Shooting after fight stuns quiet Grand Island

[steven]

Escalating violence between two groups of youths led to an early morning shooting Wednesday on normally peaceful Grand Island that hospitalized a Kenmore man and put a Grand Island teen in custody, Erie County sheriff's officials said.

The shooting left Charles Casterline, 20, of Kenmore, in Erie County Medical Center with gunshot wounds to his face. The incident shocked residents on the island where such violence is virtually unheard of.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060608/1000286.asp

[BuffaloEMT14216]

When I was in High School, I attended the BOCES program at the Ken-Ton Center and I always remember the kids that were from Grand Island as being thugs and punks.
In today's age I still find it amazing that people are so "shocked" when this kind of violence happens outside the city.
Yes, we have violence in the city. Yet, there is violence in all of the surrounding suburbs, the media just potrays the city as the "evil".
The Town of Amherst has the Allendale Apartment projects in Eggertsville, the Town of Tonawanda has Sheridan-Parkside and the Lincoln Park area, and on...
These kids, and I'm not that old being just 26, but these kids today have no concept of confrontation without violence. I could not imagine shooting someone over a girl, I'd throw a few fists but that's it. Perhaps a few choice phrases and that'd be it.

[Ragin]

My son knows this kid (the shooter) :eek: He says he's a punk.

I think he was 12 when this kid came after him over God knows what :rolleyes: In defense, my son whooped his arse.

This one small pocket consisting mainly of duplex homes behind Wilson Farms, is what I refer to as "divorce row". If there's trouble, you can be sure that's where the trouble was brewing. Been that way for as long as I can remember.

I'm not attempting to stereotype divorced parents and single parent households in general, but it just seems to be a common link in this little corner of town.

[Northshore]

And, like a lot of folks on Grand Island, we did our "time" in the duplexes.

It sucked in the 80's, but it was one of the better places that we could afford. Absentee landlords were becoming quite a problem then, and I don't imagine it's gotten better.

[Ragin]

Good point refering to the absentee landlords.

I served my two year sentence in the Regency Manor Apartments on Bedell Road. It wasn't bad back then (1993-1995) as the management was always present and they kept a close eye on what they kids (mostly preteens) were up to. I heard they have gone downhill since I left, but I haven't seen the kind of things happenening there that takes place in the Carl Road/West Park duplexes.

[Northshore]

Regency Manor is now Country Glenn and they go up and down. They had a pretty good manager for awhile but the notoriously cheap out of town owner got tired of paying up and they have a bunch of kids now (2 girls about 23, basically rent collectors). What kills me about the place is the disarray that it is constantly in. Half finished construction, unmowed grass, junk cars. If I kept my front yard like they kept an entire complex, I would have code enforcement all over my case. So far, from what I hear, there are enough tennants making a habit of calling the sheriffs that it is under enough scrutiny to keep it livable.

For now.

[DelawareDistrict]

I lived in Town Hall Terrace for about 10 years. Never had a problem. Everybody there was respectful toward their neighbors, including the kids and teenagers.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

I've heard that one problem with GI is that there isn't much for kids to do. They have to cross the bridge to go to the movies, or to hang out at the mall or...whatever else kids do these days.

Any truth to that?

[DelawareDistrict]

I've heard that one problem with GI is that there isn't much for kids to do. They have to cross the bridge to go to the movies, or to hang out at the mall or...whatever else kids do these days.

Any truth to that?
I guess it all depends on how you define things to do. Movies and the mall are definitely out. There are all kinds of wooded areas and the river to explore. I grew up in the sticks and we managed to build forts and things in the fields and woods.

When my kids were younger they spent a lot of time in the nice weather at Beaver Island. Kids could always be encouraged to do something adventuresome like reading a good book :rolleyes:

[atotaltotalfan2001]

I guess it all depends on how you define things to do. Movies and the mall are definitely out. There are all kinds of wooded areas and the river to explore. I grew up in the sticks and we managed to build forts and things in the fields and woods.

When my kids were younger they spent a lot of time in the nice weather at Beaver Island. Kids could always be encouraged to do something adventuresome like reading a good book :rolleyes:

How about teenagers, though. Do you think it would be helpful if there were more things for them to do on the island? Just a thought.

[Ragin]

I've heard that one problem with GI is that there isn't much for kids to do. They have to cross the bridge to go to the movies, or to hang out at the mall or...whatever else kids do these days.

