As far as I know, Monday’s uprising — by Next Door Neighbor and others who’d been locked out of the gate, through no one’s fault but their own, did not happen.
Reality must have set in as Next-Door Neighbor was a lot calmer when I ran into her upon returning from Monday’s workout, replying "Not yet" when I asked if she'd picked up her keycard.
It didn't hurt in calming the natives down that the gate was open Monday morning, and remained open the whole entire day.
Judging from observation, it looks like the gate is set to stay open during the day — to facilitate deliveries, caregivers, whatevers, then lock at night, maybe also on weekends …… requiring keycards to enter.
That seems fair, workable, and is the same system some of the other complexes in the area use.
On my way to the mailroom this afternoon, I saw management had posted an additional notice at the entryway, asking residents to pick up the new keycard.
That may be because some have yet to comply …… probably because they're driving unregistered or lapsed registration vehicles, of which NDN, with all her rumblings is of that category.
That's right …… I today noticed the sticker on Maxine (the name she's given her car), expired in May.
No wonder she replied, "Not yet".
She can't go to the office until she has a certificate showing renewed registration.
Yelling at management, over not being able to get in the gate, would have been a bad idea. Not just because NDN, and others, were in the wrong in this instance, but because that approach has never ever worked around here.
In fact, when that mean Nurse Ratched managed the complex, when anyone raised their voice at her, she’d call the cops, play the damsel in distress card ……… I’m scared, I feel threatened, and people disappeared — evicted and/or right away were escorted off the property.
I don’t know what’s going on with Ms. Neighbor after she yelled at manager. However, despite manager saying, "I want your son out of her today or I’m calling the police" and those two big intimidating guys showing up at her door, Compton is still here. Also, Ms. Neighbor herself is around more — seen on camera daily, like she really is living here.
What is not seen on camera, since the big guys knocked on her door, is Gandalf (Ms. Neighbor’s other son). He's MIA.
Gandalf is not showing up on camera during the day, not in the evening, not late night/early morning performing his ritual of walking to the edge of the walkway, peering out, walking back inside the unit. It’s like poof! Gandalf disappeared.
Could it be Ms. Neighbor's yelling at manager had nothing to do with those two big guys later showing up? Could it have been about Gandalf instead?
The mystery deepens.
At Monday’s workout, I asked Trainer if the final bill on restoring damage to the liquor store exceeded the $8,000 estimate.
"I don't know. They’re not done yet".
"What more is to be done?"
"The steel gate. It was bent and twisted (in the break-in)".
Inasmuch as I never noticed the liquor store already had the steel storefront gates, that I and some of the commenters thought would protect from break-ins, I popped in after working out to see for myself and purchase lottery tickets.
The current pots are huge — Powerball $44 million, Mega Million $498 million, Super Lotto $15 million, so I gotta try.
On the left side, behind the lottery machine, one can see a little of a steel security door.
I’m guessing that’s the new one they’re working on installing to replace the one I never noticed was there before.
Such gates being utilized at night — pulled across the storefront as security when the business was closed, is why I never noticed.
A lot of good it did.
To break through the glass storefront AND the storefront steel gate, the bad guys must be backing in with some kind of special souped-up truck.
Having seen a Cybertruck up close and personal, that could have done the trick and come away without a scratch on it.
Will be interesting to see what the liquor store owner comes up with next, but I don’t think there’s any way to stop the determined bad guys because, if concrete filled bollards are installed, they’ll just break through the window and walls of the Pain Cave or through the Laundromat on the other side.
Seems a hopeless situation for businesses in the area.
It must be exhausting to try to maintain a business there. We lived in a gated complex in Las Vegas that kept the gate open during the day for deliveries, etc.
ReplyDeleteExhausting and Expensive. I saw a YouTube video showing how the famed Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills has turned into a ghost town with closed businesses, abandoned buildings, for the same reason as happening here ..... break-ins, smash and grabs. It's everywhere.
DeleteI didn't know the lottery go so big; I'll have to grab some tickets. Guess you'd get a commission if I won, eh? Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI'd say 15% would be fair, LOL.
DeleteMaybe they need concrete bollards in front of EVERY business. Would that be the responsibility of the strip mall owner to install?
ReplyDeleteGood point. The owners of this strip mall live out of state and hired a guy who manages the place here. From complaints Trainer has made, the guy managing has been taking the money for upkeep, doing nothing. It was almost two years ago when the owners came to town, checked out their investment and blew a gasket at conditions they thought had been taken care of. Trainer says the guy managing for the owners is a drunkard, not well liked, actually got mouthy, ended up in a fight, which Trainer had to intervene and save the guy because he was losing, LOL. Since the owners visited, the improvements owners thought taken care of are slowly .... very slowly getting done ... like signage and redoing the parking lot. I'm willing to bet that putting up bollards and security guards are not likely to happen at owner's expense. I suppose the businesses would have to get permission from the owners and pay themselves.
DeleteBecause you and I are both California car owners, we know that if you miss your car registration due date there are heavy penalties. I wonder why this neighbor would let that happen. It is far too costly, especially if one is stopped by law enforcement and the car is impounded.
ReplyDeleteI think that because some of us residents drive no further than the corner market, Walmart or hospital, and there's not a lot of cops in this area, they risk it due to lack of finances and pray they won't be caught.
DeleteAnd yet, what is that statistic about car accidents, that most happen within three miles of home? I sure wouldn't want to be taking that risk, especially with the drivers in and around Fresno.
DeleteTrue but things are so tight for some of our residents that they of necessity make poor decisions. They're just lucky current management is so lapse ... not going around checking tags, towing cars away like Nurse Ratched did in the old days. We even used to get a violation if she felt our car was too dirty, not clean enough to be on the property,
DeleteI think if someone is that determined to break in, they will find a way.
ReplyDeleteFor sure. Unless and until there's some real accountability ... catch and not release, it's going to be open target on businesses.
DeleteThose Cybertrucks fold like a cheap suit on impact. All show and no go. Like Elon.
ReplyDelete🤣 but hard to believe as the trucks look so sturdy.
DeleteI truly feel badly for small and large Businesses trying to deal with the level of Crime evident these days. A Thief determined, will find a way, as Mary mentioned.
ReplyDeleteIt's escalating. The news recently did a story on "thieves using vehicles as battering rams" in other communities. Sometimes the same store hit multiple times. The powers that be really need to stop being soft on crime.
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