Martha Reid Elementary School
Safety concerns during off-hours?
Martha Reid Elementary is a super school and well run. However after hours, how safe is the school grounds for our kids? The back side where the playground facility is located has very poor visibility from the street. Given that there is no security video camera there, this area has the potential to be hazardous for unattended young kids. Older kids have been known to hang out in this back area behind the school near and within the playground facility.
See the following e-mails for Martha Reid Elementary school incidents during off-hours;
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May 15, 2008
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On Thursday afternoon, May 15, an unidentified black
male approached six students in the Southwind subdivision located near Ragland
Road in Arlington. |
April 14, 2008
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Fellow HNP Block Captains (others blind
copied);
Block Captain June Jester received an e-mail
from a HNP resident that was concerned about large groups of kids (as
many as 20 to 25) that sometimes come together on the back side of the
Martha Reid Elementary School after school hours.
Ms. Elizabeth Hostin (Marth Reid Principal)
responded with the following good advice ---- "You need to contact MISD
police when you are concerned and see the activity at 817-299-6000 and
they will respond. The police respond pretty quickly. You can also
join your neighborhood association's plan to get a park built close by."
The point is ---- the MISD can not afford to
place security at their schools after hours. So, they depend on us to
report any suspicious activity to the MISD Police at 817-299-6000. Have
also heard that the MISD is increasing its use of security cameras for
its MISD school grounds and that Martha Reid might soon get such help.
Of course, having a lack of public parks within our HNP vicinity puts
the Martha Reid grounds at a higher level of attractiveness for families
and kids to use after hours.
Greg Ajemian
Heritage Neighborhood Partnership
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July 16, 2007
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Fellow HNP Block Captains (some others blind
copied);
Please take note of the following message
circulated by Sherri Noble on Hillary Trail. This message by Ms. Draper
(also Hillary Trail) is important for a couple of reasons. Not only was
a bike stolen and then recovered, but it shows that young kids may not
be as safe in the vicinity of Martha Reid as we perhaps thought. Please
circulate this.
Thanks,
Greg Ajemian
Heritage Neighborhood Partnership
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Sent: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:33 pm
Subject: Stolen Bicycle Incident From: Misty Draper (resident on Hillary Trail)
Hello, I wanted to take a moment to make you
aware of a couple of
incidents that have occurred regarding bicycles in the last couple of weeks. I'm attaching a copy of a written statement that I had given to the police when they came to my house last week because a couple kids had tried to steal my son's bicycle.
Secondly, last Sunday afternoon I was on my
way home from running
errands and when I pulled up to my drive, there were two African-American kids on bicycles at my front door. I did not recognize them as my sons friends and since I know all of his friends, I rolled down my car window and asked if I could help them with something. They replied back to me "do you stay here"...I said yes and again asked them if I could help them. The asked me if I wanted someone to do something, I couldn't understand what it was that they were asking so I asked them "what", they repeated it and I still couldn't make out exactly what it was they were asking me if I wanted, but I simply said "no thank you" and they left. I didn't see a need for them to be knocking at my door, thought it was a little odd and out of place, but didn't give it much more thought at the time.
Tonight I saw these two boys again. My son's
friend Austin, who is
referenced in the attached letter, had his bicycle stolen Monday. The police were called and information was exchanged. Tonight while on the way home my son and I stopped at the Kroger on Debbie and Matlock. This was about 9:45 in the evening. After we checked out and were leaving, still inside the store in the area you first walk in where the grocery carts are kept there were three bicycles. Chris, my son said to me that the small blue one was Austin's. I asked him if he was sure and he said yes. I called Austin's mother and told her that Chris had found Austin's bicycle, that it was at the Krogers and could they come up there. I then called the manager and told him that my son identified the blue bicycle as a stolen bike and that I had called the mother of the boy who it belonged to and they were on their way to the store.
Shortly after this conversation, three
African-American boys, I'm
guessing somewhere around 14-17 years of age came through and were getting on the bikes to leave the store. The manager told them that one of them had been identified as a stolen bicycle. The boy who was going to ride that bike home said that he had bought Austin's bike from some guy whom he did not know near Martha Reid for $50.00 two days ago. The other two boys that were with him on the other two bikes were the same two kids that had knocked on my door the previous Sunday afternoon.
After Austin's mother showed up with Austin,
and the police arrived, I
asked if they needed anything further from me. They said no, so Chris and I left to go home. Later Austin called my son to let him know that after the police showed up and everything was done, he got to take his bike back home.
Since these occurrences, my son and I have
documented the serial
numbers on all of our bicycles. I am beginning tomorrow to create an inventory book that contains a photograph, description, and serial numbers of things such as our bicycles, lawn equipment, etc. I would encourage others to do something similar.
The following information was submitted to
the Police:
Approximately 7:30 PM on July 16, 2007 my
son Chris and his friend
Austin . . . . . were riding their bicycles through the neighborhood and up to Martha Reid Elementary School. While at the school they rode to the back where the playground is and they saw three boys, one of the boy's name is Marcus . . . . . With him were the two other boys, one who was described as a Hispanic boy and inch or two taller then my son who's name is possibly Michael, and the other boy was a much taller African-American boy about 5' 4-6" in height who's name is unknown. Chris and Austin rode to the back of the school and saw the others playing, they then rode up the hill by the soccer field and baseball field. They rode around on the track twice and then noticed the other three boys were coming up the hill behind then. At this time, Chris and Austin rode down the hill and back around to the front of the school. The three boys began running after Chris and Austin so they rode a little faster. A little later the other three boys caught up with Chris and Austin and boxed Chris in by the curb near the Martha Reid sign in the front of the school. Austin was across the parking lot away from Chris. Chris rode over the curb into the grass to get away from the boys, the three boys then boxed him in again near the bricks at the front of the school. At this time the Hispanic boy began kicking the back of Chris' bicycle tire, the taller African-American boy was trying to sit on the front tire while Marcus began jerking the handle bar and trying to knock Chris off the bicycle. Marcus then grabbed Chris' left forearm and tried to pull him off his bike while the boys were telling him "give me your bike, let me see your bike". Austin saw all of this and proceeded across the intersection to go home to get his dad. Chris broke away from the boys and rode across the street, the three boys started to follow Chris but then when Chris got the attention of two other older boys in the neighborhood the other three kids quit following him.
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