Officials warn club-goers after another violent attack in store’s lot
JOHN WRIGHT | Senior Political Writer
wright@dallasvoice.com
In the wake of another violent robbery in the Office Depot lot on Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas police this week warned club-goers against parking there at night.
Officer Laura Martin, DPD’s liaison officer to the LGBT community, said the lot at 2929 Oak Lawn Ave. has long been a trouble spot for crime after hours, primarily because it’s so poorly lit.
In the latest incident, three people who’d been out on the Cedar Springs strip were robbed at gunpoint and carjacked early Sunday, Oct. 23.
According to DPD records, it was at least the fourth aggravated robbery in the Office Depot lot in the last three months — in addition to numerous other offenses such as vehicle burglaries.
“That Office Depot has just been a thorn in our side for several years,” Martin said Wednesday, Oct. 26. “We would prefer that people didn’t park there. I don’t anticipate that that problem is going to go away unless we improve lighting over there significantly. I would just advise people not to park in that parking lot and not to park on that street near the parking lot.”
Martin said undercover officers have been patrolling the area, but the city is powerless to improve lighting in the parking lot itself since it’s on private property. Deputy Chief Malik Aziz, who heads up DPD’s Northwest Division, has been working with city officials to improve street lighting nearby, Martin said. However, light from city fixtures on Dickason Avenue is blocked by trees lining the northeast side of the parking lot.
DPD officials recently met with Office Depot representatives, who said they have no plans to add lights in the parking lot, Martin said. She also noted that Office Depot once towed vehicles from the lot but stopped doing so in the wake of complaints from the community.
“Office Depot is not going to be doing anything differently,” Martin said. “They’re not going to tow cars and they’re not going to increase lighting. They don’t want to tow vehicles because of all the complaints they got when they did tow vehicles, and they’re not going to add lighting because they don’t have the money to add lighting.”
An assistant manager who answered the phone at Office Depot declined to comment. He referred questions to the store manager, whom he said was not available.
Jared Pearce, president of Dallas Stonewall Young Democrats, called on Office Depot to help address the problem. DSYD’s recent Light Up Oak Lawn safety campaign led to the city installing 45 new lights in the area, but none near Office Depot.
“Good stewards of the community can put lights up themselves,” Pearce said. “Office Depot could do it for a lot cheaper than the city could.”
One of the victims in last week’s robbery said he doesn’t normally park at Office Depot — but did so that night because a friend was driving his car. The 21-year-old and his two friends, all from Tyler, had returned to his vehicle from Station 4 at about 3 a.m. Sunday.
The victim was sitting in the passenger seat, and his two friends were talking in the parking lot. The two suspects, described as black males wearing hooded sweatshirts, pulled up behind them in a white Dodge Avenger. The suspects got out, pointed handguns at his friends and said, “Get on the ground, give me your money.” One of the suspects then got into the victim’s 2010 Toyota and said, “Get out of the car or I’ll blow your head off.”
After the victim got out, the suspect drove off in the victim’s Toyota, while the second suspect drove off in the Dodge.
Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse, a spokesman for DPD, said police later recovered the stolen vehicle with no wheels or tires at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of North St. Augustine Road.
“Detectives are still waiting for physical evidence collected in the recovered vehicle to be analyzed and returned,” Janse said Wednesday.
The victim, meanwhile, was trying to figure out how to get the badly damaged vehicle back to East Texas, where he’s a college student. He said the car, valued at $36,000, was mostly paid for, but his insurance had lapsed two days before the robbery.
“They won’t cover it,” he said. “I’m just out of luck.
“I’m a student so I pretty much live in my car, and I had everything in my trunk,” he added. “Literally, they took my underwear.”
The victim said he normally tries to park directly behind the Cedar Springs nightclubs because his car had previously been burglarized in Oak Lawn. And he echoed Martin’s advisory about the Office Depot lot.
“Even though it might be hard to get a parking spot, keep trying somewhere closer and somewhere where it’s light,” he said.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 28, 2011.
As a business owner, I think it is time for the community to boycott using this Office Depot until they make a change to support this community through safety measures. If a customer of OD were attacked after shopping there they would likely make changes and they for sure could be held responsible for failure to provide a safe area for customers.
As a Property Manager, if something like this happened on an apartment complex property. We would be held liable, and Forced to change the lighting, I think the community needs to make office depot step it up and make this a safer place.
Every concerned customer and neighbor of store #120 needs to email a letter to: customer.relations@officedepot.com , to have them address why they have NO plans to address this lack of security lighting. This is a public safety issue!
I agree with both….I call bullshit on not having enough money for lighting. They won’t add lighting b/c they don’t want people parking in their lot. They are hoping that if enough people get robbed, then people will stop using their lot. Plain and simple. Don’t think they have any responsibility for better lighting for people heading to the bars but they do have a responsibility to make that parking lot safe for customers who come to their business after dark.
Technically nobody is supposed to be parking in the lot, but Office Depot needs to either install gates at the entrances/exits or install appropriate lighting. I own a small business and all of our supplies come from Office Depot, meaning I buy them myself and often go to Office Depot late at night. The lighting there has never been up to par, and if I can’t park by the entry door, I often wait until the next morning. That having been said, the store is going to experience significant liability issues unless improvements are properly made.
