/
Use it folks!
My parents have lived in Harford Square for 38 years. My mother heard what she thought was fire crackers, next time a call will be made I assure you. This murder occurred in the middle of 4 courts, within view of 15 to 20 houses. The fact that criminals see no need to hide a murder is a failure of police. Law enforcement needs to be held accountable, this crime will move north if something is not done soon! I hope this murder and all the others are remembered come election day!
Colin
How is the law enforcement community responsible for this? The Hanson Road corridor has been saturated with police resources for the past several years but they can’t stop things like this from happening all of the time. I grew up in the area and know Harford Square well and I would bet your parents are one of the few families who have remained in the area since the 70’s. The problems in Edgewood have multiplied because the county, under Eileen Rehrman, sold out in the 1990’s and allowed displaced inner city residents to move into the area via section 8 after the demolition of high rise projects in Baltimore City. The behavior of these families has not changed just their zip code. If you want to place blame, place it on the criminals, the parents of these delinquents and on the absentee property owners of the area who don’t give a dam about the community as long as they get their check from HUD every month.
All true, but when crime goes up why is law enforcment never held accoutable? In any other profession you are held accountable.
Amen, I just said that Wednesday 7.28.10 with the latest shooting in Charlestown Drive. Just in that court alone there are more renters than owners living there. The owners still get to collect taxes on the property at the end of the year & are not worried about the rif raf they allow to move in as long as they get their money. The renters don’t respect parking spaces, children, or anything. Don’t get me wrong I grew up in NYC, you don’t get anymore inner city than that, but you can grow up in the city and don’t have to be ghetto. I own my home & still live in it & don’t want to have to deal with these crimes right outside my window. The association tried to do something by hiring off duty officers, but that only seemed to last for a minute probably due to lack of funds. I understand the police can’t be everywhere, but I also understand families don’t want to end up like that family in Baltimore, entire house with family inside burned to death. What is the answer?
Change says: There is a number you can call. what do you’do when the people will not pick up the phone. who witness the crime? My sister in law.was nearly beaten too death. while the neigbor up stairs listened to her screams for help!
I found her in a pool of blood. her baby’s locked in the bath room. the culprit excaped appeared a few day’s later at Aberdeen 7-11 kidnapped FEMALE G.I. stabbed her 14 times in abingdon.
A crime that could have been prevented, if some body had picked up the PHONE
There’s a fairly notorious case that happened 15-20 years in a major city (Chicago, maybe? can’t remember for sure.) A woman was beaten, raped, and left unconscious by her attacker in the middle of an apartment complex. Several people heard and saw the incident, but no one called because they “didn’t want to get involved.” Her attacker actually came back an hour or two later and finished beating her to death (still in the middle of the complex) and still no one called.
Sounds pretty similar to what just happened in Harford Square, doesn’t it.
New York
Colin, what do you want the sheriff’s office to do differently? There are always several patrol officers working in that area plus the various specialty units (gang unit, etc) who spend most of there time in that central area of Edgewood where most of the problems area (Brookside Dr, Harford Square, Windsor Valley, etc.)
I think we’ve actually had fewer murders this year than last year and a couple of the ones this year weren’t even in Edgewood neighborhoods.
They didn’t feel the need to hide it because they figured either no one would call, or they could get out of sight quickly enough that it wouldn’t matter. Obviously they were right since no one called until the body was discovered several hours later.
Hey I agree with most of all that’s been spoken on these comments, but let me tell you that I feel when you call 911 and try to do it anonymously u get a lot of questions…and that freaks me out…Usually when you HEAR some gun shots or people yelling for help a person would call but when the cops or whoever is on that line starts to ask you “What color is the person?, What address and/or where are you located?, do you see the car and/r who is involved?, you can give up…I wish you can just not be quetioned so much….I have had three occasions where I have heard shots or a woman cryng in the back of my home and I call and feel like the person will get killed by the time, they are done asking me quetions…it’s crazy!
Boricua:
Those questions are devised to help the deputies once they get onto the scene so they don’t go in blindly. And even though you’re still talking to the call taker, the police are being dispatched by a different person at the same time and en route while you’re talking.
Boricua,
That’s something I hear fairly often from people who call in and I think why we end up with so many “uncooperative callers.” The call takers have a specific series of questions they are required to ask even if most of them seem irrelevant to your problem or you have no way on knowing the answers. Some of those questions are critical information (like what’s your location and suspect information.)
