Willow Glen Resident

News

Letter to Jensen Avenue resident forged using association's logo

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Jensen Avenue resident Lancelot Smith was thrown off guard when he received a letter of complaint from what he thought was the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association earlier this month.

The letter was postmarked Feb. 7 and was addressed to "Resident."

It addressed Smith pleasantly at first, but then went on to state that the hearse he has parked in his driveway is a code violation and stated, "I am confident you will agree a Hearse placed in your front yard is not very kind to your neighbors."

It was written using a sharpie pen, said Smith.

Smith called the business association to confirm the letter. The association's receptionist said it had not mailed him a letter and asked him to fax a copy of what he had received for their review.

Smith questioned the credibility of the letter because it ended with "Willow Glen Community."

After receiving a fax of the letter, Willow Glen Business and Professional Association executive director Norma Ruiz knew it was a forgery. She said the business association does not sign its letters "Willow Glen Community."

Ruiz said that the logo was most likely lifted from the website and pasted onto the document.

"It's our logo," she said, "and we don't appreciate it being used by someone in this manner."

The letterhead was also missing a list of the association's board of directors, which is located in the left-hand margin along with the association's contact information on the bottom of the page.

Smith was upset because the writer did not come to him first to discuss the car.

"I knew because it had no return address that it was going to be about the car," he said.

The 1971 Cadillac Miller-Meteor side loader named Clarise by Smith and his fiancée Brigit Thomas is an art project bound for the annual Burning Man festival, a communal art festival held in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

The hearse is at Smith's home until he puts the transmission back in and is able to drive it to a storage unit in Santa Cruz, where he will finish the car's metamorphosis into a Burning Man art car. With the exception of the transmission, the car is in running condition.

"My direct neighbors know about it and were disappointed to hear about the letter," he said.

When he explained to his neighbors why the hearse was in his driveway, most of the residents were generally supportive, understanding and interested, he said.

"The car isn't going to be in the front forever," he added.

San Jose code enforcement was, however, called out to Smith's residence and gave him a warning to move the inoperative vehicle. Smith needs to have the car in working condition, and then code enforcement will sign off on the complaint.

In addition to being part of the annual festival, the hearse is also going to be used as a focal art piece to help the American Red Cross in a blood drive.

"No one came to my door to talk about it," Smith said.

Smith, who rents his home, said he works hard to keep to the standards of the neighborhood.

"I make sure that the frontage of my house looks nice," he said. "When you go that extra mile to accommodate your neighborhood, you don't expect someone to send you a nasty letter."