Raleigh Gardens Beefs Up Security, Residents Upset

Apartment managers say they are doing it to make the neighborhood safer, but a lot of residents say that it is no way to live.

Antonio Jolly says a private security guard pulled a gun on his 3-year-old son.

"He had a BB gun shooting in the woods and got a live gun drawn on him," Jolly said.

A mother of seven was shot to death there in January. The murder was a wake-up call for Steven Smith, a father of four who lives in and works for Raleigh Gardens. He defends the new security measures.

"It hit home, because if something happened to me, then that's how it is for my children," said Smith. "They're out there alone in the world."

Some residents aren't making life easy for people like Smith who want to clean up the neighborhood. They're angry at the private security guards who patrol the grounds at night.

Some residents say they're living like caged animals. Residents and visitors are required to have parking decals, and a curfew is in place from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Guards are taking names of people who violate the curfew. They pass them along to apartment managers who check to see if they're listed on the lease.

The man responsible for killing the mother of seven is now serving a 28-year sentence.