We do get dispatched while the caller is still on the line and there have been several times I’ve gotten to the call while the call taker is still getting information (which is a pain in my ass because then the dispatcher is trying to give me updates over the radio while I’m dealing with the situation.)
Unfortunately, EOC (911 call center and dispatch center) is it’s own separate entity now and no longer part of the HCSO so we don’t have any direct control over their policies. They’ve been separate for a long time, but I can only assume they were spun off to cut the HCSO budget, though I can’t imagine it had a positive affect on the overall county budget.
That’s useful info, DW, thanks for telling us.
You are correct they ask too many questions. I know it is because they have to know whether to send police, ambulance, fire department, 2 0f the 3 or all 3. They also have to let the staff know what kind of situation they are walking into, not that it matters b/c they have to respond anyway, but that is the reason I was given for all the questions asked. They generally try to keep the caller calm. They need to know if the person is breathing or what the situation is so they can tell you what to do next if anything. I know it seems real stupid and uneccessary at that time, but according to them it is very neccessary
Their job, that’s what I want! No more excuses! If you do not perform in the private sector you are removed, someone is found to do the job! It’s not wrong to place blame at the feet of the Sheriff’s office! It is not wrong to demand that the police keep us safe! I do not feel that I need to provide solutions, I expect the professionals to do that. Maybe that is the issue, maybe electing someone every for years is not the most professional way to handle law enforcement. Why not hire a police chief, who is held accountable everyday not every four years! My mother thought she heard firecrackers! She should not have to learn to identify gun shots, but she does now! Thank you Harford County law enforcment, Job Well Done!
I really try to be nice on here but Colin you are a very ignorant person. Do you really expect police to be in that neighborhood every second of the day?The police rely on residents to help them when they are patroling elsewhere. I don’t know of any officer that minds checking out a siuation even if it was firecrackers. Those residents need to be calling in these things or else they have no right to complain. There isn’t enough officers on shift to sit around in each neighborhood. I encourage you to ride along with an officer one day and see what they do. It’s not an easy job, especially in edgewood.
Colin,
Do you really want a police chief who is a political appointee (who do think “hires” police chiefs?) rather than a sheriff who is elected by the citizens of Harford County?
In any case, we can’t have an officer sit on every street corner in the county 24/7/365. When there is a problem, people need to call. When we’re not on calls, most deputies are driving through neighborhoods, stopping suspicious people and known gang members/criminals, investigating cases, stopping cars (and recovering CDS, guns, arresting DUI’s, finding driver’s with suspended licenses or no licenses, etc), handling motor vehicle crashes, and then catching up on paperwork from those law enforcement actions.
This particular incident happened between 11 pm and midnight. During that time is shift change so evening is still in the area and midnight shift is coming on so there are plenty of officers in Edgewood available to respond to a shooting…but someone needs to pick up the damn phone and call.
Collin- Explain to me Law Enforcement’s refusal to deal with the problem?? Is there not an Edgewood Substation right off of 40 right where all of this shit happens at? There are multiple patrol units as well as specialty gang units that spend most of their time in the high crime areas of Edgewood. The police cant predict crime. The chances of a patrol unit driving down the road and running right into a random act of violence are slim. So if the people that live there and the landlords aren’t the problem then who is the cause of the crime?.
The crime is caused by the people in that area, and it is supported by a large group of people in that area who dont trust or want the police around. The people that dont support crime never speak out and obviously dont call the police to deal with it, even when they hear gunshots. The police cant respond to a crime if they dont know it’s happening. Police have rules too. They cant just run around Edgewood and grab people up in hopes of preventing a crime, Reasonable Suspicion and Probable Cause, Look those definitions up.
You are quick to blame the police but accept no responsiblity as an Edgewood resident, and you also offer no solutions. Tell me what exactly you want the police to do to improve the patrol tactics in that area. Keep in mind that the Sheriff’s Office has little support or cooperation from residents or Landlords in that area. Remember “Dont Snitch” either, thats a community state of mind now, not just a drug dealer guideline. Its certainly not the Police’s fault that people in this area commit crimes, thats just an asinine observation on your part. Really , learn to identify gun shots. c’mon? Are you and JM the same person?
