Conflicts associated with vagrant individuals
In recent months certain individuals have exhibited a variety of undesirable behaviors in the Pinnacle Hill - Alliance Avenue - Pinnacle Road vicinity putting them in conflict with residents.
Background
The individuals exhibiting the undesirable behaviors described on this page are neither property owners nor tenants in our area. By all appearances they are both vagrant. They may also fairly be referred to as "unhoused' or "indigent". Use of these words should not be considered derogatory. They are used here merely as descriptive terms.
Some definitions...
Vagrant: a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and may live by begging. a wanderer.
Indigent: Experiencing want or need; impoverished. Lacking or deficient. Wanting; void; free; destitute.
Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered: The condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. When people desire a permanent dwelling but do not have one.
It's important to recognize a person's current status may result from a variety/combination of causes including mental illness, job loss, or drug use. A person may or may not wish to change their current status or address the cause(s).
It is not illegal to be homeless, indigent, vagrant or to refuse help. Certain behaviors cross the line, of course. Even so, there are legal and practical considerations that limit the options for law enforcement. Addressing incidents involving individuals in these status categories is very, very, very difficult as a result.
Unhoused individuals, people living in poverty and vagrant individuals have been present along the Monroe Avenue corridor for many years. We see them sleeping out in the open, panhandling and generally hanging out in our midst. Conflicts between these individuals and residents, however, are relatively uncommon in Upper Monroe. In those cases when conflict arises action may be appropriate.
The information below includes descriptive language like "trespassing" that implies criminality. it's important to note that although words like "trespass" are used it is not necessarily the case that a law has been broken, or more likely, that a it can be proven in court. Add to this any practical considerations around accessing the police resources necessary to affect an arrest and then applying the criminal justice system to address any allegations.
Incidents Timeline
The first incident occurred in July, 2024 in the Pinnacle Hill - Alliance Avenue - Pinnacle Road vicinity. A particular individual - we will refer to this person as "A" - exhibited undesirable behaviors reported by the victims included trespassing, verbal confrontation and threat of violence. The initial incident continued over the course of several days.
Police were called but, for complicated reasons, no arrest was made. Other services were requested by the victims without desired results.
"A" was known to the police as frequenting other nearby neighborhoods and exhibiting similar behaviors. There is some conjecture that "A" may currently be sleeping (in wooded areas) in or near Upper Monroe.
Since the initial incident "A" has returned to the vicinity more than once.
Over the course of time since the first incident "A" has established an unwelcomed routine around a particular block of houses and, as with the first incident, engaged in a range of similar undesirable behaviors.
To facilitate legal action one or more residents have taken out "orders of protection" against "A". Such orders may help transform the general notion of "trespass" into a violation that could result in an arrest.
A second individual - we will refer to him as "B" - appeared in the same vicinity around the 10th of August, 2024.
"B" was seen again in the vicinity on August 25th. On August 28th "B" was seen in the Swillburg neighborhood (in the vicinity of Otto Henderberg Square Park) just west of Upper Monroe.
"B" has exhibited more extreme behaviors as compared with "A".
The police were called.
A third incident that involved what two individuals occurred in the vicinity of Pinnacle Hill. These individuals were seen at a distance in the evening. As a result, It is unclear if either the individuals involved in this incidence are a party to either of the other incidents in the area.
The incident involved a small "campfire". Neighbors called 911 for police and fire attention.
Actions
The following actions were interwoven along the incidents timeline.
The victims reached out to UMNA to report the incident(s) and seek help
At least one representative of UMNA spoke with several of the victims.
The victims invited to & attended an UMNA meeting to discuss these situations.
An UMNA rep reached out to MC Collaborative (for those individuals that refuse housing) & PCHO (for those who are willing to go to housing, if it's available) about extending their Monroe Avenue walks all the way to Culver Road with a special emphasis on the area mentioned on this page. Both of these organizations work in a collaborate effort with the RPD on weekly outreach along Monroe Avenue.
An UMNA rep talked to staff at PCHO about the next group meeting to see if someone from Alliance can be on the agenda.
An UMNA rep reached out to the Police Citizen Interaction Committee (PCIC) at the City of Rochester's Southeast Neighborhood Service Center to make sure they are plugged in.
An UMNA rep informed Monroe Avenue Revitalization Coalition (MARC) of these incidents for advice and to establish a potential emerging trend in Upper Monroe.
This page was developed to track actions and report to the community.
Resources
Outcome
Ongoing
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