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Residents, officials sound off on Sterling Park violence
Note: The Sterling Park residents interviewed for this story asked to remain anonymous, so they have been assigned the fictitious names of John Smith and Jane White.
When John Smith was a young boy growing up in Sterling Park in the 1980s, he would ride his bike around for hours in the evenings.
His parents never worried as long as he was home by dark.
Six months ago, Smith moved his family from Ashburn to Sterling Park because of its affordable housing.
But with the recent escalation in violence in and around their new neighborhood, Smith said his wife is afraid to even take their children to the park.
Since June 1, Sterling Park has seen eight violent crimes, including a slaying, two attempted sexual assaults, and most recently, a stabbing and two shootings.
Only two people have been arrested. Martin Jose Morales-Mancia, 24, of no fixed address, has been charged in the Aug. 29 attempted sexual assault of an elderly woman in her home on Ironwood Road, and an arrest was made in the June 22 robbery and baseball bat attack.
However, a suspect has been named in the Sept. 14 stabbing of a 25-year-old man near North Amelia Street. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is looking for Carlos Popo Hernandez, of no fixed address, in that case. If you know his whereabouts, call the Sheriff's Office at 703-777-0475.
Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson said his office is actively investigating all of the open cases in Sterling Park. Many also are being investigated by the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force.
Simpson said the June 7 slaying of Danilo Jose Ramirez-Vega, 26, and the Sept. 17 drive-by shooting that injured three could be gang-related.
Investigators believe the double shooting of two teens Sept. 13 could be domestic in nature, Simpson said.
The double shooting on North Argonne Avenue was close to Smith's house.
He and his family were trying to get home that night, but police had the area blocked off. Smith said he told deputies that he lived nearby, but he was unhappy with their demeanor toward him. He also said they withheld information about what was happening.
“If [the police] want to get the community on their side, they need to be a little nicer,” Smith said.
The drive-by triple shooting Sept. 17 happened in Jane White's neighborhood. She has lived there for 18 years and said she knows all three men who were injured.
According to White, there has been a conflict for more than a year between one of the victims and another person in the Sterling Park community.
“Both of these individuals have gang associations, but this wasn't about a gang fight,” she said.
She said the two have physically fought each other, but it had never escalated to the use of weapons.
At least not until last Wednesday night.
The other two victims were caught in the line of fire, White said. She added that one of them, who is well-liked in the community, may be paralyzed from the waist down.
Simpson said all of the victims in the Sept. 13, Sept. 14 and Sept. 17 attacks are expected to survive.
For Smith, knowing that most of the Sterling Park attacks are not random offers little consolation, because there's always the possibility of being caught in the middle.
“You never know when you'll happen to walk by the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.
Unlike Smith's family, White is not afraid to leave her house with her family. She said most of the young men who hang out near her house are just good friends, and they don't cause any problems.
“There's a great deal of love amongst these kids,” she said.
However, she doesn't understand why today's youth are so much bolder than they used to be.
“The kids now are different than when my husband and I were running around,” White said. “Now, when people fight, they're whipping out guns and knives and killing each other.”
She said she wishes there were more activities near Sterling Park for people in the 18-20 age range, maybe an under-21 dance club.
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) said he is happy with the way Sterling residents have mobilized to stand up to illegal activity in their community. They are filing zoning complaints and calling the Sheriff's Office when they see anything suspicious.
Delgaudio said he would like to see even better communication between the community, the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Office, including a feature on the Sheriff's Web site where residents can file anonymous tips. That way, cases can be built against criminals in the area.
Delgaudio also would like to see the county's planning and zoning department shut down overcrowded “boarding houses” in Sterling Park, where he believes many of the criminals are staying.
He said that as Sterling's supervisor, he is going to be pushier, nosier and more proactive than ever.
“When I get bad news, [residents] will find out as soon as I get the bad news,” he said. “I have to tell people the way this is. Being silent has gotten Sterling nowhere. We have to engage; we have to report.”
Contact the reporter at jwagoner@timespapers.com
I am really tired of the people of the community of sterling and the board always talking about hispanics in a bad way. For everyone's info we are all immigrants, this country is the native americans. I was born to hispanic parents, and have had family that came here illegally, and no one could ever imagine what those people got through to get here. People drown crossing the river, women get rape,children die of heat and starvation, and all they want is a better opportunity. Yes crimes are being done but there are better ways to fix them. When people say the hispanic people you are including everyone. We all have to come together as one. This is our community , we can't judge everyone. We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror once in a while, we are not perfect, no one is.
So please stop looking at just the hispanics, African Americans, Whites, Asian, Middle Eastern etc... commit mistakes also. So People need to stop focusing on just Hispanics!!!!!
Thanks
Posted by jessi02
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jessi02 needs to get a clue. It is a matter of public record that most of the violent crime is being committed by hispanics. Certainly not ALL of it, but the overwhelming majority.
But that is not really the point at all. The sheriff reported that he is having difficulty pinning down some perpetrators because hispanic witnesses won't cooperate with his office. Why? Probably because they are all here illegally.