Colin, that is if unlike your mother they recognize shooting from firecrackers. Most citizens do not want to waste the time, manpower & tax dollars having officers respond to firecrackers. The thing is like police many citizens don’t arrive (get involved) until after the deed is done. I will say with the 2 incidents that happened at my home, I was told by harford co. commissioner that if I can’t verify the ages of the attackers there is nothing they can do. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? The police say if they are not directed (warrant) by the commissioner to pick these people up they can’t enforce. So this is what allows this gang banging to go on, these shootings, because the kids know if they aren’t a certain age under MARYLAND law they walk, or at worst sit in front of juvenile services for a hearing, & the only way it goes to court is if everyone can’t agree, at that they would agree to anything sitting at that table & then get up & go right back to what they were doing. If they attack someone & that someone can’t verify their birthdays, ages, address, as well as first & last name nothing happens. I had the corporal that came out to my home several times tell me in all honesty if these ppl turn out to be under 18 it has to be handled by DJS Or DJJ (Juvenile service) and there most they will do is mediation, if no middle ground can be reached a court date will be scheduled. Even if a judge orders the parents to pay for damanges, if they never pay honestly nothing will really happen to them. This is what an Edgewood Corporal told me as well as the Harford Co. Commissioner. I’m not from Maryland at all, but I think the laws need to be changed here, & once that happens and these young criminals know oh yes you will be held accountable without someone having to know your full government information maybe that will be a starting place, because as of right now Maryland law sucks! Or should I say Harford Co. because plenty of people in Baltimore city tell me that certainly is NOT the way it is in Baltimore.
People cant keep blaming the police. Most of the Sheriff’s Office is tied up with calls in Edgewood to begin with, hell they put a damn substation a mile away!!! so clearly its a community problem. How the hell can the police respond to a crime if no one ever reports it??? People have this ridiculous “Dont Snitch” mentality, which originally was a code of ethics for drug dealers not to tell on other drug dealers, since they were all doing the same thing. It has absolutely nothing to do with a community protecting itself from crimes like this, how it ever got this bad ill never know. People of Edgewood need to step up and speak out against stuff like this or it will never get any better.
I think the fear is it will get better for the criminal. Do you realize after a criminal is arrested how many rights they have? If they actually go to jail, how many rights they have there as well? The case where the Johns Hopkins researcher was killed and the woman said “we set out to hunt & rob someone” THAT IS AN ADMISSION but b/c of their RIGHTS, they get a bail hearing? While this guy gets to be dead!! With all the rights they have lots of them are back on the streets within hours to days. Do you want to be the known one that told so they know whose house to blow up, as in the case of the family in Baltimore. It is not as simple as just stepping up. Heck, I’m from NYC the very block where the young 27 year old cop was guarding a witnesses house that decided to step up b/c he had enough of crime and not only did they kill the witness they killed the cop outside guarding his house. These criminals are serious about their business & don’t intend to let anyone stop them. The only way I see this getting any better is if the law abiding citizen has as many rights as the criminal seems to have. For instance it is against the law to carry a concealed weapon, but the criminals never pay this any mind (guess this is what contributes to them being criminals) but if law abiding citizens were able to carry lawfully, I think it would stop a lot of criminals from walking up to you & trying to snatch you purse or wallet, b/c they ain’t sure if you’re packing more than they are or at least the equivilent. I’m not saying that violence has to meet violence all the time, but if you want ppl to step up they got to feel safe about doing so.
I think one of the big problems with their community is the law enforcement has no backing from the public or their administration.
Too often the police get a “bum” rap because they raised their voice, put their hands on, or even cursed. The police have to be one step, maybe three or four steps ahead of the persons they come in contact with you the County may be making funeral arrangements for one of their own. Why would any officer want to be subjected to an inside investigation day in and day out? Maybe the Sheriff and the “higher ups” need to ride with their people, see how the officers are treated for simply stopping to speak with a suspicious person. Maybe the Sheriff or the “higher ups” need to get out of the office and be sent to handle a call by themselves. Too often when rank and file become empowered they forget what it was like or don’t know what society is like today because they have been behind the desk too long. 15 years ago you would not think of telling your parents or the police to F-off. You would lose your teeth or have a busted lip. What has become of our society?
yeah maybe someone should have called 911 but when u have nothing but gangs in edgewood people some peole may be afraid to do anything i say send them back to africa where they belong
Really? So this is what ignorance and stupidity looks like first hand – send them to Africa? You honestly believe that if a community has African Americans, it means we can ship “them” back to Africa? And where should we ship you? Back to some “white” country in Europe? How ignorant can you get?
Don’t lump all of Edgewood into the Harford Square category. We aren’t all thugs and wannabe gang members. Furthermore, when the larger community of Harford County turns its back on the problems in Harford Square and surrounding areas, what do you expect to happen? It’s not like any of these crimes couldn’t (or haven’t) happened in other parts of the county – Edgewood just gets published on the front part of the paper and other communities don’t.
