An Older Population
Significant numbers of Mr. Young’s neighbors, not to mention the sentry himself, are deeply enough into their senior years to present plump, vulnerable targets to those who would prey. Some neighbors, not necessarily all, take comfort in Mr. Young’s fulltime alertness and his suspicious nature.
If anyone were to make a documentary about Culver City, logic would drive the filmmaker to this leafy, noiseless, sunny and shady residential neighborhood that is a metaphor for Culver City. Maximally middle class, at a glance it appears to represent every positive value about Culver City. Convenient to Downtown, this section of Motor is far enough away to avoid any potentially unpleasant fallout.
Following the Workers
And so it was that in early May, youngish men identifying themselves as employees of Com-cast Communication Co., a national business with offices in Los Angeles, drifted into Bob Young’s neighborhood. Even if there only had been one employee, the neighborhood watchdog would have noticed.
To Mr. Young’s careful eye, the workers seemed to unevenly wander off and onto properties, showing up unannounced in the backyards of aging residents who either live alone and were alone at the time. This struck Mr. Young as unacceptable, especially after he discovered that the alleged employees somehow cracked his tough-to- crack backyard, which he has largely managed to seal off.
Here Is the Lineup
According to Mr. Young, various mixes of workers have shown up this month, sometimes with, sometimes without identification. He says when neighbors have asked for proof, the workers have said they were ordered to leave their badges back at the office. Didn’t sound cricket to Mr. Young. He says that it was apparently this group of fellows who conquered the locked wrought iron gate, the cinderblock wall and the presence of his two dogs who are wont to bark to break into his backyard. Mysteriously, he said the workers have installed Comcast wiring, even though he is not a Comcast subscriber. Calls to Comcast, Mr. Young said, have found the company equally bewildered by his description of events. Comcast told Mr. Young maybe his telecom company installed the wiring. Not a chance, said the company. We have not visited your property for three years.
Postscript
Two members of the Police Dept. came to his home this week, at Mr. Young’s request. They left, he reported frustratedly, without taking action or offering a solution. At the weekend, Mr. Young is miffed, mystified and unsure of his next move. All he knows, he said on Friday morning, is that he feels violated, and he is not alone in that feeling.
