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Friday, February 05, 2010
Problem Complex
Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal
By 2010 Rozanna M. Martinez
Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
What started as a quiet afternoon at a southeast Albuquerque apartment complex last week turned out to be a powder keg ready to explode.
By the end of the day Jan. 27, five people were arrested when two officers said they were mobbed by as many as 50 people after they responded to a report that youths were vandalizing passing vehicles.
On one side is a new apartment manager, who said tenants there have made the place virtually unlivable.
Current and former tenants, meanwhile, said they have been targeted by a vindictive apartment manager and were victimized again by police on Jan. 27, subjected to racial slurs and Maced.
And the police? They're very familiar with the apartment complex at 1037 Cardenas SE, having received 61 calls there between April 1 and Oct. 16.
So what really happened Jan. 27?
Problem activities
After police received calls for assault, drugs, a shooting, a stabbing and a burglary there, the city issued the apartment complex a 10-day notice on Dec. 1 to clean up the criminal and problem activities. The landlord, Pasadena, Calif.-based John Tang, subsequently fired the manager.
Manuel Johnson and Tyrone Reese replaced the manager.
Albuquerque police Detective Ken Treece, who is with the abatement team, said Tang and the new managers have been cooperative and in frequent contact. Treece said he expects the complex's problems to be dealt with. If not, the city can take civil action.
Some tenants, former and current, said the apartment complex is still a mess. Members of one family, the Greens, said rats and roaches are common. They said they moved just prior to the altercation because the problems weren't resolved.
Lt. Jay Gilhooly, who also is on the abatement team, said there have been no reports to the city regarding poor conditions, and neither he nor Treece saw the alleged problems during visits to the complex.
Johnson said many of the problems land at the feet of a handful of tenants.
Volatile situation
Police were dispatched to the complex last week after Johnson called to say juveniles who didn't live there were vandalizing vehicles.
The Greens, who are related to Johnson, said he called police out of spite because the Greens and others reported the complex to code enforcement.
Friends and family of several teens there said they weren't doing anything wrong and were simply near the complex talking to friends when police arrived. Two teens were arrested.
The situation quickly became volatile.
Members of the Green family were there visiting friends. Shobre Green, 18, said she was pushed by an officer. The crowd, now numbering around 50, including 10 children, began to rush the officers, according to a police report. People were yelling and cursing.
Witnesses told the Journal that a 10-year-old girl was chased by at least one officer, grabbed by the neck and taken into custody. Police said the girl threw a plastic cup at an officer, but witnesses dispute that.
Police Maced a number of people, including children.
Police reports said the crowd became increasingly aggressive, so 10 additional officers responded.
But the Police Department has not received a formal complaint from anyone regarding the incident, said T.J. Wilham, the city's public safety spokesman.
Wilham said anyone who felt their rights were violated should report it to the department's Independent Review Officer.
In the end, Carmelitta Green, 37; Shobre Green; Davon Jones, 19; Tre'Vun Chambers, 15; and Ke-Ron Jones, 14, were all arrested, with the adults also charged with child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and conspiracy.
In addition, Shobre Green was charged with two counts of battery on a police officer, Chambers was charged with possession of a controlled substance, and Ke-Ron Jones was charged with criminal trespass.
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