Two LaVergne men are charged with reckless endangerment, accused of allegedly shooting the owner of a Chinese restaurant with a high powered pellet gun.
The Shun Cheong owner was not seriously injured, though police say the pellet is still in the man’s shoulder.
Detectives say the pellets were fired from a nearby neighborhood.
Authorities say the business owner was actually inside the restaurant working when the pellets traveled through an open rear door, striking him.
The incident reportedly happened last Saturday night, August 14.
LaVergne police quickly responded to the scene thinking they had shooters in a nearby wood line.
Authorities identified two men who live behind the strip mall.
Detectives tell Messed Up they discovered high powered air rifles and pellets matching those found at the crime scene.
Unknown to police at the time, there are possibly three other victims.
Members of the Come Together Band, who routinely play at Tequilas Mexican Restaurant in the same business complex, claim they too have been shot over several weekends.
Guitarist Steve Curnow told Messed Up he was first struck on Sunday, August 1 while playing on the rear patio that faces the wood line.
Curnow also says three of his band mates were hit on August 8.
Curnow shows us a wound on his side that he says still burns, though he was shot weeks earlier.
Fellow Guitarist Lee Russell pulls back his scraggly hair and shows us a red dot on the back of his skull that he says bled badly.
Curnow says his drummer also reports being shot in the chest while performing.
The band members told Messed Up they don’t initially report the incident, because they were not clear at first if they had been shot.
Those questions were answered August 17 as Messed Up brings band members back to the scene of the crime.
It’s here that three members of the LaVergne Police Department are identifying evidence, showing Messed Up pellets on the ground, and pellets actually wedged in the stucco of the cantina.
Curnow, who is from England but has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, is still shocked by the turn of events.
“That is where I was hit,” he says pulling up his shirt and showing our cameras the round red dot on his stomach. “That is two weeks old. I thought what the hell is that? There’s blood. I thought it was a bug sting. Then the following week, we were on the deck again. My drummer stood up and I got hit in the chest. A few minutes later I was hit too, and I felt it and thought it was a live wire on stage or something. Then my guitar player got hit in the neck and it was bleeding.”
Russell says he knew right away.
“Something hit my head. Blood was running down my back. My hand was bloody. It felt like I was hit with a beer bottle. No glass. Nobody there. I knew I was hit.”
“This is way beyond messed up,” Curnow says. “I hope justice is served.”
Police tell Messed Up they are actively investigating the possible link between the suspects developed in the Chinese Restaurant shooting and the incident involving the Come Together Band.
If you have any information you are urged to contact Det. Bob Hayes at the LaVergne Police Department at 615-793-7744.
In the meantime, Curnow asked if I would promote a cause and a gig he feels strongly about.
Click here for complete information on a concert to help homeless kids.
Bob was the sheriff of Sumner County, a lifetime law man.
Bob was a great public servant, but he was a better man. He was a glass is half full kind of guy. No matter how bad the situation, Bob would find the positive ray of sunshine.
Bob was always busy, but he always made time for a friend.
I met Bob in 1996 when I first came to Channel 2.
We covered so many stories together; they all tend to blend together.
It didn’t matter what the issue, who the perps were, who the victims were, Bob made sure I had the facts to do my job. He was honest and sincere.
Bob came to a fundraiser in Franklin for my cameraman Al Devine, when Al’s house caught fire.
Gallatin is not exactly close to Cool Springs, where the gathering was being held, but Bob came all the way down, just to put a check in Al’s hand. The fact that Bob came to shake Al’s hand, put a smile on Al’s face.
That’s the kind of guy Bob Barker was.
I didn’t know Bob was sick that night. Like most of you, I only learned of this when I saw he had cancer on the news.
I saw him looking as healthy and vibrant as always in those campaign ads for Diane Black.
Then the news today that he passed away. I was floored. I was sad.
Bob Barker was a family man first and foremost. I would call to talk about a crime and the next thing I knew we were talking about his trip to Hawaii to see his grandkids.
Bob Barker is what was right about law enforcement and life in general.
I’m a better man for knowing Bob Barker.
I feel a hollow space in my heart today.
I know Bob is in a good place where nobody has to be arrested anymore.
Bob thanks for your friendship and service to your community.
Bob was only 55 years old. But he did more in 55 years than most people who live into their 80s.
Bob reportedly passed away at home, where he was happiest, with family.
How many of you remember connecting to the Internet via a dial-up modem? It was not all that long ago. Remember how long it took? Remember the frustration of waiting for minutes to connect to the Internet only to lose your connection?
