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Man stabbed after he yells at taggers to stop
5 people followed, attacked 38-year-old who had shouted at people painting on wall in alley.
By DENISSE SALAZAR
The Orange County Register
Comments 194 | Recommend 6
SANTA ANA – A 38-year-old Santa Ana man remains hospitalized after being stabbed early Tuesday during a confrontation with suspected taggers, police said.
This is just down the street from the thread stater's house in question. I'm sure someone will come in here and say that taggers and just harmless kids.
wow, thanks for all of the great info!! I really appreciate it! I am definatley willing to try and make it work for us, but all of my extented fam is so discouraging its unnerving.My mother in law lives in Newport in spyglass, I know I could use her address for schools, but its a bit of a distance I think. I also have a sister in law in Huntington and she said we could use her address for HB schools...I have looked in French Park and wish we could afford it, maybe to rent, but buying was the idea.The home I found is a colonial revival its 5 bdrm and on a huge lot, I mainly worry about theft ( break ins) and the kids, I have 1 blonde that might stick out like a soar thumb, also 1 girl that is only 6 and very pretty,they LIVE outside right now and I worry about them playing outside and crime.I also have middle school aged and other younger 4 & under boys. My 7th grader is a 4.0 student and was going to take all accelerated classes in the fall, I have to keep him thriving in a good education, for all of them too of course.I have lived in a city before in high school and found no issue with it or problems, but everyone in our family here live in really "good" areas of california and think there is no way we should do it, they make me feel like Im putting my kids in a warzone or something. I just dont want to live with an element of fear in my home, I want to feel safe, but we cant afford the "best" areas....I have looked into Orange and love it, but again, cant find anything even close to this fab home in SA...The area is 3 blocks south of 1st, more towards the 5.My husband drove by and said the street was lovely, big old fashioned homes, wide treelined street, but very populated lots of people outside, which sounds nice.He did say though that he would worry about me alone there. Are there alot of breakins? We are not flashy, drive old cars and dont have alot of expensive things, but my children are very pretty kids and we attract attention because we're so many! I would hate the boys to be targeted for being the minority and bullied....sounds like I have alot of fear, but Im just a typical protective mother, I dont want to make a big mistake, and I dont want to be scared of everything.French park is about 17 blocks north of there...the zip is 92701..Again thank you for all of your input, as you can see, Im torn and maybe I have too many fears like I said, but good advice to talk to the neighbors. Thank you again, you have been very very helpful!
OUr kids were blonde as well (darkened up as they got older). They did stand out. There were no more than a dozen blondes in thier middle school of 1300 or so students. It was never much of a problem though. Sometimes it was a benefit for them. They were 4.0 students and remained top students after we moved to a very competitive high school. While in school in Santa Ana, they scored in the top 90+ percentiles on national tests. We had some superachievers too. We ended up putting them into El Durado School for gifted Children in Orange. It was expensive but one of the two got a full scholarship. Awesome school - very small. They combined some grades so that they would have 20 kids int he class. However, John Muir was a reasonably good option for them until El Durado became possible. We liked John Muir better than ______ academy (a highly regarded charter school in Tustin), because the Tustin school was absurdly competitive. Mostly parents competing with each other through their children. We found it disgusting. John Muir was good if you stayed on top of what was going on and worked with your kids each night. It is not set up to handle non-typical children though.
There is a house for sale right now at the edge of French Park that you might get for less than $300,000. It may have sold already. It needs a LOT of work and it is on a somewhat busy cornet (Civic Center Drive). It is a very large and very charming house, but not in the best location. There was a smaller house that sold in the middle $300,000s in French Park a while back, but I think that it is one or two bedrooms at the most.
No doubt it is a risk for you. It could turn out horribly or it could turn out great like it did for us. It is an adventure and an experience that I do nto regret at all and I would never take that experience away from my kids. I think it was good for them. LIke you, we hemmed and hawed over the decision. Finally we decided to go for it. We figured we could always leave if it was truely awful. (We would have had to declare bankruptcy, but to me, money is just money, you have it at times, other times you have none - so it goes.)
If you do decide to go to Santa Ana, let me know. I will either try to get you in touh with people, or get in touch with you next time I am there and try to introduce you to people that it may be helpful to know. The mayor no longer likes me very much (I campaigned hard agaisnt a huge office building that a developer wants to build right near French Park and other historic neighborhoods and scools), but there are a lot of people who are active in the community that can hlep you out. I also suggeststrongly that one of you join the Santa Ana Kiwanias (meets wednesday at lunch at the Ebell Club).
