So my neighbors (on both sides) recently sold their homes to some property investors. New owners have been putting all sorts of work into the places, which means stacks of good lumber sitting out front. About 5 AM this morning, I'm up early studying when I hear some racket. I'm a little touchy about my neighborhood, so I go outside to check on it. I take my dogs and my cell, since I've been lectured by the wife about my comfort with my pistol. Guy's loading lumber up into his truck, and I know he doesn't work there, since the construction crews are entirely Hispanic and this guy isn't. He sees me coming and just jumps in his truck and takes off, dropping the lumber out the back. I get his license, call the cops, etc. Don't really expect it to go anywhere, but I feel like it's the right thing to do. About two hours later, in BROAD DAYLIGHT, I hear him at it again. I walk out there, and this time he doesn't even run, just tries to hide his face and keep loading. So I kneel to double check the license plate (tailgate was down), and stops loading and just stands there. I'm furious at this point, so I tell him to unload the shit right now. While he's doing that, I ask him, "What the fuck are you doing? What gives you the goddam right to come and steal from these people?" To which he says, "Man, I'm just trying to make a living." Which I'm pretty sure isn't a good reason for theft. I just couldn't believe he did it in daylight. After he unloads it, he actually tells me, "Man, you all right." And I said, "You're only telling me that 'cause you don't want me to call the cops--which I'm definitely going to do." Then he says, and I love this, "It's not my fault, I gotta problem," and brushes his nose. I DON'T CARE. I understand that you can't shoot people for theft. And I wouldn't ever physically hurt a man over property. But I wish I could empty a magazine into his tires and windshield. Hey, I've got a problem, so it'd be okay, right?
No, something like that in Atlanta the cops aren't gonna rush to your place. He was gone before I even made it back in my house. Still, the officer that came by the second time took down his license and said that they'd pull him over if they saw him and possibly cite him if I was willing to testify. Which I said I sure as hell would be. I'm not gonna hold my breath, but I can hope.
That sucks. The cops in Atlanta aren't that interested in offering any sort of, well, actual law-enforcement, I take it?
No, honestly, I'm down with the patrol officers. Above them, there's a lot of politics about police policy that unfortunately suck in general, and especially suck when race is a factor (both ways, depending on the area). But basically, we have pretty standard metropolitan crime levels, and I'm in a rougher part of time (that's in transition, thankfully). The local precinct has plenty of serious crime to worry about and not enough officers to deal with it all, so stuff like this (victimless, and in this case, nothing was even taken) tends to receive a lower priority. Which sucks, 'cause I'm a big believer in the broken-window theory, but policies like that are dictated way about the local level. So I'll definitely be voting for a new mayor, but I don't blame the cops at all. Hell, the officers were here both times in about twenty minutes, which to me is pretty good for a big city.
The politics in Atlanta are screwed up. In gwinett the policy is is no tree left untouched. I'm getting tired of all the construction down here. We don't need that many wal-marts and shopping malls, I have 3 with in 10 minutes of my house.
Trying to make a living?!? I never new there was a job that entailed stealing wood... Good for you for standing up to him.
should of brought your camera...take the pic, post it around the neighborhood, post it online... and did you tell your neighbor about it? Once, OK you got caught. Twice, WTF, are you serious.
Brushes his nose....a Coke problem? You would think that the cops would be all over him, being in Atlanta and all. Coke rules all. Seriously, were you not scared he might have a gun or just do something crazy?
I should take a camera out. I just didn't think about it. But we have a neighborhood message board that's great, and has a BOLO sub-forum, so I posted it all there. No question mark about it, I'm sure it was cocaine. Or more accurately, crack. Far as being scared, no, not really. I'm not a bad-ass or anything, but I've been through enough that I feel like I can handle myself. Plus, a guy stealing lumber probably doesn't have a gun--and even if he does, he's probably not the kind of guy that's gonna be able to hit me if I'm moving. But honestly, that doesn't even matter. There's no fucking way that the threat of harm would keep me from stepping outside to stop theft in daylight next to my house. I'd rather have a bullet in my head than live in that kind of fear. EDIT: Double negative FTL.
Yeah, better temper than me, man. I'd have cited the gun. "You realize that the only reason I don't have a gun on me right now is because my wife had a chat, right? Unload that-- UNLOAD THAT AND STACK IT NICE. LIKE A LITTLE FENCE. "
Yeah, doing that kinda stuff is what she gets on me about. I'm still trying to shake off the frame of mind that firearms are a legitimate first option in all sorts of different situations. Turns out Atlanta, rough as it may be sometimes, =/= overseas. Ehh. Still, I woulda make an exception for this time if I'd come up with the fence like first. I SAID MAKE IT PRETTY!
Best story of the week SC... Though i have to give the thief credit was attempting to the lumber twice! Man, people just don't give a shit anymore.
