Expectant couple says Detroit home robbed after fire

**Zacha341** · July-09-12, 09:24 PM

This is the kind of thing that lets you know how base things are getting! I hope this couple gets donations to help replace what their 'neighbors' stole after fire was set....

'The Sheffields were staying with family to escape the heat during the power outages last week and learned their house burned down on Sunday.

"All the stuff I got from the baby shower, it's just gone," Brittani Sheffield said.

"It's horrible," John Sheffield remarked.

Even more horrible is how the fire started. Next to the house are two empty gas cans Sheffields say don't belong to them. They say a neighbor bragged about starting the fire so he could break in and steal their stuff, and it appears the break in was a community effort.

"One of the neighbors said there were vans like here like while the fire department was here. They didn't even give them the chance to really leave and completely put out the fire. They were here pulling up trucks just taking out stuff," Brittani Sheffield explained.

"We saw our stuff on some of our neighbors' porches. Some of our things that we had used to make our home, they had already taken them. Our washer and dryer was already gone. Anything that was probably salvageable was taken." '

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/18...bed-after-fire

**downtown_racine** · July-09-12, 10:30 PM

If its true like the victims say then that is some sad crap. Gas cans still laying there too ? One looked decent with a nice pour spout ! Neighbor bragged about it ? Wow

Natural slave fire phantoms.

**Crumbled_pavement** · July-09-12, 10:44 PM

What's terrifying about this story is that neighbors would be willing to go to such extremes to get so little profit, yet on top of that, it was a cinch to pull off. Very sad.

**Crumbled_pavement** · July-09-12, 11:06 PM

Now that I think deeper into this story, it sounds like there must have been some type of feud or rivalry going on or this was done for insurance purposes. If this was a neighborhood effort just to rob this couple the neighbors could have accomplished the robbery without burning the house down. Something more serious than robbery is at play here. Still inexcusable that whatever crime happened here could be pulled off so easily.

**Goose** · July-09-12, 11:54 PM

at least it was a "community effort"...... working hand in hand in the D!!!

**jtf1972** · July-10-12, 12:27 AM

This is why Napalm was invented...

**daddeeo** · July-10-12, 07:48 AM

Just warms your heart that we have such community minded people. "What's yours is mine."

**jpbollma** · July-10-12, 08:44 AM

These people should all just be shot if it's true. Wastes of human skin.

**Goose** · July-10-12, 10:37 AM

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

the family obviously had too much while others in the neighborhood went without.... it was only "fair"....... the nerve of them having a washer AND a dryer while some people hung their clothes out to dry....

**wolverine** · July-10-12, 06:21 PM

Will the family be pressing charges against the neighbors for either stealing and/or possession of stolen and misplaced property? Charges for arson?

**rex** · July-10-12, 07:48 PM

I remember the home across the street being baled The neighbors really came together as a community to pilfer the stuff on the curb.

**Zacha341** · July-10-12, 08:25 PM

UPDATE: Fox 2 viewer helps Detroit family that lost everything

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/18...ost-everything

**Detwa** · July-10-12, 09:26 PM

From that link posted by Zacha341:
Fox 2 was also contacted by a non-profit company called Southwest Housing. They say they want to help the Sheffields get into affordable housing so they can continue to rebuild their life.

I'm glad they will hopefully be moving. Makes no sense to move all of that stuff back into the same house for the neighbors to steal again.

**Zacha341** · July-10-12, 09:29 PM

Right! Even I did not leave Detroit, I'd leave that area - immediately!

Originally Posted by Detwa

From that link posted by Zacha341:
Fox 2 was also contacted by a non-profit company called Southwest Housing. They say they want to help the Sheffields get into affordable housing so they can continue to rebuild their life.

I'm glad they will hopefully be moving. Makes no sense to move all of that stuff back into the same house for the neighbors to steal again.

**LeannaM** · July-10-12, 11:40 PM

I wouldn't move back into that neighborhood for sure.

**Crumbled_pavement** · July-11-12, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by LeannaM

I wouldn't move back into that neighborhood for sure.

I wouldn't move back to any neighborhood in the city. Not only were those particular neighbors so despicable to do such a thing [[destroy their own neighborhood for so little profit) but they felt confident they could get away with it and with the horrible city services they were right. This sends a very powerful message to criminal class that you can do any and everything in this city and you don't have to fear reprecussions. The fire dept. didn't investigate gas cans laying on the side of the house in clear view, the police dept. didn't come out to question neighbors as to how they came into possession of stolen property, basically this story shows a breakdown of civility in this city on every single level possible. Stories like this should shame the citizens, mayor and city council of this city. However, they will all just shrug their shoulders and say "oh well."

