Topic: More OT

[Clark Kent]

Last night my car was broken into, the passenger side window smashed, and all that was stolen was my CD case, which totalled in at least 60 CDs.  Generally, i don't by the cheap CDs, I get new ones, at around the standard $20 a piece, around half of them classical music.  I seriously doubt that any punk that goes around smashing in car windows will want to listen to classical music, so that means that they'll either be pawned off or just trashed.  Very frustrating.  If you do the math, I'm out about $1000 worth of material- much of which took me years to collect and find.  Some of these CDs had alot of sentimental value to me as they were gifts.
To top it off, since I can't drive around the cities with a missing window, let alone the shattered glass all around my car, I had to cancel on two job interviews and a doctor appointment due to my lack of transportation.  I'm sure you've already guessed this, but I'm really pissed off, and as long as my day was shot anyway, I've been calling around to local pawn shops, trying to get a bit of help incase someone tries to sell off my prized collection and nail their adolescent asses to the wall.  Hey, the day's shot anyway, might as well do something semi-productive, right?  The best suggestion I've gotten is to go to each pawn shop and music store that deals used music and leave a flyer there, in the faint hope that someone will notice and nail these punks.  The police, as usual, say they aren't doing anything about it, since they don't have a suspect.  Meanwhile, i'll just sit here, with no music because some [censored] stole it from me, trying to think of other ways I can try and get some semblance of justice.
I have learned a couple things, though.  First, locking my car and not leaving any one high priced item insie is not enough; even if I do live in a semi rural area with supposedly little crime.  Second, I will NEVER leave an original CD in my car ever again.  Everything that goes on the road with me from now on will be a copy, with the original safely tucked away in it's case at home.
CK

[starforce2]

that sux. it must be cold where you are eh? Otherwise unless it was the windshield or back window I'd grab the vac, suck the glass up and drive it anyways, esp to something as important as a job interview. You might want to invest in a survalence cam in your driveway. I see these while delivering my newspapers. I'm going to get one myself. I can't wait to nail the b****** who keeps cutting my christmas lights every year.

[Clark Kent]

It's not cold here, yet, but I found the car just as I was on my way out the door to my first appointment.  Had to call the police and wait for them to come and file a report, then had to let my insurance know what had happened, and by the time I got through those steps I had missed one appointment and was going to be late for the next, so I knew right off the bat that it wasn't going to happen, unless I wanted to drive around like that the whole day and call the cops tonight sometime when thigns calmed down.    Getting the old shop vac out and getting it cleaned out so I could vacuum up the mess took alot of time as well, and leaving my car wide open in the middle of the twin cities is not my idea of a smart thing to do, even if there were no more CDs to leave in it anymore.  It's possible someone would have seen the opportunity of an open car, and hotwired it and took off with my car as well.  So after I let the insurance company know what had happened, I got the car into the shop to have the Passenger side window replaced.
I don't have the cash for a security camera right now, but I have the next best thing.  There's an onld camper in my front yard, right next to where I park my car.  and I'm not the only one who has had these problems as of late on my neighborhood.  I'll just take my camcorder, put it on it's tripod inside the camper, and let it run from say 10 pm until it runs out of tape 6 hours later.  That should cover the time when the problems happen, and if anyone else on the street has any problems or if I do again, I'll have video tape, and hopefully even license numbers of passing cars, which will at least give me a suspect to investigate if nothing else.
CK

[starforce2]

you're in the twin cities too eh? I'm over here in Oakdale. I know how the glass is. Some of my load shifted and busted the back window out of my pickup one time. Once in a while I still find a peice of glass.

[Clark Kent]

Quote:
you're in the twin cities too eh? I'm over here in Oakdale. I know how the glass is. Some of my load shifted and busted the back window out of my pickup one time. Once in a while I still find a peice of glass.  

Small world, I'm actually living northwest of the twin cities, just interviewing in the twin cities.  Glass in the pants does suck though.
CK

[Clark Kent]

I just realized- they got a CD and front cover of music played by a virtuoso musician that had autographed my CD years ago when I had an opportunity to play with him.

[E_Look]

Clark Kent,  I completely empathize.  I'm originally from NYC and one icy winter morning I got my wife and babies all bundled up to go to church and when we got down to the street, my door was opened (I ALWAYS LOCK EVERYTHING... I'm from New York, LOL!) and the ___'s got my ignition computer!  Ooooooh, I still remember it and the feeling.  I HATE thieves.  In essence they treat you as if you were dead.  I'm sure though, that they know how they'd be if their victims ever got their hands on them.

