CLEVELAND — Some people living on Cleveland’s East Side told us they’re tired of criminals vandalizing their cars. Victims said it’s costing them a ton of money, and they want some solutions.
“How much does it cost you to fix those windows?” we asked Andre Blackmon.
“A couple hundred dollars..each window,” he responded.
Blackmon said he’s lived at the Livingston Park Apartments for nearly 11 years. He told us his cars have been vandalized at least five times with busted-out windows, front and back at times.
“Dang, people spend too much money, arm and a leg on cars already and then having to pay repairs,” said Blackmon.
He isn’t alone.
“I got depressed and everything. My nerves are already bad,” said Karen, who didn’t want to use her last name.
She’s 82 years old and fears the criminals will come back and target her.
“I look out the window to see if I can see somebody…to see if I can see anybody at night,” she told us.
She said her car has been broken into three times since late last year.
Karen told us when she first moved into the area 18 years ago there was good security, but now it’s not as consistent as she would like. “It makes me feel bad because I don’t be having no money to get these (car windows) fixed,” she told us.
News 5 Investigators noticed signs around the complex saying the place was under surveillance. However, victims tell us it just hasn’t been good enough. Jerome, who didn’t want his face shown either, is beyond frustrated.
“It’s like a car thief candy shop! They just pull up. They even do it, broad daylight,” he said.
We went to the leasing office to get some answers about what residents had told us. The office employees said they would pass along my info to their corporate office.
We contacted Cleveland police and have gotten no answer.
In the meantime, victims told us they needed help keeping their property safe.
“And I mean I can’t sleep, nothing. You get caught up on bills because you got to pay for repairs,” said Jerome.
“A lot of people have been here for a long time. We don’t deserve it,” said Blackmon.
UPDATE: A day after our story aired, we were contacted by The Finch Group, which we had reported was the owner of the property. At the time of our report, the property was listed on that company's website. When we called before our report aired, no one answered. The Finch Group contacted us to say it once owned the property but no longer does. We are working to learn who owns it.
