Records show problems with sheriff's department response to West Willow block party, shooting
Nearly two hours before an innocent bystander was shot in the stomach outside an Ypsilanti Township block party in June, two residents called 911 to complain about the party — with one describing it as "like a riot," records show.
Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies didn't respond to those calls for an hour, then left the neighborhood without speaking to anyone at the Cayuga Street party or calling for back-up, a patrol car video shows.
“Look at this mess,” Deputy Daniel Buffa can be heard saying on the video at 2:06 a.m. June 27 while in the neighborhood with his partner, Deputy Erin Larkin.
This still shot from the video shows deputies arriving at the party.
Larkin said, “And we’re not doing (expletive) with this, I hope you know. We're not doing anything...Yup. Look at all these cars. We’re the only ones.”
West Willow neighborhood residents, including Monica Ross-Williams, have criticized the sheriff’s department’s response, questioning why deputies left the party, why it took them 10 minutes to reach the shooting victim and what is being done to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
An estimated 150 to 200 people were at the party when deputies say at least two people outside opened fire at about 2:48 a.m. and a bullet struck a 21-year-old woman in the stomach.
“If they would have come into the situation and broke up the party, that girl wouldn’t have been shot,” Ross-Williams said. “It was just the grace of God that girl didn’t pass away that day."
One man was recently convicted of firing a gun in the air during the incident, but no one has been charged with shooting the woman.
AnnArbor.com reviewed hours of patrol car videos and 38 different 911 calls from the incident, all obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Among the other findings:
The sheriff's department conducted an internal investigation, but no employees were suspended or fired, said Lt. Jim Anuszkiewicz, who is responsible for the western portion of the county. Anuszkiewicz said "corrective action" was taken, but would not discuss specifics. The department also has taken measures to ensure staff members have a "very clear understanding" of how to respond to such a party in the future, he said.
"Our response to the party was less than adequate," Anuszkiewicz said. “What went well that night was that the victim was recovered and was treated and is now out of the hospital. There was no additional people hurt, including citizens and deputies.”
Randy Clark, vice-president of the New West Willow Neighborhood Association, said there was no need for deputies to "stage" and wait for at least five police cars before responding to the shooting victim. Initial reports indicated the victim was pregnant.
"They've got a victim on the ground and they're staging?" Clark said. "What exactly are you afraid of?"
"It set everybody back leaps and bounds in terms of the trust issue," Clark said.
A loud party
The 911 recordings show deputies were aware of the large block party nearly two hours before the shooting. Residents told AnnArbor.com the party went on all day with loud music, people hanging out in the streets and cars parked on several streets.
Ultimately, two women called 911 early June 27 to complain about the party, with the first call coming in at 12:56 a.m.
“It’s crazy,” the caller said. “It’s like traffic in and out, in and out and then everybody is just like outside as well…Cars are parked all the way down Cayuga and people are parking on Onandago (Avenue) across the street from the school.”
The second caller described it as "like a riot or a big thing," estimating 200 people were there. She told the dispatcher it sounded like people were fighting because there was "cussing and arguing." The dispatcher asked whether anyone at the party had weapons, but the caller said she didn't know.
"It's like the whole block of Cayuga and they're all just acting a fool," she said.
Deputies responded to the neighborhood an hour later and told a woman to turn her music down, a patrol car video shows. She suggested they go down the street, apparently making reference to the block party there.
This video shows the deputies responding to the area on the report of the loud party. Warning: It contains profanity.
The video shows cars parked along the street, and Buffa calls it a "mess."
“Let’s just go,” Buffa says. “What are you gonna do, dude? I mean, what are we gonna do?”
Buffa tells dispatch, "There is a large crowd out here, but they seem to be ruly at the moment."
As the deputies leave the neighborhood, Larkin says, “It just sucks that we can’t do anything with that. Even if we had our two other cars, it’s still not enough people. It’s a joke.”
Three patrol cars staffed by two deputies each were working in the township that night, but two cars were tied up with other calls during the party, sheriff's Cmdr. Dieter Heren said.
Heren said he wouldn't have wanted Buffa and Larkin to approach the party by themselves.
“Obviously, there was definitely room for improvement..." Heren said. “They felt their hands were tied trying to deal with several hundred people at a large party.”
A woman is shot
Dispatchers received a third 911 call - this one 90 minutes after the first complaint about the block party and 22 minutes before the first call of shots fired. In that call, a man said his daughter contacted him, telling him someone was trying to shoot his son in the West Willow neighborhood.
TIMELINE OF JUNE 27 SHOOTING
- 12:56 a.m.: First 911 call about the Cayuga Street block party
- 1:01 a.m.: Second 911 call about the block party. Caller estimates 200 people are there.
- 2:06 a.m.: Deputies Daniel Buffa and Erin Larkin respond to the neighborhood, and Buffa calls it a "mess." The deputies leave without talking to anyone at the party or calling for back-up.
- 2:26 a.m.: A man calls 911 reporting his daughter called, telling him someone is trying to shoot his son in the West Willow neighborhood. Dispatchers learn the shooting could occur in the middle of Eugene Avenue, which is near where it intersects with Cayuga Street. A dispatcher says, "We'll have someone go check the area." No patrol cars respond.
- 2:48 a.m.: Dispatchers receive the first of 35 different 911 calls pertaining to the shooting. Callers report shots fired on Oswego Avenue and Cayuga Street.
- 2:49 a.m.: A 911 caller reports a woman is shot in her side on Cayuga Street.
- 2:52 a.m.: A 911 caller erroneously reports the victim is pregnant.
- 2:54 a.m.: Final 911 call comes in of shots heard in the neighborhood. Dispatcher tells a woman at the scene to apply pressure to the gunshot wound.
- 2:59 a.m.: After meeting in the staging area outside the scene, deputies reach the shooting victim, learn she is not pregnant and provide first-aid.
- 3:04 a.m.: Paramedics reach the shooting victim, who is taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and survives.
- Sources: Patrol car videos, 911 calls, interviews with Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department officials. Note: The sheriff's department denied a Freedom of Information Act request for incident reports, citing the ongoing investigation.
He explained his daughter and son "went to a birthday party out there." Dispatchers learned the shooting could occur in the middle of Eugene Avenue, which is near where it intersects with Cayuga Street.
"We'll have someone go check the area," a dispatcher said.
No patrol cars responded, Anuszkiewicz confirmed.
"There was very limited information," Anuszkiewicz said. "During that time, we were responding to other calls of shots fired complaints on the other side of the township."
Roughly 20 minutes later, Angela Barbash was on the front porch of her Cayuga Street home, making sure several of her friends made it safely out of the neighborhood.
"The whole vibe on the street changed and we were like, you know, this is something we should watch," she said.
She heard what sounded like fireworks, but quickly realized it was gunshots. A man across the street was firing a handgun into the crowd, she said. She heard 15 shots.
“There were people running,” she said. “It was just chaos. I can’t imagine how he could have seen who he was shooting at.”
The first 911 call of shots fired came into dispatch at 2:48 a.m., with the first report that a woman was hit coming in a minute later. Dispatchers received reports of gunfire on Cayuga Street and from a car on Oswego Avenue.
Barbash reported the shooting at 2:49 a.m. and called again 12 minutes later, asking dispatchers what was going on.
"Dude, it's Cayuga Street..." she told the dispatcher. "Where are the cops? Someone's been shot out here."
In her second call, Barbash told the dispatcher no one was shooting, and the crowd had dwindled to 20 to 30. The dispatcher said she needed enough officers to clear up the situation.
"Ma'am, if my officers go in there and they don't have enough people and they get shot, what happens then?" the dispatcher said.
Akara Pressley, 24, was having contractions that night, hours before giving birth to her third child, and went for a walk outside to feel more comfortable. She saw people running from the shooting and questioned why deputies didn't get there faster.
"It shouldn't take them that long to come to a problem," she said.
Videos show deputies entered the neighborhood with lights and sirens after at least five patrol cars gathered at the staging area on Dorset Avenue, several blocks from the party. Deputies didn't reach the victim until 2:59 a.m., five minutes after the last 911 call about shots being heard, records show.
Anuszkiewicz said a state trooper stopped a possible suspect vehicle near the staging area, and deputies wanted to make sure the trooper was safe before going into the shooting scene.
"If you take the traffic stop out of that, I think we would have had a different response," he said.
This video shows the deputies responding and putting up crime scene tape around the area.
Moving forward
The neighborhood has had its share of tension with the sheriff's deputies in the past. In 2006, a man suffocated to death under a pile of deputies on Cayuga Street after he approached a traffic stop involving his nephew, and a struggle ensued.
Five deputies were shot by a gang leader in 1995 at the intersection of Seneca and Calder streets.
But those incidents have nothing to do with how the department responds to calls, Anuszkiewicz said.
A deputy begins putting up crime scene tape at the scene of the shooting.
"We don't have any different response to the West Willow neighborhood than we do any other neighborhood," he said.
During the past three months, the most common crime reported in the neighborhood was residential burglary, with 20 reported, statistics show.
Deputies question whether additional staffing could have made a difference the night of the shooting. The township contracts for 31 deputies, with one deputy for every 1,700 residents — the second worst such ratio in the county, deputies said.
The sheriff's department requested assistance from other agencies that night. Two Michigan State Police cars, an Ypsilanti police car and a Pittsfield Township police car responded to the shooting scene, Anuszkiewicz said. Eastern Michigan University police officers provided assistance at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, he said.
Sheriff Jerry Clayton, Director of Community Engagement Derrick Jackson and other sheriff's officials have met with residents and township officials to discuss the response.
Jackson called it an isolated incident. Deputies have stepped up foot and mounted patrols, continue to work with the community on a youth basketball program and are helping out with a Citizen Patrol program, he said.
