Wanted to fwd on a letter from my ex-homeowner's association. Remember, A. still lives there, so it's interesting. Really. No matter what you think. {grin} To give her some level of privacy, I've replaced the name of the condominium complex with CONDO.

March 17, 2005

I am sure everyone is aware of all the recent activity at CONDO.

On Friday, March 11, 2005, the police were investigating any locations that Mr. Nichols had ties. The news media also had that information. These news teams have been inside the gates and also set up across the street over the past week.

Brian Nichols was a tenant at CONDO for a period of time. He rented a condominium unit here. He has not lived here since last August.

The Board was aware at that time that he had been involved in a domestic incident with his girlfriend. That incident occurred at a location outside of CONDO. We had no information that indicated that he might be a threat to our homeowners. The condominium he occupied has been vacant since that time, until it was re-rented on March 01, 2005.

Mr. Nichols surrendered to police on Saturday, March 12, 2005. I do not expect that we will see any more police presence at CONDO; however there have been a few local news teams here over the past few days.

CONDO is PRIVATE PROPERTY and the news media is not permitted to come onto our property without permission from a homeowner. If you see any television or newspaper reporters inside CONDO’s gates, please stop and ask them to leave. We do not have onsite management or a security guard. It is every homeowner’s responsibility to protect our community. Once they have been asked to leave they MUST do so, I spoke at length with our attorney about this issue. The media is aware that they are required to leave once they have been asked.

Last week, several news organizations also brought camera crews and reporters and set up at the office building across the street. Several homeowners were approached and asked to provide information and/or offer their thoughts on the incident. I would encourage homeowners to refrain from speaking with the media in the future. These interviews only show CONDO in a negative light. Some statements were made by homeowners that were incorrect. One reporter was told that Mr. Nichols once had a machine gun here. This was not true. Several homeowners saw that report and were extremely upset. These reports give the public the perception that CONDO is un-safe. We have all invested a lot of time and money working to make CONDO a community we can be proud of. Negative publicity is harmful to your property value.

In my opinion, this guy makes a lot of good points. Local (and some national) news can act a little immaturely from time to time, all for the headline de' jour. Hope you find it interesting.