So, our friendly neighborhood shooter is back...

[LeftCoast]

Some of you may remember that about two months ago some freak came by my house and shot out the window of my partner's jeep with a BB gun. The following evening (1am) he came by and shot his gun at my partner who was near the window. He put two nice big holes in it, but luckily it didn't make it through the 2nd pane.

Well, he came back this weekend - almost two months later! This time he put a bunch more holes in the window and the one beside it. These new holes are about the size of a silver dollar. MUCH more visible and it appears he was trying to punch through the other pane of glass. Didn't succeed though.

We strongly suspect this is a hate-crime. My partner and I fly a gay pride flag in front of the house. Based on the fact that we don't know the person doing this (we've seen him) and he's targeting our house alone (no other flags flying in the neighborhood) we and the police are treating it as a hate-crime and the case has been transfered to the hate crimes division of the SFPD.

I feel that incidents like these need to be publicized because I view this as domestic terrorism. By domestic terrorism, I mean someone who uses violence in order to intimidate and silence a particular portion of society that they don't agree with. This guy wants me and my partner to take down our flag, to go back in the closet and to shut up and not demand full and equal rights. Well, it's not going to work.

The flag has remained up and will continue to do so. My partner and I will remain in this house, we have no intention of moving. I think you can tell I'll be continuing to demand full and equal rights. :)

Am I terrified though? Well, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to some fear. I worry that anyone as dedicated as this will continue these attacks indefinitely. I worry about an escalation to something more destructive or deadly than a BB gun. I really fear what may someday happen to some unlucky gay person that happens to be in the wrong place at that wrong time and meets up with this guy.

We're doing all we can do right now. The police are doing all they can do. We're both more pissed off about it than anything else. Anyway, I hope my fellow DU'rs are having a less stressfull time than we are right now. :)

[MuseRider]

1. I am so sorry he

has shown up again. I could not remember who had posted about this before but I have thought about you numerous times and hoped for the best for you and your partner. You are very courageous and I am proud to "know" you. Just please be very careful. I would do the same as you, I just don't know how to back down to bullies and crazies either but please do be careful.

[LeftCoast]

3. I don't know

I don't think I'm brave or courageous or anything, though that was really nice of you to say. I think it's all we really can do. If this guy was shooting real bullets into the house, I'm not sure if I'd be staying here. I'm not real keen on getting killed. Of course the possibility of something like that is always sort of lurking in the back of your mind...

[MuseRider]

4. Yes it is always

lurking therefore, you are brave. If we don't stand up for ourselves against all of this then nobody will stand up for us. Good luck and be safe.

[sandnsea]

5. BB guns are real

I wouldn't allow the police are anybody else to minimize them. As a mom who has boys who have hunted and plinked around, my husband has always made them treat EVERY gun with equal respect. People DO get maimed and even killed with BB guns. I'm not trying to scare you, just encourage you to make the police take this as seriously as if they'd fired a shotgun at your house.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, I thought the jerk had gone away.

[Suspicious]

2. Do you have your camera up and running?

You had either purchased a camera, or were shopping for one, after the second incident, if I remember correctly. Have you caught anything on tape, yet?

Sorry to hear he has returned. :(

[LeftCoast]

9. Well, the camera never worked

so it got returned. :( We didn't get another one for two reasons. One, we suspected that they guy doing this had been caught. Two days after the 2nd shooting a man was arrested for shooting a BB gun (or a pellet gun) at an asian family in another part of SF.

And two, as soon as the second shooting occured we called the cops. They arrived in about two mins! A few mins after they arrived, the shooter returned but because of the layout of the streets (sort of a 'Y') and where the cops where they weren't able to chase him in time and lost him in the twisty streets in our neighborhood. I figured the close call put a good scare in him.

Since he didn't come back in the week or so following the 2nd shooting, we felt that he either was caught, or scared off. That, plus the fact that the systems we saw didn't really work convinced us to save the money. We may still go to a camera system, but this is all starting to cost a lot of money. My partner and I somewhat disagree on this. I would prefer to have the camera up, he's still leaning against. :shrug:

[Suspicious]

13. I can fully sympathize

with the saving money aspect, especially if you felt the situation was unlikely to arise again, for various reasons.

Hopefully, your local PD will catch up with this guy (he's begging to be caught, if he's no brighter than to continue committing these crimes in the exact same location)...in the meantime, stay safe, and please refrain from sitting in front of windows! :scared:

[meisje]

19. you need to go to ebay very very good deals! info inside

Over the summer I have purchased 5 cameras that see infrared(when lit with an illuminator), a video capture card that records when motion is detected, wiring, and outdoor mounts for about $200

go to the link below and search for "card"
You need a DVR card, I paid like $40 for my and it works well.

http://listings.ebay.com/pool2/plistings/list/all/category48633/index.html?from=R11

next you need a camera, I like "burle"
here is a good auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3050312073&category=14959

2.8mmlens very wide - 16mm lens better for 20 feet out.

You could go with this type of camera that has infrared built in(sees in pitch black dark)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3049999846&category=48640

always check shipping costs and expect seller to make money off of shipping, thats just how ebay works. Also, check sellers feedback!

good luck

[Mairead]

24. Sometimes the police have a surveillance camera you can borrow

In the same way that many departments support 'Operation ID' and will lend you the tools to mark your property. Have you checked already?

(Best luck, any road. I've been there myself)

[Liberator_Rev]

27. Is this an OPPORTUNITY?

As distressful as this is, could there be a silver lining? What if you go to each of your neighbors, make them aware of what you are going through and ask for their help? They may or may not actually be "the straw that broke the camel's back", but they may be moved to be more sympathetic than they would otherwise have been to the cause.