Let’s not be ignorant and simple. Let’s work to find out how to help this community claim back what is rightfully thiers. You think that most of the people who live in Harford Square like the violence? You think everyone can afford to move it? Look around – the answer isn’t that simple.
Why so negative, people? Whenever I hear one of these “Jamal shot DeShawn in the Section Eight section of Edgewood” stories, I consider it a good thing. One less drug-dealer/car-jacker/rapist in the county.
Pavel,I hope you feel that way when you hear Deshawn’s stray bullent shot Becky Sue. The problem is that they aren’t just killing each other they are getting you too. Actually, you are targeted more. As in the case of the researcher from Johns Hopkins he was white and the black woman said “we set out to ‘hunt’ & rob someone” Notice, they didn’t try that crap with nobody black, who they got was an educated white guy. Now I don’t care about the color of anyone, I don’t think ANYONE’S life should be cut short like that. However, once again without consideration to color, if you do stupid mindless crap like take someone’s life I think the State should not waste my damn tax dollars paying to house your ass no matter your color. I think they should find the juciest vein you possess and inject the needle period end.
Reports like this should make the citizens of Aberdeen cring, and thank god we have the police department that we do. Unfortunately our elected officials continue to task the cost of law enforcement as a burden. The truth is without the APD our community would be a drug infested war zone. Proactive policing works, and theres no doubt that the Aberdeen officers’ are doing a great job in making Aberdeen a very safe place.
Keep Dreamin, just so you know Aberdeen isn’t safe. Do you read the Aegis. Just this week alone, you all have how many break ins, bodies of girlfriends found. Don’t you all have something down there called the concrete monster? Lets talk about the crime on the other side of that wall, what about down there by that park, which is still Aberdeen. Now on a sacle of 1-10 compared to Baltimore city or NYC Aberdeen would be a 1, but those are much larger cities with loads more ppl in them, so for the size that Aberdeen is & the population that it currently holds you still have too much crime. Hell, I witnessed several crimes there that have gone unreported, so just b/c they aren’t reported and you or I may not know about them b/c they aren’t in the paper don’t assume Aberdeen is paradise or even close to safe.
I agree Keep Dreamin, APD has prevented areas like Washington park and Highland Commons from becoming what Harford Square is. At least when someone got shot in Highland Commons AKA Baldwin Manor on the 4th of July people actually called the police. Cant say the same for Edgewood.
People did call the police in Edgewood, that is how you are even hearing about the crime, or reading it in the paper. The reports are coming from the police, so obviously someone called. It’s like half the ppl are blaming the police the other half are blaming the residents. WHen THE HELL DO WE LAY THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS WITH THE DAMN CRIMINAL? You can’t tell me these CRIMINALS don’t know what they are doing is wrong when they pull out a gun and shoot somebody, or pull a knife and stab someone, or that they don’t know its wrong to break into someone’s house & take something that doesn’t belong to them. Basically, if you don’t have a key to this property, you didn’t buy this item, or you have to stick a gun in someone’s face to get it, IT’S WRONG and they know it!!
I think if government would get out of these families homes and let parents (those that are still interested in being parents) parent then some of these kids wouldn’t turn out half as bad as they are. I have raised 3 sons partially in Harf. Co. and they aren’t into any of this stuff, you know why, b/c I’m not afraid of nothing I had, & these laws don’t scare me either, if I find out they are doing something they clearly KNOW is wrong then OH YEA SOMEBODY BETTER CALL THE POLICE ON ME TO HELP THEM, I don’t play that. Half the time the parents are too busy living their own lives to take a walk to where the child said they will be to see if they are really there or check their internet usage. Hell mine are grown and I’m still in the habit (they call it nosey) I call it habit. Ask Magnolia Middle, Joppatown, & Edgewood H.S about me I work all the way in Annapolis (1 1/2 drive from home) and would show up whenever, so my kids never knew when or where I was coming and lord help them if they were doing anything that looked out of whack to me. SOLUTION: Parents get control of your kids, even when they are adolescents, don’t be scared of them, walk in rooms if you pay the rent/mortgage everything in that home is YOURS. 1 day my kid ran into the wall in the house and split his head he was unconcious when EMT arrived and asked how many finger he said 3 it was really 2 so they asked where are you, he said on the floor in MY MOTHER’S HOUSE, the man said oh he don’t live here? I said yes he does but even in an unconcious state he knows he’s a squatter here he owns nothing & has nothing more than I ALLOW. Sometimes as parents it has to be a dictatorship no democracy & you can’t be afraid to let them know it either. It changes things for how they get out here & act in the community.