**daddeeo** · July-11-12, 02:01 PM

I used to wonder why some people said they would never set foot in the city again. Can't imagine why.

**Dave70** · July-11-12, 02:06 PM

Those who stole are true ghetto scum. I'll bet the Sheffields got that house for a steal and were just trying to be good citizens. Because they weren't hood rats they were targets. Years ago a comedian [[I forget who) talked about the same thing in the hood, neighbors stealing your stuff if you left it unguarded... f'n bullsht! Yeah keep it up and no one will ever want to move back to Detroit.

**poobert** · July-12-12, 08:37 AM

Am I the only one that smells bullshit?
So if they heard a neighbor talking about stealing their shit, why would they leave for the weekend?
Why in God’s name would they torch the house after robbing it? Even for ghetto scum, that only increases their chances of getting caught [[which does happen).
It sounds like these people wanted cash instead of the stuff or the house. It’s called insurance fraud.
Now everybody is sending them money. Hmm.

**Scottathew** · July-12-12, 08:54 AM

This shit pisses me off.

If one of my neighbors homes burned down, I'd be opening my door to them and would help them out. But when it happens in Detroit, your neighbors redistribute your wealth.

Tree falls down in Detroit - people start driving on the sidewalk
Tree falls down in the suburbs - people get out their chainsaws and work together to clear the road

Why are some people in Detroit so disconnected from being a decent human being...

**EastsideAl** · July-12-12, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by 48091

Tree falls down in Detroit - people start driving on the sidewalk
Tree falls down in the suburbs - people get out their chainsaws and work together to clear the road

Ummm, perhaps most people in the city don't own chainsaws? I've sure as hell never owned one, or even used one.

**brizee** · July-12-12, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by poobert

Am I the only one that smells bullshit?
So if they heard a neighbor talking about stealing their shit, why would they leave for the weekend?
Why in God’s name would they torch the house after robbing it? Even for ghetto scum, that only increases their chances of getting caught [[which does happen).
It sounds like these people wanted cash instead of the stuff or the house. It’s called insurance fraud.
Now everybody is sending them money. Hmm.

I'm not buying it either.

It's like Bashara and the lady who's boyfriend shot her and set her on fire to avoid child support.

If the situation unfolded like the Sheffields say it did then it of course deplorable. I'm just convinced another shoe is gonna drop sooner or later.

**poobert** · July-12-12, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by 48091

This shit pisses me off.

Tree falls down in Detroit - people start driving on the sidewalk
Tree falls down in the suburbs - people get out their chainsaws and work together to clear the road

Whatever. You live in fucking Warren, home to this guy:
http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/688

As I posted in the Moving to EEV thread, when my dog got out my neighbors looked for her without being asked until 3 in the morning...even after I went to bed.
I’ve actually never had bad neighbors in Detroit. Go figure. I guess that doesn’t fit into some people’s narrow world-view that Detroit=bad, criminal neighbors and suburbs = Mayberry.

**Crumbled_pavement** · July-12-12, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by brizee

I'm not buying it either.

The story sounded a little fishy to me as well. However, the biggest issue I see is the city doesn't even investigate and regardless of what crime was committed in this instance, it's a cinch to get away with. I doubt this robbery/insurance fraud/arson/or whatever the crime was could be this easily pulled off in most places.

**jtf1972** · July-12-12, 06:55 PM

Something just smells fishy about this. It is difficult to fathom that an entire neighborhood would conspire for no reason to burn a home and steal their stuff. Either this couple is pulling a fast one or the things they saw all over the neighborhood that were theirs had previously belonged to the neighbors.

If for some reason this is a neighborhood from The Twilight Zone where things like this actually happen and the victimized couple is completely innocent, I agree with not being able to go back there... but there are plenty of other neighborhoods in the city. THERE IS NO NEED TO RUN TO SUBURBIA TO BE "SAFE."

There is a reason that suburbs are called such. The prefix "Sub" refers to that which is below. Subterrain. Subhuman. Suburban. Same thing.

Looking upon the city as a vast wasteland with nothing that makes it worth living in is not any sort of way to live. If that's the case, why do you even choose to live near such a place? The suburbs are but an extension of the city. If you view the city as worthless, then you are merely living in a meaningless place near a worthless place.

Enjoy it while you can. The city's problems are yours as well.

Besides, whatever you think of the city, the rest of the world views you as even less.