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

**bailey** · December-27-12, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Shollin

When you're short staffed, you have to prioritize. You think this store is the only store being robbed in Detroit? The city deals with at least 1 murder a day and countless robberies and assaults. Yes there are more important things that need to be taken care of.

Well, then don't bitch when no one wants to open a business in the city.

Shollin · December-27-12, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Well, then don't bitch when no one wants to open a business in the city.

I don't bitch when someone doesn't open a city. In fact, I've been one of the few who has questioned retail opening in the city.

**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.

**Danny** · December-28-12, 11:55 AM

When opening any businesses in the ghettoes of Detroit, have your own security cameras, bulletproof glass and a guard handy.

**stasu1213** · December-28-12, 12:39 PM

What is the use of having the "Shop in Detroit" campaign? Bloggers question why would businesses open in downtown detroit due to lack of security. I don't want anyone to complain when I continue to take my money to the suburbs to buy even the basic of needs. I give credit to Dan Gilbert and others who believe that retail could do well in Detroit. It is sad that the elected officials [[I am beginning to believe) throw a monkey wrench in the plans by pulling police away from heavily patrolling the business and hopefully to be retail district. Money could had been used to hire more police officers instead of buy an empty building from MGM for millions and spending extra millions to renovate it. It is not the lack of money that causes Detroit to be an undesirable city; it is the misuse of money by incompetent probably bought of officials that cause Detroit to be a poor undesirable unsafe city.

**Spartan** · December-28-12, 01:48 PM

All this talk about retail like Apple not opening downtown, I'm curious... has there been any reports about break-ins, theft, etc at Moosejaw or Somerset? That would probably be a better comparison than YOBS [[chain retailers, more similarly priced items, location, etc).

**Bham1982** · December-28-12, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by Spartan

All this talk about retail like Apple not opening downtown, I'm curious... has there been any reports about break-ins, theft, etc at Moosejaw or Somerset?

These are temporary pop-ups. There's no chance in hell that chain retailers are looking at the relative crime rates in some weekend Holiday display.

**JAYCR** · December-28-12, 04:47 PM

I just made my first trip to YOBS and feel like I was Robbed. ;-)

It's nice though...lovely shop!

**Spartan** · December-28-12, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

These are temporary pop-ups. There's no chance in hell that chain retailers are looking at the relative crime rates in some weekend Holiday display.

Why not? It's a retail store with an inventory, why does it matter how long it's there? Somerset has stuff in other parts of the year as well, not just holidays. If a Moosejaw can go 2 full months without being robbed, shouldn't that be encouraging to other shops looking to come downtown? Why would a grocery store almost a mile away be a better reference?

**Bham1982** · December-28-12, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by Spartan

Why not? It's a retail store with an inventory, why does it matter how long it's there?
Because it has nothing to do with retailing or market demand. Why would they care?

They've had the downtown pop-ups for the last two years because Gilbert called Metro area bigshots for favors. The Forbes family, which ownes Somerset, is doing it for basically civic-minded purposes.

Originally Posted by Spartan

Somerset has stuff in other parts of the year as well, not just holidays. If a Moosejaw can go 2 full months without being robbed, shouldn't that be encouraging to other shops looking to come downtown? Why would a grocery store almost a mile away be a better reference?

If you're saying that downtown businesses would be a better reference than midtown businesses, then I agree. Obviously closer is better. But, again, Moosejaw isn't a downtown business. It's a seasonal civic display. Ask Henry the Hatter or whatever else survives downtown.

Businesses want to make money. They don't care about holiday pop-ups by civic-minded bigshots.

**Spartan** · December-28-12, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

They've had the downtown pop-ups for the last two years because Gilbert called Metro area bigshots for favors. The Forbes family, which ownes Somerset, is doing it for basically civic-minded purposes.

If you're saying that downtown businesses would be a better reference than midtown businesses, then I agree. Obviously closer is better. But, again, Moosejaw isn't a downtown business. It's a seasonal civic display. Ask Henry the Hatter or whatever else survives downtown.

Businesses want to make money. They don't care about holiday pop-ups by civic-minded bigshots.

If you're arguing they're not going to look at them in terms of business viability and possible future success that's probably true, but I fail to see how that matters when we're talking about crime, safety and theft prevention. Obviously, other full time stores would be good [[or better) to look at as well [[Henry the Hatter, Wig Shop, Simmons & Clark, etc).

**Planner3357** · January-01-13, 11:36 PM

It's crazy that since I moved to Philly, how much progress Detroit is making. At the same time I read a whole lot of the regression going on. If Detroit could have some of the rebirth like Philly, that would be a big step.

**royce** · January-03-13, 02:21 AM

The title of this thread should read, "YOBS has been broken into 4 times since opening." "Robbed" connotes an armed robbery or smash and grab during business hours. Not that the break-ins are in any way better than being robbed. I just was less shocked when it was revealed that YOBS has had 4 break-ins and not 4 armed-robberies. A store to a certain degree can make changes to reduce break-ins, but it's harder to make changes to prevent random armed robberies. I hope this doesn't deter the owners from staying put. A store like YOBS is needed in that area.