Living in a City is not for everyone. Most OC people will be horrified at the thought. They are in OC specifically to avoid city living. Thus you will get all kinds of strident advice from people. We had friends from Newport Beach and other places who would not even come visit us. They were convinced that they would get shot. When some of them finally did and saw our house and neighborhood, their jaws dropped.
The area that you are looking at I think it in Eastside neighborhood. They have some of the best homes in the City. They also have a lot of low income apartments. That means that you will have good neighbors at times and awful neighbors at times. It is up to you and your good neighbors to ensure that the awful neighbors get chased away. They are not a well organized neighborhood. It is the neghborhood organizations that make things better. You could work to get them organized.
If you do go there, here are some suggestions:
Get a big dog (we had two mastiffs over 150 pounds).
Leave one large mans shoe on your porch (looks like a big guy is home, two large shoes and someone might take them)
Put in an alarm system, or at least get the signs from an alarm company and put them in your yard.
Have a switch to turn on your sprinklers from inside and out of site. That way if you do not like the look of someone hanging around your can turn on your sprinklers and they will go away. All sprinklers spill over onto the sidewalk a bit.
Plant roses and/or bouganvilla, or other thorny plants. We had 70 rose bushes around our front yard. Not only was it pretty, but no one wants to wlak through them.
Get to know and be nice to your neighbors. If they are somewhat scary, odo not invite them into your house, but get to know them. If they like you, they may be includend to look after you. We had barbques a lot and gave away the extra food. WE hosted an easter egg hunt each years (until the neighborhood association took over the responsibility). We watched out for people and they often watched out for us.
Join your neighborhood association and do not be afraid to take charge of some aspect. Get people to get out and walk aruond the hood every evening. Just the presence of good guys out walking around with cell phones discourages the bad guys.
Get to know the police department well. If they know that you are rational people who do nto call unless there is a real problem, they will come quickly.
Put graffitti removal on your speed dial. Any graffitti in your area should be removed immediately. That discourages bad behaviour.
If you answer a know or doorbell, go to the door with a telephone to your ear and pretend to be talking on it. It the person is thinking about harassing you or doing something bad, they will think again if all you have to do is say help and someone will call the police. WE tried this for a while, but no one ever came to the door except people that we knew, Johovahs witnesses, neighbors bringing cookies or wine, kids selling candy for school, and once a homeless woman.
These may well be excessive precautions. We were sometimes careless and had few problems. I left my $2000 laptop computer ont eh front porch twice and it was still there in the morning. We left our doors unloked and wide open once when we went on vacation (maybe twice) and there were no problems. A neighbor evnetually noticed and closed them.
To avoid breakins, do not be stupid. Do not leave valuable items in plain view. Do not leave your doors open (although I know several people who do). Put a security door on your front door. (if you reverse it and make it open in, it is not so ugly). Leave a $20 bill on a tbale near each door. If it is gone when you get home, get out of the house.
We did have a clarinet taken from the front porch. We also had some dog food and a few tools stolen from our back yard while the house ws being tented. When we first moved in some neighbor kids stole a big wheel. Once a drunk guy mistook our house for his and tried to get in and then passed out on the porch. We were hosting a bible study that evening and the group generally thought it was more funny than scary. Our wall got tagged a couple of times and our garage door once. We called the city and they came and painted it over within a few hours. For a while they tagged the wall every night and the city painted it over every day. I waited all night with a can of spray paint hoping to tag the taggers, but they never showed up.
The worst thing that ever happened is that the plice were chasing a guy and he jumped over the fence and into our back yard. He jumped over the back fence and out right away, but the police scoured our yard for half an hour to make sure.
We had a neighbor who was pretty obviously selling drugs. We called the police regularly and then called a neighbor who called the police and then they called another neighbor . . . etc. The police came vvery quickly busted their deals and then they were gone. You do have to be vigilent.
My wife was home alone a lot. At times I have to go away for weeks at a time. She was more cautious when I was away and we had neighbors stop by regularly, but she never said that it was intolerable or that she wanted to move away. When we moved, we did so very reluctantly. We had a great life in Santa Ana. We decided to move closer to my extended family so that the kids could now Grandma and Grandpa and to find a more wholesome atmosphere to raise our kids, but that concern as with Southern California as a whole, not with Santa Ana. There were other reasons, my wife hates the So Cal weather. We like rivers with water in them rather than sand, and clean air. We prefer woods to pavement. That kind of thing. However I spend about 15-20 weeks of the eyar in Sothern Ca. and when I am there I choose to stay in French Park becuase I like it there. I could stay with freinds in several different cities, but I enjoy the atmosphere of Santa Ana. We were not very enthusiastic sellers and we had just decided to take our house off the market and stay when we got a decent offer.