Which brings me to my next point, jessi02. While even the 'native Americans' emigrated from the Russian steppes, and while we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants, and while we welcome LEGAL immigrants, we are adamantly opposed to having ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS in OUR community. It doesn't matter if these illegal aliens are hispanic, asian, middle eastern, or martian. They have NO RIGHT to be here at all.
To summarize: LEGAL immigrants are welcome. ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS - GET OUTTA HERE!!!!
Posted by PJ
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you know what PJ i'm not going to fight with you on this matter.We all have different opinions. Obviously you have it good, you don't have to wait around and see if a little job comes to you. You would never work for a $100 the most a day, thats not enough money to support your family right? People treat Illegal people like they are from another planet, I think that everybody deserves a chance. Yea I agree that the people that come here illegally, not just hispanics, that come and just creates problems and commit crimes yes I agree that they have nothing to do here and they have just stayed back home and do that there. But like I said I have my own opinion and you have ur's.
Have a good day!
Posted by jessi02
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jessi02....why are you bringing race into this issue. Who said anything about all the violence being from hispanics? I am a white american and my wife is from El Salvador. I understand that people go through a lot in their home country but there is a process we have here in America to come here legally. Why cant everyone do it the right way? Its my hard working tax dollars that help support the illegal community and quite frankly, im tired of it. When you do it illegally you put YOURSELVES in the danger of "People drown crossing the river, women get rape,children die of heat and starvation, and all they want is a better opportunity" I have no sympathy for these things because they wouldn't happen if you did it the right way! I do feel for the people who have a bad life in their homeland! Part of the reason the USA wants the hispanic population trying to come here to do it the right way is so we dont have so many of the "gang members" and people who had been deported for horrific crimes, trying to come into the country and starting trouble! I feel that if you want to come into the US, you get handed a rifle and sent to Iraq for 2 years. If you successfully serve you can then become a citizen because you EARNED IT!
Posted by 21staylor
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Jessi02, America has the best immigration laws around. We welcome LEGAL immigrants with open arms and we have laws for a reason. I do think some Hispanics in Sterling are involved in gangs like MS13 and are causing these problems. The crimes so far are mostly Hispanic on Hispanic. It is unfortunate that you chose not to see what is going on because you think Americans are being racist when we what our immigration laws followed. All Americans have a right to demand our elected officials follow these laws. We pay taxes and thus pay their salaries. They work for us. Sterling is going down the tubes because some of its inhabitants are criminals.
Posted by dpunty
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P.S., I am proud of our local law enforcement for doing their best to address this problem. It amazes me that Loudoun County has become a "battle ground" against the MS13 gang and illegal immigrants.
Posted by dpunty
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I'm not just trying to focus just in race beacuse crime is being commited by every race, even people born here. I know that there is a process to come here, but people are so disparate to get here for a better life that they risk their own lifes for a better opportunity, and just for a little info the majority of gang members were born in the US. Gangs were form back in the countrys and became bigger by people here. But really i was just posting my thoughts and people satrted judging them obviously i don't have freedom of speech no more.
Posted by jessi02
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I really see where you are coming from, and i'm not trying to ignor whats going on. I do know that america has laws and i'm glad because then this country will be really messed up. I do understand that gang violence is a big issue and really it is hispanic on hispanic, and its really unfortunate.sometimes i do fell scared to go out at night because i could be at the wrong place and the wrong time, and yes be need to fix that because we shouldn't feel scared to go out.
Don't get me wrong the loudoun sheriff deputies are doing there best to keep loudoun safe,and some are very nice, and i know that they risk their lives.
But its not nice to say " ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS - GET OUTTA HERE!!!! (PJ)
or give them a rifle to go fight in iraq to get their papers,that's just pure ignorance. we have to be considerate to those hispanics and other races who do come here to work hard. This battle is just going to keep going on. I do respect everyones opinions.
Posted by jessi02
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Born and raised in Sterling Park, I still visit to see my in-laws. It is disheartening to see how the community has slid from a tight-knit, well-kept, everyone knows you place to a ragged/run-down looking, everyone is a stranger, afraid to be alone at night community. It is very sad - growing up - I lived on the Boulevard, my parents lived there for 35 years - only when they retired was the home sold. Unfortunetly, it breaks my heart to see that my childhood home, like many others, is being occupied by residents who don't take care of the property and seem to have 10 more people living there then what the 1400 sq feet can handle. While no one wants to be racists, it is a community that is inhabited mostly by hispanics. Therefore, through the law of majority, most of the crimes will be committed by those inhabitants. We would have liked to have stayed in the Park, but 4 years ago we saw that the crime was rising, our daughter would be an english-speaking minority and we no longer felt safe in our own hometown. I think that Sterling needs to incorporate or have some sort of true infastructure in order to restore it to it's glory. The days of the Sterling 500, PVHS games celebrated by everyone, and walking to Safeway are gone - but you can regain it's Pride and Safety. Take a stand and regardless of your heritage - make citizens accountable. Period.
Posted by GlamRox
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