Now-a-days, most of us take high speed Internet for granted.
They don’t on Piney Road in Dickson.
Residents along the stretch of road call the area they live the “black hole.”
They don’t have Comcast or AT&T high speed Internet and even satellite fades and is inconsistent.
Myra Beard has a home-based Internet business selling nutritional beverages and the Internet is crucial to her success.
Beard operates out of her Piney Road house, set deep in the hills of Dickson.
“We are rural. It is extremely vital to our business, which is Internet0based. We don’t get high speed Internet. We get dial-up and it is very slow. We had satellite Internet but it too is very slow. We’re in a black hole where nothing works. It gets dark, the Internet gets afraid and nothing works. A storm rolls in and we get no service. It is extremely frustrating.”
So how does she operate her home-based Internet business?
Beard has to drive 15 to 20 minutes from her home into downtown Dickson to go to the Dunkin Donuts, which is WIFI capable.
It is there that Beard and other members of her community spend hours every week getting on the Internet to do business and routine communicating that most of us take for granted.
“I spend six hours a week here,” she tells Messed Up.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to do this at home?” I ask.
“You would think so,” she replies, “we are a home-based business.”
“Yeah, you’re not a donut shop-based business,” I respond.
Beard said the commercials she sees on TV promising fast Internet infuriate her.
She says she has called everyone she can think of about the issue.
“A man came out and said, ‘Sorry. In your lifetime you will never see high speed Internet’,” she said of what one Internet company technician told her.
Messed Up made a number of calls to Internet providers.
A spokesperson for Comcast said the company is always looking to increase its customer base, but too few people live in Beard’s neighborhood to justify providing the service from the nearest cable plant, which is two miles away.
Cathy Lewandowski, a spokeswoman for AT&T said, “We sincerely appreciate interest in AT&T DSL service for Myra Beard. Please note that our DSL service is not currently available at this Dickson residence and we regret to report that we have no immediate plans to deploy service in this area. Our deployment decisions are based on a number of factors, such as population density on an area, cost of equipment to provide the service, etc. We monitor these and other factors for any changes and modify our plans when appropriate.
Please note that satellite service is available at this address. Myra may call 1-866-798-4787 if she would like additional information about this satellite service.”
Beard says she has called every number, including the one referenced above, and so far no one has an answer for her.
Messed Up called the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, which indicated it doesn’t handle this type of issue.
Officials then directed us to an organization known as Connected Tennessee. Beard says an official with that agency is at least willing to investigate and reports many other complaints on this same issue.
Deanna Ward works for Connected Tennessee, a not-for-profit group that studies, maps and logs technology across Tennessee.
She tells me that Dickson is a problem county for many citizens around the I-40 corridor.
“We are very aware of the lack of broadband, especially in Dickson,” she said. “We have put together teams and we are sharing information with technology providers, but it has been an uphill battle.”
Ward encourages residents to visit their Web site, ConnectedTN.org, which has much more information on the issue and places you can find help.
Imagine going through life with a name so synonymous with a fictional character that it actually prevents you from doing every day things like joining Facebook or making hotel arrangements.
James Glenn Bond is a carpet store owner in Franklin. The 50-year-old says he was born two years before the first James Bond movie came out.
“My name is Bond, James Bond,” the Williamson County School board member said with a smile on his face.
Bond is running for reelection and like all candidates, getting exposure is important.
Holding a red sign that states, “Elect James Bond, Williamson County School Board District 12,” Bond tells Messed Up he is losing campaign signs at an alarming rate.
He says he’s probably out $400 on signs so far.
“People take them. They are a collector’s item. I started with 50 signs, now I have 13 left,” he said. “I lost 12 in one night.”
Bond says he had the same problem with missing campaign signs years ago, and tells me a funny story about that.
“I went into a house to measure. I own a carpet store, so I was measuring the floor, I walk in and I see one of my signs on this guy’s wall. I said dude that is my sign and he says, ‘What can I say?’ So we laughed. It was after the election so I signed the sign and sold the man some carpet,” he recalled.
I ask Bond if he called the police. He says he did but they didn’t initially treat the report very seriously.
“They said they can’t do anything unless someone is caught,” he said.
I call the police and ask about the police report for the stolen campaign signs.
Authorities tell me there is no police report on record.
I call Mr. Bond back and he said investigators called him to take a report after Messed Up got involved.
