I feel the need to bring this to people's attention. This is due to the fact that I no longer feel safe here. I was hoping that management would address these issues with the residents, but so far most of the residents are not even aware of the break-ins that have been occuring.

My apartment was burglarized on a Saturday afternoon at 12:30 in the afternoon. I was in the shower the whole time this occured. I heard some noises while I was in the shower, but thought nothing of it since I live next to an elevator that is often noisy. Then while I was washing my hair, to my horror, I pulled back the shower curtain to see my bathroom door shaking back and forth as if someone was trying to come inside. I think the only thing that stopped the guy from opening the door was an uncertainty of what was behind the curtain- a man or a woman [and I am a young female]. I was scared... but then convinced myself that it was probably just a vibration from the elevator or possibly someone from up above making some noise. I finished up my shower. I opened up my bathroom door [which opens up the my bedroom] and everything looked fine. Then I stepped into my living room and saw that my door was wide open and the molding was shattered. I then noticed that my purse was missing. I immediately grabbed the phone and called 911 [I was later told that I would have been better off calling WSU police at 577-2222]. I ran into the hallway, still wearing a towel and dripping wet from my shower. I started screaming, "help me". I had no idea if the man was still in my apartment. Residents in my hall came out to see what was going on. Police came. From the description I guess it was a large black man. I never saw his face. I am so fortunate that I never got hurt in this whole ordeal. The man gained entry into my apartment by kicking the door and possibly using something like a crowbar to pry the door open. I had my door double-locked... with deadbolt... I always thought that I was safe here... until this all happened.

So now I have to live with this fear everyday. I find it hard to take a shower. I had to be prescribed Xanax [an anti-anxiety drug] in order to go about my life. I no longer know how safe the building really is. For the amount of rent I pay here [$650 for a one bedroom] I would expect to have decent security. The management has since installed video cameras on every floor to monitor what goes on in the building. But there are still problems that need to be resolved. The "security guards" here are not security guards... they are monitors... college students that sit at a desk down in the lobby. And it's not 24/7. And the front door is also an issue that needs to be addressed. In order to get inside you need to swipe a card, but some residents let people in [not even knowing if they are residents in the building] without a card.

The bottom line here is that if you are going to move to Detroit and live in Detroit you need to know that it is not safe. Crimes occur around here around the clock. If it's not apartments getting broken into- then it's women's purses getting snatched or carjackings, etc. I do feel that the Belcrest is safer than most apartments around here though. I will continue to live here until I graduate WSU... and then I am leaving Detroit. It's way too rough here... but I should have known better... I was clearly warned before I moved down here.

There are other small issues I have with my apartment. The heat doesn't seem to pump out nearly enough heat. My apartment is often at 65 degrees. I'm also not too pleased with the kitchen. The cupboards that I have here need to be thrown in the garbage. If you need parking down here- good luck. The parking situation is horrible. My boyfriend has a car and he parks on the street. The hours that you can park on the street are unreasonable. He has gotten somewhere around 10-15 parking tickets in the past year and a half. To obtain a parking permit to park in the lot here you need to pay $45 a month [I believe that is how much it costs now]. Last year I also spotted two cockroaches in my apartment- which was not a pretty site... but I guess roaches can be expected while living in Detroit. One more thing that I am not pleased with are the windows. The Belcrest could really use a window washer. It's hard to look out the window- there's a build-up of grime on there and sometimes it is hard to even look out the window- shame because I have a nice view.

Things that I do like about the Belcrest is the nice view that I have. It's also nice to have a swimming pool in the summer. The new management has also added an array of vending machines with food and drinks and a change machine. We also have on-site laundry and the machines are almost always ready to be used. The building is also quite nice.

