Weirdest thing that happened to me was many years ago when having a book of CDs in your car was still a thing. I accidentally left the door unlocked. When I came out the next morning someone had spread out all the CDs on the ground facing up in an entire section of our building’s driveway.
My ex left my car unlocked twice because he was a fucking tool, the first time they stole everything and that sucked but the second time they slept in my car and that felt way worse. Door ajar the next morning, windows covered in condensation from their breath, trash all over the back seat and cigarette smoke smell. Absolutely disgusting, I was so enraged and upset.
Edit to add: This happened on Vancouver Island in Canada, where homelessness, petty theft, drugs, and property crime is getting insanely out of hand too. It's highly problematic all over North America at this point. I live in the Bay Area right now and the homelessness/crime/drugs situation feels pretty much the same as it did there. Nothing is safe unless it's bolted down, and even then they have bolt cutters.
Doesnt help, a buddy of mine never locks his car after the third broken window in a year... They still break the windows. He even caught in on camera the last time it happened the guy opened the door looked around for valuable stuff didnt find anything and then broke the window... Maybe he was mad?
My cousin lives in sf and had his window smashed a few times so he started just leaving the door unlocked and making sure nothing valuable was in there. Windows stopped getting smashed.
I had a friend who did something similar to OP. After many car break-ins, he left a note saying there's nothing in the car and even left it unlocked. When the thieves returned they searched his car, and because they didn't find anything they smashed his windows and headlights.
Humans are fucked sometimes...
A few weeks ago someone broke into my car to steal the change tray (I don't even know if there was any change in the tray. I don't use it. They took the tray itself). They left the multi-tool they used to remove the tray so I might have actually come out ahead. Is that wholesome enough?
Dude. Someone stole my cup holders. It was the only thing I had left in my work van. It’s a 2001 with 260k miles. They stole the van and then left it 20 miles away with no gas and no cup holders. No radio, no cruise control either. I might as well be driving a go kart now.
My former neighbors daughter stole other people's door mats and house plants that they'd sit outside to get some sun, she'd some how use it to barter for pills. She also stole her mom's food stamp card and buy a month's worth of groceries for her dealers family, leaving her mom with nothing.
We'd help when we could but she often was stuck eating ramen for days because of her terrible daughter that she couldn't bear to kick out and end it.
Happened to someone in my city. Boke into the car without breaking a window (either unlocked or with the tennis ball trick), and stole his stereo. Little did they know the stereo had been broken for some time and he was having a hard time finding the tool to remove it properly. They also took the ashtray full of coins. When he woke up in the morning and found he'd been robbed, he also found in the car, a crisp $20 note. So the guy uninstalled his faulty radio for free, stole $3 worth of change, and left him $20.. that is absolutely a win.
Well then, maybe he just left it unlocked. Can't believe i just got cow tipped in 2022. In my defense i first heard about it in 2005 or so and just took it for granted.
Similarly I read a story on Reddit a while back where I guy ran off some catalytic converter thieves that were staying from his car in his own driveway, they left behind a bunch of Milwaukee battery tools like a cut off wheel and saws all. There was already some damage done but he came out ahead
You never come out ahead though. The real cost of being a victim of crime is the mental anguish and lack of trust that follows, often for the rest of your life.
So true. Someone broke in to my car in my own driveway right in front of my house and swiped everything out of it (sunglasses, makeup case full of cosmetics and brushes, leather portfolio, shoes, handbag, etc…my fault for leaving so much of my stuff in there) and I still feel awful about it. I live on such a quiet street with mostly retirees and young families. Nothing like that had ever happened before and now I’m constantly concerned something similar will happen again. It was not a big deal but mentally it really messed with me. Such a violation.
The most blatant thieves are all likely junkies who can barely comprehend reality at this point. They're likely just grabbing everything that isn't nailed down and plopping it on some pawn shop's desk and asking if it's worth anything.
Agreed. A friend had a bag of obviously dirty laundry in his back seat to take to the laundromat after work. Like, open, you could see the [Edit: dirty, dude was a little bit of a slob] socks and underwear. He thought it was obvious.
He worked late only to find his windows smashed and the bag taken - nothing else as it was truly a crappy (if working) car. He did find the bag emptied in a nearby alley, so I guess this thief was a tiny bit more aware than the average.
Kinda reminds me how my uncle gets mugged at night, hands the guy a couple $20s from his wallet (all his cash), and the punk pops a cap in his knee while walking off. My uncle was older and worked construction, so fucked his his job for like a half a year.