Any truth to that?

yes, that is true we dont have a movie theater or mall. For the most part the kids have Reality Cafe which is a popular supervised hangout and Island Lanes (bowling) My son frequented Realty Cafe most often. Unfortunately its not situated in a centralized location. Most kids need to be driven there and picked up. Carpooling the kids with other parents worked out well. :) We do the same for the movies, the mall and concerts.

During the winter months the middle and high school kids join Ski Club.

Summers are filled with Fantasy Island passes for $40.00/season (rollercoasters and a water park, need I say more?). There's the Island Fun Center with miniature golf and go carts. We also have Grinders which is a skateboard/bike park for extreme sports. Recently they opened the Java Shop which seems to be really popular (even with the 11 yr olds), as is the Asian Buffet.

Every weekend there was something going on. If it wasn't a party (always supervised) the kids all gathered at each others home. My son hung out with the same group of kids for years. I knew the kids and I knew the parents. We'd call and make sure parties were supervised. With a in-ground pool our home was, and still is, the place to be ..sometimes 40 kids at a time. And I never had an ounce of trouble from them. They even cleaned up before going home. :)

I hear local parents blame the lack of a movie theater for the trouble kids get in to. But there is stuff to do, if they choose to utilize these local attractions. My son did and now my daughter does.

[badazzss]

im a relative of the shooter... with that being said, i in no way condone what was done or even understand why he had access to a gun. in fact, i've spoken to the kid multiple times about shaping up, not hanging around with the #%^$%# up crew, etc etc.

it really comes down to parenting i think. if the kids arent led in the right direction, its nearly impossible for them to make good decisions. i lived in the duplexes there for multiple years. unfortunately that section wasn't good a few years ago, and has just been going downhill ever since. even from when i lived on GI (for about 6 years total), it seemed that a LOT of the teens just wanted to act thug/gangster. i guess having access to a good education, a lot of money in most cases, and a potentially rich b/f or g/f just isn't enough for some. one guy mentioned the boces program... i also remember many of the tonawanda wannabe thugs there. they would attend OSP or ALP some weeks, then do boces, and work on alternate weeks. about 99% of these people have uncaring parents, and they just don't give a sh*t.

im 25 myself, and remember having arguments, fights, and "beefs" when i was 15-19. my friends and i wouldnt purposely start fights, but if it came down to it, we wouldn't back down either. a few times we had all-out fist fight brawls. a few times one side had more people than the other. we never used weapons though; not guns, knives, rocks, sticks, or anything. it was always just a good old fashioned fight, win or lose that was it.

what struck me as absurd, was the leadership of grand island saying that this is a rare occurrence. nice try to either cover their asses, or they really don't know what's going on. these "thugs" do drugs, sell drugs, get weapons, threaten, beat up, and fight every day. the person who shot at the car was 100% wrong in doing so - - BUT - - there was a threat from the car that they had guns and were going to open fire. they drove from tonawanda to GI for no other reason other than to start (or finish) a fight. the problem is all around... so what can be done to fix it?

[Northshore]

What can be done to fix it?

How about law enforcement?

It is pretty common knowledge that there are 3 cops on the island max at any time. Want the neighborhood all to yourself? Call in a fake "man with a gun" call to the fire company business line, and hang up before they transfer it to the S.D. Make sure the decoy call is on the other end of the island and in a tough place to search.

Enjoy the lack of police while you commit your special crime.

Just one of the many reasons that I own guns and dogs.

[badazzss]

just a FYI update for all... the house and surrounding area where the charged "shooter" lives was shot up the other night at about 2 am, with paintballs. the entire front of the house, part of the side of the house, multiple cars in the driveway, and the fence.

some people just do not learn...

[Downstate Buffaloian]

Good point refering to the absentee landlords.

I served my two year sentence in the Regency Manor Apartments on Bedell Road. It wasn't bad back then (1993-1995) as the management was always present and they kept a close eye on what they kids (mostly preteens) were up to. I heard they have gone downhill since I left, but I haven't seen the kind of things happenening there that takes place in the Carl Road/West Park duplexes.

My mother (Marcia) was manager at that complex from 1989-1993. You wouldn't believe the stuff that went on there even then. Drug busts, domestic violence, burglary. That place was a zoo.