Bond says being James Bond causes problems for him outside the world of campaign signs.
“Every time the phone book comes out my wife gets crank phone calls. If I try to make a hotel reservation, it’s impossible. They think it’s a crank. I can’t even get a Facebook account. They say James Bond is fictional. Five hundred million people are on Facebook and I can’t get one.”
Why not change your name to “Jimmy” or “Jimbo” I ask.
“Because I was born James Bond,” he said.
“So I call out, ‘Hey Jimmy,’ you don’t even turn around?”
The Better Business Bureau is warning all consumers tonight to be on guard against an Atlanta roofing company with an “F” rating and dozens of complaints in multiple states.
Messed Up has been looking into the American Shingle Company for several weeks.
We initially spoke with a woman who signed over a $4,300 dollar insurance check to the company in early June.
When she had 2nd thoughts, she cancelled her contract in 2 days, as the contract indicated she could. She claims the company said her money would be returned promptly. That was weeks ago and she is still waiting.
We called the company in behalf of Margaret Sweatt.
As it relates to Sweatt’s roof; Jamie Werner, a Public Relations official writes:
““Under our normal process we request that the customer sign a release of liability at which time we refund the customers money. We communicate regularly with all of our customers especially when there is a refund request. These refunds are handled by our accounting department and are processed in a timely manner. This may have been an oversight in accounting; her money will be promptly refunded.”
That communication from the PR lady was on Wednesday 7/21/10. As of Friday 7/23/10, Mrs. Sweatt tells MESSED UP she has had NO communication from the company.
That doesn’t surprise Greg Turner. The 42 year old worked for American Shingle for 5 months, from February till June.
“They said call yourself an insurance replacement specialist,” Turner says. “But what we were was really salesmen.”
According to the Rutherford County man, his job was simple; go to a neighborhood and convince homeowners they needed a new roof whether they needed one or not.
“Basically we would go find an area and knock on doors. It doesn’t matter if there is damage or not. Just get them on paper.”
“What was the bottom line?” I asked.
“To get as many people signed up as possible.”
Turner says it should only take a week at most to put on a roof. He says American Shingle is averaging an unacceptable 12-15 weeks.
Why so long?
According to Turner, American Shingle deliberately uses stall tactics to maximize profits earned on the insurance checks collected from home owners like Margaret Sweatt.
“I asked numerous times, if we could speed up the process to put on the roofs,” Turner says. “And this comes from the corporate office; they will not change it. They told me they put the money into an account and draw interest on it as long as they can. On a $5,000 roof, that is not much interest, but they want you to get 10 to 20 customers every week, and there are 20 other salesmen getting 15 to 20 people and that adds up and could mean millions in interest each year.”
“So you allege, they are about getting money into a pot, making interest and returning the interest?”
“Right, the idea is earn interest on the money. Now they will do the roof, but it takes forever, they don’t care some customers have major leaks going on.”
We asked P.R. person Jamie Werner in Atlanta about this allegation:
“In response to your last question, American Shingle does not receive interest on deposits collected from homeowners. The funds are used to install customer roofs or are refunded from one of the companies accounts.”
Kathleen Calligan at the BBB of Middle Tennessee says
“For a company to put money in anything other than an interest bearing account would be very unusual.”
The BBB says they have an F record … How do they respond?
And when asked about the BBB “F” rating; Jamie Werner has this to say:
“ASSI is working with the BBB to merge their rating. We currently have less than .005% complaints as compared to the number of customers. We have withdrawn our membership from the BBB in 4 markets because of this seemingly unfair evaluation. The BBB is currently trying to consolidate all markets into Atlanta for improved communication and a fair as well as an accurate rating.
We are confused by how the Nashville BBB has come to that conclusion, there is currently only one complaint registered with the BBB. All work will be performed as contracted and scheduled. Some customers have experienced delays due to the large volume of storm damage in their area and it is our commitment to the customer to use only trusted and quality installers.
Again as stated previously, we currently have less than .005% complaints as compared to the number of customers. We have withdrawn our membership from the BBB in 4 markets because of this seemingly unfair evaluation process. Any large organization will appear to have a large number of complaints but will in fact have a very low complaint ratio.
Kathleen Calligan responds thusly: “The BBB business rating algorithm does contain size of company element…but even if the company is a mega dollar business it’s the 50 complaints of the same nature that are important to customer satisfaction…Put the roof on or give the consumer a refund….If the company is this large and growing at such a fast rate…and that’s why they can’t perform the roofing jobs…why continue to solicit more customers?”
