We live in an older neighborhood in Seabrook. One of our realtor friends jokingly (at least I think she's joking) refers to this part of town as the "slums" of Seabrook. There are no quarter-million-dollar homes here, but then we have the lake in our backyard, and it is a good place to live. No, ours is not a gated community. It's an older, established neighborhood of mostly $90,000 homes. Some of these homes have been inhabited by the same families for 10-20 years or more. Ever so slowly, though, our neighborhood is changing, and it would appear that the changes are not all for the better. I suppose that will happen when your neighbors are dealing black tar heroin.
There are two families who live, literally, right around the corner and whose main activities seem to be sleeping until mid-afternoon, ransacking their neighbor's homes for alcohol, and selling black tar heroin. Several of the families who live nearby have installed video surveillance systems, and they have video proof of these kids breaking and entering their homes, smashing the windshields of their vehicles and other assorted mayhem. There have been some rumors that one man films EVERYTHING that goes on around his home. Whenever Susan and I are out for a walk, I always make sure that I smile and show my good side when we walk past his house.
In spite of incontrovertible evidence and first-hand knowledge of the situation, there is little the Seabrook police have been able to do. Because of the way the (lack of) justice system works in Harris County, arrested juveniles are in most cases immediately released into the custody of their parents or guardians. It didn't take these folks long to realize that if the minors among them accepted responsibility for whatever might have happened, there would be no repercussions. Because of this, the police can offer no long-term relief. They can harrass the people they know are involved in criminal activity, but the kids understand that they effectively have immunity- at least until they turn 18.
We've been lucky so far. Since we live around the corner, we're apparently too far away to make breaking in worthwhile. Thankfully, these micreants are as lazy as they are shameless. Still, we are locking our doors now, something we've never done before. Some of our neighbors have grumbled about taking matters into their own hands (yeah, THAT would be smart) and I can understand their frustrations. I suppose if I were finding used condoms, needles, and who-knows-what-else in my front yard, I'd be angry as well.
Seabrook may be a small town, but we are not immune to big-city problems. My hope is that the police will be able to resolve this issue before someone loses their composure and DOES take measures into their own hands.