“I do feel like a lot of good has come from this,” Jackson said. “A lot of growth has come from this. It shouldn't derail us from all the positive work that we’ve done.”
Listen to some of the 911 calls:
Call #1:
Call #2:
Call #3:
Call #4:
Call #5:
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Angela Barbash
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 2:35 p.m.
Just in case anyone checks the comments from this point on, we just got our very first PR video up on YouTube for our neighborhood. Please watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/NWWNA?feature=mhum Thanks! Angela
eyeonthenews
Sat, Oct 9, 2010 : 4:36 p.m.
Well thanks for clearing that up for me uofm94. I'm happy to have given you a chuckle today. That'll teach me not to post something in a hurry before I rush off to work.; ) I'm not going to get into a debate with you on the plausibility of a possible formation of another police dept.. I think the time for that discussion, on that particular article, was about a month ago but I will say this.... Pittsfield Township has it's own police dept. so it isn't inconceivable that Ypsi Township have their own. The mere fact that the township is discussing doing something like this means they are at least looking at finding a solution to our Public Saftey issues.
uofm94
Sat, Oct 9, 2010 : 11:12 a.m.
eyeonthenews: I was talking about the city police department....you are too funny.
Awakened
Sat, Oct 9, 2010 : 6:18 a.m.
I would like to point out to those who bemoan the fact that Ypsi Twp had only six officers working for 60,000 people I would like to point out that we discovered during the Mayoral Primary that much of the week Ann Arbor only has six officers working to police 100,000+ people.
eyeonthenews
Sat, Oct 9, 2010 : 5:07 a.m.
I'd like to thank both of these fine ladies: Angela B. and Monica. I applaud your honesty here and community service. To uofm94, I've lived in Ypsilanti ALL my life and from my youth have heard derogatory comments about this city and township. I don't need to list the bads things said about us but one thing is for sure. We aren't going anywhere. The city won't fold and neither will the township.
uofm94
Sat, Oct 9, 2010 : 12:25 a.m.
I have never posted before but I cant help myself this time. Im going to post three simple truths: 1. The AA news has never liked WCSD. 2. More police would not have prevented the shooting. 3. 10% of the people make 90% of the problems. One more thing: The whole idea of starting a ypsi twp / ypsi city police department is funny. Ypsi City will fold in probably 3 years and Ypsi twp still owes WCSO, what 2 million? And I'm sure the Sheriff won't collect ASAP if they terminate his twp contract.
scratchmyhead
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 11:17 p.m.
Maybe Mr. Lee Higgins should do a story on the lack of effectiveness the West Willow Assosiation has really had in the community. angela barbash before this incident it sounds like you felt understaffed (not a lot of fellow West Willow citizen support) so you felt not as effective as you couldve been. My guess is that if you had the same attitude prior to the shooting as you now have then there is a good chance that girl wouldnt have gotten shot. It is time to throw the West Willow Association under the bus! (unfortanetely i think all the negative press does more harm than good because it sounds like there now are alot of good things happenning in West Willow with the citizens and police.) Wouldnt a positive story about all the good stuff taking place with the police and citizens help improve the image of West Willow but then it wouldnt help justify outsiders bashing west willow. So it sounds like good stuff is now (4 months after the incident) going on between citizens and police. unfortunately that isnt part of Lee Higgins story. It still doesnt justify the township only having 3 police cars to police 60,000 people over 36 miles. Besides the citizens and police accepting responsibility, the township also needs to be held accountable for the lack of investment in citizens public safety. It seems like the township is always quick to front off the county sherif about stuff. Doesnt the township decide how many deputies to hire? Couldnt they take money from other programs like all the money they pay the attorney to file lawsuits and instead hire enough deputies? The sheriff accepted responsibility and ms. barbash accepted responsibility. The township only says that taxes must be raised to get enough deputies. The township needs to reprioritize where they spend money or take some of the millions out of the accounts that they have. It is time to get new responsible leadership in Ypsilanti Township.
Monica
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 10:28 p.m.
@Angela B. Thank you for your recount of the incident in June 2010. As a person that has lived within this community for 10 years and sits on the Neighborhood Association board with you, since January, I am proud to have your leadership on our board. @Angela What exactly do you mean by "police state"? Since I am a homeowner in this community, I do not want a "police state" here or anywhere else in this Township. The police should do the job that they are paid by my and other taxpayers dollars to do....which is to protect and serve the community. Nothing more, nothing less. On that note, the WSCD have indeed step up the plate, since the time of this incident, to protect the citizens of the West Willow community. I will be first to say that I truly thank the Department for listening to our community and board concerns, and responding to them. This makes me feel positive as a taxpayer and homeowner in Ypsilanti Township, as a whole. No form of a, "police state" is necessary or required. Thanks! @scratchmyhead The Township has every right (after a open discussion, debate and vote) to ask for a millage for increased police/law enforcement protection within the community. If you were concerned about this issue being on the ballot, (and live in Ypsilanti Township) you could have attended any of the open series of meetings, to express your concerns to the Township board/body. Now, since the issue is on the ballot for the upcoming election November 2, it is up to the voters in the Township to accept or reject it. On another note, our leadership in West Willow (please see comment above) is just fine. Angela B. took the forefront to obtain answers from the WSCD regarding this incident. Why did she do this, you might ask? Well, if no questions are asked, how can the situation be review upon and repaired? For the deputies, I believe that both of them, still have their employment with the WCSD. They should have called for back-up to assist them with the me-lee. The fact that they decided not to do this and a young woman was shot, shortly there after....is a legitimate point to question. No one has "threw" them under the "bus", by requesting a review of the decision making responsibly, the night in question.
Angela Barbash
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 6:48 p.m.
And just one more thought -- I've only been on this board since January, and I've only lived in this neighborhood for 6 years. I'm 29 years old. How much progress do you expect a young person to be able to make, realistically, in a community that is jaded, divided, worn out, half transient, has a historically bad relationship with the police and has been the consistent underdog, the 'problem child' of the Township... to fight up hill, to get anything done in this environment in just (at the time) 5 months? And you're criticizing us for 'not being proactive about our community's safety'? I'm not asking for pity or a pat on the back or anything self-serving -- all I've ever asked for is some help and understanding. For everyone on here who has had something derisive to say about me, about West Willow, about our neighborhood association, about our residents -- where are you? what are you doing to help? how many years of experience do you have behind you? what are you doing in your own community? Man... sorry to get so fired up, but your judgments are uncalled for. I'm not going to sit by and let you guys just bash our efforts.
Angela Barbash
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 6:04 p.m.
I'm not sure if this will help @angela and @scratchmyhead (and anyone else) understand, but it was a delicate situation that weekend. Let me give you the context, then feel free to judge me as much as you'd like. First, no we were not part of the party. We're not even on friendly terms with the people that threw the party. Two days before (Thursday), our neighbors had come to us and gave us a heads up that they were throwing a graduation party. The next day (Friday), they were raided. I sat on the porch during the raid to make sure nothing got out of hand -- to say that historically the police have been wary of the West Willow residents, and the residents have been wary of the police is an understatement. After the police left (and having not arrested anyone) our neighbor came out and openly, in front of a half dozen of his buddies, accused me of 'calling in the raid' (as if that's possible) and blatantly threatened me saying that I should just move now... amongst many expletives. That marks the first time in my life anyone has openly, viciously threatened me like that. Left us a little shaken to say the least. The next day the party proceeded as planned. It started out as a family gathering and not much of a big deal, no reason to call anyone. Around 10pm we're not sure if the party migrated down the street, or if the guys down the street just threw a completely different and separate party, but as far as we knew it was all the same circle so we kept our distance. As @eyeonthenews has stated, retaliation is a very real concern around here. Now, I've already stated in a previous post that the mistake we made that night was letting it get out of hand without calling the police. You can scroll up and read that admission. But put yourself in my shoes -- had you just had your security openly threatened in front of many of the guy's buddies, would you have put yourself out there? And consider the type of people we're dealing with -- the kind that will blindly shoot at a crowd of 200 of their own friends, impossibly aiming at some adversary. So if you want to know what exactly we experienced that night, I'll tell you -- We had had friends over since early in the afternoon and they decided to leave around 2:30am. In the midst of them preparing to leave we noticed that the vibe had changed, so we decided to stay on the porch and keep an eye on things to make sure our friends got off the street safely without being harassed. As our friends were driving down the street the first shots were fired, in fact right in front of their car. At first we thought it was fireworks, then the second round of shots went off and we knew right away what it was. We hit the ground immediately, and as I lay there with my cheek against the porch trying to become one with the porch itself, I see right across the street from me, just 60 feet from me, a third round of shots complete with muzzle flash just blindly pointed into the crowd. And in case you're wondering why I would admit on an open forum that I witnessed one of the shooters, just know that I couldn't point that person out if I tried. We waited to make sure the coast was clear, headed in the house and called 911 twice, 12 minutes apart. My 2nd call is in the story. I think you guys need to know just what we experienced before you start attacking me and my character. When was the last time you were threatened with bodily harm? or had your neighbors use intimidation tactics? or had to drop faster than you ever imagined possibly, just because you wanted to make sure your friends were safe? Come judge me then. Just like everyone else on here, I just want to live in peace. And @jcwest32, I assume you're an officer from what you've said, and you're right. Monday quarterbacking is easy and casting stones is easy. I think it could have been handled better, but I'm glad you guys are here putting your lives on the line for everyone's safety. And my hat is off to Lt. Bevier and the other officers that have had the courage to do foot patrols with us in West Willow this summer after the shooting. Thank You.
scratchmyhead
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 4:50 p.m.