As for community action… try visiting one of the local community neighbor hoods when the police are giveing advice as to crime drug problems etc. to the local gentry….
Just who do you think? is Hollering, the loudest. the Drug Dealer & Criminal. adviseing the police as to what need’s to be done to make it a safer neighbor hood.
People are afraid too speak.
I really dont think the majority of the people are afraid to speak, i think they just dont care. These are their friends and relatives that are dealing drugs and creating violence. This is just a way of life for them, and i think a good bit of them enjoy it. most are proud to be hustlers, gang members and drug dealers. Hollywood has glorified that type of behavior, so again I blame the community. Until people actually act like they give a shit that this type of stuff happens I wont feel sorry for them at all. Most of them are born into this nonsense, some of you wont understand that until you arrest an entire generation of one family for the same thing. Im not saying that’s an excuse but until families, friends and peers refuse to accept this as a way of life, it will never change.
BPB, what about those of us that this DOES NOT apply to? I think that is a ridiculous statement to make for overall everyone. I don’t even know any drug dealers or gang members, if I do know any, they don’t make it eveident to me and better not. You cannot generalize that way and put EVERYONE in the same boat saying everyone (when you don’t know everyone or everyone’s situation). Maybe people are SCARED, every think of that. People are dying everyday that try to stand up & fight crime, just b/c it doesn’t make channel 2,4,7,etc doesn’t mean it is not happening. For your information I happen to care very much, but I will be honest enough to say that I would NOT put my children’s lives in danger like that family in Baltimore did it ain’t got nothing to do with snitchin’ that is the term for the actual dealers and street thugs, not family ppl like myself. Family ppl don’t want to say or do anything that might get their kid snatched up on the way home from school, or get their house blown up around 6:00 dinner time, know what I mean? Or maybe you live in a oz somewhere, where crime never happens b/c everyone you surround yourself with is perfect & there is no crime to report.
BPB:I think your right, I was doing a routine apartment inspection of which they were fore warned it was comeing,Hud Regulations require and advanced notice.
I was advised by the tenant. I could not inter the bed room. asking why? I was told the Baby was a sleep. I advised her the room was going to be inspected.The Baby was 6ft2 weighing in about 230lbs. A sleep in the middle of the day.
Asking about the Baby.I was told he was a visitor. of which was supposed to register at the office. he arrived late last night.
Trust me Houseing and Urban Development are not on the land lord’s side they will not back you in court.
I have said before; Public safety in Edgewood is similiar to public safety on the streets of Baghdad. Dion and Bane should walk the troubled areas after dark every night until the streets are safe or give up their offices and paychecks.
First of all, I would like to point out how wrong your views of the people who live in this community are. Given that this murder occurred directly behind my parents’ home and I lived with them for 13 years, I know well enough the type of people in this area. I belong to a family of 7 and we are not, in fact, “friends and relatives” of those who promote the violence and drug trafficking in the area. I think a comment like that just goes to show how ignorant people are about other people’s circumstances. Not that I should have to point this out, but my family is white and most of the people in this area of the neighborhood are.
Secondly, I was there that night. The event occurred around midnight and I had already gone to bed. My mother and brother both heard 2 pops, but, no offense, it really isn’t uncommon for people to light firecrackers off at any given moment. My mother and brother both felt terrible that they did not look into what had happened, but let’s think about it: What would have happened had they walked out the back door? We’d have had a double homicide or worse. There’s virtually no lighting in this area, so how could you even see someone lying there unless you walked out? You can’t say, “I would have called” unless you were actually in those circumstances. The only real thing I can say about it is that it was not random so there must have been some “reason”, if that’s even fair to say, that he was targeted.
There is no “community” in this area anymore. The Board of Directors of the Harford Square community from 2003-2008 was run by a bunch of bumbling idiots who knew nothing of how to really keep a community together. Instead, they turn over the reins to a group of good people who must contend with an association in bankruptcy. The former president and her cohorts were manipulative and numerous law suits should have been filed against them for utilizing the dues as their own checkbook; writing checks to themselves and using money to throw themselves and their friends and family. This is what causes a community to fall apart; a group of criminals get into control who cannot be removed because now they have control of the bylaws and rules. This process filters down and now we have what we have existent in Harford Square: a development with constant turnover of tenants sprinkled with your homeowners who just can’t afford to move away from the crime.