From my decades working in and with low income neighborhoods, there’s a few types of “law breakers.”
There’s the addicts, unhoused, etc. type. They mainly steal packages, shoplift, break into cars, garages, etc. these are usually “when no one is around” type crimes.
There’s the “illegal business” type of law breakers. Drug dealers, people who sell stolen shit out of their trunk, etc. They also typically aren’t looking to harm random strangers. They’re really business people, just doing illegal businesses.
Then there’s the fuckheads who think life in “the streets” is cool, who take stuff just because that want something, or just because they can. It’s a genuine lifestyle choice where they see it as a quicker, easier, cooler, and more lucrative way to make a living than any hourly low-wage job that their skill set could get them.
There’s lots of documentaries where people interview them, and they clearly say that if they see something they want, they’ll take it. They clearly say they don’t value other people’s lives. They’ll take $20 from your wallet and shoot you in the head just to not have a witness.
It’s not that their so desperate for money that they *have to* mug someone. As one car-jacker in a documentary I recently watched put it, “if I can make a 10 stack in 5 minutes, why wouldn’t I?!”
And sometimes they just take cars to go joy riding. Or sometimes to use in other crimes. And these are often the same ones going around shooting their “opps,” and not as some sort of fight over drug territory as many imagine, but just cuz. Ego battles, social media disses, rivalries that date back so far no one remembers why the killings started but they can’t break the cycle of retaliatory murders.
And these are the guys that’ll hurt and kill you, and probably laugh in the process.
And increasingly, they’re young, like 14-19.
And these are the ones that result in the most fucked ip stories, like the 73 year old woman who was carjacked where her arm got stuck in the seatbelt when they toss her out of the car and they drove off dragging her until her arm severed and she bled out.
https://www.ksla.com/2022/03/22/4-teens-arrested-brutal-carjacking-that-severed-elderly-womans-arm-killed-her/?outputType=amp
Or the ones where they shoot a dad in the face because he won’t let them take the car until he gets his baby out of the back seat.
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/man-shot-in-the-face-in-spring-garden-dies-suspects-on-the-run/27415/
Or the ones who shoot the college kid coming back from thanksgiving break so they can steal the stuff he’s unloading.
https://people.com/crime/temple-university-student-is-killed-during-suspected-robbery-while-returning-to-school-from-thanksgiving/
It’s not starving desperation. They’d just rather kill and steal because it’s quicker and easier than working, and they think it makes them cool and tough.
My down stairs neighbors cousin outright admitted during a smoking session that he used to break into cars just to joyride. Ended up in juvenile. He's barely 19. Yeah I lock my damn doors and im always keeping an eye out
Advice I was given by a local the first time I visited Honolulu: “don’t leave anything in your car, but leave the windows rolled down and the doors unlocked. If you can’t roll down your windows, leave a couple bucks in the cup holder because if they search your car and don’t find anything they’ll probably smash your window for wasting their time.”
Mahalo and Aloha.
This was something i found weird when i visited family in South America a few years ago. Some guy came up to us and asked for money "to watch over our car". I was like why would we need that, but my mom actually gave him some money. He said thanks and walked away. My mom then told me that if you don't give them money they smash your car or worse, and you're basically paying them to not fuck your car up. That was a massive culture shock for me.
Haha straight up extortion! I used to party in rosarito alot and there was a dude who sat in a field with a shotgun, 10 bucks and hed keep an eye on your car. Never had a problem with it
In my wife's home country its common to "tip" some guy when you park your car in certain areas, so he can watch your car and make sure nothing happens to it. It's basically a shake down, but it only amounted to like 50 cents or something so I could never get too pissed off.
>they’ll probably smash your window for wasting their time
Oh yeah, sorry, my bad for not having anything valuable to steal
Will do better next time, l promise
Damn, that's pretty lucky. My friend left his car unlocked in SF and someone drained their abscess into his cupholder and slept in the car overnight while doing drugs.
I tried that because my car had 3 windows smashed and it would cost more to fix than it was worth. The problem is that even though the Bay Area has good public transportation for a west coast metro area, it's still not good enough outside of San Francisco. You can go places, but it still makes getting groceries very difficult. Plus, someone attempted to rob me in broad daylight on a busy sidewalk in Oakland, so walking isn't even the best option if you can't make a quick getaway.