So it appears that the West Willow neighborhood president and citizen patrol leader waited until AFTER the girl was shot to get proactive about safety in her community. She didn't call on the party, but did watch as the "The whole vibe on the street changed and we were like, you know, this is something we should watch," Great leadership, no wonder more people in the community don't get involved with her. She is quick to throw 2 deputies under the bus but what about her lack of action. And what about the township that doesnt hire enuff deputies. By looking at their website it appears that they have millions of dollars sitting in different accounts right now. The township clerk writes about needing to vote for stuff to pay for it. What about paying for the lawyers or the lawsuits that have cost citizens MILLIONS? No one voted for that, except Stumpo and her people. Thats money that could have been used for public safety. How come the only ones being throne under the bus is the 2 deputies. Stop pointing the finger elsewhere and look in the mirrer. It is time for NEW leadership in the township and in West Willow!!
angela
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 4:29 p.m.
did angela barbash say the girl was shot in front of her house was angela barbash one of the party goers why didnt she take the steps to curb the issue before it got out of hand, as the president perhaps you should have and so people know im up front about who i am - i am not angela barbash nor am i angela landsbury how many angelas do i have to say im not so as not to be accused of not being upfront, west willow should be turned over and a police state activated to curb the problems, once again im not angela landsbury
jcwest32
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 1:04 p.m.
@ Angela - What department does your friends work at. Is their police work like Ypsi Twp? Until you have worked the streets like Ypsi Twp, responded to a shooting, or a large disorderly crowd like that night, no one has any room to give advice on how the situation is handled at the time of the call. Yeah it is easy for anyone to Monday quaterback any type of incident. But I doubt anyone posting has been in a situation like one of these and just rush, right in there like they are Supermen. Understanding that is what police officers are paid to do, but they all so have families and loved ones at home that they would like to see. Look at how many cops are killed each year. The number is high compared to all the other professions out there. But the number is all so very low because of the training and actions of stagging up in groups before going into a situation like the shooting. Review the video again, look at how many times people had to be told to back up and give space for actions could be taken. Not sure or not, but it did not sound or looked like everyone did what they were requested. It also looked like there was more than 30 people still left in the area. Look at the people on the camera before they pulled up to the house, look at the group around the victim, look at the group refusing to do what they were requested. That is why you don't only send in 2 cops. With 8-10 cops there, everyone was still doing what they want and not following request. All I have to say is try living a situation like that from the police side of it. You don't know where the shooting is, you don't know if you will be shot giving help, it would not be the first time, some one is jumpped from behind when trying to give help, or assault when trying to get the crowd to move back. Walk a mile in some one's shoes before casting stones at them. Without all the actions and proactive policing that has been done before and after the shooting, I'm sure it would not take much for the neighborhood to go back to the times of all the gang problems. That is the last thing that the neighborhood, county, and Sheriff's Department wants, I sure.
eyeonthenews
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 9 a.m.
Third: I too, like several others have already stated, would like to thank Lee Higgins for this news article and several other recent articles on West Willow. These articles have lead to some good discussions and hopefully some productive results. I would also like to say Thank You, Karen Lovejoy-Roe for your comments and information provided.
eyeonthenews
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 8:33 a.m.
Second: To Monica Ross-Williams I'd like to say thank you for your post. You are one of the lucky ones to have what sounds like a majority of older 30+ neighbors surrounding you. They are not the problem. As Derrick Jackson-Director Jackson pointed out this is a community of about 1200 houses. Yes, there are pockets of older long time residents that still reside here but for me all of the older homeowners live in pockets elsewhere while I'm stuck with all the 20-30 something cut ups that do drugs, sell drugs and party all the time. These children that I spoke of that I've had problems with come from other streets to hangout at an unsupervised house next door. Many of my neighbors are too afraid of retaliation to step up and do something about these kids or other problems here. We've had mail stolen several times on my street and we know it's kids doing it because they don't want what's inside the mail, they just want to destroy it and toss it in someone elses yard further down the street. Many people work during the day and while the kids are out of school they roam and do mischief. Where are the parents you might say, probably working. When people get home they don't know who did what or where they live if they see it being done. The kids know they can Hit & Run. We've had kids breaking into the vacant houses out here and the list goes on. I know some people are probably pretty upset with some of my posts but I'm letting you know that IF you aren't having to deal with these stated problems on your street then You are very fortunate. As also mentioned, I had two new neighbors move out recently. One lived in his home for 11 months before saying he REFUSED to live like this. The other was in their home 3 years. Both were good neighbors that I hated to see go. They were my only GOOD neighbors I've had in years and they were homeowners not renters. Sure there are probably some good renters out here but I've not had the pleasure of having them live in one of the rentals near me.
eyeonthenews
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 8:20 a.m.
There are several things I would like to comment on. First: In regards to Derrick Jackson's living in West Willow I think most of us are well aware of his community involvement and the fact that he LIVES in West Willow. Sure his home was broke into last year, if my memory is correct, as there was a write up on A2.com on the home invasion. However, with his community involvement and positition with the Sheriff's dept. you cannot make me believe he suffers from the same problems that some of us do on a daily basis. The robbery was no doubt done on the sly while both he and his neighbors were at work. I do not believe that anyone openly would flaunt their illegal activities in front of him and I'd bet money these children I've spoke of don't come to his house to harrass him or misbehave in front of him. I'd say the fact that he works with many of these kids with his programs sets him apart from the rest of us. As does his postition with the Sheriff's dept.. Not all of us are treated equally. And that is not meant to be an insult just my observation and opinion.
Monica
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 1:24 a.m.
First, I want to thank Mr. Higgins for presenting a FAIR and BALANCED view to this story. Now on to some of the comments on this page. I am a HOMEOWNER in West Willow. As a homeowner, my husband and I pay taxes for police protection, within this neighborhood. For the ten years we have lived within this historical community (if you do not know of this fact....Google it) our particular issues have been few. As for the "drugs" and etc. that one commenter spoken upon, I am sorry to make you aware but "drugs" and violence exist in EVERY community. Now, it is reported upon (and rightful so, because we as residents are trying to keep our community safe) more so in West Willow, because a MAJORITY of the residents are active in trying to keep this area as peaceful and safe for their families, as possible. In the same aspect, the issues that have occurred in other communities in Ypsilanti Township, Ann Arbor and Surrounding areas are unreported, (for the most part) to create a false sense of "safety" and "security". Now, as to the party itself. The WSCD had numerous calls in regards to the "event" getting to a point of a me-lee. Please listen to the calls which Mr. Higgins linked with his article. Within the 3-4 hours, after the party started and before the shooting of the victim, the WSCD had PLENTY of time to gather the proper force necessary to respond to the situation. This is a fact, not spin. In addition, the department itself, have admitted error, in their overall response to this incident. If the residents were not concerned, as some of these comments above have somehow managed to assume, why were there MULTIPLE calls requesting law enforcement response to the me-lee. These series of calls, happened over a number of hours PRIOR to the shooting itself. West Willow is a community with a mix of social-economic factors at play. To assume that the neighborhood is totally influx with section 8 renters, would be an error. There any many 20-30 + years homeowners in this community and in fact, many of whom, live in my street and many others, in West Willow. In the same aspect, yes...the section 8 residential make up is slightly higher, than in other areas of the Township. Regardless, not all section 8 families are irresponsible people. To paint that broad brush on every section 8 resident/family, would be very unfair. In fact, I will go on record to say that a **small** minority of section 8 renters, cause issues. For those who feel as if West Willow is a "crime-ridden" community, I will ask....when was the last time you actually visited the community? Really? Do you know that we have a growing community garden, a highly regarded summer program for children, one of the strongest neighborhood associations in the entire township, various programming during the entire year at our Community Recreation Center, a yearly neighborhood Pot-Luck and Picnic, a Fall Harvest event, a new citizens patrols force, a active neighborhood watch (i.e. the calls to the police the night in question, about the party) and I could go on and on. The point is, do you (the ones with the negative comments about West Willow) have any of these types of programming, in your community? I stand by my comment to Mr. Higgins...if the WCSD would have responded to disperse the party anytime prior to the shooting itself, the young lady more likely than not, would NOT have been shot. Plain and simple. They have, since this event, have been taking steps to work with the Neighborhood Association and residents to ensure that an me-lee like this, will not have the same response by law enforcement, again. On a final note, as for our Neighborhood Association, I have sat as the elected Recording Secretary on it, for the last three years. Ms. Barbash and Mr. Clark (both quoted in this article, along with our entire Association Executive Board, have done an amazing job...getting all stakeholders (the Township, WCSD, Wash. Cty. Board of Commissioners and Our Neighborhood residents) to meet at the table and identify the issues on this incident....to find solutions, for the future. Also, by the grace of God, this young lady survived and is well....and that, is truly an blessing, indeed.
Jessica 'Decky' Alexander
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:59 p.m.
(the correct version of the post) The story here is not about police or protection it is about politics and programming or lack of programming. Rarely addressed in the article and the posts above is the why. Why are a critical mass of young people having a block party resulting in destructive behavior? Why is the article and subsequent blogposts detailing how this should be dealt with rather than WHY it is occurring? Is the cause of why youth congregating en masse that uninteresting? So why? Perhaps with the exception of a neighborhood initiated programs such as Ballin' in the Willow, a community garden supported by Growing Hope, and the County Sheriff's grant-supported community engagement program, there are few if any programs providing West Willow residents opportunities to congregate in more productive ways. The Township to my knowledge has not initiated nor sought to develop any kind of constructive programming for residents of West Willow, a neighborhood in its own community suffering from severe unemployment, access to public transportation (and thus jobs, retail, healthy foods and community activity) and access to opportunity. Whereas this article on policing and numbers and time and response merits discussion it is simply a symptom of a greater issue--the issue being how does a city, or a township work WITH one of their neighborhoods rather than against them.