[LeftCoast]

29. Our neighbors have all been very supportive

We've gotten to know some of the neighbors better since these incidents began. That has been one nice thing about all of this...

[janekat]

6. Had a similar problem with someone "stalking me" - get mace

or whatever is legal in your area. Keep your cell phone or other phone by your side at night. Don't bother with a gun or other weapon that they can grab out of your hand and hurt you with.

I think the best advice to give you is don't be scared but be mad. I had someone break into my house and I was so p.o.'d from staying up all night in fear (night after night) that when I caught the person in my house - I went nuts - grabbed a golf club and told him to get the f* out and the guy RAN (I weighed about 110 lbs at the time). So if you act mad enough - they'll often run the other way.

[quinnox]

7. My take

I know this might be unpopular, but I would take the flag down. It could be put up in the backyard instead, but if this nut is intent on this and the flag is the cause, take it down out of sight. It isn't worth the potential violence, in my opinion. I'd rather have a missing flag, than a damaged property or god forbid a serious injury. Just a realists point of view.

[LeftCoast]

11. Probably the logical way to go...

But that flag is more than just a flag. It's a symbol. I'm the real thing - and that I can't change. So if the flag has to come down, that really means I can't live here. Besides, at this point taking the flag down is no guarantee this guy won't come back.

[janekat]

17. Keep it up if it's important to you....

I decided a long time ago that if you can't have something that's important to you - then why is life worth living? There are worse things than injury or death. A lack of freedom or independence is worse than death in my book.

Firm believer in "Give me liberty or give me death!"

[BlackVelvetElvis]

16. MO: If you take the flag down...

Then the terrorists win.
I understand the thought process behind this (we don't want anyone hurt), but HELL, gays and lesbians have been forced into the damn closet for too long. The closet diminishes our lives and our value as humans.
You should do what you feel comfortable with though; you and your partner's safety is the most important thing at stake.
I hope the cops catch that freak. Keep us up to date.

[jonnyblitz]

8. keep us posted and stay vigilante , leftcoast.

I hope you find out who this is soon. I can't imagine this being anythng but unsettling for you and your partner.The sooner you get his identity and info the better. :hi:

[THUNDER HANDS]

10. hang in there

The cops will nab the bastard.

:hi:

[GregW]

12. I had a problem with neighborhood kids vandalizing my garden

So for a week, I had my webcam mounted on a tripod in my kitchen window, taking photos every 30 seconds and storing to disk. On the fourth day I returned home to a vandalized garden, went to the PC, waded through the 1000's of photos (using a binary search method) and found a couple pics of the perps.

Printed the photos, marched down to the offending house, confronted the parents ... "My son would never do that!" ... showed them the pics and the rest was obvious.

"I'll take care of it" he says, "Get down here!" he screams as I walk back out to the street ... the sound of fist striking flesh sounded out their windows followed by a howl of pain ... and I never had that problem again.

Not sure what camera you were planning on using, but a webcam streaming video to disk does not cost more than $100.

[LeftCoast]

15. I don't think a web cam would have good enough resolution

We need the plate number of the car. I don't know of a web cam that could do that. Are they that good now? I haven't had a cam in a couple of years...

[bpilgrim]

14. video

see if you can get them on tape - there are motion capture cameras out now that are not very expensive these days

i hope yall catch this freak ASAP.

best whishes :hi:

peace

[gristy]

18. Yes, some kind of always-ready, motion-sensitive video

would catch this guy the next time he came by. Might want to get two. It's a shame that you have to go through all that, but it WILL nab your guy the very next time. Be sure to (clandestinely) practice driving by and adjusting the camera angles so you can get the drivers face AND his license plate number.

[JohnKleeb]

20. shit LeftCoast the guy is back I am sorry

[roguevalley]

21. do a camera, honey.

that will put his cowardly butt in prison. In the meantime, take care, you and your partner. Hugs from Alaska.

[LeftCoast]

22. Thanks for all the replies!

We're having a really nice, classic foggy SF night so we've decided to stay in and eat rocky road ice cream. :) I will keep everyone updated. I hope that I either have nothing more to report, OR that the cops have caught him.

[mandyky]

23. Be careful and stay safe!

Small minds and guns are not a good mix!

[cap]

25. fly the flag and do the camera...

don't sit in this never never land of being a sitting duck indefinitely. Set the honey pot out and catch these jerks.

Keep your receipts for what you are spending on windows and the jerks will have to pay for them.

[FlaGranny]

26. Have you thought of

getting surveillance video and an outside light? I don't know if they are feasible where you live, but if they are, you might be able to get photos of this criminal. I'm sure he only does this after dark - therefore the light would be needed.

Stay safe.

Edit: I see you already tried this, but it's still a good idea if you can get a good camera. Have you looked into the possibility of renting one? (I don't even know if that's a possibility.)

[linazelle]

28. I remember the previous post

I'm sorry that you are still having the problem. The only aid I can think of is getting a video security system to capture the culprit in progress. I wish you the best in getting the problem resolved.

[LeftCoast]

30. We're now looking at video options again.

Some of the prior posts had some excellent info regarding equipment. We're estimating damage so far at around $2500 (2 Anderson windows, 1 rear jeep window).

He's not been back since this weekend. We're worried about the up-coming weekend though (Castro Street Fair). This guy seems to pick weekends where there's a gay event or a lot of gay publicity going on.