BOULDER, Colo. -- A spate of aggressive vandalisms on University Hill in Boulder has neighbors taking matters into their own hands to protect themselves.

Boulder police said vandals broke car windshields, stole lawn furniture, and even threw a 70-pound boulder on a car late Friday or early Saturday. The same vandals are believed to have pulled up a parking sign at First Congregational Church in downtown Boulder and thrown it through the church's glass doors.

It's the second major vandalism spree in the University Hill area since the Rocky Mountain Showdown between the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University in early September. At that time, vandals broke the windows of cars and homes and damaged St. Thomas of Assisi parish.

"I came out to my car and my passenger window and the side mirror were both broken out," said Chris Johnson, a student who was visiting friends on University Hill when his car was vandalized on game day.

"We've lived with vandalism for a few years now," said Melonie Fusilier, a second-generation University Hill resident. "It's just part of the college thing."

Fusilier most recently had furniture stolen from her porch last spring.

"We had a couple of chairs and a table that were taken from the front porch and hanging baskets have been taken from the front porch," she said. Her family recently started securing her tables, chairs and plants to the house.

"You'd really have to want it to get it," she said, showing off a complex wiring system that keeps thieves from stealing the plants.

Fusilier said rowdy students are all part of living in the area.

"We call it the seasons," she said. "It's really loud in the beginning of the year and things will calm down and it will get really loud toward graduation. Then we start all over the next year."

But others worried the vandalism is only getting worse.

"I probably won't park on the street as much if this keeps happening," said Johnson. "I’ll probably have to rent out a garage to put my car in."

Boulder police have not determined whether the two vandalism sprees are connected. They are urging anyone with information about the vandalism to call them at 303-441-3333.