YOBS robbed 4 times since opening 2 months ago.. told to call WSUPD for help.

**bailey** · December-24-12, 09:40 AM

http://thesouthend.wayne.edu/article...nce-in-midtown

Just under two months ago the Solaka brothers, Michael and Peter, opened Ye Olde Butcher Shop on Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit. According to Lt. Dave Scott, a Wayne State University Policemen for 35 years, they began experiencing a series of nighttime burglaries soon after opening their doors. Because the Detroit Police Department has an average response time of 24 minutes, Scott advised the owners to contact their alarm company and instruct them to list WSUPD as first contact in circumstances where the intrusion alarm was activated.

Earlier this month, the gourmet supermarket was broken into for the 4th time this year. This time, the alarm company called WSUPD instead of 911, who responded to the call and arrived within 20 seconds of receiving the run. The offender didn’t even have enough time to enter the building before WSU police arrived, caught him pulling broken glass out of the window frame in an attempt to get in, and arrested him.

Kudos to WSUPD for being competent.

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 09:50 AM

Thanks to WSU policing, but This is RIDICULOUS - they've been robbed 4 times all ready!!! Really? They JUST OPENED!! I was going to go soon, but I don't want to walk up into a robbery, should someone get really brazen.

See this is the main reason there can not be a full service sit down gourmet restaurant on say Dexter and Davison, or a custom bicycle store on Grand River and Joy Road or thousands of other streets and locals in Detroit! They will be ROBBED TO DEATH! To closure... or worse someone murdered who might want to refuse or say no.

We will have nothing nice outside of downtown or a few strategic spots in Midtown because thieves at this point are plying their craft as a sport!!!

**MSUguy** · December-24-12, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

I was going to go soon, but I don't want to walk up into a robbery, should someone get really brazen.

So robberies are down 30 percent, but NOW you're not shopping in Midtown?

According to CompStat statistics collected over the past four years, crime has decreased significantly since 2008. Robbery and burglary has decreased 30 percent, auto theft is down 53 percent, larceny is down 37 percent and serious crime has reduced by 38 percent. Scott credits the strategies formed in the CompStat initiative with the success of the WSUPD in annually lowering crime statistics.

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 01:23 PM

I was speaking from frustration - You dig? I probably will shop there but have not had the opportunity yet. Plenty of my money and for sure my taxes go into the area as I have lived near Midtown over 25 years and Detroit, well, all of my life.

The lower crime stats you cite is the ONLY reason in remain in the area.

I am thankful [[as I already stated) that we get the overflow of WSU policing to help keep the general area better.

Is the lighting good in back of the building?

Originally Posted by MSUguy

So robberies are down 30 percent, but NOW you're not shopping in Midtown?

**wolverine** · December-24-12, 01:54 PM

This is awful! Kudos to WSU police, but 24 minutes from the DPD is terrible. Detroit seems like the only place in America where your taxes do absolutely nothing. People always tell me how it must suck that I pay slightly higher taxes but my city will at least scrub the grafitti off my house and respond to a noise complaint in minutes and have near instant response if I'm a victim of a crime.

**ornryactor** · December-24-12, 09:54 AM

When I first moved here, I lived for a few months in the summer with a friend who was a WSU student living in University Tower. I've lived in college towns all my life and have a couple of university-police friends elsewhere, so I'm accustomed to excellent university PDs, but damn- Wayne State PD has inhuman response times. I witnessed multiple instances where University Tower desk staff would call for help or intentionally trigger their alarm, and there would be a WSUPD squad car at the door in UNDER EIGHT SECONDS. They had to already be nearby to pull that off, but still. I never saw [[or heard an anecdote of) a response time longer than 35 seconds. Great men and women to talk to, as well.

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 10:07 AM

Yeah, where it not for my living close to WSU I would have left Detroit long ago. I just can't be a captive in one of the 'zones' where police don't even drive by. The overlap we get from WSU policing ala Midtown has made my area better... so sad this happened to YOBS...

