Those of you who have been reading the many comments on our Door-to-door Ladies post know this already, but it bears bubbling up into the main blog feed for those who may have missed it:
There are a variety of people canvassing Wallingford saying they’re selling magazine subscriptions or the like. One is a man, black, who says he is an ex-gang member from Atlanta. There are a pair of women as well, saying they are in an entrepreneurial program. Both have been intimidating people who say no, trying to bully them into giving money.
They are not really selling magazines. They are taking people’s money and keeping it. They may also be assessing your home’s burglary-worthiness. It’s called stealing. Please tell them no.
If they come to your door, you don’t need to answer it. If you answer it, you don’t need to give an excuse (e.g., “I can’t afford it”, “I don’t want a magazine”, “I don’t trust you”). It’s OK to simply say no and close the door. That’s not rude. What’s rude is trying to steal from someone on their own doorstep.
You can call 911 to report them to the police, if you like, although they are unlikely to respond. 911 isn’t just reserved for “someone is mugging me now” type emergencies, you can call 911 to report any criminal event. If you call the “non-emergency” number, they will just tell you to call 911 or to hang up and go about your business.
On a perhaps related note, Jay writes:
i wanted to let you know that even though the crime stats for wallingford seem to be level, i’m another point of anecdotal data that says otherwise.
my home near the wallingford / fremont border was broken into on thanksgiving day. i’m just taking inventory now. they didn’t seem to get much and nothing that can’t be replaced, but i can’t really shake
the feeling of being incredibly bummed at the situation. it seems that this kind of activity is happening more and more. everyone out there, remember to know your neighbors. they’re an incredibly valuable resource and are most likely really awesome people.
Be vigilant. They stole Jay’s shift-key!
If you are looking for some peace of mind and want to do a good deed, consider adopting a dog. A great big, loud dog.
Thank you for bubbling this up, Wallyhood. And let me also say thank-you for the droll tidbit at the end. Appreciate you lightening this depressing but necessary topic up whenever possible.
Grrrr. This is really getting out of hand. I’m the one who just last week had someone on the porch, talking about whether or not someone was home. Since then I’ve been even more observant and noticing more people looking suspicious. People walking slowly down the street. No dog. And looking at each person’s house and car carefully. And, last night my dog went nuts at 1am. We are on the high side of the street and he rarely barks at someone down on the side walk. Only when people come up the stairs. I’m on Ashworth, 3600 block and I’m worried. It seems it keeps getting worse down here.
This is even more disturbing for those of us who live alone (like me). Seriously considering installing window bars or something like that…
My car was broken into while parked in my driveway the weekend of November 14 or 15. Only a few parking meter coins were taken (not much else of value to an incompetent thief in this 16 year old car), though the crook did leave the door ajar and the resulting dome light drain killed my battery. Don’t know if it’s part if the door-to-door scam, or one of the “unregistered” individuals that periodically crawl through the neighborhood going between the U district and the Aurora Avenue hotels.
A bunch of us had similar ‘magazine’ salepeople over the last year, and here’s what we learned and how we’ve handled it… and an interesting anecdote that follows.
1. We’ve got a 4 block radius or so on an email list. When something suspicious happens, one of us emails the list immediately. Send a description of the person. Take pics if you can. Some folks even have web cams monitoring the house and we got a photo video last year too!
2. If people come to your door to sell something, legally they are supposed to have a solicitors licence from the city. This is a great first question to ask them!
3. If you have a NO SOLICITOR’S sign, it helps. A policeman told me that you can call 911 if you have a no solicitor sign and someone comes to your door to sell you something. (I’ve noticied fewer solicitors with the sign.)
4. They often come during the day, to see who is home, or not. I’m told this is what they do to scope out house schedules.