Jessica 'Decky' Alexander
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:51 p.m.
The story here is not about police or protection it is about politics and programming or lack of programming. Rarely addressed in the article and the posts above is the why. Why are a critical mass of young people having a block party resulting in destructive behavior? Why is the article and subsequent blogposts detailing how this should be dealt with rather than WHY it is occurring? Is the cause of why youth congregating en masse that uninteresting? So why? Perhaps with the exception of a neighborhood initiated programs such as Ballin' in the Willow, a community garden supported by Growing Hope, and the County Sheriff's grant-supported community engagement program, there are few if any programs providing West Willow residents opportunities to congregate in more productive ways. The Township to my knowledge has not initiated nor sought to develop any kind of constructive programming for residents of West Willow, a neighborhood in its own community suffering from severe unemployment, access to public transportation (and thus jobs, retail, healthy foods and community activity) and access to opportunity. Whereas this article on policing and numbers and time and response merits discussion it is simply a symptom of a greater issue--the issue being how does a city, or a township work WITH one of their neighborhoods rather than against them. If you want communities to shift and transform-it's important to care about them in responding to 911 calls perhaps (the AATA does not consistently if at all provide transporation from West Willow into well, the more commerical aspects of Ypsilanti) perhaps that would divert and redirect requests as a response to as a means to preventing Partying in a commWe often In West Willow it is the residents, the people who have organized their own programminnot the Township who have
Life in Ypsi
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:51 p.m.
It sure would be nice if the Township and police realize we have the same problems in the neighborhood next door known as Sugarbrook.
Jackietreehorn
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:04 p.m.
Nice to see WCSD stringing up their own people in the media. How about telling the truth that staging that type of response is how they were trained, and 100% tactically sound?? Or how ridiculous it is to police Ypsilanti TWP with three two-man cars?? Oh and Lt. A-Z: I'm sure the troopers appreciate being blamed as the cause of the delay, for stopping a suspect vehicle. The troops purposely stop a car that they are HOPING contains a gunman, and they get second guessed in an article by a command officer outside their chain?? I'm sure that will encourage them to help next time. Congrats on leadership from the rear.
eyeonthenews
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 5:36 p.m.
Wow, there have sure been a lot of comments since my last post. I'd just like to say thanks to Derrick and Angela B. for your recent posts on the Neighborhood Association's implemented programs and general info. I'm impressed with Angela's "Opinion" comments but beg to differ that it's only a handful of problem kids. I'm talking 20-30. Granted, most of the time they run in smaller groups but I've seen the groups swell at times to the larger numbers. Most of the time they are just creating havoc out in the street as the move about the neighborhood and hang at particular houses and the neighbors suffer. Today was a little different as there was a fight between two teen girls that was orchastrated by one of the girls mothers. This was a follow up fight from the day before when two boys fought and one was this woman's son. Yep, talk about street justice. I see it all the time.
a2chrisp
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 3:50 p.m.
Unfortunately, police including in Ann Arbor, often respond to things too slowly in certain neighborhoods. I don't think it has has to do with race, but it does seem to do with economic status. The police have an obligation to respond to parties like this before they get to this point. Too often they don't, and far too often they don't make police reports about issues they do respond to.
Awakened
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 3:44 p.m.
@SW40 I didn't see the headline as an attack on WCSD. There is a problem and in my humble opinion it is not the deputies or dispatchers. This area needs more police services. It does not have the tax base to support services to the needed level. Ignoring the problem or saying it is the fault of the people who live there because they cannot afford better does not solve the problem either. If this area is allowed to continue to deteriorate it will eventually affect the entire region. This criminality must be stopped and the resources must be found elsewhere. Ibelieve that if the wealthier parts of the county do not make some sacrifices now to deal with this problem while it is small they will have to make larger sacrifices later when it is out of control.
Angela Barbash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 3:41 p.m.
Law enforcement friends of mine had suggested that coming in with at least two cars with lights on, spotlights lit, sirens, the whole bit would have gone a long way. Add to that the loud speaker for the crowd to disperse, then stay there until back up arrives. Everyone in the neighborhood would have been aware that the police meant business at that point. Conversely, it was clear that the officers had this mental picture that had they even tried to break up the crowd then people would have started shooting at them, which is just sad/bizarre/ridiculous. With that mentality, you can see why they would be "afraid".
Awakened
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 3:36 p.m.
@A2Huron Yes. That is what I am proposing.
Ron Granger
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 3:10 p.m.
Couldn't police drive through the area, announcing via PA for the crowd to disperse, and then pepper spray from the car?
Ron Granger
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 3:09 p.m.
Some have expressed concerns that police are running speed traps and ignoring violent crime, or serious drug crime. That is troubling. Someone should do a mashup that combines police car GPS location tracking with 911 calls. Some cities already have realtime mapping of 911 calls (as all cities should). Of course it would have to be delayed - we can't have a service that shows criminals where police are in realtime. But if it takes police 30 minutes to respond, we should be able to see where they were after the fact.
lester88
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:57 p.m.
A tough situation for all involved. Hopefully this report will lead to someone calling in a tip on the shooter so they can be dealt with before "street" justice leads to more innocent victims. Angela, I applaud your honesty in taking some respoonsibility for not shutting this party down with more calls from the community in the days before.
Angela Barbash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:36 p.m.
@Chuck -- West Willow is not "violent" -- that's a unfounded assertion. We do not have a glut of violent crimes here. What we have are property crimes, dogs at large and noise violations. Now, were the officers afraid to go in, probably. But if they were, it wasn't because our neighborhood is "violent". Violent neighborhoods don't have community gardens, and a community resource center, and summer programs for kids, and five churches, and an elementary school. We have issues, centered around knucklehead 18-30 year olds and their kids.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
Chuck Early, "The cops are afraid to go into this neighborhood, plain and simple. They are outmanned, and outgunned. They might be there more often if the area wasn't so violent." So, how does Director Jackson of the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Dept get home at night?
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:26 p.m.
@ann arbor, As noted in the posts above.....the WCSD officer posting LIVES in West Willow. SO when he goes home, he is going home to West Willow.
klovejoyroe-ytownclerk
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:16 p.m.
Just want to correct some misinformation. By far the majority of Ypsilanti Township residents live on the North, East, West sides of the township and not in the newer developments on the South side of the township. Township government, unlike Federal, State and City government has absolutely no authority to levy millages for services unless the voters approve specific language at an election and then taxes can be levied. The taxes levied can only be spent on the specific item that is on the ballot language. That is why townships go to the voters every three to four years to have millages renewed for trash, recycling, composting, fire, police, roads, parks & rec. Without the voters voting yes there is less than 6% of the budget that is not voter approved that comes from state revenue sharing, permits, fees, fines, etc. So the bottom line is if residents want a program whether fire, police, garbage pick up, parks, etc. then they have to vote for it. The new millage the voters will find on their November ballot in Ypsilanti Township is there because the township board wanted to give the residents the opportunity to decide if they want pay to keep the current 31 deputies working in the township or not. All of realize that we are putting this on the ballot at the worst possible time economically, as most of us are struggling with substantial cuts in our household income. The township has operated within 10 mills for over 20 years at least. The only reason for the ballot proposal is because of the large decrease in property values, therefore major loss of tax revenue and the increase in costs for contracting for the deputies. I hope everyone votes in this election. The polls will be open on Tuesday, November 2 from 7AM - 8 PM. You can call my office at 734.484.4700 or email at klovejoyroe@ytown.org and request an absentee ballot application. Our office will be open at 7200 S. Huron River Dr. on Saturday, Oct 30th from 9AM -2PM for absentee voting. You can also stop by the office Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM and vote absentee anyday up to the election. On Monday, November 1st you can vote absentee in our office until 4:00 p.m.
annarbor
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.
@ Chuck- I'm willing to bet that the officers were not afraid...they just had the common sense not to go into a community, that is known to be extremely violent, without proper backing and support. I commend them for making the right decision. Part of their jobs is to go home safely after their shifts.
Jay Thomas
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:04 p.m.
For that "community" the police are always doing too much or not enough. They've made their bed...
Chuck
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:55 p.m.
The cops are afraid to go into this neighborhood, plain and simple. They are outmanned, and outgunned. They might be there more oftenif the area wasn't so violent.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:52 p.m.
Angela Barbash, Thank you for your thoughtful post. I couldn't agree more.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.
D Jackson, Are you stating that this is not a fact? "Note: The sheriff's department denied a Freedom of Information Act request for incident reports, citing the ongoing investigation."
KeepingItReal
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.
@Derrick Jackson: I think its admirable that you started "Ballin in the Willow" to keep kids off the streets. These kids do not need another basketball to play with. They need jobs to earn some money; they need structured; they need social skills development' they need academic skills development parental supervision and direction; they need neighborhood engagement rather than "keeping them off the streets." There's only so much that manufactured, cute sounding programs can do to mitigate the kind of problems found in this neighborhood
Angela Barbash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:44 p.m.