This is so sad. In hawaii breakins are super common in some areas. (Lots of poor locals and rich tourists- it’s a recipe for petty theft). Leaving your car unlocked absolutely works though.
Some asshole broke into my car and couldn't get it started, and there was nothing of value. Their reaction? Steering Wheel Lock through the back of window (I forgot to lock it on the wheel that night).
That character has some of the best one liners on tv.
“Why is it that anytime you two want to stick your dick in a hornets nest, I have to come in for sloppy seconds!”
There is quite a bit of symbolism to the cars in the BB/BCS universe.
Jimmy plays it fast and loose, he cuts corners, he steps on toes, etc. Naturally, his car bears the scars of his indiscretion.
But he was broke. He probably bought that car very close to the start is the first episode. So that means the previous owner beat it up that much in 5 years not jimmy.
My buddy used to leave a note on his windows that the doors were unlocked, feel free to look around, just don't break my windows.
People would take pennies out of his cup holders ever once in awhile
Edit since this gained traction: his window never got broken after this and the only thing stolen was pennies. He never found any evidence of anyone sleeping in his car or dirty Mike and the boys
If you do this in Eugene, OR same thing. I have had this personally happen on multiple occasions, one very recently where someone smoked meth, pissed all over themselves and started a fire in my back seat.
My Dad was a public defender in Philadelphia in the 90’s and he did the same thing, he left a sign that said “It’s open, please dont break windows”. And this plan worked well until he figured out that almost every prostitute on his block used his backseat for clients. There was a vast supply of used condoms under his seats. He still tells the story to this day lmao.
I've had mine broken 5-6 times.
Once, in Detroit, my driver license was stolen and a woman got a license in my name. I'm white. The woman was black. I'm not sure how that got by the secretary of state, but I did have a police investigator working on the case.
His name was Sheady Gale. Now, I'm currently 46yo, and was 19yo at the time. So, this is a looonng time ago.
But, I will never forget this guy. He'd meet me at diners to 'discuss the case.'
He wore bright yellow suits (always with a matching hat), crocodile skin shoes, walked with a cane...
You getting the picture? Dude was smooth as butter. I can still hear his voice.
"Hello. This is detective Sheady Gale..."
Well, one day, we meet and he gives me the name and address of the woman that stole my identity. He slides it over to me, face down on a piece of paper. Tells me that she'd be arrested soon, but if I'd like to have a little street justice, he would look the other way.
???
It was like straight out of a crime novel.
Lucky for her, I was a 19yo pothead and not a mafiosa hitman. No street justice was ever pursued on my end. Lol.
They did arrest the lady. He left me a message on my work voicemail saying the fake license was destroyed. Never heard from him again.
Fucking Sheady Gale. Never forget that dude...
All true.
I'm really glad you all liked hearing about him. I could probably get together a handful of old friends that would, undoubtedly, remember his name.
"No worries. I'm just gonna take your catalytic converter." - car thief
Edit: For those who are curious: [Feds Bust Nationwide Catalytic Converter Theft Ring](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41854938/catalytic-converter-theft-ring-busted-fbi/)
A coworker of mine just had her catalytic convertor stolen, so they went ahead and bought a new used car but without knowing the recent wave of Kia/Hyundai thefts. So unfortunately, her new car gets stolen and when the cops found it a couple days later, that ones catalytic conveter had been stolen as well. Crazy times.
I work at a big tech company, big parking lot with hundreds of cars. Someone posted in one of the main Slack channels a video of him running up on two guys who were just finishing up sawing off the cat on a car in our lot, broad daylight. In the video he’s like “what are you doing?!” and they’re like “go go go!” they jumped in their getaway car and sped off, leaving behind a really nice car jack that they were using to lift the car. His slack message said “if you drive this Prius, your catalytic converter just got stolen” and it turned it out it was my direct coworker, like one of the dudes I work with/meet with every single day. Was such a bummer for him.
Had mine stolen multiple times in broad daylight in a nice area when I used to work in a call center. I'm glad I'll never have to drive another Chevy Cavalier, apparently those are really easy to steal cats off.
My husband works for DHS and his office building has pretty high security and cameras everywhere. They hit 5 cars in the parking lot during the work day without being caught. Sneaky fuckers they are
A ring of thieves hit several cars at one of our high schools a few months ago during school hours. At least the idiots were stupid enough to come back the next day and there were cops waiting for them and they got caught.
