Crime forces Wilmington senior apartment residents to arm themselves, patrol hallway

It sounds like a movie plot, but it's real-life horror for some of the residents of Herring Manor. Residents of the subsidized apartment building for seniors and those with disabilities in Wilmington on the city's northeast section said they are scared to step outside their doors. They cite fear of unabated drug dealing and drug use inside the building.

Police acknowledge awareness of issues at Herring Manor. In a statement from their spokesperson, the department said in recent weeks they have received concerns from residents regarding loitering and drug activity. Capt. Faheem Akil, Wilmington Police Department's sector captain for that area of the city, has met with residents and management on multiple occasions.

The property's management said they are doing all they can with no money and an encumbered court system.

Unsatisfied with the responses from the building's management and police, some residents have resorted to arming themselves with nonlethal weapons and patrolling the hallways.

Like living in a tent city

Paul Davis, a nine-year resident of the 40-unit apartment building, said it's always been awful living there, but nothing as bad as the last two years. He likens the building to a tent city.

Davis said some building residents are addicted to drugs, so they let drug dealers and users into the building. Residents said they've observed drug use, people sleeping and human excrement in the hallways. They said they hear unexpected visitors shaking the doorknob to their apartments testing to see if it's unlocked.

There are cameras for security, but Davis said they don't work.

Residents said they fear what they may encounter when opening the door to their apartments. "You come out the door, and you suddenly see somebody out there," said the 68-year-old Davis. "If you confront them or ask them to leave the building, they want to get smart and disrespectful with you."

Police said last year they received 109 calls for service at Herring Manor, compared with 83 calls in 2021 and 123 calls in 2020. According to residents, calling the police makes little difference.

They said if the offenders are still in the building when police arrive, some lie and say they live there. Sometimes the police escort them out, but the same people return once the police leave. They have friends inside the building who let them in or prop the lock on the security door with cigarette butts.

Residents working as night watchmen

Fed up, Davis said he and six other people formed a nightly vigilante patrol to keep the hallways clear of drug users. "We'll have a stick or something in our hand or have a Taser because we don't know what's going on out there in the hallways," Davis said.

He said one resident bought walkie-talkies to contribute to the group's efforts to keep the building safe.

The group worked in regular shifts until the suspected violators caught on to their schedule and changed their timing to avoid being observed. And then the police told the group to stop, Davis said. "The police gonna tell us that we ain't got a right to protect ourselves."

Davis said although the police told them to not engage in these activities, there are still two individuals who continue the patrol. He said it's because they feel that no one is stepping up to help them including the property manager.

"Management knows the problem, knows the people in here that's doing this and participating in this stuff, but not doing anything about it," Davis said.

Management company said there's not much they can do

Danielle Darring works for AJpc Management, the property manager of Herring Manor for the past 10 years. The property manager said they are aware of residents' concerns, and they are doing what they can with no money. The building's owners are attempting to sell the property.

"We're working with trying to come up with some kind of plan that we can put into place with no money that will help," Darring said. "We have not been paid a management fee in quite some time, but we agreed that we would stay on until they tried to get a sale."

Herring Manor is owned by Union Baptist Community Housing Corp., a nonprofit corporation that is a separate entity from the founding organization, Union Baptist Church. The use of rent payments for security measures, including cameras, is prohibited in the nonprofit's agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to Darring. She said the camera system works, but the picture quality of the video is not good.

Unable to raise rents for security purposes, they are looking for workarounds, Darring said.

The property manager is also hoping to bring in another individual who would volunteer as a building monitor and coordinate with floor captains. Darring said she monitors the cameras from her laptop from time to time and will respond to calls from residents if they called her. But they don't, she said.

In the meantime, staff still communicate with Wilmington police officers who used to walk the neighborhood as community officers. These officers would regularly visit the property and got to know some of the staff and residents and their concerns.

Regardless of any of these efforts, Darring said, evicting offending residents from the building is dependent on the court system. She said they are pursuing the evictions of three tenants, including one who is accused of assaulting office staff.

Darring said the man was arrested twice after having "physical contact with an office person on two separate occasions." She said the person was released from police custody to come back to the building where he remains "a problem" while the case works its way through the legal system.

Darring said she knows residents are frustrated, but the post-COVID-19 pandemic legal process makes it difficult to convincingly explain that details of an active eviction attempt cannot be revealed.

In their statement, Wilmington police said they increased foot patrols at Herring Manor and make officers available to speak with residents. "We have not made any arrests in connection with these concerns, but our investigative efforts are ongoing," the statement said.

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Reporter Anitra Johnson's work focuses on actions taken to change, improve and give back to communities in distress. Contact her at ajohnson@delawareonline.com or 302-379-5786 with tips and story ideas. Follow her on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington senior residents form vigilante group to stop drug activity