Neighbors on Pueblo's east side say crime is out of control

PUBELO — Neighbors in east Pueblo say crime is out of control. Some told News5 they felt so unsafe they considered moving out of town. Now they're calling on the City Council and Pueblo police to address their concerns.

The east side of Pueblo has been home to Bryan Steepleton and his family since 1960.

“When you think back, you know that this neighborhood was a great neighborhood,” Steepleton said.

He said the neighborhood is not what it once was.

“But in the past you could go outside and there were children playing everywhere. Now you don't see a soul on the streets,” said Steepleton.

Eleanor Sheahan

He said drugs and violent crime are changing the place he loves.

“The worst thing ever,” Steepleton said.

A few houses down from Steepleton lives his neighbor Bryan Bailey. He said they have seen people smashing car windows and even stealing cars. One of the cars belonged to Steepleton.

“Think honestly about where you park your cars now,” Bailey said.

Bailey parks his car in his fenced-in backyard. He doesn't trust it to be safe in his driveway or on the street. He says people on the east side steal things from cars and it's not worth the risk.

“There's a bullet hole in one car. I don't know where it came from or what. It was parked back on the street and we noticed it,” Bailey said.

The four-stop sign intersection at the corner of East 12th Street and North Norwood Avenue is also an area Bailey would like to address. He said cars are constantly speeding through the intersection, but his biggest concern is drugs in the area.

“My biggest concern, frankly, is drug use, drug trafficking and the crimes associated with it,” Bailey said.

To ensure safety, Bailey has installed nearly $2,000 worth of security measures.

“We have a security door and a doorbell camera,” Bailey said.

He also has several cameras outside.

Eleanor Sheahan

“I couldn’t imagine leaving the house without a security system, and we can see it on my phone,” Bailey said.

He's also building a fence to separate his yard from this RV that's in his neighbor's driveway. Bailey said the RV showed up in his neighbor's driveway in June. He suspects it's not drivable and said it violates city ordinance.

“Right now it’s being used as a meeting place for whatever’s happening,” Bailey said.

Bailey and Steepleton's friend owns the property next door, but he said other people had already “moved in.”

They said they were watching the drug trade from their porch.

“We can't just let it continue like this, otherwise it will get worse and worse and go downhill. We just ask ourselves: what else can we do?” Bailey said.

Neighbors Bailey and Steepleton decided to take their concerns to the Pueblo City Council. They spoke at the last meeting and called for a stronger police presence in their neighborhood.

Eleanor Sheahan

“There have been thefts in our neighborhood and we are demanding that more be done and that there be patrols,” Bailey said.

News5 reached out to Pueblo police, and a police spokesperson said by phone that patrol units are stationed in Pueblo neighborhoods and that they are aware of the rising crime rate in the city.

“There has to be a better solution to this because whether it's Pueblo police or the city or whoever is in charge of the logistics, it's not working well,” said Johanne Bailey, Steepleton's neighbor.

“Let's actually be a neighborhood, and that feels like … a dream, and it feels like it's so far away, even though it shouldn't be,” Bailey said.

Pueblo police said people should report crimes using their non-emergency number. According to Bailey, he contacted police four times about the crimes he witnessed near his home. He says none of the officers were able to talk to him about it.

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