Mr. Turner says he came forward because he wants to help the customers he represented, some of whom are elderly.
Turner says he has his cell phone on and all his customers can call him day or night.
Turner says he was fired from the roofing company because he didn’t like how customers were being treated…when he stopped selling for a week…the company let him go. The company owes him close to $2,000 dollars he says.
When Messed Up visited the Metroplex office of American Shingle here in Nashville, we discovered a secretary in a Spartan room, with a desk and a computer. There was an ancillary room where a group of
people were inside apparently in a classroom like setting.
We asked Turner what they were doing in there. Turner says they were addressing issues, sales numbers and rehearsing their role playing.
Role Playing I asked.
Turner says they have come up with a script of issues consumers regularly have during the sales pitch, and the sales force practices these rebuttals to convince the homeowners to make a deal.
Click here to see the rebuttal list as supplied by Mr. Turner.
Stephen writes,
I sure wished you could have used my story about American Shingle. My request may have been one of many. I was just curious if others have contacted you besides the woman listed in the newscast. I want to thank you for highlighting the fraud of a company that American Shingle is. If there is any certain contact person or number you could share with me to get my deposit refunded, I sure would appreciate it. I have kept copies of e-mail from the company and talked to people at the local office, the Georgia office and two calls were transferred to North Carolina and Colorado. Evidently those have a racquet running in every state. (Just collect the money and do nothing else). Luckily my roof is not leaking but I do have shingles missing from wind and hail damage. I just want to get my $2,600+ deposit back and move on to a decent company that will actually come out and do the work. Please help me, if possible. THANKS again.
Andy,
Darn right they are messed up. I quit their company 2 weeks ago after realizing they were screwing my customers. The first roof that I sold 3 months ago still has not been installed and now that customer hates me; can you blame him?
Not only would they not take or return my customer’s calls, THEY WOULD NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT PROBLEMS EITHER!!! AND, I’ve been screwed out of pay.
Amazing. You are welcome to call on me, if you would like, for further.
Thank you so much for working on this story. I was beginning to feel like the Lone Ranger.
Thank you for your report on tonight’s (July 21, 2010) news.
I just sent the news link to
State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual and USAA
I had 6 bogus claims filed by an employee of American Shingles this month.
Mostly all of the claims are from uninformed homeowners who thought this company had their best interest in mind
What was fortunate is none of these homeowners paid any money to this contractor.
The employee is (omitted) with American Shingles @ xxx-431-3582 this number is most likely a back line as she does answer directly.
On my last inspection in Clarksville this past Tuesday 7/20/2010 the salesperson from American Shingle called, asked the homeowner the name of the adjuster and quickly cancelled the appointment.
I had one claim from May who used American Shingle. The homeowner called to complain about the work…I had to send her to the BBB as it was too late for our office to step in and review the estimate before work began.
Please do not use my name since I am looking into predatory practices by several of these companies around Fort Campbell.
Many Thanks
Brenita writes,
The weekend of the flood a representative from American Shingle knocked on my door and asked me if I had hail or wind damage on my roof, and that they could work with my insurance company to get the roof fixed. American Shingle said they had a form signed and they were the only ones who could do the work. Since American Shingle claimed they were the only ones who could get my roof fixed with my insurance company I felt trapped in the deal. At that time I checked American Shingle with the BBB and their rating was o.k. so I decided to go alone with it and have them repair the roof. I had an adjuster from my insurance company come out and they determined that yes the roof needs to be repaired. My insurance company wrote me a check for an estimated $1,069 in damages. I then signed a contract with American Shingle and they originally told me they’d be back by my house in one week to begin the project. One week past and I heard nothing from American Shingle. So I called to ask when the work would begin and they told me it wouldn’t begin until September 9th. I was not happy with American Shingle changing the start date to four months later then I had anticipated. If I had not made the initiative to call them I wouldn’t have know they changed the date. After hearing about News 2’s consumer warning on American Shingle from my brother, I decided to cancel the deal. Today July 22, 2010 I called American Shingle and was transfer over and over to a voicemail, no one would speak with me regarding my issue. After numerous attempts I finally got someone on the phone. They tried to convince me to stay with them and just wait to get my roof fixed. Now my money is tied up with American Shingle and my house cannot wait to be fixed. As of now American Shingle said they are working on a refund. But I have not received it yet.
The Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee is issuing a consumer warning tonight about an Atlanta based roofing company.
