Catastrophe Looms Over Sterling
September 23rd, 2008 by joe
When the government refuses to do its job and the citizens are left helpless, with no legal means to fend for themselves, you have a crisis of confidence. That, I submit, is the situation in Sterling.
Spend a few minutes perusing the most recent reports at the LCA Blog and you’ll get a vivid picture of what I am talking about. (Go to Sept 22 and scroll down).
The Sterling crime wave is in large part a result of our non-functioning Department of Building and Development, which oversees zoning enforcement.
As you can see from the LCA posts, which hark back to my June report, the scofflaws are operating out in the open. The government agencies charged with enforcing our laws are simply out to lunch when the jurisdiction in question is the Sterling Park area.
This situation can turn real bad, real fast.
Loudoun County needs to act.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 am and is filed under Community, Sterling Crime Wave, immigration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Lock and load.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
lnl, amen jack..
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Not much new at the meeting tonight :
Sheriff Simpson still needs more resources.
Miller still has fables to tell, maybe we should start calling him Aesop. Miller also called the FBI as he feels our crime problem, as well as our immigration problem, is a federal issue.
No updates on zoning enforcement.
I am sure our Sheriff would agree, if you want to clean out the criminal element, our rats so to speak, you must find where they nest. This is where zoning can make a difference.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Just a thought,
Would Sheriff Simpson notify the zoning board if his deputies told him of a housing situation that needed to be addressed or would he wait and let the residents of Sterling/Loudoun make a complaint first?
What, the FBI is not a resource center for Sheriff Simpson?
Sounds like a pass the buck mentality.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Both Loudoun and Fairfax Counties are seeing an influx of undesirables since the Prince William BoS made its county unwelcome to illegals. This is a big reason that our schools are overcrowded, and why we’re seeing an increase in crime and flophouses.
The zoning department has proven itself to be useless, the Sheriff’s office is underfunded and understaffed, and the BoS lacks the political will to use the tools that they do have available to encourage the illegal and criminal element to leave. I’m sick of the pathetic excuses at all levels of our government. If our elected officials and county employees are not going to act to correct these problems, then it becomes up to the residents to do it.
Major kudos to Joe for trying, but it looks like his efforts are falling on deaf ears. Also, he’s not there 24/7 to monitor
So, what are some of the overt and LEGAL actions that we can take to let the criminals know that they should get out of town? I’m interested in a genuine discussion rather than continuing the finger-pointing. These problems have taken years, if not a decade or more, to come to a head, and we won’t get rid of them in a day, a week, or even a month.
Lock and load isn’t a bad start. What would it take to bring back an armed neighborhood watch again? Obviously everyone involved must have a valid CHL, know full well the VA laws regarding use of lethal force, and have a great defense attorney on speed dial.
We also need to get the legal Hispanic community involved. Many are scared to report the criminal element for fear of retribution.
Finally, it looks like the foreclosure/housing mess isn’t going to be solve any time soon. I know there’s a problem with squatters in empty houses. How hard would it be for the Sheriff’s office to contact the banks and ask for a letter granting them permission to enter foreclosed homes at any time? That way they don’t have to wait for a warrant since the owner (the bank) has stated in writing that LCSO may enter?
Just some ideas…
September 25th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Spend the $350 to appeal (within 30 days) all of the “no violation found” determinations to the BZA and then if you lose, appeal to the Circuit Court. It is just a one page form to appeal to the BZA (at the 2nd floor desk in the County building) and I think the BZA will be very sympathetic. They have already heard complaints about the zoning office not enforcing the laws, or enforcing them selectively and unfairly. Get all your neighbors to come out to testify at the BZA hearing. The press will cover it, and it will make the County think twice about finding no violations in the future. If you lose at the BZA, then Judge Horne gets all the zoning cases, and he will listen. You get an automatic review to the Circuit Court if you appeal within 30 days of the BZA hearing. You can look up my BZA appeals, or Milari Madison’s appeals, to follow the format of what you need to put in that pleading. Then you need to make sure that Sterling gets enough Deputy Sheriffs–and for that, I think you need to get York on your side, because I think he has been a major source of the undermining going on–he is not fond of either Delgaudio or Simpson..he needs to help Sterling get the law enforcement it needs, and stop focusing on the politicians he does not like to see succeed… just my opinions here…