You might remember Steve from a previous post. He is a businessman, artist, and resident of a neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale called Poinsettia Heights, and he recently gained a new “A.K.A.” for trying to protect his neighborhood….. He’s now forever known as “Chainsaw Steve”!
This is how his new name came about.
He was just plain fed up with 5 convicts that had taken up residence along the RR tracks near his business and home off NE 13th Street. The neighborhood was having a major spike in crimes like burglaries and car break-ins that just happened to coincide with the felons arrival in the area.
Here are two of those career felons:
“Cross Eyed Mike” “Shorty”
Chainsaw’s real name is Stephen Sticht, and he first made news a decade ago with his artistic efforts with the “Bluebikes”. He and his group of “avant garde” artists painted dozens of old throw away bicycles blue, and hung them all over town in the most unusual places. It was Fort Lauderdale’s version of Chicago’s Cows.
After hundreds of calls to the local Police asking them to remove the thugs from their base along the tracks, and getting nowhere, Steve took action.
He powered up his now famous “Chainsaw”, and made his way down the FEC line until he found the “Camp”. It had to go!
Buzz buzz buzz buzz, and the “Camp” was gone. The Felons were upset! They called Public Defender Howard “Help me Howard” Finklestein and filed a complaint.
Shame on you “Help Me Howard” for listening to this rotten gang of criminals.
A restraining order was granted to the felons by Judge Jorge Gonzalez (shame on you too!) , and Sticht was ordered to stay away from the felons’ residence (the tracks !)
Sticht spent thousands on lawyers, many sleepless nights, but thankfully, in the end, justice was done.
Judge Matthew Destry deserves a compliment for sending the felons packing…… hopefully to another RR line far, far away!