Seniors living at Langley City’s Rainbow Lodge are holding a meeting with police and the mayor, after months of increased crime has left residents scared and frustrated.
Jim, a senior living in the Fir building who doesn’t want his last name used, said since March 2011 his car has been broken into six times in the underground parking lot. His Valentine’s present this year was getting his home broken into during the day. The culprits stole his flat screen TV, a rifle, jewelry and rare coins.
“Some Valentine’s I had,” he said.
Jim said his neighbours in the Elm building have also had their units broken into last month. Culprits have been siphoning gas from all the cars, writing graffiti on the outside property, breaking into the mailboxes and just last week car windows were smashed.
“We feel we are being targeted,” said Jim, who helped organize the meeting which is taking place on March 20 at 1 p.m. at the Evergreen Hall.
Another frightening aspect to this increased criminal activity is the amount of suspicious people who don’t live in the buildings found wandering the hallways at night, Jim claims.
“We have many of our residents who are afraid to leave their units at night, afraid of running into one of these characters,” he said.
Jim is hoping the meeting will make residents stick together and take back their Rainbow Lodge from these criminals. City Mayor Peter Fassbender has confirmed that he will be at the meeting.