**ScienceFair** · January-04-13, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by royce

The title of this thread should read, "YOBS has been broken into 4 times since opening." "Robbed" connotes an armed robbery or smash and grab during business hours.

I agree completely.

**corktownyuppie** · January-04-13, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by royce

The title of this thread should read, "YOBS has been broken into 4 times since opening." "Robbed" connotes an armed robbery or smash and grab during business hours. Not that the break-ins are in any way better than being robbed. I just was less shocked when it was revealed that YOBS has had 4 break-ins and not 4 armed-robberies. A store to a certain degree can make changes to reduce break-ins, but it's harder to make changes to prevent random armed robberies. I hope this doesn't deter the owners from staying put. A store like YOBS is needed in that area.

First, I agree. We do need to start making that distinction.
Second, the reality is that for many outside the city [[or state), one is just as bad as the other.

Though, after some consideration, I do see that getting robbed at gunpoint is a much more heinous experience than being broken into after-hours...that's like saying I got stung by 5 hornets instead of 20. Either way, it'll keep people away.

That said, I'm glad to hear that WSUPD has Grosse Pointe-like response times. 20 seconds? Wow.

**stinkytofu** · March-11-13, 01:09 PM

Great job by WSU police to help protect YOBS. Kudos to them.

It took two years for Michael and Peter Solaka to open Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe. It took less than 24 hours for the Midtown grocery store to be burglarized.
The alarm went off during an after-hours smash-and-grab last October, alerting the Detroit Police Department. By the time officers arrived on the scene, though, the perp was gone. The merchant called it bad luck, swept up the broken glass, and moved on.

After the third burglary in two weeks, however, the Solakas were shellshocked. Keeping up with the cost of replacing their stolen merchandise and shattered windows would quickly bankrupt the business. Something had to change — and fast.

So Michael Solaka reached out to Wayne State University Police Chief Anthony Holt. But because of Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe’s location on Woodward south of Mack, the store lay outside the department’s main patrol area. Still, Holt wanted to help. “It seemed as if the local criminals were just as excited for the store to open as Solaka was,” he says.

Outside the store, Wayne State police planted a bait car rigged to the rims with cameras, as a live surveillance unit watched from a block away. With three successful burglaries under his belt, the perp returned for a fourth. But this time as he walked out of the store, he was greeted by a swarm of police.

Since the arrest, Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe’s burglary problems have ceased. During an interview with police after his arrest, Holt says, the suspect gave a telling quote: “We know Wayne State comes fast, so we had to get in and get out quick.”

http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detr...-Boys-in-Blue/

**Oldman** · March-11-13, 05:28 PM

These interloping suburban interests coming in to exploit Detroit are just getting a taste of what they do to real Detroiters.

**stasu1213** · March-11-13, 06:37 PM

This is a method that the Detroit Police shoud adopt. I am glad that YOBS is under surveliance now. That is the best store in mile. I will still shop there when Whole Foods open in June

**Gistok** · March-11-13, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by Oldman

These interloping suburban interests coming in to exploit Detroit are just getting a taste of what they do to real Detroiters.

Shouldn't you go back to attending City Council meetings with the other enlightened ones? Actin' up cause y'all's boy got due justice...

**Hermod** · March-11-13, 08:17 PM

DPU would spend a lot fewer resources investigating murders and more time patrolling and aprehending if they would categorize certain murders as "NK" or "Needed Killing"

**Zacha341** · March-11-13, 08:44 PM

Do you mean exploit as in patronizing legal businesses occupying a space, paying taxes, hiring folks [[including Detroiter's); providing a bit of an offset to our fiscal deficit? Those interlopers? Or did you mean something more specific, ominous and detailed? Just asking?

What are 'we' [[Detroiter's) when we out of necessity go to the burbs to percure variety and options no longer available in the city [[especially with regards to quality food and produce)? Exploiting interloping 'urbans'? Are we going 'there'?

Originally Posted by Oldman

These interloping suburban interests coming in to exploit Detroit are just getting a taste of what they do to real Detroiters.

**Gistok** · March-11-13, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

DPU would spend a lot fewer resources investigating murders and more time patrolling and aprehending if they would categorize certain murders as "NK" or "Needed Killing"

Thanks Hermod... very sad, but oh so true....

Also... thanks Zacha341... very well stated!!!

**daddeeo** · March-12-13, 03:50 AM

Place a donut shop nearby for faster response time.

**ccal** · March-12-13, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Shouldn't you go back to attending City Council meetings with the other enlightened ones? Actin' up cause y'all's boy got due justice...

I'm curious, please forgive my ignorance but who is "y'all's boy" and why do I see so many people on here say that, what and who is that in reference to?