Chuck Williams: Someone is stealing our peace of mind

We have a crime problem in Columbus, people.

That's a fact that cannot be denied. Now, if only the solution was as easy to state as the obvious.

Ask your family, friends and neighbors if they have had an encounter with the criminal element of this community? You will be surprised by the answer.

In the last month I know four people who have been impacted.

A good friend ran a Saturday afternoon errand, came back to her home in the Historic District and found it had been broken into and some items she deeply cherished were stolen. I was going to say taken, but they were stolen, just like her peace of mind.

Another friend ran into his downtown business for a couple of minutes, forgot to lock his vehicle, and a thief reached into it and stole his bookbag. I was going to say took it, but it was stolen, just like his peace of mind.

Friends of mine in Midtown left their home on a Tuesday morning, one of them circled back less than 30 minutes later to check on something. Their front door had been kicked in, and their TV and other electronic items were stolen. The back door of their neighbor's home had been kicked in, as well. More stuff was stolen. I was going to say taken, but it was stolen, just like their peace of mind.

Neighbors in Historic District were recently robbed at gunpoint of their jewelry as they stood in their front yard one night. Again, their peace of mind was stolen -- and the damn fool did it by putting a gun in their face.

Four instances that I know about because they happened to people in my circle. That is a pretty rough August, isn't it?

But here is the kicker, those thieves didn't just steal from my friends and neighbors, they stole from me and you. They stole -- and continue to steal -- from our community. They stole our collective peace of mind. The guy who robbed my neighbors at gunpoint, just as well put the gun in my face. And I am not alone. I have seen the Facebook reaction to this incident. I have talked to my neighbors and friends.

The law abiding folks among us are angry and want to find a way to curb this, bring those who terrorize us -- and this is a form of domestic terror -- to swift justice.

The only good thing I see coming out of this is people coming together to combat it. They are using social media as a tool to communicate and inform. And there are neighborhoods and communities all over this town doing that.

But here is what this issue has also done -- it has made me look at people and things differently. And that is unfortunate.

Sunday night I was walking the dogs and saw a man hanging out. He didn't respond to me when I asked him a question. He didn't even look at me. He was in an area that has seen a spike in crime. I called 911. My thought was simple, "Let the police sort it out."

Three weeks ago, I would have never called 911 on that man. Never.

But that was before someone stole my peace of mind.

This story was originally published September 1, 2014 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Chuck Williams: Someone is stealing our peace of mind."