Two of our neighbors use to leave their doors unlocked an open all day. One stopped recently when someone came in a stole a laptop (they think it was a friend of their son's)
Our girls only walked alone anyplace when they were about 13. Then they walked together, took one or both dogs and carried a two way radio. We were very cautios in that regard. Mostly we went places togther as a family. We rode our bikes or walked most places that we went. I wlked to my occife and walked ot the train station when I had to work in LA. I put only about 4000 miles a year on my car. During the day we never felt uncomfrotable walking around; and at night only my wife and I walked or biked anywhere. (Mostly becuase the kids would run into things). We did have a hooker once proposition me while I was walking home with my wife from a club on 4th street. When she said "I am his wife!" The hooker said "That is ok, I do threesomes" To us - amusing and somewhat entertaining. To some people that would be horrifying.
You will see push cart vendors selling corn on the cob, ice cream, tamales, and other things walking around on your street. Some people are really bothered by them. I would not buy tamales from them (who knows what is in them), but the corn was good.
We were very scared moving in. There were some bizzarre incidents that we now laugh at. It certainly is not a boring place to live. You will see groups of gangbangers or what appear to be gangbangers walking around. You will hear about crimes nearby. You might even experience some crimes. We did, but they were all very minor.
When we first moved in a lady came screaming out of the apartments across the street and another lady came chasing her with a butcher knife screaming "I am going to kill you" We almsot put everything back into the moving van. Later we got to know them. They are sisters and both have temper issues, especially towards each other. They eventually moved away. Not our favorite neighbors, but not really scary once we knew them.
A few weeks after we moved in I wa working int he front yard with my 3 year old son playing nearby. I saw a group of what I was sure were gangbangers (baggy falling off shorts and matching shirts) walking along. I tightened my grip on my shovel and glared at them threateningly. Suddenly one of them juped up into our yard and came running towards. I turned around shovel ready only to see him grab my three year old who was about to walk into the street. The kid turned out to be a good kid who wanted to participate in things to improve the neighborhood. If you move to SA. Leave your prejudice and preconcieved notions at your old residence. Don ot listen to the prejudice and pre-concieved notions fo friends from outside the city. You have to learn to make your own judgements. You will quickly learn to sort out the good guys from the bad guys.
The hispanic culture is amazing and fun. Immerse yourself in it. After a while, you will learn some spanish words and your non-english speaking neighbors will learn some english from you. Most hispanics are great people. It is only a few really noticeable exceptions that make the culture look bad and scary.
If you participate in things, (reading lessons, easter egg hunt, whatever) you will eventually be appreciated. Rememebr that they think that you are suspicious and scary with your wierd ways too.
By the way, if you can get your kids into OCHSA (Orange COUnty High School of the Arts), you will love it there. Except for no sports, it is one of the best schools in OC. They have a jr high and now an elemtary school.
If not then look at John Muir Elementary and Greenville, MacArthur or Villa Jr high. For high school I suggest OCHSA, private schools or a different disctirct. Santa Ana HIgh might be ok, but I would not be inclined to risk it. Middle College (at Santa Ana College) is good too, but I think it starts in 10th grade (private school for 2 years?).
Man stabbed after he yells at taggers to stop
5 people followed, attacked 38-year-old who had shouted at people painting on wall in alley.
By DENISSE SALAZAR
The Orange County Register
Comments 194 | Recommend 6
SANTA ANA – A 38-year-old Santa Ana man remains hospitalized after being stabbed early Tuesday during a confrontation with suspected taggers, police said.
This is just down the street from the thread stater's house in question. I'm sure someone will come in here and say that taggers and just harmless kids.
That is about a mile away from the area that she is looking at I think. It is down near Minnie Street. Minnie street has always been a really bad area. For a while in the 1980s, the police would not even go in there unless they were looking to buy drugs. About ten or twelve years ago they brought in policmen from all over the county and even from LA nad had a big one or two day bust session to clean up Minnie Street. Thanks to the three strikes laws it worked and Minnie street was not so bad for a while. looks like it is time to do it again.
That is absolutely one of the areas to stay away from. If I had to drive through there, I would stay on McFadden. I would never go down Minie street. I would nto get out an walk around in that area, not even on McFadden.
The area that she is looking at is on the better edge of the blighted area. They would not want to go south very much. North is not so bad. Still it is edging on a rough area. Defintiely a place to be cautious. You really need to check with the neighbors in the area. \
By the way, how much can you spend? I have a lot of friends in Orange and in Santa Ana. Sometimes bargains come up but they are quickly snapped up.