User Responses
From: Slappy_san	Date: 05/23/2005
Dont defame Detroit and large black men because you had a bad experience.
From: sstokes	Date: 06/25/2005
I guess Detroit is good enough for you to get your education though, huh? Hmmmmm.....I wonder was that the big black man you slept with the other night.
From: Kalegna	Date: 07/22/2005
I'd like to defend her on this. Just because the description of the intruder was large and black doesn't indicate that this is defaming Detroit or large black men. That statement was completely invalid. She didn't choose the race or size of the intruder. Relax, it's not race related, it's a matter of being able to live in a crime-ridden urban area as a young female.
From: guitarhero	Date: 09/22/2005
remember crime can happen anywhere. grant it, maybe more in detroit but every city has it's issues.
From: jashabarnes	Date: 10/06/2005
From:Passion, The story that I just read was horrible, This story was not about race-you idiots, but about being victimized at home. I am a women of color and damn it I would describe the man for what he is, either a black, or white criminal. Could you imagine comming out of your shower to being invaded!!!!!!!! Also the apartment sounds horrible. Get it togather- Expect less and you will get lesss! bUgs, criminals ect
From: happycitydweller	Date: 04/04/2006
I've been living in this area for 11 yrs after moving form a small town down south. I have experienced NO brake-ins'(either car or apartment). My car is trashed on purpose, I haven't locked it in years. Parking is WAY worse in Chicago. Detroit is a city and like other cities across the world (i've lived in them) and it's just a fact that there is crime. Thanks for coming down and spending a few years in the city. We hope that you have gotten your "URBAN EXPERIENCE" out of the way. But please go back to your little world where everything is "safe". PS. Don't go to Asia.
From: former-Belcrester	Date: 06/27/2006
Well... you would at least hope that the campus area would be safe but it's not! Back in March there were armed robberies on campus practically every other night. One girl even got her face beaten to a bloody pulp!
From: hillerbrooke	Date: 06/28/2006
So this tenant had to be prescribed Xanax after the incident and feels as if she's been "traumatized...forever". What does that have to do with the apartment rating? I'm not trying to be insensitive, but this is not a support group, it's an apartment-rating website.
From: waynestate1	Date: 12/10/2006
this person may just be causing trouble!
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/11/2007
hillerbrooke- it was an apartment rating- retard! the building is not safe.
From: philsplace	Date: 03/26/2007
'Roaches should be expected in Detroit', you have seen two in over a two year period. Do you think it is possible that you may have brought them in with your purchases, perhaps. A place that is infested does not have two roaches sited every couple of years. You say that people warned you, and that the building is sooo horribly unsafe. Yet you will bare up. You make it sound as if you came down from heaven, 'I was clearly warned when I came down here'. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor and go back. Because it sounds to me like you are you using two roaches, a big black guy,et al, as an excuse to get XANAX. Your apartment is by the elevator and therefore anyone could enter or exit at 12:30pm, the likihood that even the dumbest criminal would have chosen that apartment is incredible. But, many people have used the crime rate of large cities for ill gotten gain, people have left fur coats on their car seats for the insurance, placed engagement rings in hand bags, later claim these items were stolen. You digress from evaluating the apartment inorder to restate your bogus claim of robbery. Probably took the management for the rent that month. Ah more money for X. You are pathetic. Phil
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/15/2009
If you ever hear a landlord say "sometimes my tenants bring roaches in with them" don??t move in. The roaches have been there -thousands of them in the ground below the building - and will be there for a long time barring a major extermination. It is how they live and breed. And if the extermination ain't happened yet, chances are - it won't anytime soon. Landlords tell you that its the tenants' fault so that they do not have to pay for the gimundus extermination that it would take to kill them all. If you hear stories about moldings that allow intruders entry- don??t????move??.in. I walked up to this building the other day, asked a resident what it is like and they said "ok, but lots of roaches....I am pretty pissed off since they aren't doing anything about it...bedbugs too". Also, I was let in by a resident who "assumed" I was a resident. Looks like they've addressed the security issues some 4 years later!! Way to go, team. Now come the great urban defenders to the rescue with the BIG D on their t-shirt to tell everybody how "normal" someone breaking into your place is and how ubiquitous crime is. Well duh, Sherlock - crime IS everywhere. Want less crime? Find safer apartments. This isn??t a statement about Detroit unless all of the apartments are like this??..? If its just the building - move. If its the city, move to another. This pisses me off because she has a legitimate complaint about a legitimate problem that was not fixed and y??all are running up here crying about your city??s name or trying to defame her to protect it. Better security, locks, and pest control might be the solution. One thing about the Defenders of Detroit is that they don??t take criticism well. In fact, they don??t take it at all. It is, in fact, a big reason that things like this don't get FIXED. Might as well say to the tenants ??Quit pissing and moaning or you can go back to that place you came from, and do it before I get in trouble??..oh and somebody is running away with your tv set??.

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