Now for opinions... UNDER-STAFFING VS. EFFECTIVENESS: This goes back to the millage debate. Many people have said that if they had more staff, then we wouldn't have the problems we have. There's a large contingency of residents that see the problem as more of an effectiveness issue. Larkin & Buffa could have been effective that night, but they weren't. Having more officers who are intimidated does not help the situation. I've spoken to officer friends in other cities, cities much larger than ours and they all had suggestions for how Larkin & Buffa could have broken up that party peaceably that night. And they know from experience, because they have to do it all the time. So, no, not in favor of putting more officers on the ground, especially not when it costs us even more money. I'd cut other programs to pay for police before choosing to fleece more tax payers of hard to find dollars. COUNTY-WIDE AGENCY: Someone suggested a county-wide police agency... we have one, it's WCSD. I suppose if the individual municipalities had more confidence in the Sheriff's department, and if the County was handling the whole relationship a little better, then maybe Townships would be willing to drop down to just the Sheriff's department. MAJOR CATASTROPHE: I asked that same question in one of our meetings. If you can't handle a 200 person block party, how do we handle a riot? Makes you wonder... WITNESSES: We suspect that the "street" is handling the justice in this situation. Why would they come forward when they can just go take care of the shooters themselves, more efficiently? Not saying I agree with this, but I bet that line of thinking is why no one has come forward. CITIZEN RESPONSIBILITY: One lesson we all took from the situation was that the residents needed to step up and demand the party be broken up if that's what they wanted, myself included. It was a tense couple of days on our street; the day before the party our neighbors were raided and openly accused us of organizing it (which we didn't). Regardless, two calls should have been twenty calls. WCSD agreed that had they gotten twenty calls, they would not have brushed off the situation. CITIZEN PATROL: We had wanted to do this for a long time, but this was the impetus to get it going. We're a team of under a dozen residents, but it's growing by the week as people see the visibility has having an impact. I believe Lee will be doing a story on it shortly actually. We all agreed that had we had that patrol in place that weekend, the girl may never have been shot. And finally, as Derrick said, West Willow isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is. What we have is a handful of problem children that bring their problem friends into the neighborhood to hang out. Not all the Section 8 renters are a problem. What we have to do as residents is stand up and say 'you're not doing this here, do it somewhere else'. And we're doing that.
Director Jackson
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:23 p.m.
3.WCSO COMMITMENT: There has been a tremendous shift in the philosophy here at the Sheriffs Office that focuses on root causes, prevention, and building community. Very few agencies in Michigan are focusing on addressing the root causes of crime as we are here in Washtenaw County. Below are just a few of the many ways that we are doing so. a.Mounted Patrols: The only mounted unit that I am aware of in the county that patrols neighborhoods and much of that time has been spent in the Willow. Quite a site to see the horses walking our streets. b.Foot & Bike Patrols: The WCSO has continued to have foot and bike patrols across the county and over the warmer summer months commits more resources to do so. In West Willow specifically, residents spent considerable hours on patrol with deputies. c.Community Outreach: The WCSO was awarded federal dollars by the Department of Justice to help build community and address root causes of crime in four targeted areas, West Willow is one of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woy0Jmimj9s&feature=related d.Communication: It is important to point out that in spite of an official FOIA process that everyone must go through, residents and Township Officials were brought in, without hesitation to review the video and 911 calls early on in this conversation. Any notion in this article that information was not shared in a timely fashion is not factual. e.Citizen Advisory Board: There is an independent body of citizens that review cases, this one included. These groups have existed in the past, but the WCSO has committed time to engage and listen to recommendations from this diverse group of citizens. f.Email Alert System: Over 7,000 residents receive alerts from our office. This important communication tool was started by a deputy in York Twp. but the decision to expand to all areas, including Ypsilanti Township came from conversations with my neighbors after my home was broken into as a way to increase communication between residents and deputies. http://WashtenawSheriff.org
Angela Barbash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:20 p.m.
First, some technical points and corrections. I'll reserve my opinions for a separate post: - The girl was reported as pregnant by one caller who did sound legitimately sincere in the call, turns out though that she was not pregnant. - The caller that was told that the ambulance was not there because 'no one would give us an address' was told that at 3:04 am, 16 minutes after an address was given. That caller was also told by the dispatcher that they weren't sending in the ambulance because 'there was an active shooter', however the caller pointed out that there were officers already on the scene with assault rifles in hand and there were definitely no active shooters there. - It was established at 2:57am that the shooters were gone, and only 30 people remained tending to the girl, making the need for staging at 2:59am seem superfluous. I know we're only talking minutes here but when a girl is bleeding out in a driveway, minutes matter. - When Larkin & Buffa came by at 2am, realizing the situation was beyond their control, they could have put out a mutual aid call which would have brought cars that are assigned to county-wide patrol. Every municipality in the county is paying for county-wide cars so it would not be a 'our community is paying for your community's problem' situation. WCSD admitted in meetings that the officers mishandled the situation when they drove by at 2am. - As 'eyeonthenews' has said, the Neighborhood Association is a neighborhood watch that has been incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in order to accept donations and seek grants for community projects. We no longer require dues to be paid, and all residents/landlords/renters are de facto members now. We are not a traditional neighborhood association, and have no 'rules' that residents must abide by. - Yes, the cops have the authority to go and break up a block party; that does not infringe upon your 1st amendment rights to peaceably assemble. Party attenders were breaking many laws: blocking the street, noise ordinance, intoxication of minors, public intoxication, reckless endangerment (they were driving around the blocks with people on top of their cars), and what turned out to be probably carrying a concealed weapon without a license. - There were several houses that this party centered around, and from what I know none of them are Section 8, FYI. - Regarding the caller that was told to 'shut her mouth', you can listen to the call here in the story (thanks Lee for publishing a multi-media story). The context speaks for itself; WCSD pointed out in our meetings that the caller did in fact calm down after the dispatcher said that, but acknowledged that maybe there was a more tactful way for the dispatcher to calm down the caller. - Regarding the cost of an officer, as Brenda Stumbo explained to me in reference to the letter that has gone out, the county charges us $160k per officer. About $65k of that is salary, another $35k is benefits for a total of $100k per officer. The other $60k is "county administration" costs... what exactly that entailed she was not able to say, so I've asked for a breakdown. The also indicated that the 92% rise in cost was in the "county administration" category, not police pay. Seems dubious.
Director Jackson
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:14 p.m.
2.PERCEPTION V. REALITY: With roughly 1200 homes West Willow makes up approximately 5-7% of the population of Ypsilanti Township and just over 7% of the total crime in the Township. Not including these facts takes away from all of the hard work that my neighbors have put in. a.Community Plan developed by residents: A 5yr plan to improve the neighborhood. When it was created 2 yrs ago by my neighbors and I the WCSO was not a part of it, now we are. Happy to share a copy with anyone that is interested. b.Ballin In The Willow: I started it as a resident of the Willow to get kids off of the street and take back our park. 7 yrs later it is a joint WCSO and Neighborhood program, close to 100 kids a day come, and the park is much better than it was before. http://www.BallinInTheWillow.com, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj3UafA2WA0 c.Youth Summer Program: Close to 80 kids a day come to a resident run summer program. Thanks Linda for all you do. d.Neighborhood Watch: One of the most active NHW groups in the county. e.Citizen Patrols: One of the good things that has come from this unfortunate situation. I myself patrol every morning before coming to work and share any relevant information with the WCSO. Thanks Angela.
Director Jackson
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:12 p.m.
I rarely comment, but due to omitted facts I feel it is part of my duty as a resident of West Willow and Director at the Sheriffs Office to add facts to this story. 1.I LIVE THERE: I think its very important to point out that I live in West Willow and have been working in this community for years. Any notion that the Director or this agency does not care about West Willow is like saying I dont care about my own neighbors, my own home, or my own family.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 12:42 p.m.
lester88, I understand. Thanks.
eyeonthenews
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 12:32 p.m.
Allison Camara, this is an old neighborhood so the Neighborhood Association is one that was formed a few years ago. The name being The New West Willow Neighborhood Watch Association. I think I got the name right. My understanding is that all the people in the community are welcome to come to the meetings but this is, for lack of a better term, an At Will membership complete with membership dues that are used for community projects such as Youth Programs. It's not one that was created at the creation of the subdivision like the newer Associations that have strict rules governing what goes on in the community like whether or not you can fly a flag or have garden art displayed in your front yard or put up fencing.
lester88
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.
@cash I agree no context needed in the audio portion of this report. It's clear to me that the dispatcher handled this appropriately. Its what's written, in a headline grabbing sort of way that gives the bad impression of the dispatchers. Just my opinion.
Allison
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 12:11 p.m.
I know that it was stated that the woman lived but was she pregnant or were they using that to get the cops there faster? If she was pregnant how is the baby did it live? Also to the people who say that section 8 is bad for neighborhoods because the people are bad, what about the people who just want a place to live they aren't doing anything bad they are just living there because they have no where else to go. Ann Arbor has low income housing Canton does too and you do not hear about how bad Ann Arbor is becoming because of the low imcome housing. Certain people are bad people and those are the ones causing the problems, they could be in a nice house in a nice neighborhood and still be causing problems. Also I went to EMU we would have house parties sometimes 100 people at one party, the thing is the cops would always be making rounds and if they saw anything bad or if one person called those parties would be broken up right away, why couldn't this happen here? Or the New West Williow Association should put limits in place in a handbook saying if there is going to be a party bigger then x size you must inform us, and if the numbers get to out of controil we have the right to call the cops and have them break up the party. Most home owners associations have rules why don't you?
eyeonthenews
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 11:30 a.m.
Just to clarify something here... When these parties are planned(?) the person(s) throwing said party don't bother to ask their neighbors if they have a problem with them having A party. No notice is sent out alerting anyone ahead of time. They just do it. So a block party isn't really a block party as it used to be defined. It's one household in the Hood telling their friends to tell their friends and so on. Once these parties get going anyone driving by or hearing there's a party in The Willow heads this way to join in on the fun. And in regards to lester88's comments, I've repeatedly heard how the Sheriff's dept. has taken a hands off aproach to law enforcing out here after the Lee death and $4 million lawsuit. But there have always been excuses. The main one being under staffing. Before the Lee incident, I heard there was a fear among deputies of being shot like the deputies back in '95 I think it was. Well, if law enforcement, and that includes the Lawnet guys, had taken a stronger approach to the drug dealing problems back then it never would have escalated to the point that the Feds had to come in and clean up. Unfortunately, by the time the Feds did the job the neighborhood had a bad reputation and it's not been able to right itself because the Township and Sheriff's department have repeatedly turned their backs on this area.
march
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 11:24 a.m.