The BBB says American Shingle LLC collects insurance money for roof repairs but fails to begin work as promised.
The July 12th press release from the watch dog agency indicates there are dozens of complaints in Georgia, and a growing number here in Tennessee.
The BBB gives the company an F rating.
Jamie Werner is the Public Relations Director for American Shingle.
By email we asked Werner bout the BBB rating and warning to consumers: Werner writes:
We are working very closely with the BBB in Atlanta and Fred Elsberry to resolve all outstanding issues that we currently may have. Our rating is currently based on an algorithm for a much smaller company. We have experienced explosive growth over the last year and are working to get our current revenue number included in the algorithm which will result in a higher rating.
We asked Werner about the company’s alleged track record for taking money and then not doing work.
Werner writes: If I am not mistaken, that “track record” was based off of one complaint. We do provide roofs to people and are working through a slight back log based on our explosive growth. We stay in constant contact with all of our customers.
Margaret Sweatt would beg to differ. After the floods, she says a sales associate from American Shingle approached her husband in the front yard of her Madison home. Sweatt says the man said he could work with Sweatt’s insurance company and help them get a new roof.
Sweatt said ok, and in no time, American Shingle was working with her insurance agent to make that happen. The insurance company wrote Sweatt a $4,300 dollar check, which Sweatt says she signed over to the company.
Sweatt says the contract allowed for her to cancel the deal within three days and she says she did. That was weeks ago, and she says no matter what she does, she cannot get satisfaction from the company.
“I called on the second business day,” Sweatt tells us. “And I said I want to cancel.”
“Why?” I ask.
“It just didn’t feel right,” she says.
She says a company spokesman told her they would send her a check in two to three weeks. Well it’s been almost two months and so far nothing.
“They are behind. I have called them numerous times. All I want is my money back.”
Jamie Werner of American Shingle has this to say about Margaret Sweatt’s case:
“This may have been an oversight in accounting; her money will be promptly refunded.”
The BBB says the company has over 50 complaints. Werner says: “We don’t believe that the number of complaints is that large when looked at in the context of a 75 million revenue company that has installed thousands of roofs. But please don’t misunderstand, we take every complaint seriously and want every customer to be happy. At the end of the day we are striving to have an A rating in every territory that we are in.”
News 2 and Messed Up have been inundated recently with a string of emails from concerned citizens about the homeless problem in downtown Nashville.
A vast majority of these residents, civic leaders, and business owners have written to Nashville Mayor Karl Dean to see if a dialogue can be developed that will eventually lead to a plan that works for everyone.
Many of these citizens tell Messed Up they have communicated with the police force and other agencies in the city, but they want to hear from the mayor to see what his strategy is.
One of these concerned citizens is Carolyn Ridley who lives in the upscale Cumberland building on Church Street.
Ridley says she and her husband are trying to sell their penthouse but the homeless population at the park across the street is severely jeopardizing that possibility.
“I love living downtown. There is a lot to do. We are so close to everything. For various reasons we are selling. But I am concerned. A realtor brought buy a buyer, she rode by the park, and the
Prequalified buyer saw the homeless, and she said I don’t want to go in the building. She said this scares me enough, if I have to be here, I don’t want to look here as a place to live.”
Ridley and other residents tell Messed Up city’s like Brentwood and Belle Meade wouldn’t accept this, and neither should residents’ downtown who pay an extra tax to live here.
“I have a lot of compassion for the homeless. We need solutions. I wrote to the mayor to suggest solutions. We need solutions that reflect compassion for homeless but wont compromise our life styles or our property values or diminish property values, and won’t effect economic development for the city of Nashville.”
Ridley talks about angry confrontations with vagrants while walking her dogs. She talks about having the police number programmed into her speed dial just in case. She talks about watching homeless people washing their clothes in the downtown fountain and it taking hours for the police to respond.
“I think we need the mayor, and the urban residential association to get involved. There have been many emails to fix the problem.
I have written the Mayor, and I would like a response. Thus far the mayor has not responded. I am concerned about that.”
RJ Stillwell is CEO and Founding Partner of Sound Healthcare. He too lives in the Cumberland and he was a mayor supporter during the election. Now Stillwell says it is time for the mayor to get involved.
“Downtown residents generate a lot of tax revenue. Downtown represents an image for the city. We love being pioneers. But there is no concerted effort between government and law enforcement.
We don’t have sufficient laws on the books to put teeth into what officer can do.”
Stillwell says he travels to New York City often and he says per capita, Nashville’s homeless problem is worse than the big apple’s.
