Man shot dead in Millville

A Millville man was shot dead last night.

The family of a 22-year-old city resident said he was killed last night after suffering multiple gun shots after he tried to break up a domestic dispute.

Renee Wright said her son, Keith Wright, 22, left his South 4th Street home around midnight last night, to help stop a domestic dispute across the street.

There is something wrong with the family's accounting of this story.  Keith Wright had a history of violence and criminal activity, the most recent being jail time for aggravated assault with a firearm. This idiot was sent to jail for 18 months on May 21, 2009.

The problem with our so-called justice system is  that a sentence is never a real sentence, and 18 months works out to less than 12 months. In NJ there is a law that is NEVER enforced - "Crime with a gun, 3-5 years mandatory". Judges continually ignore this law, putting honest citizens lives at risk.

I wonder just how long before a truly innocent bystander is shot to death in Millville because our laws are ignored by judges? This is the second case of gun-play in center city Millville this month.

More Violence in Center City

Besides the shooting on 5th and Pine saturday, there was another incident involving guns.

On Friday night, police dispatched to South Jersey Healthcare-Regional Medical Center (RMC) on a report of a stabbing victim found a 26-year-old Vineland man had been stabbed twice in his right biceps.

The report states the so-called victim was uncooperative. Let me inform you, he is no victim. He came looking for trouble - and we need to allow these miscreants to know they are not welcome in Millville.   The report did not state his name, but I will guarantee this idiot probably has a long list of priors. Vineland needs to keep their garbage in Vineland!

Police here are investigating three separate cases of assault involving weapons, including a home invasion-style burglary on the 700 block of North 2nd Street, over the weekend.

One of the incidents is the shooting already reported. The South 3rd Street scumbag needs to stay on 3rd Street and not bring his gang activity into our neighborhood. The center city scumbag that pulled the trigger needs to be identified and prosecuted. The landlords that rented together of these scumbags need to be identified and forced to remediate the situation of renting to criminals and destroying our neighborhoods.

In other news, during Dottie's Walk last night we discovered bullet holes in the siding of a residence on 3rd St. in Center City. It is time for the residents of Millville to get involved and help us make a difference before a friend or relative is seriously hurt in some tragic crossfire. It will be too late after the damage is done, and I for one will be hard-pressed to have too much sympathy. If you are too lazy to take back our neighborhoods now, don't come complaining to the city later on.

It's in the news

It finally hit the news. I wrote about it last night, talked to the Millville PD today and got the same infot hat the Daily Journal is reporting on now.

A local man was shot in the leg Saturday night, police reported Monday.
Irving Thompkins, 35, of the 300 block of South 3rd Street was treated at Regional Medical Center and released.
The shooting occurred around 10:48 p.m.
Thompkins, formerly a Bridgeton resident, was standing at a corner of the 5th and Pine streets intersection.
There were no further details.

I did hear the shots.

Shots Fired

Last Saturday evening, April 17, shots were fired in the vicinity of 5th and Pine Streets. I understand they wer from a small caliber handgun, probably .22 cal.

It is interesting that this has not appeared in any of the newspapers as of today. If anybody has information we would like to hear from you.

Police Athletic League and other wholesome activities

One way to help fight crime is to encourage your kids, and the youth from your neighborhood to participate in the Police Athletic League (PAL)

Millville PAL meets on Friday nights monthly with healthy and educational activities. Meeting dates through Summer are: March 12, April 23, May 14 and June 11.

Contact Judith Kessler at Silver Run School, or Heather Santoro at Millville City Hall during working hours for more information.

In addition to PAL, the Center City Neighborhood Group (CCNG) hosts functions for neighborhood children periodically. Tuesday, March 30 (Rain Date March 31) is our annual Easter Egg Hunt open to all Silver Run students. Contact Judith Kessler for a permission slip (slips must be signed by parents for children to participate).

The Egg Hunt will be at the Culver Center parking lot beginning at 6:30PM. A short CCNG meeting will take place in the boardroom immediately following the egg hunt.

Millville to host 2nd Landlord Training Seminar

The Millville Weed and Seed program is hosting the second Landlord Training Seminar.