5. This is my favorite… “Do you have a solicitor’s license? No? Wow, just so you know, you should get one. Legally, you are supposed to have one. And I don’t want you to be scared, but this whole area is freaking out from some recent crime committed by solicitors. Really! In fact, I knew you were coming because everyone in the neighborhood just got an email from a worried neighbor who saw you a few minutes ago. Can you believe it! And I’m not sure which house it is, but several folks set up web cams and you are being recorded. But don’t freak out. BTW, what are you selling?”
Anecdote: I said #5 above to a young saleman last year… as he was leaving, I saw another salesperson actually knock on a house door, wait a minute, and then actually try the handle on the door! I shit my pants, grabbed my camera and got his photo. Called 911. They said they could send someone later that afternoon. (WTF?) Then I emailed the neighborhood with a photo and the story…and a pic of their van which left right after the two met up a minute later – driving awkwardly turning around so as not to have to pass my house. The freaky thing is that another neighbor responded having seen them in the opposite clothing! They had changed suits during part of their looking out into the neighborhood.
We had a suspicious magazine salesman come to the door here in west Wallingford about a year ago, matching the description of the man in this post. I haven’t seen him again, but will definitely be keeping my eyes open, now knowing that he may be back.
I had two very innocent looking women show up at my door this morning at 10am with a Holy Bible in their hands in the Tangletown area. I waved them on from inside and they seemed fine with it…but still suspicious that they are coming around so early in the morning.
I actually let the guy in my house, talked to him for a while. I have heard his pitch before, so I know it’s a legit company, but that doesn’t mean he is I agree. Also, I think we need to refrain from just referring to people by the color of their skin. If you would like to describe someone add a few more descriptors. I know how out of place a “black” man might be in Wallingford, but using that as the only description might send the wrong message to our neighborhood watch groups.
Also, I think I might have gotten robbed. I am missing 5 or 6 socks…I have one of the pairs, but am missing the other ones! Look for someone who does not have matching socks, that’s your man!
Mark, I worried over the racial identifier a bit. It does feel a bit out of place and does suggest a bad message, but then it felt like omitting a usefully distinguishing feature to leave it out (had I known the hair color of the women, I would have reported that). I dunno, couldn’t find a way to capture the information people could use in a comfortable way.
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,52332656001_1942613,00.html
I hope I copied this video correctly: “Searching for Whitopia”. It is worth the 4 minutes.
There’s a Kingdom Hall in Tangletown. Jehovah’s witnesses. I feel badly for the little old ladies who climb up to our door only to be told no thanks.
This whole thread is depressing.
@Entrophy’s Bitch. Yeah, the thread is depressing. But if you’re looking for a bright side, I found a printout of this Wallyhood post (minus comments) on the mailbox outside my residence. Our landlord/manager wants to make sure all the tenants receive Jordan’s excellent advice regarding protecting ourselves when someone comes a-knockin’ at the door again. Thanks, Wallyhood!
The ‘ex gang members’ came to our door. Very nice and polite. Commented on my ‘very large dog’. I suggest get a very large dog!! 😉
The magazine sellers work for a southern company that transports low income mostly uneducated kids which they bus to high income neighborhoods around the country to actually sell magazines (I believe). They teach the sellers a script which plays on liberal guilt, tell you they were gang members etc., only need a few more points and then they get some kind of reward or vacation trip or something. The company has been investigated but not busted. They give the sellers a small portion of their take, I think. They round them up the kids at the end of the day in a bus and take them to ratty dorm type rooms they have rented locally where they stay overnight. Then they drop them off early the next day, like 8 am, and leave them until 5 pm. Often they have no food all day and have nowhere to go until the bus comes. They usually do only a few days in a particular neighborhood and then move on to the next. I have been told this by a couple of the sellers, I invited in, and learned what I know of the operation from reputable magazine article published some years ago. They will inevitably come again. I usually tell them I know about their exploitation and give them some money — liberal guilt. I really doubt they are scoping out the neighborhood. For many of them I suspect it is the first time they have been out of their hometowns.