“Juliani cleaned it up. He altered their laws to impact it.”
I ask Stillwell about his email campaign to the mayor’s office.
“We want leadership from the mayor. I supported the mayor in his campaign. We want a concerted effort between businesses and government and residents and police to find appropriate solutions.
The penthouse dweller says he is frustrated by the silence coming from the mayor’s office on this issue.
“We have had an email stream with people heavily vested in downtown and there have been multiple efforts to reach the mayor for a response and get some action.”
“Is he ducking the issue?”
“No I don’t think so. I know he is a busy man. But our property values, based on square footage are among the highest in city and we even pay an extra level of tax that nobody else pays. We deserve leadership on the issue.”
Messed Up also requests an interview with Mayor Karl Dean. We are directed to Lt. Andrea Swisher in Metro Police Central Precinct.
“We provide a highly visible police presence.”
Swisher tells me that Metro Officers are much more aggressive this year than last year initiating contact downtown on issues involving the homeless.
“We had a 245 % increase in community contacts in and around that area. Up and down Church Street. We have 7 bike officers actively patrolling on bikes and scooters and walking. What I want to stress is this is not just a police issue; it’s a social service issue and community issue at large. Maybe what they are seeing are due to the lack of resources. They are short on outreach workers. Look at the homeless count, 2,000 people counted in February considered to be homeless. Look at that number and these are intensive cases. You have people with addictions and mental illnesses. It is labor intensive. Look at the resources, not enough. We need more.
Swisher says Metro officers issued over 1,800 citations for things like aggressive pan handling and open containers. Swisher says there are little to no repercussions for violators who don’t show up for court or pay fines.
We contacted Cliff Treadway at the Nashville Rescue Mission who said this:
“The Nashville Rescue Mission offers a live recovery place.
Here they start by first taking care of their basic human needs such as food, clothing and shelter. They then have a recovery program that helps the homeless transition back into a productive lifestyle by arranging day labor jobs as well as educating them how to stay productive.”
Treadway adds:
30% of the homeless have mental illness; Nashville rescue mission lends space to the mental help co-op which treats the homeless with mental illness and drug addiction through rehabilitation and medication
They only have around 30 volunteers working because those are the only citizens who came by, signed up, and are willing to donate their time.
The Nashville rescue mission passed out near 700,000 meals to the homeless last year
Funding comes from donations by businesses and individuals
Last year the Nashville rescue mission took in $12,111,649 in donations
Their expenses cover food and clothing distribution, transient services, rehabilitation services, public awareness and fund raising.
Below are some of the emails from downtown citizens to the mayor’s office:
My name is Susan Castle. I have a law practice and a store on Church Street and own the property I work in. My employees are harassed on a regular basis by folks living on the street. Last week one of the young women who work for me had to call the police after a homeless man came into the store multiple times and was threatening her. The police came and arrested him. The following morning the man was waiting for her to arrive at the front door of the store at opening time. Fortunately, one of my older employees was working that day and she knew how to handle the situation. This is scary stuff to think that someone is waiting for you because you called the police after they repeatedly harassed you. It’s bad for business.
Susan Castle
Attorney
Downtown Shop Owner
Downtown Property Owner
Dear Mayor Dean and Commander Huggins
Another Sunday in downtown Nashville, wishing you guys were here to see the numerous homeless people that are currently occupying our neighborhood. Today, my girlfriend had to walk on the street in order to be able to pass a group of homeless people congregating and blocking the sidewalk, complete with suitcases, bags, etc. Today is one of the worst days yet, the park is full. My assumption is that we are the “benefactors” of the closure of tent city.
As the days go by and our situation only gets worse, it makes me wonder if I made a mistake moving downtown.
When I made the move, Church Street was being remodeled; the Viridian was under construction as well as the Symphony, the Encore, the Suntrust building and all of the other downtown condos built downtown in the last few years. I noted that the First Museum, The Country Music Hall of Fame, the Titans Stadium and what is now the Bridgestone Center had all been built and I saw a city on the move. A city that I was proud to be a part of and to live in. I believed in our city and its leaders and their ability to get things done.
Is it lack of community involvement? Is it lack of focus, leadership? Are we as a city pushing ahead with the big plan of the new convention center and soon to be announced hotel that we are just not dealing with this issue? I would use the excuse of the flood, except that we had this problem before the flood and have not dealt with it.
