Two Men Shot at My Place Bar & Lounge

Carol B January 22, 2013 at 05:52 pm

How quick some of us are to pass judgment. I had three days to find a house (living approximately 700 miles away) and a very pregnant dog at home to worry about. I had no *choice* but to rely on my agent's knowledge of the area--because I was going to new position not terribly far from here in mileage (but far more commute than he said it would be nonetheless). I'm glad you can be so persistently smug in your persistent self-righteousness, Calique. I don't respond to your posts; please do me the courtesy of not responding to mine.

Calique January 22, 2013 at 06:16 pm

D'oh!! Too late!! I am responding! ;)
It is completely understandable that you had a lot on your plate at the time, and I am sure your agent did the best for you that he or she could have under the circumstances! Yet you still seem to BLAME him/her for your "predicament" and your feeling unsafe and unwelcome Not everything works out the way we'd like, but seeking to learn from an experience, taking a little personal responsibility, and finding some positivity go a long way toward having a more pleasant outlook.

7 Oaks Mom January 22, 2013 at 06:43 pm

It doesnt matter whose fault it is. The neighborhood is shoddy. I take responsibility bcuz I did research and even spoke to someone i thought i could trust. However, their idea of a nice neighborhhod i quickly found was different than mine. I have learned- buy a home where the demographic is more diverse, people own and not rent, and pay close attn to the neighbors!

Brian C. January 22, 2013 at 06:51 pm

Call me new school but what is "clue color citizen"?

Andre January 22, 2013 at 06:58 pm

Calique- I agree with you that the neighborhood itself is NOT bad. I have the privilege of living next to very good neighbors. The people on my block are quite respectful and a pleasure to live near. As you mentioned, places such as "My Place" attract suspect people. These same people wander into our neighborhoods, or drive through spilling everything and anything into the streets. I've seen puke, McDonalds-Popeyes-KFC etc bags all over the neighborhood. One may ask how I know its them doing this. Well, for one, I've seen people driving home, many times, leave the establishment and take routes through my neighborhood. It's only a matter of time until one day, someone decides to stop inside of one of these streets, and go after innocent bystanders. Actually, I believe this has already happened. Comparing any neighborhood to Baltimore City is just plain dumb. If that is your opinion of a city we should compare our neighborhoods to, then every neighborhood outside of the city is upstanding, which you know is NOT true. There are ignorant people all over, but having these establishments in our neighborhood WILL cause this area to go downhill. No way around it.

Andre January 22, 2013 at 07:03 pm

The sad part about the situation is that I'm SURE there are respectful people that actually go to that bar. It's ashame that a few bad apples have to ruin it for everyone. If I were patrons of that bar, I'd be especially mad at this situation. At the same time, why continue going to a bar knowing that there is gun activity always nearby? I know this can happen anywhere, but people have to start looking at the odds of things like this happening over and over again. One time, I get it, it can happen, but 2, 3, 4, etc? Come one mannnnnn. Lets get real here.

Andre January 22, 2013 at 07:05 pm

Brian, clearly a typo on my behalf....Come on.... Blue Collar Citizen.

Carol B January 22, 2013 at 07:14 pm

7OaksMom and Andre, I think you both recognize that "safe" is a relative thing. Seven Oaks is not dangerous--for the most part--though if you ask the people whose windows were smashed and tires were stolen (the car left up on cement blocks), they might have a different opinion--as do I, having had my car "keyed" three times (with $6,000 worth of damage, all told), my Christmas lights cut through twice, been threatened by a renter with a criminal record who was subsequently evicted, heard the ex-husband of another renter kicking her sliding doors in, had someone on my front doorstep screaming obscenities (without provocation) one Saturday afternoon, and so on. In my estimation, that does not constitute a "good" neighborhood. Any area can be infiltrated by whatever surrounds it, but good neighbors look out for one another, and that doesn't seem to happen here either. I've let people know that they have flats or left their car doors open, etc. (I see it when I walk my dogs) without so much as a "thank you." I've tried to encourage people I see gardening with compliments on their work, and given presents to some of the children around here. No one could say I haven't tried. It's not a community. It's a number of families sharing similar addresses.

