Friday, May 16, 2008

petty thievery

This morning I was sitting at my desk, wading through the overnight email, when I saw one of the ubiquitous bicycle men stop in front of our house, pedal partway up our driveway, pick up our newspaper, and pedal off down the street.

K. is grouchy if he doesn't have his morning paper (okay, he's grouchy anyway), and I was outraged on principle, so I called the cops (622-1241, not 911). I did feel compelled to apologize: "I know it's just a newspaper, but I can't help but be outraged." I gave them a very clear description, and they said they'd try to apprehend the evildoer.

You know, I think I'm more up in arms about this than if I had left my iPod in the car and my window got smashed for it.

7 comments:

ateam99 said...

I understand completely. In the ten minutes I was at the Pomona Public Library, I left my phone behind. The person that "found" it decided not to turn it in to lost and found. Instead they called me, asked where I lived, wouldn't tell me their name, or where the phone was found. I asked them to return it to the library (I figured it would be safer) but they insisted they deserved a reward, and wanted me to meet them. I told them to keep the phone. I was livid!!

By the way, do you know what happened behind Stater Bros last night? It looked like a stand off or something.

Garrett Sawyer said...

Perhaps you were more outraged at this than the ipod inccident because you whitnessed it? and it happened at your home? I would be.

I've done that once unfortunatly, when I was younger in elementary because I needed one for an at school project and forgot to buy one the night before so I took one from someones driveway...I thought it wouldn't matter because the papers on that particular driveway were accumulating for at least two weeks it seemed. I felt bad about it all day...Well, I took it to school, wrote my artical review and folded and rolled it back up and put it back on my way home. Is that such a bad thing? I know, I'm evil. lol. Oh well, karma got me back a few years ago. I was going to the Montclair Plaza on my birthday on the bus and some black girl that always followed me whenever I came to the Transit Center downtown whenever she was there just reached into my pocket from behind me as quickly as she could, grabbed my wallet, opened it, took some of my birthday money out (a 50 and a 5) and tossed the wallet at me and she tucked into her boob crack. lol. After that I learned to keep most of my money in my shoes whenever I had to go downtown, worried that she might be around there, this went on for a few months.

I didn't know what to do...Can you believe she had the nerve to ask me if she could borrow my cell phone after that? Like a dumb ass, I let her, but she actually gave it back, surprisingly. I followed her all the way up to Indian Hill on the bus and pleaded with her to give it back and that it was my birthday money and she said her grandma was sick or something. BULL! lol. Whatever, thank god I never see that B anymore.

Anonymous said...

If this person would steal a 50 cent paper, nothing is safe.
Kinda sad, really.
Hope it didn't ruin your day.
Mark

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the greater outrage comes in part from a sense of responsibility: if my iPod is stolen from my car, shame on me for leaving it in my car (even with the doors locked, etc.). But what can you do to keep your newspaper safe? Get up at 5:00 AM to whisk it off the street the instant it's delivered?

Ed said...

I sure hope he was stealing it to actually read it.

Any chance you'll give us a description of the perpetrator? Was he bald, about 40, and wearing a Daily Bulletin sweatshirt? :-)

me said...

Meg-
He probably took your newspaper straight to the recyling center at Stater Bros. to see what it would fetch him in pennies.

Now Ed...

G of P

Anonymous said...

I hope he stole it to look at the want ads to find himself a j o b

...in fact I'm SURE that's what happened ;(