Originally Posted by ornryactor

I witnessed multiple instances where University Tower desk staff would call for help or intentionally trigger their alarm, and there would be a WSUPD squad car at the door in UNDER EIGHT SECONDS. They had to already be nearby to pull that off, but still. I never saw [[or heard an anecdote of) a response time longer than 35 seconds. Great men and women to talk to, as well.

**jerrytimes** · December-24-12, 09:58 AM

People should just starting executing these thieves. The city will never make a come back if this continues.

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 10:11 AM

Newsflash: the thieves are getting younger = teens. Mostly young males. It is new thing to hit up residences when no one's home. It's called 'flash-rob' akin to 'flash-mob'!

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

People should just starting executing these thieves. The city will never make a come back if this continues.

**TexasT** · December-24-12, 10:11 AM

So sad. I shop there almost daily.

And yes, WSPD is programmed in my phone in case I ever need it.

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 10:12 AM

Ditto on that...

Originally Posted by TexasT

...WSPD is programmed in my phone in case I ever need it.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-24-12, 10:34 AM

This is one of the hings that needs to be overcome or Detroit will not have any of the stores that many on this site wax on forever about. You really think Apple or Target will put up with this?

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 11:18 AM

Apple will be vigilant with shrink prevention [[transparent and obviously so). Even at their Troy store they have alot of deterrents. Ramp that up 10X power if you want to play in Detroit at this point. Thieves adore all things Apple!

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

This is one of the hings that needs to be overcome or Detroit will not have any of the stores that many on this site wax on forever about. You really think Apple or Target will put up with this?

**stasu1213** · December-24-12, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

This is one of the hings that needs to be overcome or Detroit will not have any of the stores that many on this site wax on forever about. You really think Apple or Target will put up with this?

I agree. Why don't the elected officials do something to protect the retail and business district that are not connected to the Illitches. It is strange that YOBS had been having trouble since the Solaka brothers showed interest in opening a market in that spot. First, they had trouble with the landlord who had filed bankruptcy or something to that manner; and now these string of robberies. Lafayette Foods haven't had any reported bad luck such as YOBS had been experiencing. I am beginning to wonder if these robberies are being helped by someone on the inside. The Solaka brothers should rent out the space above the store to stay the nights with a shotgun. The positive out of this is that Wayne State will help patrol the area where the store is. Grosse Pointe had been experiencing sucessful breakins recently so this is not only a Detroit phenomenon. Apple and other stores could still be sucessful downtown with private security or beefed up police patrol in the downtown midtown area.

**marshamusic** · December-26-12, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

.........Lafayette Foods haven't had any reported bad luck such as YOBS had been experiencing. I am beginning to wonder if these robberies are being helped by someone on the inside.........

Unfortunately, this is incorrect. I've heard that Lafayette Foods was victim of an armed robbery last week - and this was not the first incident.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · December-27-12, 01:37 AM

What I find most disheartening about Detroit's constant robbery/theft issues [[not just store robberies) is the deliberate acceptance of crime & ill-gotten goods by the community.
When someone you know comes home and they have money and/or belongings that clearly weren't earned, bought & paid for, I would hope that someone would confront them/ ostracize them/ call the police, etc. But I can't recall the last time I heard a report of a Mom calling the police and saying, "Hey, my unemployed kid always has tons of cash. You might wanna check into that." I know my Mom would, after she beat the crap out of me with her Louisville slugger, which she does keep next to her bed. Basic morality has been driven out of some neighborhoods; that can't really be fixed by external pressure, unfortunately. People with disregard for other people's work and property are the least employable people, perpetuating the downward spiral in those neighborhoods.

**KJ5** · December-27-12, 04:15 AM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

What I find most disheartening about Detroit's constant robbery/theft issues [[not just store robberies) is the deliberate acceptance of crime & ill-gotten goods by the community.
When someone you know comes home and they have money and/or belongings that clearly weren't earned, bought & paid for, I would hope that someone would confront them/ ostracize them/ call the police, etc. But I can't recall the last time I heard a report of a Mom calling the police and saying, "Hey, my unemployed kid always has tons of cash. You might wanna check into that." I know my Mom would, after she beat the crap out of me with her Louisville slugger, which she does keep next to her bed. Basic morality has been driven out of some neighborhoods; that can't really be fixed by external pressure, unfortunately. People with disregard for other people's work and property are the least employable people, perpetuating the downward spiral in those neighborhoods.