Shortly after, there was a spree of broken into cars in the neighborhood.  One night, I was going to put the Club on my steering column when I looked up and saw three big 20ish to 30ish guys by a neighbor's car.  Out of sheer stupid nosiness I started to walk over to see what was up, forgetting I had the Club in my hands.  The saw me and started to sneer, "That little guy thinks he can take us with that little thing in his hands?!", but they slowly left nevertheless.  (I was thinking no such thing... I couldn't, wasn't going to "take" them!)

And then a little while more, I read in the news that out in the 'burbs, police were chasing some car thieves when their car slammed into the divider wall or trestle post on the highway, killing all three men.  The cops found all sorts of master keys, specific keys to specific cars, etc. on them.  Right about that time, the spree ended in my neighborhood.

Now, I know its not a nice way to be, definitely un-Christian and downright mean, but I felt good.  I had a strange feeling there was a real tangible connection here.  But I did feel that justice was served, albeit a bit harshly; the court system in NY then would have had 'em out and stealing again in no time.  Giuliani did put the kibosh on lots of this kind of crap, though.  Good mayor.   (When I left NYC, I cried that I could no longer vote for him!)

[Captain KoraH]

I have heard a lot of people say their car was broken into and their CD case stolen. I always wonder why anyone would be dumb enough to leave a CD case in their car... NEVER leave ANYTHING of vaule in your car! My Mazda got broken into and all I had left in it was some MacDonalds katsup packets, but THEY WERE GONE!  

[James_Smith]

My Fiat got broken into in Coventry a few months back. The thieving twats didn't even bother to break the window though, they went in the hard way -put a hole in the door next to the lock, and tripped the lock mechanism inside the door. All they got was the radio/tape player, which can't even be used in another car so they can't use it or sell it. I guess they just want to use it as an ornament...

Door had to be reskinned, and a new lock made to fit the existing key. V. expensive. Insurance covered it, but there goes the no claims bonus...it's almost not worth claiming with the way insurance is in this country. Especially if you're under 25.

[starforce2]

someone drove up and stole the tail light assemblies of my dads 76 ford a while back. Left the bulbs though. Now the tail lights were one of the few items other than the engine and trans that hasn't gone to hell on that truck.

[Clark Kent]

Quote:
I have heard a lot of people say their car was broken into and their CD case stolen. I always wonder why anyone would be dumb enough to leave a CD case in their car... NEVER leave ANYTHING of vaule in your car! My Mazda got broken into and all I had left in it was some MacDonalds katsup packets, but THEY WERE GONE!  

I've always thought that was good advice in an urban area, but it's only been this summer that car breakin have become common in this area, and the number, according to the officer that responded, is over 100 this summer alone, up from nearly zero.  That's why i prefer living out here- people didn't use to do things like this.  Sure, I caused trouble when I was a kid, but I didn't go around wantonly destroying other peoples property or stealing, nor did the vast majority of my classmates.  Also, the police then didn't let anyone get away with vandalism, stealing, etc.  Now, they just come, give you your case number so you can make a claim and that's it.
The only things that were of value in my car were the CDs, the CD player and some coins in a little console underneath the dash.
As I said before though, it took me many many years to collect all those cds, and they probably just threw them away anyways.  They left the CD player, I don't know why, all they wanted were the CDs.  
I, for one, am not a little guy, and if I ever run into someone doing something similar to this, I will subdue them with whatever force necessary.  I know the likelyhood of me getting stuck or shot is high, but that doesn't bother me.  Worst case scenario is I get killed trying to do the right thing.
E_Look, I don't think the way you felt about those punks is wrong at all.  When a person does something like that to you or someone else, they completely disregard your rights.  I don't think that there is that big of a difference from someone killing, and someone stealing or destropying your property.  The property was acquire by you through hours, maybe weeks or even years of work, time and energy.  Everything you buy has a little piece of you in it, and when it is stolen or destroyed, the perpetraitor destroys a piece of you.  Maybe it was karma that those guys died the way they did, maybe not, but it was definately a case of people making a conscious decision to diregard others' rights, and they paid the consequences for it.  In effect, they killed themselves.  I think there should be a certain level of gratification in that, especially in a system where low lifes like that can literally get awya with murder, and are rarely held accountable for their actions.  That doesn't mean we can revel in their demise, but I certainly refuse to feel pitty for a person that behaves in such a way.
As for it being stupid to leave anything in your car, all I can say, captain korah, is that's the same excuse criminals use.  I don't think it's too much for a person to expect to go through this life without others treating them with such blaitent disregard.  That's just a cop out.
Thanks for sharing the stories of your similar experiences, it helps a little to know that I'm not the only one in this type of situation.  Still, it sure is quiet without my music,
CK

[Atrahasis]

That does suck. I go into withdrawal if I don't hear my musical scores while I'm modelling, so I can empathize with you.