The problem actually goes back 5, 10, 15 years as these children were growing up and the PARENTS {?} didn't insist their children be resposible people, didn't know if their children had a gun, or just didn't care. People have been poor in many neighborhoods but not all of them are as uncivilized.
pseudo
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 11:21 a.m.
Here is the thing: Ypsilanti Township leadership lives south of 94 of in all those huge developments. So do most of the voters. They have dumped and abandon their mess on the north side of 94. @Paul: the township budget is HUGE and they have CHOSEN not to pay for more deputies. They pay for a bunch of other stuff but not to cover basic safety for their people. Ypsilanti Township won't pay for policing until their crime goes south of 94. Just that simple. They have dumped their mess on their neighbors and won't pay for it. Doesn't matter who the contracting agency is (Ypsi City or Sheriff)...Ypsi Township isn't going to step up.
bunnyabbot
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 11:10 a.m.
I agree with the other comment of the police with this neighborhood are damned if they do damned if they don't. I don't fault the police waiting for a safe number of responding officers to arrive before moving in. I don't fault the ambulance with not responding until a safe police escort arrived. this is the worst neighborhood in the county as far as block parties, crowds in the streets etc, I feel sorry for the home owners who have to live among "guests" or plain ole no do-gooders. The neighborhood is reported on repeatedly in the paper. The responsibility really will have to come from neighborhood up and not police responding down. It will take the local churches and homeowners there taking thier neighborhood back and stop complaining about what is the policemans fault. The shot victim would have been gotten to faster had the neighborhood not gotten to the sad exsistence it has been in.
Joe Citizen
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 11:01 a.m.
@eyeonthenews "They're asking for 92% from $83,854 in 2004 to $160,595 for 2011." These may be their figures but you are wrong to think this is the salary of each deputy. They make far less than that. WCSD wants to charge Ypsi Twp that much for each deputy to pay for their salary, benefits, vehicles, gas, insurance and other equipment. They DO NOT pay the deputies anywhere near that much money.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:38 a.m.
lester88, I think the exact conversation didn't need context or interpretation. We were able to actually hear what was said and that was very, very telling. It made it easier to understand frustration. I liked being able to hear the actual calls and see the videos. Very helpful.
eyeonthenews
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:35 a.m.
A shout out to KeepingItReal. Thanks for your comment "out of contol and lawless people can create havoc in a neighborhood and the residents have almost no say in what goes on". Also for the Derrick Jackson's statement. County Kate, thank you as well for your comment on the one patrol car sent to this party. Why was there only one car sent? There should have been at least two cars with two deputies in each for the initial response. Seeing a need for more deputies there should have been a call for back up. What usually happens in cases like this is the police show up, drive by and don't even get out to talk to anyone. That's how they respond. Not good enough. And I don't buy the usual BS about them being understaffed. Maybe we could pay for more deputies if the department and township could agree to a more affordable salary. Have you seen what these deputies are getting for a yearly salary? Some might say it's not enough but just last week I received a letter from the township asking us for a milage increase of 1.5 mills on November 2nd to pay for an increase in salary for the deputies. They're asking for 92% from $83,854 in 2004 to $160,595 for 2011. Their figures not mine. They state the loss of 13 officers, a 30% duction in the force since 2008. The also state the loss of revenue. Well all I can say is how many more people will leave the township under the current circumstances with no hope of change even at a higher price being paid for Law Enforcement? There's more than just a crime problem here. There's a lack of governing and law enforcing.
lester88
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:23 a.m.
I disagree with some that it is a good report. For example: A dispatcher said to a woman requesting an ambulance on Cayuga Street, Can you shut your mouth and answer my question please? How about a little context here Lee? What was said and what was this callers demeanor to the dispatcher? I think this is really unfair to the hardworking dispatchers. After dispatchers received 24 different 911 calls reporting the incident was on Cayuga Street and were given house numbers in eight of them, a dispatcher told a frustrated 911 caller an ambulance wasn't there because "no one would give us the address." Okay, over what period of time did these calls come in and how many dispatchers were working? Maybe that was true for this particular dispatcher. Again, unfair to the dispatchers without providing some insight as to what they had to deal with. This article paints the dispatchers as rude and liars. Im glad this woman did not die. Now where are the 150-200 potential witnesses from the community who owe it to this innocent victim but have failed to come forward and identify the shooter? Had those two officers intervened and used deadly force; there would be dozens of witnesses pointing fingers at them. Good call deputies. The press and the community would have barbequed you. You would be suspended and worried about going to jail while getting beaten up in the blogs. Recent history has educated you to err on the side of restraint with this community. This is the fault of the West Willow community and the people hosting this block party. You have some responsibility to police your own neighborhood. You should have organized this event and arranged for police presence to discourage the hoodlums from messing it up. This party should have been ended when things started getting out of hand, not by the police but by the residents of West Willow. I think we should focus the blame where it belongs on the shooter, reluctant witnesses and the party hosts not the officers, medics and dispatchers. As far as emergency response: You get what you pay for. I dont think its fair to expect taxpayers from other communities to provide police services to those who choose to understaff theirs. Why send Pittsfield, Ypsi or Ann Arbor officers into a situation like this and take on this huge liability?
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:13 a.m.
SW40, I have never met or talked to anyone who works for Ann Arbor.com. To insinuate that I am a personal friend of the writer because I thought he did a good job, is absurd. I thought he did a good job! I have been tough when I didn't think a writer here did a good job, if you read my posts. Maybe I've been too tough sometimes. But by the same token I thought this reporter did a good job of trying to dig down and get the facts, including video at the scene! which clearly showed it was a difficult situation and very scary! Again, good job by this reporter.
SW40
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:12 a.m.
Police can't see into the future, the only reason people are upset is because a woman got shot which is a tragedy. However this is how the headline would have read if police had broken up the party if there had not been a serious violent crime. "West Willow residents accuse several deputies of racism after crashing block party". I gurantee it, like a previous poster stated this is a lose lose for the WCSO, in order to address this problem we begin by addressing the problems in the community.
CountyKate
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:03 a.m.
Two officers show up at 2:06 a.m. and do nothing to break up the party. Now, I don't blame them for not attempting to do so on their own, but why did they not get backup then and get the party under control? If they would have done that, the shooting would never have happened. Deputies Buffa and Larkin show a clear lack of judgment in merely walking away. I'm usually on the side of the cops, but in this case I think these deputies did not do their jobs.
SW40
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 10:02 a.m.
Cash, I don't get paid to write for the AA.Com Lee does, this article like many in the news website/paper are slanted against police. The headline is "records show problem with sheriff's department response to west willow block party, shooting. What is the problem that 2 officers didn't break up a party of 200 people who were probably intoxicated and high? Was the problem that the response time wasn't fast enough, well in that case the township can start their own police department or contract with Ypsilanti, yes the new hot button topic where is the money going to come from for new cars, uniforms, weapons, computers, tasers etc... The fine people of Ypsilant Township have voted down police milages time and time again and then complain about police response. Washtenaw County deputies have to do more with less and then they get blamed for circumstances outside their control. If you and Lee are good friends thats great and I applaud you for defending him however just because he requested some reports doesn't mean this article wasn't extremely biased against the WCSO, as many of the articles in the paper have been in the last few years. I'll ask again in order for this to be a well rounded article and in order to inform the public why was their no back ground given about the neighborhood, it's citizens, the party etc.... How about this for a headline, "Residents of crime infested neighborhood upset that police can't solve communities problems". I think it has a nice ring to it.
a2huron
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:59 a.m.
@Awakened: Are you suggesting that Ann Arbor, Saline, Chelsea, Dexter should divert their tax dollars to support Ypsilanti Township so that areas that don't want to pay more for police services can continue to pay less? That is what will happen with a single county-wide force. Many areas will pay more for less while the county-wide force will be forced to direct resources to the areas of the county that are high crime. That is just a more blatant method of subsidizing areas of the county with tax dollars from other areas (as the county commission currently has it set up). Only a regional force concept will equitably distribute resources. We already know there are a couple of county commissioners who would likely vote to abandon their local police forces for a county-wide system. Fortunately, I don't think any of the four Ann Arbor commissioners would be that stupid.
Angela Barbash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:54 a.m.
Okay, I've been waiting with baited breath for Lee to publish this article and now it's here! As you'd suspect, since I witnessed the shooting, the girl was shot in front of my house, I was the one that stormed into the Supervisor's office that following Monday to demand accountability, and I headed up the meetings with Clayton and his command -- I have a lot to say on this subject. BUT -- I have a meeting in 10 minutes and will have to respond this afternoon. For clarification -- the 'angela' that has posted is NOT ME. I'm up front about who I am when I comment on stories, and I'd never advocate that you forcibly relocate all the public housing into a centralized area... that's nuts. Looking forward to reading the rest of everyone's comments -- and a big THANK YOU to Lee for taking the time to even do a follow up story.
Awakened
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:34 a.m.
It is clear that Ypsi Twp. is unable to pay for the level of police enforcement that is needed. The Washtenaw County Commission has long favored social programs over enforcemnt in this area. It was a noble effort but has not worked. There should be one county-wide police agency. Ann Arbor, Saline, Chelsea, Dexter need to pony up to assist areas of the county that are under patrolled and enforced like Ypsi, Ypsi Twp. and the western townships. Eliminating four chiefs and their administrations would go a long way to streamlining service to the public and putting more people on the street. One department could more flexibly use the available staffing to respond to issues like this before it gets out of control. One staff, one dispatch, one department.
Ricebrnr
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:33 a.m.