In closing, I would like to say that I take pride in my upbringing because without it, I’d be blind to the crime and ignorance of those around me. I can look at my life and say, despite what was not the most ideal place to be brought up, I am a successful individual. I have graduated from Loyola University MD. I intend to move on to bigger and better things and watching the struggles of those around me has allowed for the motivation I have to succeed. It is a shame that people do not overcome what they were born into but you must make the best of it.
As a former resident of Harford Square, I’ll add my .02. I spent my entire teenage years in the Squares, and aside from a few isolated incidences, usually domestic, there was very little violence. 1983-1993 was a time when police would frequent the neighborhood at the behest of it’s citizens. Unfortunately for me and my cohorts, they were frequently called on us for being loud, drinking beer, squealing wheels, etc. I will admit that drugs were commonplace, but for some reason, the level of violence seen in the past 10-15 years has increased dramatically. My opinions will likely not be looked upon as favorable by bleeding heart liberals, but they are still my opinions.
As a previous writer mentioned, association issues are at least in part to blame for the current state of affairs. While no one can be blamed for the murder but the murderer(s), I whole heartedly agree that the community has failed to police itself, and has allowed this element to move in. In the time frame that I lived in Harford Square, there was a strong community association. Our “First Harford Square Association” collected dues and paid bills. The dues included: twice weekly trash removal, street lamps, common area grass cutting and maintenance, playground equipment, tennis courts, a basketball court, and a pool that was open to all owners or tenants that were paid up to date. From what I’ve read lately, Harford Square doesn’t even pay it’s trash or light bills on time. I can only assume that all other community functions are in very serious state of disrepair, we could call this “the ghettoization of the squares” (I know ghettoization is not a word in the dictionary, I just coined it). So, combine the faulty board, and as someone mentioned, the influx of section 8 housing (and remember, a community board is made up of homeowners, and homeowners decide whether to rent as section 8 or not) and what do you get? You get less services, less community pride, and a lower tax base (unpaid dues from slum lord section 8 owners, unpaid dues from disgruntled residents that can’t bear to watch hundreds of dollars pour out of their checking accounts while the garbage keeps piling up (literal and figurative in this case)). This results in a swirling vortex of homeowners who would originally never have thought of going section 8, doing just that, because “who else is going to answer the ad?” Yep, there are some holdouts too, people on fixed budgets who simply can’t move out of harms way, and even a few who could move, but don’t move, out of principle and/or convenience. I’m glad to hear that some positive board members are in place now, but as I know from another current community situation (mine, in Bel Air now), once the money is gone from the association, it is very hard to build back up, and current residents don’t want to hear that they have to make up for the past mistakes of others.
As for the town of Edgewood, this has been brought up before, but shot down because the residents scream about an increase in taxes, but here you go – INCORPORATE. Stop screaming for services like we have in Bel Air, HdG, and Aberdeen until you are ready to pony up. Edgewood gets the bulk of the county’s police and health department services per capita as it is. Imagine what you could do with your own public works and police departments, which of course will be greatly enhanced by the county and state agencies already in place. Yes, this is a long term solution. If you are looking for a band-aid in the mean time, how about increasing the amount of lighting in the communities, organize community patrols, report the little things like: barking dogs, loud music, abandoned cars, suspicious people, high traffic homes, etc. Oh yeah, when you hear what you think might be fireworks, call 911 and tell them “I think someone is lighting off fireworks, but I would like it to be checked out, and I would/would not like the police to follow up with me.”
These problems have been building up for years, and there is a core group of concerned individuals who are likely doing everything they can, for those of you doing this, I suggest you push for incorporation, or move out. For those that only want services, and want to dictate how and when those services are used, and aren’t willing to pay more taxes, stop fantasizing.
Glad to see someone who sees both sides of the coin and I agree with you. Unfortunately, the new Association leaders are trying to clean up the mess they were left with. They are doing what they can to keep trash pickup going, but lawn services are done for free by Board members themselves. It’s going to be tough for this area to turn around though. There are so many problems it is hard to focus on just one area. It’s upsetting things have become so bad because it used to be a decent place to live.
It was indeed decent not that long ago, but probably a whole other lifetime ago for the long time residents.
Edgewood tried incorporating about ten years ago and, had the instigators not gotten too greedy, might have succeeded. The problem was that they tried to incorporate too much non-Edgewood land to build their tax and population base. Had they stopped at the railroad tracks just beyond Route 40 as their northern border, it might have worked, but when they tried to absorb the area along Route 7 and beyond I-95, the residents in that area mounted a fierce oposition and stopped them. They were aided by a lot of Edgewood residents who realized that in an independent Edgewood, the Section Eight group would be proportionally larger so the polititians would cater to them, eventually turning the whole place into a Section Eight city to get more federal grant and aid money.