The city is continuing its push to educate landlords on their rights and responsibilities regarding code enforcement, evictions and crime with a second training session for property owners.
The session, sponsored by the Millville Weed and Seed program, is scheduled for Saturday, March 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lakeside Middle School. According to Weed and Seed Coordinator Liz Nicklus, the second training seminar will largely be a rehash of the first session, hosted in September 2009.

"A lot of people let us know that they wanted to come out to the last session, but didn't get a chance to - so there's not going to be any new information here, since we're not trying to make landlords come back again and again," said Nicklus on Tuesday. "We're always looking for new people to participate in this."

What property owners found most interesting was the city's crime-free lease addendum, which allows landlords to add stipulations to their leases giving them greater authority over what is considered acceptable conduct at their properties.
Landlords were also briefed on their own obligations to keep their properties safe and within municipal housing codes, as well as how to request police reports for calls made to their tenants residences.

"Many of them, at first, did not want to come out for something like this, but they eventually came up to us saying that this is really about protecting their assets," said Nicklus. "This is, really, for their benefit."

According to city officials, a "zero-tolerance" policy regarding code enforcement, spearheaded by Public Works Commissioner Dale Finch, had resulted in 700 violations handed out to property owners between January and September 2009.

There is still time for landlords to register for this informative program. It is more than just propaganda, landlords in every case came away with new knowledge and the tools to help them manage their properties effectively. Good landlords make good neighbors, and one bad landlord can destroy an entire neighborhood.

Contact Liz Nicklus at 825-7000 ext 7299 to register.

What NOT to do

I have written previously on common sense ideas on how not to be a crime victim. This morning is trash collection day, and one of my neighbors committed and act that screams out "rob my house".

Just a note that last year his house was robbed of everything - and I mean everything. His family was away for an extended period, and the culprits took their time taking everything including the wall brackets for his plasma TV.

He is now replacing the items piece by piece, one at a time.  You ask, what was this he did to make himself a potential victim? He just bought a 32" High-Definition Flat Screen LCD TV. He put the box on the curb for everyone in the 'hood to see.

Rule #1 when you buy expensive electronics that are easily moved and sold, never advertise that you have them! Break the box up, and fold it so the unmarked inside is facing out. It is little common sense things that you do - the things that don't cal attention to yourself that often count.

Shooting in the 3rd Ward

There as a shooting in the 3rd Ward late Monday night:

A 24-year-old man was found shot in the neck in an incident late Monday night at Dock and Foundry streets in the city's 3rd Ward, police reported Tuesday.

Police did not release the man's name.

Officers responded at 11:41 p.m. to the scene for a report of gunshots. They found the victim with a wound in the left side of his neck.

These shoes were made for walkin' - Dottie's Walk

It is that time of year again - time to take to the streets to take back the streets. Join Dottie Wilkerson in her decades old tradition - Dottie's Center City Neighborhood Walk. Meet us at the Culver Center parking lot, 2nd and Sassafras Sts. at 5:30 next Monday, March 15. Everyone is welcome.

Dottie plans on walking every Monday evening, weather permitting. Please mark Monday nights on your calendars now!

More Slum Rentals on the way?

Two recent real estate sales in center city have concerned citizens worried. 412 E. Vine St sold to Ji Associates in January for just over $50,000. This was an apparent foreclosure going to the highest bidder who will obviously turn it into yet another rental property in what is one of our bad neighborhoods.

More disturbing is the sale of 526 N. 6th Street to Bad Real Estate LLC. It is one thing to be in the business of rehabbing and renting properties, and it is quite another to purposely name your business with an offensive name that is an affront to the residents that live in the neighborhoods that you are planning to trash. This property sold for $45,000.

We urge the city of Millville to adhere VERY STRICTLY to ALL codes when inspecting these properties for rental certificates. I am pushing for an ordinance that would prohibit a landlord that has been found guilty of maintaining a nuisance from renewing any existing, or getting any new rental certificate for any property within the city.

Slumlords, be on notice that we are watching, and will be reporting every infraction. Millville has an "Excessive Use of City Services Ordinance" that is being enforced.