People have been parking there for years. I would think that for the police would find this a good place to station themselves and park there waiting for a call. DaAA! It should be a pay and park like Kroger with attendants. Money should go to charity. That would be a solution also. My best soultion is Hide in the bushes, wait and just kill the robbers! Sound like repeat offenders.
I agree with Gregg, every single person who reads this article needs to email Office Depot. I just sent them a letter and told them if this issues not resolved I will be taking my business elsewhere. I live on Shelby just a block or two over from the store. I did not realize there was such a huge issue with crime in the lot, but knowing it now I will put my $ where my mouth is if this doesn’t get fixed. We can’t allow a big corporation like Office Depot to take money from our community and not be a good corporate citizen. They owe it to both the community and their customers to help protect them by doing something as simple as putting up lighting in a parking lot.
As much as I have to agree with everyone regarding the negligence of Office Depot and their poorly lit parking lot, I DO NOT feel sorry for these 3 young men. Anybody that is stupid enough to be chatting and hanging around in a dark parking lot at 3am in the morning after a night if drinking at Station 4 is just asking for trouble. Dallas has an extremely high crime rate, especially in the Oak Lawn area, and if club goers in the area don’t know this by now, then they shouldn’t be down there. This is a big city folks, and common sense should tell these young kids to always be alert at ALL times!!!
I will no longer shop at Office Depot and encourage others to do the same. We are about to “fall back” and it will be getting darker earlier. Are they not concerned for their customers during business hours in the dark either?
But its not their customers that are getting jacked. Not too many customers shopping at 3am. Do you really think its Office Depot’s responsibility to provide lighting for late night parking? Even one of the victims knew it was risky. Blame should only go to the thugs that did the crime, the Tyler guys were, sadly, naive, but to boycott a business because they don’t provide lighting for late night party parking is ludicrous. “install gates at the entrances/exits or install appropriate lighting”, why should OD provide safety for people that are not even their customers and should we as a community expect all businesses to do the same. How much of these crimes are during Office Depot working hours? Why isn’t Caven or other strip late night businesses providing adequate parking or security spanning out into these areas, its their business that is benefiting from most of the people involved in these incidents. Would it not benefit the community if there were uniformed security escorts within the community that would walk people to their vehicles if requested. These escorts could be volunteers or paid employees of the businesses. But the business that has something to gain financially from the late after dark crowd should take responsibility for their customers not OD or other Oaklawn businesses.
I live in the suburbs and this lighting would not be acceptable no matter what time of day.
I think Marty’s idea of “pay and park” is a good one. Office Depot could pay for the increased lighting by hiring a parking company to charge a nominal rate ($5 or so) for parking, should be a little less than if it were closer to the bars. Just drove by the lots and noticed the lighting at the post office is much better than the Office Depot next door.
All it will take is a lawsuit from someone who was mugged/beaten/robbed/whatever in the parking lot and Office Depot will sit up and take notice. However, if there are “You Will be Towed” signs in the parking lot, they can always argue that the victim was not authorized to park there, and therefore they are not at risk. However, the cost to finally get a judge to make such a ruling would likely be prohibitive. I am actually thinking about parking there sometime in the near future…with my loaded 357 magnum in hand. (And yes, I have a permit to carry.)
Caven offers their customers poor service by not providing enough safe parking and enough security. Good customer service includes adequate safety. I suggest Caven provide enough safe parking for all of their customers, employees and vendors or offer to pay for the installation, operation and maintenance of light fixtures in parking areas their customers use.
I also suggest they pay for the increased clean-up, maintenance and insurance of parking areas used by their customers.
If a boycott is a chosen means of protest directing it at Caven seems most effective.
With all the money Caven makes they should build parking decks where they already have parking lots immediately behind their bars. I’m surprised this has not been done already since Caven could make even more money off the weekend parking. In my mind Caven only cares about raking in the money.
Some people have mentioned that the lighting at OD is inadequate all of the time. If they don’t meet minimum lighting as per city code while they are open, they should definitely be called on it by the city. However, it’s unreasonable to expect OD to bear the costs of noncustomers choosing to park there when the business isn’t open. It sounds like the most equitable arrangement is for local business owners who have customers taking advantage of the parking at OD after it closes at night (bars, etc.) should pay OD for the use of the lot as well as hire some security for the area (which would be a good idea, regardless). OD could then use that money to pay for the lighting costs, lot upkeep, etc.
Don’t some bars on Greenville Avenue do something similar? Heck, even my parents’ church lets a neighboring business rent some of its lots during the week.
What utter BS. Office Depot owes “the community” nothing. If anyone should consider paying for additonal lighting/security it should be the almighty “Taven Guild” who actually benefit from “the community”.
Right on, Nathan. It is now public knowledge that the entire area around the Office Depot is not safe at night. If you know it isn’t safe, then don’t go there and allow yourself to become an example. Unless, of course, you’re looking for a confrontation.
