A Sacramento vandal has targeted children in a recent string of Washington Park vandalism that involves cut swings and a sawed tetherball pole. The perpetrator is currently unknown. During the weekend of Sept. 24, someone sawed through one of the parks’ tetherball poles just enough to cause the pole to stand straight until it was used, falling down and nearly landing on a Washington Elementary School student. According to Washington Elementary School Principal Marilyn Collins the student was unharmed. Martha Damjanovic, a local resident of the area and owner of three buildings in blocks that surround the park, was surprised that she hadn’t noticed the sawing. “When 14-year-olds jump ov

The new cameras that were installed at several Sacramento light rail stations in May have helped prevent crimes and improve passenger safety, according to Doug Voska, a Sergeant with the Sacramento Police Department. “People want to feel safe when they ride transit,” said Voska, who has a contract position with RT. “If they don’t feel safe, they’re not gonna do it.” Because the cameras were primarily funded by the federal Department of Homeland Security, their main focus must be on terrorism prevention. But according to Voska, this has many crossover benefits when it comes to crime prevention and passenger safety. “Even without a uniformed police officer, somebody is keeping an eye on t

Introduction/Background: The purpose of the following open letter is to outline quality of life problems that many residential neighbors now face from over concentration of alcohol "entertainment" establishments in Midtown whether related to Second Saturday or other weekends as well. The article also includes recommended solutions to these problems but so far Midtown Business Association and city leaders have largely ignored them. This letter was written cooperatively by long-time Midtown residents, Bill Burgua, Karen Jacques, Dale Kooyman and Vito Sgromo, all of whom have successfully worked for years with many other residents to create a vibrant residential and business Midtown, which

Today I came across a comment on Bill Burgua's recent article about the Second Saturday Art Walk. Larry was exasperated about the crime he witnessed on our most recent art walk, specifcially citing the vandalism near his place of residence. He wrote: "The last Second Sat event I got graffiti outside on my apartment building as well as inside and this is a controlled acces building. Out of Control! City council talking about walkable alleys when we dont even have walkable streets." I often read the complaints from my neighbors concerning the escalating crime during Second Saturday. My personal feeling is that it's no different from the drunks and litterbugs I see roaming the streets ever

Residents of District 5 phoned in for the monthly “Neighborhood Conversations” conference call Wednesday night to discuss their issues, concerns, and questions with City Councilman Jay Schenirer. One of the first discussions of the call centered around the crime and vandalism issues Oak Park faces. One resident from the area was the main speaker for this topic, he asked whether it was getting worse or improving and what the neighbors could do about it. Schenirer commented that crime has gone down throughout the city and that it was mainly gang rivalries between Oak Park gangs and those in the surrounding areas. In relation to gangs, he said the city is using strategies to rehabilitate g

Last night the Auburn Community's main park had it's playground torched.  As an member of the rec district's board of directors I am obviuosly upset.  As a father and resident of the community I am furious.  Vandalism & delinquency costs a community on so many levels, from lost dollars and time, to lost opportunities and as was the case with a rock toss over an overpass recently, serious injuries and possibly worse. Whether in the heart of a city, or in an outlying suburb it is getting worse, and nobody is immune.  I so encourage anybody that witnesses any questionable activity to please notify the proper authorities.  Only by banning together & sending a strong message we will not accept

 "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust "Victim trees are located outside, near to or within a block of bars and nightclubs. The damage consists of twisting, cutting them in half or breaking off at any point newly planted trees of all species, ripping out the stakes and battering the trees and trying to break a tree by bending it over so far that it damaged the root system so much it could not stand straight without city arborists’ attention and help." -- Tree Vandalism, Dale Kooyman http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/27950/Tree_Vandalism Photos: 1. Vandalized tree. 2. Stunted growth of vandalized tree. 3. Grow

I was driving home from the farmers market sunday morning with my son and dog packed into the car and I noticed something strange out of the corner of my eye. I was driving down S street towards 15th and this is what I saw this smashed planter on the sidewalk. Sometimes SacPress stickers really really work for a situation. The empty bottle of beer only makes these pictures tell a better or worse story.  Please add a comment if you know anything about this or saw it as well.  

 This article is a follow-up to "Graffiti artists vs. property owners." Please see "Graffiti artists vs. property owners" by clicking on the green Storyline tab to the right. If you are a property owner in Sacramento, you can expect to be cleaning graffiti off your building at some point or another depending on where your property is situated. "Midtown typically has the highest incidence of graffiti," states Code Enforcement Officer Noel Eusebio. Midtown, along with neighboring areas, sees more graffiti simply because it's packed with people and buildings. Seems obvious, right? "Vandals looking for notoriety look for population and structurally dense environments," continues Eusebio. Sinc

 I took photos of it today and I am emailing the city. Anyone know more about how long this has been like this?