Native, All I can say is PREACH ON PREACHER!!!!
WEll JM im sorry to have offended you but lets not make excuses that gunshots and firecrackers sound alike. And im not referring to the honest citizens of Edgewood, im referring to the ones that know what kind of BS goes on, and do nothing to stop it. I dont want to hear the excuse that peple are too scared to call. You can pick up the phone dial 911, give a description of your complaint and hang up without getting involved at all, and then you have the audacity to say that the neighborhood has white people in it?? what the hell does that have to do with anything??? Im glad that you have risen above what you openly admit to being an area of “crime and ignorance”, but i guess its okay for you to criticize because you live there??? Please leave your hypocrisy in another post, you contradicted yourself with your entire last paragraph.
I’m just pointing out the fact that you talk in generalizations when you are wrong. You associate us with these people when, in fact, we are merely trying to live our lives. And hypocrisy? I see no hypocrisy in stating a mere fact that people don’t have to fall into the lifestyles of those around them. I was trying to show that I care enough about people that I wish people could see examples of overcoming what you’ve been dealt. Clearly you have no ability to put yourself into the shoes of another person and realize that things are not so easy.
And for you to question my criticism of what was my own neighborhood is ridiculous. In fact, that sentence makes no sense. Only further proves the ignorance which is so often found in people not willing to put themselves into another person’s situation. You call on ideas that I did not mention in my post. This, yet again, proves my point. Until you can learn how to properly cite, maybe you should keep your own comments to yourself. You are no better than anyone else here; stop acting like it.
Spoken like a true liberal JM. Its not my job to be in your situation. Just like you, I have bettered myself. I am better than people on here like you. I am better because I would have called 911. I am better because Im not afraid to look out my window at night. I am better because I refuse to be a victim, and I wont look the other way. I wont let ” circumstances” stand in the way of doing the right thing. I wont let the bad guys dictate how I live.
I agree that people should be able to overcome their hardships. But what does this quote have to do with anything????”Not that I should have to point this out, but my family is white and most of the people in this area of the neighborhood are” ill cut and paste so I can accurately cite, since you didnt address it yet.
So you keep making excuses about hardships and why your family didnt call 911, and how they are white, whoopty doo, and Ill keep showing up to the houses of the people who actually care about their communities and neighborhoods and dont want to see them continue down this path.
Oh, Everyone on here will agree with me when I say that there’s a 90% chance if you hear ” firecrackers” at midnight in Edgewood, its probably gunshots. Guess they left common sense out of the curriculum at Loyola, then again, I went to UMD.
“I really dont think the majority of the people are afraid to speak, i think they just dont care. These are their friends and relatives that are dealing drugs and creating violence. This is just a way of life for them, and i think a good bit of them enjoy it. most are proud to be hustlers, gang members and drug dealers.”
Loyola may not include a course in “common sense”, but at least they taught us proper grammar. This quote also clarifies the reason why I included the fact about race. You may not have come out and said it, but people can make clear associations with whom you are talking about. Not being able to understand other people’s circumstances is what causes the ignorance and lack of empathy that would help change the world. It’s okay though, I’m sure at UMD they don’t teach a thing called ethics.
I don’t associate myself with any political view so that is completely irrelevant. Yet another problem with this country that draws people apart.
I’m confused…are you saying that there are only black drug dealers and gang members in Edgewood?
Aside from not capitalizing because I’m in too much of a rush, I found no grammatical errors at all in that paragraph.
So you are saying that I should be empathetic to the drug dealers that are not able to overcome their hardships such as you have?? What the hell does that have to do with ethics? Maybe you and your family need a little lesson on ethics, let me educate you.
Good ethics would be doing the RIGHT thing, even when no one is looking, and when it would be easy to do the WRONG thing. Example: The right thing to do when you hear gunshots outside of your house at night is to call the police, even though you might be afraid. The WRONG thing is to convince yourself that it’s just firecrackers because you are too afraid to call, when you know deep down that it’s gunfire, and you know deep down you should do something. That is why your family feels regret, because they know they could have done something and they didn’t.
Maybe next time the “black” drug dealers will accidentally injure a “white” homeowner, since as you say, that’s all that live there, or even worse, a child. Maybe those bullets will miss their target and go right through your kitchen. Will you call 911 then? Or will you convince yourself it’s a ricochet from the firecrackers? I don’t have to feel sorry for you or empathize with anyone to the right thing. The gang member on the street bleeding from a gunshot wound gets the same care that the poor old lady who fell down the steps does. That’s ethics. You do the RIGHT thing because it’s RIGHT, it doesn’t matter what the age sex, sex, race, gang color, or social status is.