7 Oaks Mom January 22, 2013 at 07:19 pm

I kind of agree. Do u live on the Kids Ink side? I feel like i have heard similar tales from friends over there. Shameful. I can relate though, because my neighbors car was broken into and my friends motorcycle stolen.. Now i dont feel as safe. Its crazy how i see people running at night or walking their dogs at 5 am despite the crime!

Andre January 22, 2013 at 07:23 pm

Carol B, much agreed. It's quite ashame that you have gone through what you have. Like I mentioned before, fortunately, I have had the privilege of living near neighbors that cut my grass when I'm out of town, collect my fedex packages if I'm not home, etc. These same neighbors are both renters. I hope they never leave, but with renting comes risk in the next tenant I guess. Fingers crossed. It's really up to the people renting to make sure they allow only the right persons in. I know that I intend to put my home up for rent as well, but I'll be sure that the people that move in are professional people with respect. Unfortunately, others don't seem to care.

Carol B January 22, 2013 at 07:37 pm

No, I'm nowhere near Bluewater--but we've had a rash of vandalisms here, and I likewise worry for the people I see jogging before sun-up, and the little ones who are outside playing on their own (often in the parking lot) when the race-car drivers come tearing through here at all hours. I remind the kids I know to watch out for cars, and to play on the sidewalk, but I'm hesitant to say anything to the others (having been regaled by a series of four-letter words from a group of girls no older than 7 or 8 who were singing a rather raunchy song, for telling them the lyrics weren't very nice--something about "I want to be your whore" and worse). Where I come from, if an adult in the neighborhood tells a child anything for his or her own good or safety, the appropriate response is "Yes, sir/ma'am," or "I'm sorry, sir/ma'am"--not "eff you." There are, thank heaven, some nice people here, and maybe things will change because of them. But with every other house occupied by transient renters who in many cases have been subjected to nothing even resembling a background check, positive change is difficult to promote. One rule of good neighborship is that you don't sell to the first person who makes an offer, regardless of his or her character, and stick your old friends with a problem--but that doesn't seem to operate here.

tony January 22, 2013 at 07:43 pm

Carol.... calique is kinda right tho. Unless you knew your Realtor on a personal level....you shouldn't take their word as gospel. The could be just trying to make a sale. I grew up in pioneer city. Im 36 now. We moved to Columbia in the early 90s. That area near reece road and 175 has always had a bad rep. Even back when I lived there. But everything is relative. Compared to most places in bmore city...the reece road and 175 corridor is like beverly hills. Me personally....if i moved 800 miles away for a new job I might be inclined to maybe rent something for 6 months or a year before buying if I had suspicions about the area. Before buying my first home in columbia...I had lived in areas in columbia that supposedly had a bad "rep" too. The irony of it is...the crime rate in these areas was miniscule. Just goes to show everything is relative.

Carol B January 22, 2013 at 07:54 pm

Exactly, Andre. That's the sort of neighbors I'm used to--but not the kind I have here, for the most part. I've helped others shovel out (though I have a good 20 years on most of the people here) with no offer from them to help me (one kind young man excepted). I've mowed the grass and shoveled the walkway and porch many times for a single neighbor who promptly (and untruthfully) repaid me by accusing my dog of biting her daughter--he jumped up on her because she ran toward me squealing about a present her father had given her (though I'd told her hundreds of times not to run or yell around anyone's dogs, because they see it as threatening), and his claws grazed her bare leg, (The mother was inside the house at the time.) The people who lived here when I moved in were quite the opposite--friendly, helpful, and thoughtful. I have nothing against renters per se, as long as they treat the properties they occupy and the people around them with respect--but the ones we seem to get around here are more often of the "human termite" variety--with no respect for anyone or anything--and judging by how infrequently the owners pay their HOA fees or maintain their properties, they're nowhere nearly as responsible as you are, Andre. I will rent out my house if I have no other choice as well, but having spent as much time and effort as I have on the interior and exterior, it won't be to people who will destroy it--or annoy the people I leave behind.

martin Luther king January 22, 2013 at 08:05 pm

to you dumbazz folks that don't know... crimes will thrive in the best of communitys... some just more low key.... but to shut down a bar is just pointless.... i can tell you from living in the area and knowing most that's involved in these crime's That the problem starts way before they get to that bar.... also it's been plenty of times i been in there and the so called security performed no pat downs for known locals and i seen pistols first hand.... pcp......weed ...and crack deals.... becuz its allowed..... so of course it would get out of hand...... the only person that's at fault is the owner..... communitys around the bar has its own problem .... severn oaks been a place of drugs among kids.... and literally everyother community around.... but its been like this way before the bar.... lmao...alot of you are green.....

