An Everyday Hero
By Sophia Vailakis-DeVirgilio
West 12th Road
On Thursday June 6th, our West 12th Road neighbor Mike McLoughlin who keeps an eye on our house and gets our mail since we are still displaced by Superstorm Sandy, was assaulted by two 20-something year old guys who were stealing copper pipes from inside our house and trying to take a barrel full of wires from one of our sheds. Mike, not thinking about himself, acted to protect the property of his neighbors. The thugs both assaulted with metal pipes they stole from our house, which could have killed him.
About half of West 12th Road's homes remain empty, other blocks in The Channel are similarly situated and there continues to be a lot of home rebuilding in progress, which presents fertile opportunities for people with nefarious intentions. We know there are not enough police officers to go around, so it makes the most sense to help keep our residents safe with an increased police presence or possibly cameras.
Our properties should not cost anyone their life or health and my West 12th Road neighbors who are still there or have returned are feeling as if this is the wild west (Wild West ... 12th Road, in fact) with not much more than citizen protection to rely on.
We may not be Times Square or the upper east side of Manhattan, but that doesn't diminish the need for our community to be protected from being further victimized after Sandy.
In response to our concern for our homes and in honor of our Everyday Hero Mike McLoughlin, Danny Ruscillo Jr., President of the 100th Police Precinct Community Council has invited my Broad Channel neighbors and me to the next council meeting at the Knights of Columbus on Beach 90th Street in Rockaway, on Wednesday, June 26th, to discuss this issue for The Channel. Please see if you can join us because I'm making it my business to do something in response to this assault.
Remember folks, we inspired the City to get moving on raising our street when the majority of West 12th Road residents showed up at Queens Borough President Helen Marshall's office back on April 16, 2010.
We can do this too, especially after what happened to Mike, but we have to do it together!
Hope to see you all on the 26th!
Kindest Regards,
Sophia Vailakis-DeVirgilio
West 12th Road
.
That's Mike for ya !!!!!!!!! How lucky we are to have such neighbors..... My car seats 7 so anyone who wants to jump in.....
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