CLEVELAND — William Harris is tired.
“My wife tells me, ‘William you get too upset.’ I’m tired of these flimsy excuses and all this other stuff that’s going on,” Harris said. “Who did it? We don’t know.”
Windows smashed, valuables stolen and calls to police and car insurance companies: the Sunday morning reality for dozens of people living near West 93rd Street and Willard Avenue.
Renters at The Brick Lofts at Historic West Tech Apartments told News 5 they’ve experienced multiple car burglaries in the last several months and they’re fed up.
“You would think we would have some type of security,” one resident said.
Harris woke up to find his car window shattered in the parking lot of his apartment complex Sunday.
“The gentleman down the street there hollered at me and said, ‘They got you too.’ My window is busted and the front window has got two BB shots in it,” Harris said.
News 5 counted more than two dozen cars with windows smashed in the parking lot of The Brick Lofts as well as those parked along West 93rd St.
“Nobody’s got an answer,” Harris said. “They got security cameras but they ain’t got no information.”
Some residents said they’ve started leaving their doors unlocked after removing all valuables in hopes of avoiding the repeated occurrence of shattered windows.
“Even leaving the windows and doors unlocked, they don’t even check,” one resident said as the cleaned glass from her window. “They don’t care to check.”
Harris said he is considering moving to a more secure location because he feels he has no other choice.
“I’m paying rent. They’ve got signs up that say that this parking lot is secure,” Harris said. “But when you tell them about your car being broken into, they say they are not liable. They’re not going to pay for my window. I go to my insurance and my insurance is going to go up.”
Pastor Luis Vizcarrondo said it’s not solely the police department’s job to put a stop to the repeated break-ins, but instead the responsibility of the landlords and Cleveland’s elected officials.
“Really this has to do with just seeing the community,” Vizcarrondo said. “They’re coming together and seeing these issues but no one’s here to truly address them like they should.”
Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone said he will be looking into the incident.
William Harris said it’s another week beginning with expensive repairs and no answers.
“I mean, they’re so inconsiderate. They say, ‘Oh I understand your feeling.’ No, the hell you don’t! Come out and your car is broken into.”
