Tempers flared during a meeting to discuss a group home for abused boys in Manchester on Tuesday night.
Nutmeg Drive residents who packed a room at the Lincoln Center were outraged over what they say is a lack of supervision at the raised ranch home.
Douglas Sanborn, who lives next door to the home, said his home has been egged, among other things, over the last few years.
“I think our neighborhood isn’t as safe as it was. The police are here all the time. It’s time to step up supervision or get the home closed,” Sanborn said.
Manchester police have responded to the home nearly 400 times in the last three years. Most of the calls have been for teenagers who are missing without permission. But a much more serious crime really grabbed neighbors attention.
“Charles Wilson was arrested.... He’s the guy accused of shooting and killing that convenience store clerk (Aurang Zaib Sahi) here in town. He lived at the home four years ago,” said Sanborn.
Wilson is also a suspect in the shooting death of Andrew Igida, 74, outside Hot Corner market on May 30.
Representatives from the state Department of Children and Families told the angry crowd they heard their concerns loud and clear and will re-evaluate whether the home is appropriate in the Nutmeg Drive neighborhood.
Not everyone, though, is upset about it.
“This is horrible. These are teenage boys and people are standing in their yards saying, 'We don’t like you, we're here to tell you go away.' Well, that’s a horrible message to be sending. This is our future,” Martha Bertrand, a neighbor, said.
DCF officials said the home is trying to be a good neighbor, but admits there’s clearly a problem.