BPB….JM probably mentioned that he was “white” because for some reason certain groups of people in HC seem to believe that everyone that lives in Edgewood is black and on welfare and/or Section 8. Isn’t that right Pavel314?
Is it only bleeding liberals that care about crime? Politics shows up in the darndest places.
Quote…Until people actually act like they give a shit that this type of stuff happens I wont feel sorry for them at all. Most of them are born into this nonsense.
This is why I care. We don’t get to choose our parents. Some of us were lucky and some of us got a raw deal….. either way it wasn’t our choice. Children are innocent and we should try to help and protect them at all cost. Where are my conservatives? Aren’t you pro-life? All life or just the unborn? All life or only the lives above Rt 40? I am just asking.
I am 40 and grew up in Edgewood. I didn’t live in the Harford Square area. But, my sister and her family lived in what used to be the Courts of Harford Square. My dad still lives in Edgewood, but is in the process of trying to sell so he can buy a place with my fiance and I in Rising Sun.
All that being said, I am truly appalled by what Edgewood has turned into. I mean, 20 years ago, things were pretty normal. Sure, there were robberies and even violent crimes. But gangs? Murder committed right in the middle of a housing development? No way. Those things were unheard of. It breaks my heart to see what has happened to a once flourishing community.
On a side note – Sheriff Bane is my 2nd cousin. And believe me – anybody that thinks he spends all of his time behind a desk is sadly mistaken.
Pam,
Jesse is a nice guy but a poor leader. He tries to please everyone all the time, has shown no ability to manage a budget, and has ceded authority to Fred Visnow and the Police Union. It is time for a change,
Pam: No one ever said Bane sits behind a desk all day long. He goes to community meetings and talks nice but at the end of the day he goes home to his house in Fallston. Why doesn’t he join his gang unit some night and take a walk down Brookside Drive? Your second cousin doesn’t care about Edgewood or Jarrettsville or Whiteford or Churchville. He doesn’t care about you and he doesn’t care about me. He cares about Jesse Bane and he cares about getting elected. End of story.
Bane has gone on the road with patrol deputies a couple times.
Let the scumbags keep busting caps in each other. Eventually they’ll all just be dead or in jail and we can all get on with our lives. Completely pathetic, and both sides just have lame excuses as to why it continues.
In my opinion, the best thing you can do as a resident anywhere around Edgewood is keep your property well lit and call 911 or the Harford County Sheriff directly if you see a problem. YOU HAVE TO CALL POLICE when you see a problem or feel threatened, otherwise there’s nothing anyone can do and you only have yourself to blame for what activities are happening in your neighborhood. I have zero tolerance for this street corner crap where I live, and in the past have called the police for the loud noises, drinking or smoking weed late at night, etc. If their own parents won’t tolerate it in their home, why should I have to deal with it near mine? Eventually they learn that my corner isn’t going to be their little hangout, and the move on. Protect what’s yours…that’s all I’m saying.
Well said, DP. That’s good advice.
So, any suspects yet? Probably not, since the ones who were awake and heard the shots didn’t bother to call 911. The body was likely cold and maybe even rigored by the time detectives got there. There’s a firehouse right up the street, and a police station not too far either. I don’t know what kind of wound the victim had, but help could have been on scene in less than 5 minutes. Somebody has lost a loved one, a community has lost it’s heart and soul, and a killer walks amongst all. It’s really hard to believe that I grew up there, now I live 9 miles away, in a town that has seen 1 murder in almost 30 years. I am truly heartbroken for my friends and their loved ones that are still trying to raise their families there.
Our county as a whole has contributed greatly to the Edgewood area. Perhaps it is time for more than a handful of Edgewood residents to contribute to Edgewood.
Dear Edgewood Residents,
It is time to take some responsibility. Pony up. Incorporate. It will be a long hard process, much like growing pains. What would you prefer; growing pains or dying pains? You already know what dying pains are, can you handle it much longer? Are you okay just sitting there while your community turns into an American war zone? It doesn’t have to be this way, but the rest of the county can’t do every thing for you, as you can already see. Edgewood is right on the line of the point of no return. As I see it, you have two choices; shrivel up and die the rest of the way, or rise up and meet the challenge.
P.S. The challenge involves both work and money; pony up.