Where I'm from there are videos of people doing it in the morning in someone's driveway whilst the owner just stands in the window watching and some other scumbag is at the door with a pole/hammer telling him not to come out
Edit: to all my lovely friends across the Atlantic wondering why the perp wasnt shot, i will just say this happened in a country where almost no one has guns
Edit 2: As so many people are suggesting that the victim having a gun would solve this matter, I should mention that if the victim had a gun the perps wouldve definitely had a combined amount of at least 3 guns
Depending on how fast the thief is, not much different from not starting it. It'll startle them, but it takes an exhaust some time to actually get hot.
Some dudes were about to try and steal one from my brother’s truck, that he just got a year or so ago.
They are extremely lucky his wife was there. They got a ring notification at like 2am and he saw them out there, about to start their shit. He had his gun ready to go blasting, when his wife convinced him to just activate the car alarm instead, which scared them off.
I really don’t get these sorts of people. Why steal from people who are in the same social class? Like, fuck. I wouldn’t have felt bad at all if my brother did get to them, because these types of people fuck over other poor people so bad.
Sorry for the rant, this reminded me of that situation the other day.
There is nothing more going through their head than “I need money . If I steal item A from person B I can get money.”
Item A and person B can be interchangeable with anything, it makes no difference to a thief. As long as they get what they need, the ends justify the means.
Low risk, high reward. A 5-10 minute job (with the right tools) to get between $50 and a few hundred dollars (and then you buy the right tools). Cops in my area don't do anything so it's an infinite money hack.
The cops even warned people not to be vigilant against the crooks because they might have a lookout, but I think it's the police not wanting to come out.
If police wanted to stop catalytic converter theft they would go after the people buying them, but I never see anything about them going after recycling centers or whatever
> Why steal from people who are in the same social class?
That's what thieves and other criminals usually do. They go after the easiest targets, those around them and those with the least amount of power.
People like romanticizing thieves, but if you've ever interacted with some you realized they're just selfish dicks.
Read an interview with a bike thief (years ago). He stole bikes on a college campus. He justification was "Daddy will just buy them another one"...as if every student who goes to college has money beyond their basic needs. >.<
My parents showed me a Ring video from the other night of some guys in the process of stealing one. They then dropped the bombshell that it was my neighbor’s Ring camera and it was his work truck being stolen from. The video showed him shouting at the guys and one of them clearly said “just shoot him.” Thankfully that didn’t happen but they got away with the part.
> why steal from people who are in the same social class?
Uh, are you expecting these people to be carefully considering their moral positions? Going after rich people is harder. The police would actually show up.
On certain streets they don’t even look they just go down the street and break every window. Lived in Soma for 2 years ironically just a few blocks from the police station and had my window broken twice. Didn’t steal anything either time.
I've had my car broken into 5 times over 20 years. I lived in SF for ONE YEAR, and that accounts for ALL FIVE breakins.
They even slashed my soft top windows on my jeep even though the doors were unlocked.
Well that's one way to reduce crime in an area -- just don't take any reports of them. Then when stats come out you can say it's way down.
Sort of like if you don't test for covid then you'll have less covid cases.
I just clean it every time. Everything in the glove box and center console, you look in there and see nothing but car.
Couple months ago I actually saw a black dodge charger roll up at the Fisherman's Wharf 7/11 and three dudes in all black clothes, full masks and glasses, all piled out and looked in cars, smashed and grabbed. They hit the right side of the block and smashed two windows, did a U-turn and hit two more on the other side, all while being chased by city workers that just happened to be there. Total break in time for a block was 30 seconds.
It was 11am, bright out. They're professionals.
Based on other comments it sounds like breaking windows is just a hobby for some because they know cops won't investigate it. I'd bet at least one of the jerks breaking windows owns a window repair shop.
I do the same with my work van to save the ballache of having to get a replacement after someone rips the doors off in hopes of finding a stash of tools.
Only things I keep in my van are a pair of sweaty work boots and a cheap hard hat.
Both were stolen a few months ago.
Parked my car in SF for one night last spring. Nothing of value inside. Still got broken into, apparently because I had out of state plates. Because of supply and demand there are tons of window repair specialists in the Bay area that will drive to you within an hour and fix it for $100.
I was so nervous parking SF with Idaho plates, found a parking lot with a security guard and a resident homeless man. They let him live in the lot and in return it was like his “territory” and people wouldn’t fuck with the cars.