Carol B January 22, 2013 at 08:14 pm

Tony, the realtor was recommended to me by a friend (also a realtor) with whom I'd worked before he went into that business. John--my friend--had helped me buy & sell four houses (two and two) & the recommendee worked for the same firm . . . so I naively believed that they knew one another & trusted him. John was horrified when I told him what I'd gone through with this young man (for example, not only didn't I receive a copy of the covenants before closing--he had to run from the settlement office to get them, & made the rest of us wait around while he did). I have no idea where "Pioneer City" is, nor did I even know what "Boom Town" was, until people started talking about it. Since I've worked in & near DC since I moved here, I don't have a lot of time for exploring--I only found out about the area off Jacob's Path because a fellow MARC rider (who lives there) told me that Domino's won't even deliver pizza to her house at night, it's that dangerous. I've lived in houses for all of my adult life, & as such, have rooms full of furniture & so on--it gets very expensive to keep paying to have them moved, & I didn't want the hassle of having to wait for a landlord to get a "round tuit." If I were younger & had less to transport, I'd have done exactly as you suggested, & rented for a while. But during the housing boom, rentals weren't easy to come by, either--so a number of things conspired to make me purchase the best of what I saw, in the time I had available. Never again!

Diane King January 22, 2013 at 08:22 pm

Over the last 20 years or so, I've spent time in just about every bar in the Odenton/Severn area (except My Place) and I've NEVER ONCE seen a gun on anyone nor have I seen drug dealing out in the open. You're making an even stronger argument for closing this bar down since you say these things are quite common there.

Andre January 22, 2013 at 08:44 pm

There are so many inaccurate points in your post, it drives me nuts. First of all, saying crimes will THRIVE in the best of community's is ridiculous. Sure, there is crime everywhere, but what kind of crime are you speaking of and at what rate? If you are comparing 1 murder to 10 murders and are classifying this as the same crime, you are sadly mistaken. Are you for or against this place staying open, bc by the post you have just made, it appears you are confused. I agree that its the owners responsibility, but money makes people ignorant to what's important. Do you feel as though it is OK to have these dealings happening in your bar? Why continue to go there if you see this? I just dont understand.

BadStatistics January 22, 2013 at 08:59 pm

If you are out drinking you are not going to take the main roads back - you are going to use neighborhood streets. That's why this happens on the seven oaks side and not as much on the blue water parkway side of the Oaks' community.

musicislife_md January 22, 2013 at 10:41 pm

I have to say you do make a good point. I do believe that it is not about the bldgs...or always what the place is attempting to attract. I have been in My Place a few times, and I'm an upstanding, law abiding, school involved parent, full time worker, who just wanted a quick night-cap. Was it a seedy place, ummmm yeah as far as the decor....but people were in there shooting pool, doing karaoke, etc....People get shot everywhere...Now do I wish it would be shut-down? yes.....but along with all the other establishments that make 175 look so darn ghetto...that includes the XX stores, 6 liquor stores are not necessary, motel, Star Inn, 5 tattoo parlors, etc. But guess what america, it's outside of a military base and that's what you get...... BUT I won't be going there anymore, I'll just go to Fridays or something if I want a night-cap:)

funny January 23, 2013 at 03:47 am

All of u are hilarious. I work in the bar and never once seen a drug transaction or a gun. There r cameras all around the establishment for security and the police walk through during the weekend n make their presence known. Unfortunately seven oaks is Not the only community around there and majority of the patrons come from the neighborhoods in the area including seven oaks. Nobody can control what a person is going to do and you can't blame an establishment or its owner. The coach at penn state raped dozens of boys. Did they close down the college??? No because then all the good white folk would lose all the money n grants put into it. Sadly we live in a violent world n theres not much we can do about it. Shit happens no matter where u live. If u dont like it move. Everywhere u go ur going to have problems. Look at the tragedy in Connecticut. They did not live in a bad neighborhood or down the street from the bar or sex shop. Get over it n spend ur time focusing on landscaping ur neighborhood. From the sounds of u all complaining it needs some work done to it.