I recently talked with Laura Jumonville with the Key Alliance and last year talked to Mr. Harris. They are both people of passion trying to deal with this issue but the reality is that they are underfunded and have long term goals that are not going to bring any immediate relief to our situation should they ever manage to get funded.
Did I make a mistake? Does living or working downtown mean that we must be confronted with this issue every time we walk out our front doors? Do I need just to accept that nothing is going to be done? Do I need to give up and reconcile myself to the fact that nothing is going to be done?
I am not a quitter; I don’t believe that the situation that exists has to be this way. I don’t believe that this level of homelessness would be accepted in other neighborhoods and other communities.
I am thinking that there are a lot of us that feel the same way.
If you are receiving this email and wish to be taken off the list let me know and I won’t bother you any more. If you know people that feel the same way, let me have their email addresses so that I can add them to our list so that we can collectively have a voice and be heard. If you are feeling the way I am, speak out, add your voice to mine and the others that have responded to this series of emails and send an email to our Mayor and our police force. There may not be an immediate resolution to the homeless issue but we should expect that more be done for us. We are being pushed to being on the front lines of this issue. Add your voice.
Bob Watson
I experienced the same this weekend. I headed up 7th to avoid the park, but Capitol Blvd. was the same all the way up to Sheraton. I crossed the street to War Memorial, however it was no different.
To those people that are in a position to make changes, please know where all this comes from. We love Nashville and our neighborhood; it’s why we chose to work, live, play, and invest here.
We are asking that we do what ever it takes to make this situation better. It’s working in other cities. Why not here? I don’t want another ten year plan. What ever is happening now is clearly not working. This is NOT a case of being uncompassionate with people. What laws are in place to prevent this in other cities and what do we need to do to implement them?
If we don’t do something, people will eventually shut up and move away.
Commander Hugging-I hear you and thank you for responding. Why have we not heard from anyone else?
I agree that the quality of life concerns are important and we at Central Precinct are committed to re-doubling our efforts in this area. I have been working within the Department and with Metro legal and the Homelessness Commission members for many months on some remedies to keep those that are chronic offenders that commit repeated crimes in custody longer and attempt to get them individualized treatment for long term solutions to just this type concern. We are also very near being able to add some teeth to some ordinance issues that in the past have only resulted in basically warnings ( Your Central Precinct officers issued approx. 1,800 of these quality of life ordinance violations just last year). Just over 6 months into 2010 the area mentioned has been impacted due to environmental changes in the surrounding area from flood, to water main breaks and street closures that are ongoing. The CMA and Bonnaroo Festival also bring in transient issues each year that remain after the events are gone from Nashville. These conditions may very well have increased the public space use in this area. Knowing these conditions existed and the patterns of the year prior we have already increased community contacts in the immediate several block area by 225 percent over this same period last year, business checks have been increased by 200 percent in this immediate area as well. The largest crime category for downtown by volume, (thefts), is also down in this area over the same year to year comparison. All this to say we are hard at work addressing issues, with the laws available to us, and we continue to work at addressing these concerns daily. I will also continue to look to find ways to improve. You have my continued commitment to every person downtown that we will be responsive and attentive to our community and downtown issues. I would ask that you continue to call us on incidents using 862-8600, (911 if emergency), to have us check out suspicious or other activity that gives rise to your concerns. The laws currently limit how much we can interact with individual use of public space/benches, but we can always do welfare checks and be a presence that will often have a deterrent effect and check for other detectable issues while there. Officers will be encouraged to get out on these calls and make these one on one contacts and welfare checks to have a greater presence when we are called. I have contacted the Metro Parks Police and requested their coverage in the Church St. Park by their officers and have been advised they will be assisting in the Park. The downtown partnership and Block by Block has also met with me and discussed options on their end to coordinate efforts and will be assisting. I hope the long term efforts in this regard will reduce the negative issues, not just for a summer, but for the long haul. Please remember to participate in your neighborhood watch groups and attend these meetings so we can get these communication lines developed and sustained. Our partnership within the community truly compounds our ability to be proactive and respond to concerns or changes in our downtown area. Your contact at the Central Precinct to set up a meeting, safety instruction, neighborhood watch group or other information about services we can offer is Sergeant David Rueff or Lieutenant Ben Rodgers at Central Precinct 862-7611.
According to the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee; if a contractor asks you for up front money to start a job, tell them you need to make a few calls and check a few things out before you authorize any work.
Linda Messinger wishes she had done just that.