300 S. Orange? Uh-uh, unless you want six homies instead of six children. A previous poster mentioned Lakewood and that may be a good option. Well located, but smaller pre and post 50s homes. Check carefully there, though, as some neighborhoods are better than others. You may want to go way out in the foothills to some of the newer communities like Rancho Santa Margarita area where you may find a townhome or "connected home" (not sure of the terms, two separate residences that share a common wall) in your price range.
Thank you all again!! wow, really helpful info, Coldjensens, I thank you for all of your advice really great ideas! we drove through the area the other day and I loved the street, beautiful homes, and the home we had our eye on seems really private, big fences and gated back yard, so cool! granted the next door home was deshoveled to say the least, but I am not afraid of people, I know there is evil out there, in any neighborhood! Lately we have been looking in Lake Arrowhead, I know big switch, but I have a criteria I am trying to fit, and its a process of ellimination (sorry,Im terrible at spelling) Santa Ana is still in my minds eye, beautiful home....Arrowhead may offer more of the lifestyle Im seeking though..6 kids is alot of realities, I have to consider what they want and may experiance.Thanks for all the great comments and posts, I have a whole new outlook on Santa Ana, a positive one.Thanks!
Bear in mind that you will often be standing somewhat alone to some degree. Your hispanic neighbors will evnetually befreiend you (some of them anyway) but you will never be totally in with them. You may have to go outside your neighborhood for playmates for your kids.
The area that you are looking at is a bit rougher than where we were. There are some very nice people in Eastside. I do not know a very many becuase we only know people from other neighborhoods who were active in the community or who had kids in school with our kids. There will be a lot of people who do not speak english. There will also be a lot of people who have customs that you may find odd or even annoying (or downright disgusting in a few instances). Again this was all part of the experience for us, but it would be a huge problem for some people.
IN Santa Ana, there are not a lot of play places. OUr kids played in a nearby parking lot that was empty nights and weekends or we met friends at a park or a tthe beaches. There are a few parks around and a long bike trail (should be accompanied by adults and never at night on the bike trail). You will ahve to drive your kids to play with their friends. We did nto mind that, we were heavily involved in Orange as well as Santa Ana
IN Elisinore watch out for schools. I do not know what good options are there. Extreme heat, smog and a nasty nasty commute are concerns. If you are going out that far, Hemet might be worth considering or even Julian. I cannot remember how far away Julian is, but it is very open and it used ot be fairly inexpensive compared to other areas.
You still may want to look at Orange, or perhaps better yet, Silverado Canyon. IN Sivlerado you have small yards, but the Cleveland National Forest is your back yard.
That is about a mile away from the area that she is looking at I think. It is down near Minnie Street. Minnie street has always been a really bad area. For a while in the 1980s, the police would not even go in there unless they were looking to buy drugs. About ten or twelve years ago they brought in policmen from all over the county and even from LA nad had a big one or two day bust session to clean up Minnie Street. Thanks to the three strikes laws it worked and Minnie street was not so bad for a while. looks like it is time to do it again.
That is absolutely one of the areas to stay away from. If I had to drive through there, I would stay on McFadden. I would never go down Minie street. I would nto get out an walk around in that area, not even on McFadden.
The area that she is looking at is on the better edge of the blighted area. They would not want to go south very much. North is not so bad. Still it is edging on a rough area. Defintiely a place to be cautious. You really need to check with the neighbors in the area.
you right on. Mcfadden is just one of the more bigger streets of sa that go through rough looking places and can seem like not a place for wrong person or someone not like people living in the neighborhhoods. That particular area and streets is like one of the rundown or crime ridden areas of sa. Some of the areas around are very packed with people probably most in the county city is in.
It doesn't matter what a good area is today. Tomorrow it will be bad like everywhere else in California. Californians are rats jumping ship to all ends of the earth. I even saw one inquiring about real estate prices and good versus bad neighborhoods in...wait for it...SWEDEN!
When a forest is burning you don't run against the stampede of animals trying to escape the flames.
Leave one large mans shoe on your porch (looks like a big guy is home, two large shoes and someone might take them)
ha ha ha I love your sense of humor - - - - and realism.
And hey - I hate to see that Minnie and McFadden is such a ghetto area, I used to live there in 1964 - 1965 when just out of high school. Mostly just alot of people who wanted to party, but not drugs, gangs etc. Just young peole with not much money for rent back then. Heck, sometimes we would go around to find pop bottles that we could turn in for enough money to get mac and cheese and a pack of kool-aid, and save the rest for beer.
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