Dear Neighbors,
This morning we woke up to beautiful weather, chirping birds and nasty
vandalism.
My husband discovered that some one (or more) had moved along the east
side of the 900 and 1000 blocks of Farragut puncturing the side walls of
tires and "keying" the sides of cars. They got both of our cars and at
least five others.
Some cars had 2 or 3 tires damaged, and for those, it will not be a
simple matter of changing a flat.
He typed the note, shown below, and tucked it under the windshield of
cars for which he noticed damage.
He did not have time for a more thorough inspection of nearby vehicles as
a tow truck arrived to take our van to Central City Toyota.
His fear was folks might not notice the damage until they had pulled out
of their parking spaces.
My hope is that a heads up will help folks better plan their days, or
maybe notice and take precautions to prevent a larger problem that might
come from unnoticed lesser damage, (a smaller puncture that safflower,
could become a major problem once you are on the road).
Please forward this note, to anyone who might live between Baltimore and
Chester and 46th and 47th who might be affected.
All those who suffered similar vandalism, please notify the Police and
please send me an offlist reply.
I would like to send coordinated documentation to the police to
supplement all the individual reports.
Here is the note with Police contact info, that Larry left:
"Good Morning.
Im sorry about your tire damage. I also have two damaged tires. My
damage is in the sidewall. Your damage may also be in the sidewalls. If
so, the tires may need to be replaced.
There are five vehicles with tire damage, all on Farragut Terrace. Three
are on the north side and two are on the south side of Springfield Ave.
In additional, one car was scraped along the entire sidewalk side with a
sharp instrument.
I encourage you to dial 911 and make a police report. I have already
done so this morning. I learned that I can only report damage to my
vehicle. Please report the damage to your vehicle.
Also, please call the 18th Police Precinct and ask for the Captains
Office. The numbers are 215-686-686-3180 or 686-3181.
Please call to report the damage.
Larry Motyka
4611 Springfield Ave."
>From the direction of the "keying", it appears that the marauder started
near Baltimore Avenue and went South along the east side of Springfield,
but they could as easily have come from the other direction and done the
"keying" as an after thought, and with the dame tool with which they
punctured the tires.
I hope everyone affected is able to make a quick, safe and affordable
repair, without undo stress or inconvenience.
I hope we pull together to learn the WHO of this vandalism and find a way
to stop it and maybe even get compensation.
Separately, I am searching my brain for a WHY.
Is this
a fraternity prank?
the result of jealousy?
a tire dealer going hungry?
revenge (maybe police shut down a loud weekend party and
festivity freaks targeted the neighborhood)?
I hope most of you enjoy a better start to the day than many of us along
Farragut.
Best!
Liz