Why was this crime not on local news for other people in the neighborhood to learn about? This is a significant crime and nary a word.
Suzy: what exactly do you think you are reading, the Farmers Almanac?
outside of the parking lot issue – I love how it’s said that the “adjoining street” is also poorly lit…ummm, I’m sorry, but wasn’t there just an article bragging about how much EXTRA LIGHTING had been installed in the neighborhood?? I guess that’s one area they missed in their multiple surveys. and btw – if office depot really wanted to be assholes – they’d just post no parking/loitering signs, and then it wouldn’t even be legal to park there after hours …and in regards to the parking lots/deck issues – this was also an issue I brought up a while ago – especially with the vacant ass lot sitting at 4242 cedar springs….and I’ve continuously been told that the main issue with that, is they have to be careful because of the flight paths of planes into love field…and I call bullshit…illume is how tall again? damn, it doesn’t have to be a freakin sky scraper…5 levels would be more than adequate.
I agree with everyone on different levels. It may be time to move on from Cedar Springs and Throckmorton as a whole. While the landlords have made excellent profits – gay bars are always a boon to landlords – and in the 70’2 and 80’s there was safety in numbers, we no longer have to huddle in one place. The gay population has simply out grown the area. That being said, Frank would have made a positive change of some sort.
I agree with James and Nathan. Why does the community always want to put the onus on other people. If you’re part of the community, and you perceive the need, fix it yourself, or at the very least, know that if you do nothing and still park there, you’re accountable for your own safety.
I thought with what I posted would be met with opposition and anger because it spoke against the idea that we as a community were being wronged cause OD wasn’t comforting to our needs/wants. If anything comes out of this discussion, is the fact, that Caven and the bar business on the strip need to make it safer for their customers. The discussion needs to be what can those businesses do to make the neighborhood safer not about day time businesses lighting issues. Caven needs to own up to its own responsibility of providing safety to its customers. Several workable options have been suggested, the pressure needs to placed where it belongs, with Caven, and the “Taven Guild”, what exactly are they willing to do to make their customers safer?
Sammie. Office Depot is several blocks away from the strip. Is it a business owner’s responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for customers while those customers are on their premises? Yes. Is it reasonable to expect those same business owners to provide security for other properties for which they do not own, lease or otherwise derive any business use from? Most definitely not. Is Office Depot responsible? No, these guys were not shopping at Office Depot. The store wasn’t even open at the time this incident supposedly occurred. And who, in his right mind, would drive a car on the streets of a major city like Dallas with no insurance? While I certainly feel for the victims, THEY made the decision to park an uninsured car, at night, in a parking lot with no lighting, in an unsafe neighborhood. Who is being wronged in this situation? The victims. Who made the decisions that precipitated the occurrence? The victims. Who should be held responsible for their actions? The victims. While it’s easy to point the finger at Office Depot, and while victims oftentimes tend to “go after” those with the deepest pockets, it is unreasonable to expect Office Depot to spend the money to provide a well lighted parking lot for the benefit of other area businesses.
Here is their reply to my letter asking for them to address the lack of security lighting for their customers: Thank you for taking the time to reach out to Office Depot regarding the Oak Lawn area Office Depot store #120. I have gone ahead and filed a formal complaint on your behalf and I this will be shared with our Loss Prevention and Media Relations Departments for review. Please understand the safety of our customer’s is a top priority however we do not have any control over a third party night club and the security at this location during off hours. The night club should be providing security or uniformed police officers for these events. Please continue to work with your local authorities regarding these safety concerns and if you feel we should be made aware of any new information please feel free to send it to us at any time. Thank you for your time and for choosing Office Depot.
Sincerely,
Brian M. Bartlett
Sr. Customer Relations Assistant
I’m guessing that poor kid wishes he had paid his insurance bill rather than spend the money at the club.
My Dslr Camera was in that car. 🙁
and OD is completely correct in their response – it’s not their problem, not their fault that this happened. They only way they’re liable, is if it happened to THEIR customer, during THEIR business hours – again, with most busniesses everywhere, their property is THEIR property, and is considered private – especially after business hours. If you continue harassing them, don’t be surprised if they don’t put up gates, and no parking signs…to keep everyone OUT!
“Please understand the safety of our customer’s is a top priority however we do not have any control over a third party night club and the security at this location during off hours. The night club should be providing security or uniformed police officers for these events” That pretty much sums it up – you’re parking there at your OWN risk…not theirs!
I spoke with a manager last week and referenced this article and the online comments, stressing that I give them all my business (and that of others) and the manager I spoke with said they were aware of the problem and that they wanted to work with the community to solve it. Needless to say, many of their employees seem to support the Oak Lawn community, so if anyone has an understanding ear it should be them.
It’s Friday night and I just drove by there on the way home late. I noticed that all of their lights that are attached to the building appeared to have been turned on full blast and were lighting up the parking lot much more than before.
So it looks like they, and/or their corporate offices, listened to what we have to say. I do still feel they should consider posting a parking attendant (or two) through one of the parking services and charging a few dollars for “peace of mind” parking. However, this at least appears to be a step in the right direction.