My mother did keep a close watch on what went on when she was there. She knew all the kids in the complex and if something happened she usually had a good idea of who was at fault. The place really did go down hill in 1990's. The owners were from the Albany area and only came out to see the property once a year.

My old neighborhood (near the High School) has also hit the skids. The house I grew up in is now populated by someone who parks their car on the lawn and doesn't maintain the landscaping we put in. Really sad to see.:(

It 's not only the duplexes behind Wilson Farms that is run down but parts of the adjoining neighborhood. Some houses can be had in the $50,000-$60,000 range just like Riverside, and the people are just like Riverside.

[Ragin]

My mother (Marcia) was manager at that complex from 1989-1993. You wouldn't believe the stuff that went on there even then. Drug busts, domestic violence, burglary. That place was a zoo.

My mother did keep a close watch on what went on when she was there. She knew all the kids in the complex and if something happened she usually had a good idea of who was at fault.

Umm ..Marcia?? Ummm .. I think I knew your mother!! LOL. (although I thought she worked there a little longer than you indicated? :confused: ) Anyway, I moved into Regency Manor upon my arrival here from NYC in 1993. I only had one child, my son, who just turned 6yrs old. He was an angel :) But there was a family living there, the girlfriend had 2 kids and the boyfriend had had 3 .. together thay had another one making 6 in all, and they were terror unleashed. Your mom definitely knew them! I can think of another tenant .. single mom, drunk boyfriend .. two teenage daughters who were, how do I say this, like their mother, total bitches :rolleyes: Mostly these were the kids that kept your mom busy .. and maybe an accident prone 3yr old who was my best friends son :)
I recall seeing the cops there on occaision for domestic arguments mostly. Thats when we had Grand Island Police. Pat Dworak was one, I forget the other guys name.

My old neighborhood (near the High School) has also hit the skids. The house I grew up in is now populated by someone who parks their car on the lawn and doesn't maintain the landscaping we put in. Really sad to see.:(
Across the street from the HS by any chance? ooor .. maybe Tracy Lane? Those first blocks in from Ransom Road seem less tidy than further down the road. I cant really explain it, except I know some of those homes are not owner occupied and some people do park on the lawn. I don't ... that's what driveways are for, but I see it a lot up here. I don't really recall people doing that downstate. I guess all those curbs get in the way.
The town board recently passed an ordinance that boats, trailers, RVs and work vans/trucks are to parked in the back of the home. I heard a lot of residents complained that these things left an untidy appearance.

It 's not only the duplexes behind Wilson Farms that is run down but parts of the adjoining neighborhood. Some houses can be had in the $50,000-$60,000 range just like Riverside, and the people are just like Riverside.
I'm guessing you're referring to the homes across from Wilson Farms. I don't know about them cause I never had the need to drive down that road.:)

[Downstate Buffaloian]

Umm ..Marcia?? Ummm .. I think I knew your mother!! LOL. (although I thought she worked there a little longer than you indicated? :confused: )


Across the street from the HS by any chance? ooor .. maybe Tracy Lane?



My mother was a part-time secretary there from 1986-1989 and then was manager from 1989-1993.


You are correct, I grew up on Tracey Lane.

[Ragin]

My mother was a part-time secretary there from 1986-1989 and then was manager from 1989-1993.


You are correct, I grew up on Tracey Lane.

I'm almost positive I knew her back then. Her name is just too familiar. I lived in a townhouse apt right next to the managers affice and parked in that lot.

Don't worry, I didnt know her last name ... lol. ;)

Tracy lane ... easy guess. Not too many streets around that neighborhood back then. I looked at homes over there in 1995 when it came time to leave Regency Manor.

[Deerhunter]

Is there any question he didn't pull the trigger ? I didn't know how strong a case they had against him. Heard the girl they were fighting over was quite a gem. Talented, so to speak.

[Dr Funky]

just a FYI update for all... the house and surrounding area where the charged "shooter" lives was shot up the other night at about 2 am, with paintballs. the entire front of the house, part of the side of the house, multiple cars in the driveway, and the fence.

some people just do not learn...

Paintballs and BB guns dont count :D

[Dr Funky]

I cant really explain it, except I know some of those homes are not owner occupied and some people do park on the lawn. I don't ... that's what driveways are for, but I see it a lot up here. I don't really recall people doing that downstate. I guess all those curbs get in the way.

I heard that people do that all the time in LA also.. :D