I've known Brad Hales of People's Records to refuse to buy merchandise that was clearly stolen from the little flea market that used to be on Hancock. He'd tell the perpetrators to try selling them at said flea market and they'd walk out with their tails between their legs.
As for YOBS, it might be time to invest in some metal roll-down doors or iron bars for those big, inviting panes of glass at nighttime. Not cheap, but it beats smash-and-grab.

**softailrider** · December-28-12, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

I agree. Why don't the elected officials do something to protect the retail and business district that are not connected to the Illitches. It is strange that YOBS had been having trouble since the Solaka brothers showed interest in opening a market in that spot. First, they had trouble with the landlord who had filed bankruptcy or something to that manner; and now these string of robberies. Lafayette Foods haven't had any reported bad luck such as YOBS had been experiencing. I am beginning to wonder if these robberies are being helped by someone on the inside. The Solaka brothers should rent out the space above the store to stay the nights with a shotgun. The positive out of this is that Wayne State will help patrol the area where the store is. Grosse Pointe had been experiencing sucessful breakins recently so this is not only a Detroit phenomenon. Apple and other stores could still be sucessful downtown with private security or beefed up police patrol in the downtown midtown area.

Private security would mean a 24 hour guard at the location. It's very expensive, you reach a point of diminishing returns in a hurry, cheaper just to stay away.

**Zacha341** · December-28-12, 06:56 AM

Yep. Which is why we have very few start up businesses in the city. Too expensive to do business here with the added theft deterrent cost[[s).

Originally Posted by softailrider

Private security would mean a 24 hour guard at the location. It's very expensive, you reach a point of diminishing returns in a hurry, cheaper just to stay away.

**Wheels** · December-24-12, 10:39 AM

Whole Paycheck should be a more inviting target and may take some of the heat off of YOBS.

**Honky Tonk** · December-24-12, 12:55 PM

Whole Paycheck should be a more inviting target and may take some of the heat off of YOBS.

Nice.

**SWMAP** · December-24-12, 11:47 AM

One of the quiet reasons that The downtown Hudson's store operation was shut down was that there was huge, unsustainable "shrinkage." that was in the early 1880'. Just a few years ago, Border's closed the Woodward St. Entrance to it's store in the Compuware Building. Customers had to make a circuitous entrance through the Compuware lobby. I assume the Wooward entrance closure was related to too much shrinkage [[shoplifting, usually). Also, probably too many pan-handlers trying to get warm.I will be interested to see how the new retailers address these problems.

**Zacha341** · December-24-12, 12:12 PM

This is 'precisely' why they closed the Woodward entrance. Phone stores in Detroit do not allow you to touch their actual phones or equipment only the plastic 'dummy' units. You touch only after you buy per what I observed just visiting a few of them.

I've worked retail work here and there in a pinch, and shrink is incredible. I was shopping in Livonia at a discount store [[$5 Below) and pilfered, opened packages were seen. I was like DANG even stuff $5 or less has to be stolen!! The cashier told me they been hit for the last 48 hrs and were struggling to stay on top of it.

**downtownguy** · December-25-12, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Phone stores in Detroit do not allow you to touch their actual phones or equipment only the plastic 'dummy' units. You touch only after you buy per what I observed just visiting a few of them.

Not true in my recent experience of buying a phone.

**Zacha341** · December-25-12, 01:43 PM

I was thinking about few specific stores that have bullet proof glass and the dummy cameras on teethers. They are not having you touch much of anything. When I was with Verizon I used the store in Highland Park but they allowed you to fully examine a working phone, but they had good security to prevent a grab-and-dash!

Originally Posted by downtownguy

Not true in my recent experience of buying a phone.