The Sumner county elementary school teacher and church piano player is out more than 4,000 dollars because she paid some contractors $4,700 up front money.
What did she get for that?
She painted a 12 foot deep pool by herself; WITH A SPONGE!
Messinger sued the men, Greg and Jim Aanderud in Sumner County Court.
The Judge made her pay 500 dollars for some power washing that was done, and she awarded the Hendersonville woman $4,200.
Messinger hasn’t seen a dime of that money and her pool still needs work.
“I am a trusting person. I trust people I look for the good in people. I don’t look for red flags,” Messinger tells me, paint brush in hand.
Using court documents, Messed Up calls numbers and bangs on doors listed to the Aanderuds.
We find nobody and get no calls back.
On a return visit to the apartment listed as Greg Aanderud’s residence, a maintenance man tells us he was evicted some weeks earlier.
Where he is now is unclear.
Covered with paint and filled with frustration, Messinger looks in the camera and says this to the men who allegedly took her money and left her holding a sponge.
“Some day you will answer for this maybe not in this world but some day you will.”
Messed Up spoke to a Sumner County attorney familiar with the Aanderuds. We asked him to get a message to the men to contact us. We’re still waiting.
At our request; The Sumner County Sheriff’s Department investigated the Aanderuds, but officers tell us the issue was less a crime, and more a civil matter.
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Fellow Guitarist Lee Russell pulls back his scraggly hair and shows us a red dot on the back of his skull that he says bled badly.
“That is where I was hit,” he says pulling up his shirt and showing our cameras the round red dot on his stomach. “That is two weeks old. I thought what the hell is that? There’s blood. I thought it was a bug sting. Then the following week, we were on the deck again. My drummer stood up and I got hit in the chest. A few minutes later I was hit too, and I felt it and thought it was a live wire on stage or something. Then my guitar player got hit in the neck and it was bleeding.”
Beard has to drive 15 to 20 minutes from her home into downtown Dickson to go to the Dunkin Donuts, which is WIFI capable.
Please note that satellite service is available at this address. Myra may call 1-866-798-4787 if she would like additional information about this satellite service.”
“I went into a house to measure. I own a carpet store, so I was measuring the floor, I walk in and I see one of my signs on this guy’s wall. I said dude that is my sign and he says, ‘What can I say?’ So we laughed. It was after the election so I signed the sign and sold the man some carpet,” he recalled.
Bond says being James Bond causes problems for him outside the world of campaign signs.
We initially spoke with a woman who signed over a $4,300 dollar insurance check to the company in early June.
“They said call yourself an insurance replacement specialist,” Turner says. “But what we were was really salesmen.”
“I asked numerous times, if we could speed up the process to put on the roofs,” Turner says. “And this comes from the corporate office; they will not change it. They told me they put the money into an account and draw interest on it as long as they can. On a $5,000 roof, that is not much interest, but they want you to get 10 to 20 customers every week, and there are 20 other salesmen getting 15 to 20 people and that adds up and could mean millions in interest each year.”
We asked P.R. person Jamie Werner in Atlanta about this allegation:
We are confused by how the Nashville BBB has come to that conclusion, there is currently only one complaint registered with the BBB. All work will be performed as contracted and scheduled. Some customers have experienced delays due to the large volume of storm damage in their area and it is our commitment to the customer to use only trusted and quality installers.
this large and growing at such a fast rate…and that’s why they can’t perform the roofing jobs…why continue to solicit more customers?”
The BBB says American Shingle LLC collects insurance money for roof repairs but fails to begin work as promised.
Werner writes: If I am not mistaken, that “track record” was based off of one complaint. We do provide roofs to people and are working through a slight back log based on our explosive growth. We stay in constant contact with all of our customers.
“They are behind. I have called them numerous times. All I want is my money back.”
News 2 and Messed Up have been inundated recently with a string of emails from concerned citizens about the homeless problem in downtown Nashville.
“I love living downtown. There is a lot to do. We are so close to everything. For various reasons we are selling. But I am concerned. A realtor brought buy a buyer, she rode by the park, and the
Ridley talks about angry confrontations with vagrants while walking her dogs. She talks about having the police number programmed into her speed dial just in case. She talks about watching homeless people washing their clothes in the downtown fountain and it taking hours for the police to respond.
I ask Stillwell about his email campaign to the mayor’s office.
It’s one of the biggest red flags there is.
What did she get for that?
On a return visit to the apartment listed as Greg Aanderud’s residence, a maintenance man tells us he was evicted some weeks earlier.
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