Self-defense is a personal problem. SCOTUS has already affirmed that the government is not obligated to protect a citizen. Castle Rock v. Gonzales Must the Government Protect Its Citizens If It Learns They Are in Danger? The Supreme Court Considers How Far Responsibility Reaches (Mar 29, 2005) ACLU Disappointed with Supreme Court Ruling on Domestic Violence Orders of Protection (June 27, 2005) The Significance of Castle Rock v. Gonzales (July 14, 2005) That and if the officers were following established policy, nothing will come of this as that will also protect them. Keep the first part in mind folks and good on the neighborhood for finally establishing a citizen patrol and taking their safety into their own hands. 1*
eyeonthenews
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:26 a.m.
Rusty and Angela, Well said. When the West Willow area had a majority of home owners and not the now predominate rentals, and God and the Township only knows the real numbers here, it was a quiet beautiful little neighborhood. Section 8 has ruined this neighborhood. The landlords only care about having someone, anyone, in their rentals to pay the rent. They don't care if they have criminal backgrounds just as long as they can meet their monthly rent payment. Sure some will say that's the way our Constitution works. People should be able to live where they can afford but it really is upsetting to know my tax dollars are paying for these trouble makers to live in my neighborhood, across the street, next door, behind me, all over the area creating blight and allowing their unsupervised ill mannored children to run free and wreck havoc while they are out doing who knows what. Wouldn't matter if they're home though. The kids are allowed to do as they please. Personally, I'm tired of my neighborhood looking like a garbage dump because SOME people have no civic pride and don't teach their children to be responsible law abiding citizens. It starts at home. I said it before and I'll say it again... Ypsi township and the Sheriff's dept. laid a Welcome mat at our neighborhood's door for the undesirables of our neighboring communities like Inkster and Detroit as well as some home breed Ypsilantians. They're told by friends and family, go to Ypsilanti were their sure to have a good time. Well, they may be having a good time and enjoying their twisted lifestyle but for the rest of us their treading on our Civil Rights.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:22 a.m.
Do we, in Washtenaw County, have an emergency plan for backup for situations like this....or not? A township cannot possibly hire enough WCSD deputies to cover this type of situation. So exactly what do we do if there is a major catastrophe in Washtenaw County? There are many worse case scenarios that one can imagine and I won't elaborate. What's the plan? Who responds? What constitutes an emergency situation that brings out the "big guns"? (Fire, EMTs, all local police agencies)? We have two major university police units, multiple city police units, and Wayne County next door. Is there a plan to bring those resources together for emergencies?
Joe Citizen
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:13 a.m.
The citizens of Ypsilanti Twp should request (and pay for) additional officers if they want better response time and service. Every time it comes up though it seems there is a reduction on the way and that YPSI is complaining about the cost. If WCSD knows what is good for them they will pull out of Ypsilanti Twp entirely and let the cards fall where they will.
Matt Cooper
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:11 a.m.
"They've got a victim on the ground and they're staging?" Clark said. "What exactly are you afraid of?" 150-200 people partying in the street. Reports of shots fired. Cops out numbered 200:1. Are you serioudly asking what they might have been afraid of?
a2roots
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:11 a.m.
Whether the cops were there or not would unlikely have thwarted the shooting. If it didn't happen there it would have happened somewhere else at another time. The thugs rule this area and always have. This cycle will continue until parents start holding their children accountable and until the community as a whole stands up and decides they have had enough. Gee sounds like we are talking about Detroit, just on a smaller scale. Again, damned if you do and damned if you don't...always easy to pass blame rather than look in the mirror and realize the root of the problem.
KeepingItReal
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:05 a.m.
My initial response in reading this article was to blame the Sheriff Department for not responding in a timely manner. However, as I thought more about this, I became infuriated at the idea that random, out of control and lawless people can create havoc in a neighborhood and the residents have almost no say in what goes on. Their property and personal safety are jeopardized and it appears that little can be done about it. I don't believe that the police are entirely at fault although I take exception to Derrick Jackson glib comment that he feels "a lot of good has come from this...a lot of growth has come from this and it shouldn't derail us from all the positive work that we've done." Mr. Jackson, if so much has come out of all the good work that you all have done, why then was your employees afraid to go into this neighborhood? Making empty statements designed to appeal to your political constituency is not a cure for this mess. What this tells me is that things are so out of hand that lawlessness and chaos is allowed by the people themselves with little support from those in authority. You need to do much better than giving neighborhood kids a basketball to play with.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 9:03 a.m.
SW40, I think the article makes it clear that Lee requested the incident reports and was refused! Also, he did interview WCSD personnel. I think he was very fair in his interviews. And I'm the first to jump on a poor performance by the media. I find this one to be top notch! I don't see any bias in favor of the neighborhood at all. And it seems you have already read a statistical analysis of the neighborhood. Could you quote the source of that professional analysis?
Jimmy McNulty
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:56 a.m.
It is not the fault of the cops that the girl got shot. That fault is with the shooter alone. I wholeheartedly agree with AA that responding to what I imagine was an obnoxious day-long alcohol-fueled party in that neighborhood at that time of night is a no-win situation. Two cops cannot wave a magic wand and make the party-goers disperse.
rusty shackelford
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:54 a.m.
SW40, the fact that it is a high crime neighborhood is an argument for more police presence (and faster response times), not less. As the story demonstrated, the police received upwards of 50 calls that night pleading for help. Something makes me think people who live in that neighborhood are at least as concerned about high crime there as you are.
rusty shackelford
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:52 a.m.
"angela," are you Angela Barbash, listed as the president of the New West Williow Association in another story by Higgins? If so, the fact that you want to literally deport dozens of your neighbors is pretty inappropriate (well, it is inappropriate in any case), and a news story in itself. I'm sure that will not earn the "citizen patrols" a lot of good will. Seriously, your suggestion that because people are poor they should be forced to move to someplace they aren't familiar with 40 miles away is extremely disturbing. And they will work...how? Generally you have to have a job or be disabled to receive public benefits. I mean, why not forcibly move a bunch of poor old people to a dangerous city they have never lived in? Why should we care about them? Also, Detroit is far from empty. It has greater population density than Ypsilanti Township.
SW40
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:44 a.m.
Interesting story for sure, Lee could you possibly do a follow up on the history of the neighborhoood. Possibly some figures on the unemployment rate, criminal history of the area, # of police calls to the area for the past few years, violent crime etc... No ok just easier to bash the police department. Here are the facts this neighborhood is OUT OF CONTROL and we now live in an era where the world especially Washtenaw County is to politically correct to address the real issues. The poverty rate in the west willow neighborhoods is extremely high, narcotics use and trafficing are out of control. Children growing up in the area are lucky to live in a two parent home with most of them being raised by grandparents. Washtenaw Counties left leaning judges continue to hand out rediculously lenient offenders for violent crimes and the recidivism rate in the area is a "JOKE". I have mentioned it before on comments and I will again, society realizes that bashing a police department or public officials is an easy headline but something tells me years ago the journalists at AnnArbor.com actually cared about reporting the news and not just one side of the story. The west willow neighborhood is a haven for criminals and criminal activity that is not an opinion its a fact check arrest records from around the county and two areas will pop out at you Macarthur BlVD in Superior Township and West Willow. Remember there are three sides to this story, the neighborhoods (which you covered) the police(which you did not) and the truth. Lets try and find the truth next time. That would be nice.
angela
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:33 a.m.
I dont agree Jeffery, as unpopular an idea as this is I believe section 8 and welfare housing, the main type of rental housing that plagues west willow should be moved to a central area. Detroit is nearly vacant. The problems that Ypsilanti are having: Liberty Square, The Gateway, Armstong, Westwillow, Paraidise Manor just to name a few of the always problematic areas all have the same issues. Move the people in need of assistance to detroit, I know it sound terrible but why should home owners in these areas, me being one of them, have to put up with the blight and problems that are proven to be caused by section 8 and welfare. To say low income people need affordable housing is true and it can be in detroit
rusty shackelford
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:33 a.m.
I don't fault the initial cops for not trying to break up the party--1 car amongst 200 people in a known dangerous neighborhood is trouble. But 16 minute response time when you know someone has been shot, and know the exact location? Just milling around waiting for 5 cars to show up--when you know a possibly pregnant woman is lying on the street bleeding to death? You not only recklessly put this woman's life at greater risk, you gave the perpetrator time to flee, guaranteeing escape. That is completely inexcusable, and never would have happened in a white neighborhood. I also have a hard time believing that after 2.5 hours of increasingly urgent calls--before the shooting--they couldn't muster some kind of presence to at least remind people to keep things under wraps, if not break up the party entirely. That's pure institutional apathy, and clearly, again, would not have happened in a white neighborhood. The criminals and thugs are ultimately to blame, but the cops utterly failed the many law-abiding citizens of the neighborhood who called for assistance that night.
eyeonthenews
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:27 a.m.
On August 11, 2009 a similar party played out on anther West Willow street. The party started bumping around 6:30 and as the crowd grew the court and at least 2-3 blocks on both sides outside of that court were filled with cars and people. This was more than a block party it was a neighborhood party. I heard some young women discussing going to another party on the Southside and that they'd come back to this one. People were here from all over. No one was injured but these people got out of their cars and partied all along the street in front of peoples houses, mine included. Imagine having a large group of people partying on your front lawn. It was unbelievable the size and traffic. Cars snaked through the neighborhood barely able to move up and down the main street and on and off the court. Loud music, vulgar languge, people everywhere in the street on the sidewalks and along the curbs and up in people's yards. If someone needed to go to the bathroom they simply walked up between houses. It was reiduclous. I called the police several times and when they did respond they did nothing. I heard one deputy tell dispatch that they had arrived on the scene and the partiers were being orderly so they were moving on. This party went on a good 8 hours before being shut down. It was only when things turned ugly that the deputies finally came and shut the party down. As far as I know, no one was hurt but there were a lot of people drunk and high on other substances. The people were asked to leave and there was no one checked for sobriety even when it was obvious they were high on something. Most important no one was cited for this party that should have been shut down hours earlier. What I don't understand is why they allow loud parties period. We have a noise ordinance but they don't enforce it.
stevek
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:17 a.m.