Brian C. January 23, 2013 at 01:05 pm

Andre, It clearly was a typo but could have gone a couple of ways. That is why I asked. :-) I didnt want to jump to the wrong conclusion. :-)

Brian C. January 23, 2013 at 01:30 pm

...and here is the problem. The staff and ownership turn a blind eye to the problems in the bar. They also seem to not take in interest in the neighborhood that surrounds them.

Brian C. January 23, 2013 at 02:21 pm

The Penn State example is comparing apples to oranges. Penn State is an institution designed to improve society as the bar is designed to numb society. Not all bars are bad but this one seems to have bad things happen around or in it quite often. Where there is smoke there is fire.
Clean up the Bar and contribute to the neighborhood maybe then the neighbors might not be so upset.

Carol B January 23, 2013 at 02:36 pm

Amen, Brian. No one objects to a business that is respectful of the community--I, for one, would welcome a "Cheers" sort of neighborhood gathering place, so long as the gatherings weren't to carry on criminal activities or behave in disruptive, disorderly, and disrespectful ways. The staff and ownership certainly *are* responsible for the atmosphere they create, and the kind of clientele they attract--and for setting limits on the kinds of behavior in which patrons can engage in their establishments. When they don't, they are not responsible members of the community--and if the "good white folk" or black folk or pink-and-purple polka dotted folk who own the business don't care about the neighborhood, their neighbors will take whatever steps are necessary to eject them. Anne Arundel Co. needs to follow the example set by the Chief of Police in Washington, DC, and close such businesses down--whether on temporary suspension, or permanently--when violence occurs on their premises. You can bet the owners would suddenly start caring about what goes on there, if there were a penalty involved!

B. Bigelow January 23, 2013 at 02:44 pm

Ummm, "funny" - cameras all around the bar and police walking around on weekends don't really make the bar sound like an upstanding or safe place.
Also - your comparison to Penn State is completely illegitimate - if things were handled the same way as there - everyone who works for your bar would be fired, even if the place wasn't closed down. And it's not the fact that there's been a shooting there - it's the fact that there's been MULTIPLE shootings on separate occasions - after a while when you connect the data points - the problem is obviously the bar. I don't want to see the bar closed, per se, just moved. Maybe one of the other neighborhoods in the area you draw patrons from would welcome you.

Mary January 23, 2013 at 02:49 pm

Excellent points, B. Big, Carol B., and Brian.

Lucy January 23, 2013 at 06:52 pm

An excellent point is that there are 2 other bars on each side of My Place, Kim's Lounge and the New Starr Inn. There has been as much violence in the New Starr Inn as has been in My Place, but never a word about shutting its doors...If one is shut down, shut them all down....

7oaksowner January 27, 2013 at 10:21 pm

Anyone interested in trying once again to block the liquor license renewal for this eye sore of a place!!! I'm not sure where to begin, so I'm online researching. I have to do something instead of what I've been doing which was complain.

Carol B January 27, 2013 at 10:47 pm

70aksowner, you'd probably have to start where we ended, if you want to get anywhere: with the Anne Arundel County Liquor Licensing Board. Tim can probably help you with the names of the people on the Odenton Planning Commission, but I'm not sure that they have much to do with it. You might want to start with Halle, the owner of the Seven Oaks complex (check your sewer and water line bill for their contact information)--but fair warning: you need to be determined, tenacious, and not easily frustrated. And you also need to be prepared to do most of their legwork for them, once you show any kind of interest. I wrote one (count them--one) letter of complaint, on my own initiative, and all of a sudden they wanted me to spearhead the campaign. I have an impossible commute, and little enough "free" time as it is. I'll be glad to help as much as I can, but I already have more than one full-time job.

Tiffany April 19, 2013 at 12:39 am

Little do any of you people know the owner try's his Best to keep the nonsense out the bar I have seen with my own eyes the owner calling the cops on people who are starting trouble ... I just think it hilarious when A black person try to start a business in this neighbor it's always a problem but no one gives the owners at star inn any problem or any other ethnicity a problem but I guess that the world we live in !!!!!!!!