It is not the lack of police response that is the problem. The problem is that it is unfair that a small group of law-abiding citizens have to form a patrol to make sure that the animals that prey on the rest of the neighborhood, and have nothing to contribute to society, have to be watched and monitored so that the rest of West Willow can feel safe.
Killroy
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:11 a.m.
As of 1999, only 39 families remain at Cabrini Green. Chicago has done the impossible, so can we!
Killroy
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:08 a.m.
No offense to anyone, but this is far more about socio-economics and issues of race than it is about the police department or the county as a whole. Plenty of studies have pointed to the near anarchy state of many projects, including the most infamous project in this area, Cabrini Green in Chicago. The only way to avoid further violence is to create scattered site housing projects and to tear down these hell holes.
Joe Citizen
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8:01 a.m.
"One man was recently convicted of firing a gun in the air during the incident, but no one has been charged with shooting the woman." So this must have been a complete stranger to everyone at the party! No on knows this guy or saw him shooting! That is amazing!!! A whole article about how the cops, 911 center and ems dropped the ball yet no comment about how none of the witnesses could come up with the name of the shooter.
Paul
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:51 a.m.
While it is easy to blame law enforcement, the fault resides with the people of the West Willow neighborhood. They have created the criminal culture that has been problematic for decades. MacArthur Boulevard in Superior Township is no different. These areas are a breeding ground for crime and always have been. There are parties throughout the county where hundreds attend and people do not get shot. The police rarely show up, because the crowd behaves. UM is notorious for large crowds and gatherings which are peaceful. The Sheriff's Department works under a contract in Ypsilanti Township and the township simply cannot afford the number of deputies that are needed to handle this sort of incident. The residents of that township should not rely on neighboring communities to police and solve their community's problems. Pittsfield Township, the City of Ypsilanti, and Eastern Michigan University have their own jurisdictions to police and should not be expected to expend their resources because Ypsilanti Township does not provide the staffing necessary to effectively police their own community. The Michigan State Police cannot be relied upon to handle Ypsilanti Township's issues because they have miles and miles of uncontracted territory to cover of their own. As we employ our knowledge of law enforcement from TV and movies, we will all agree that this incident could have been handled differently. There is always room for improvement. The deputies who did nothing when they were dispatched to the area should be disciplined. There is no reason to turn a blind eye. If the deputies needed help that night, they could have woken up the Sheriff, UnderSheriff, Commanders, and other command officers who earn large salaries while sitting in offices detached from the road patrol. I would hate to guess when the command staff last went on patrol. I have been told that some of them were never road deputies and others have been off the road for decades. Maybe that is an area for improvement, the concept of "working" command officers who actually patrol their jurisdictions. What we need to remember is that there are large gatherings in Manchester, Chelsea, Dexter, Brighton, Saline, and even Ann Arbor that do not end in shootings, stabbings, robberies, and other problems that West Willow inflicts upon herself. You don't hear about bonfires and field parties with hundreds in attendance in the western part of the county because they don't include riots and shootings. The residents of the West Willow community need to resolve this problem. Stop blaming law enforcement.
Joe Citizen
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:41 a.m.
"They've got a victim on the ground and they're staging?" Clark said. "What exactly are you afraid of?" Gee, lets think about that one. I just can't imagine what they could be afraid of. Maybe they are staging out of fear. OR... Maybe are making professional decisions based on the information they have about a threatening, potentially deadly, call and are making sure they do what they can so that no one else gets hurt. There is already one person shot and the shooter is still on the loose. I guess Mr. Clark thinks the cops should rush in one at a time and face the threat without any help. Maybe we should be asking Mr. Randy Clark "vice-president of the New West Willow Neighborhood Association" why his neighborhood was so out of control that night and what he plans to do about it. How will he respond to these issues in the future? Where was he that night and why didn't he prevent this? Nobody wants the police involved in their lives until things have already gone wrong and they need someone to blame. Mr. Clark is focusing on the wrong party here and needs to look in the mirror and at his neighborhood if he wants to place blame.
iBegToDiffer
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:39 a.m.
I would like to also say Taylor police department is the same way. The community that I live in is ran by drug dealers. I saw 5 black males beating up the main drug dealers girlfriend (WHITE FEMALE)while the white females boyfriend watched. I called 911 and it took them over 20 minutes to respond. By then she got up off the ground and staggered away. The police finally showed up and she was gone. We have had drive by shootings in our community recently and Taylor police point blank refuse to step up patrol. Myself and several other resident's have called 911 about drug dealing here. Our parking lot gets more business than Burger King & McDonalds both put together at lunch time. When you call 911 the dispatcher ask the same question every time "is someone laying on the ground dying?" quote on quote "Then we are not coming" A handful of us resident have record these drug dealers on a daily basis. We have enough video recording to put these people away for a very long time. When these video tapes were offered to the Taylor PD...Sorry we don't need your video. Calls were made to the DEA...sorry we can't come unless Taylor police ask us to get involved. WTF... WHY, WHY, WHY??? Why do our tax dollars pay these police Departments? They don't protect us. They choose and pick who they want to protect. 95% of 911 callers to Taylor police from our community are told "Sorry we don't have any officers available to come there" Yet less than 2 miles away you will find 2-3 Taylor police cars on Telegraph Rd. just south of Ecorse road sitting on the west side of telegraph next to a furniture store and across from walmart conducting speed traps. Ask anyone that lives in the area! Guaranteed they will back this story up. Talor is only worried about one thing...How many speeding tickets can we issue today. Anyone that says there is no quota to fill...You are simply blowing smoke up your you now what. The main dealer here has been arrested 2 times in the last 4 months I will say. He's been busted both times with a LARGE amount of prepackaged drugs and scales, He's out the very next day on both cases. Hmmmmmm wonder who's working for him. Explains why Taylor dont want to see residents video tapes.
Joe Citizen
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:31 a.m.
If they would have come into the situation and broke up the party, that girl wouldnt have been shot, Ross-Williams said. It was just the grace of God that girl didnt pass away that day." So the cops can just go and break up a party? How do they do that. 1st amendment rights get violated when cops tell people they can't peaceably assemble. A few calls about loud music does not mean these rights go away. After someone gets beat up, or in this case shot, that amendment no longer applies but then it's too late isn't it? People are so quick to blame the cops or ems people for problems they created.
a2huron
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:28 a.m.
Does Ypsilanti Township need any more justification than this for the need to have their own police department, a regional force with the City of Ypsilanti? Make it happen.
angela
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:09 a.m.
thousands of kids party all over u of m on any given saturday turning the campus into a giant block party, you never hear of shots fired. with all the problems the cops have had in this terrible place why would one patrol try to stop the party, i guess two shot cops are better then on shot girl. this is nuts had the cops broke up the party the cry of race would be thrown in the air, why cant the police just let people enjoy themselves. th cops have very few options in a place like this, its like the article about the school cop who tazed the stdent. atfirst evryone was in an uproar about rascist cops, once it came out the kid beat up the principle and a teacher did anyone comment on how out of control kids in ypsi are..... no the cops are damned if they do and atleast alive in this situation if they dont
AA
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:02 a.m.
Law enforcement in this neighborhood is Damned if they do and damned if they don't. The excessive partiers, cars, shooting and complete chaos was brought on by the homeowner and guests. Are sheriffs suppose to be bouncers at a private party? Are they suppose to come at the end of every party and clean up the cars, drunks and violent idiots? Law enforcement in this neighborhood is Damned if they do and damned if they don't.
pseudo
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 6:47 a.m.
I think this article links well with some of the comments under the various articles about West Willow. While I appreciate Sheriff Taylor's statement about not responding to neighborhoods differently, I would hope he was trying to say that we do our best to protect everyone equally but it is clear, very clear, that some neighborhoods need different responses. 200 people don't gather instantaneously, where was the sheriff when this was building? Don't you have to apply for permits? Where was the notification of what was clearly trouble?
Awakened
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 6:41 a.m.
I second Cash's cudos on the good report. Between 2 and 3 am on a summer night my guess is that every department in the county is lucky to be able to shake a car or two loose. While I don't know the exact situation for the smaller departments it has been well documented that AAPD has half the staffing available that it had in 1995 when deputies there were shot. It is sad that the deputies are in a position where they do not feel they have the manpower to act even proactively to tone down this party. Whether or not hindsight shows that judgement to be correct we must address the morale issue of police who do not feel supported enough to put themselves on the line. Ultimately that is a leadership issue for the Sheriff but it is also a community issue in the era of salary cuts and layoffs. If we can't support them enough to be effective there is no need to have police (or fire) at all.
Cash
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 6:16 a.m.
First I'd like to say "thanks" to Lee Higgins for a good report. While there's lots of place to place blame in this particular incident, it does bring to light a problem with cooperation and communication. I'm guessing this won't be the last time we will ever have as many as 100-200 people that get unruly (think possible championship football games, etc). And I doubt that one police agency will ever be able to handle a group of that size. So...... What is the policy for calls for backup and who responds? When WCSD calls for backup with 200 people involved, they get 4 police cars showing up? That is the best we can do? 2 cars from MSP, 1 from Pittsfield and 1 from YPD? West Willow may be a mile from the Wayne County border. Can Wayne County deputies respond? If you take the West Willow history out of the mix, how do taxpayer supported police agencies respond to each others' needs?