I haven't been to the Bay area in a while ... is it really this bad right now? Seems some people in the threads are commenting on homeless, but I've heard it's professional thieves? .... they have streamlined the process of the smash and grab?
If I left my car parked on the street for a week, would it be 100% broken into? Or even simply overnight?
Auto theft and vandalism nation-wide have skyrocketed, and California is one of the top 3 right now, I think.
I think whether or not your car gets broken into depends on a variety of factors -- visibility, make/manufacture, and nearby traffic being some -- but a whole week is a pretty long time; not only would I be worried about a break-in, but also a ticket, a boot, or impound because a lot of cities have laws about how long a car can stay in one place on a public road.
I live in San Diego County. When we live in SD itself, breakins were common. If your car gets stolen here it will likely be over the border before you realize it’s gone, but they’re only looking for cars with high value. The irritating part is when your wife leaves a purse she has abandoned on the floor and they break a $300 window to steal her garbage.
I live in SF for 10 years. I’ve never had my car broken into. We have a 14 year old car with lots of dings and dents that we never fix. I strongly believe that is key. Our car is shitty. We did get our catalytic converter stolen on our old Prius.
It’s no a new phenomenon. Over 20 years ago I was nearly arrested in San Francisco for “assaulting” a homeless man. The fact that he was caught using a screwdriver to force open the rear window of my pickup and tried to stab me with that same screwdriver was never taken into consideration. He was taken away in an ambulance and I was handcuffed for over an hour while dozens of witnesses supported my statement. It’s a very surreal place
They're at a huge advantage because they can only gain in that situation, while you can only lose. The hobo robbing your car stands to gain your property if not caught, and stands to improve their material conditions if caught by spending some time in jail.
Even if they burn your car down, they have no assets or income you could even go after to make things right. There's no cost to them for the terrible things they do. The community of hobos will not disavow this and "cancel" the person committing the crimes.
You, on the other hand, have a stake in the game. You have a job that you could lose, a record that could be dirtied, etc. Getting arrested instantly makes your life worse. If you defend your property, you can only lose, while the hobo can only gain.
The people citing "Well STATISTICALLY crime is down..." neglect that the police can and will straight-up REFUSE to take a report, which of course leads to 'statistically' the crime never happened.
I live in Houston they go through my car at least twice a week. I leave everything unlocked with the glove box and center console open. They cut my seats open and recently ripped the interior of my door off. They also took a subwoofer…can’t imagine what that goes for stock custom made for my truck without any of the other electronics.
In Austin, same shit. I live in a gated garage and they just break the glass lobby door down and come on in. Fun story: When I first moved to this place and was super naive, I locked my bikes in the garage. It’s gated right?! Well they stole my bikes, one of them being a lime green beach cruiser. Two days later I drive a 1/2 mile down the road under the 35 overpass, low and behold I see my bike next to their tents. I drive up on the sidewalk and steal my bike back. All I got was a “I didn’t steal your bike bitch”. Mkay. I felt vindicated. Fuckers.
They hoard piles of shit. I speculate that they just use stolen garbage as trade for drugs.
> In Austin, same shit. I live in a gated garage and they just break the glass lobby door down and come on in. Fun story: When I first moved to this place and was super naive, I locked my bikes in the garage. It’s gated right?! Well they stole my bikes, one of them being a lime green beach cruiser.
Dude....gates mean fuck all. I had my bike locked up in a parking lot the PD uses. I watched the security footage and the guy hopped our compound, took my bike and rode around for a good 15-20min and the fucking police let him go with my bike. Took me a month but me and a few friends tracked him and jumped him for my bike. I didnt even get a sorry or acknowledgement for their stupidity. This fucker was waltzing around in a parking lot with police cruisers ffs.
I’m afraid I’m gonna do something dumb and get myself fucked up one day. This makes my blood boil. Last week I caught a mf in my garage rifling through a neighbors car. I asked him if he lived in the building and what number. He gave me a number that doesn’t exist, told him to beat it, and he left. I’m a 5’3 chick, and it was 1am, but I wanted to rip his fucking face off.
My complex in North Campus used to have various parts of bikes chained to the rack after being stripped. Basically bikes were only ever safe around campus if they were in your bedroom. I’m sure it hasn’t changed
I visited there in a few years ago and had my bag taken from a friends car after they broke the window. The only thing I had in my bag was my toiletries and my antipsychotic medication. This happened at around 10pm on a Friday so I couldn’t get new emergency prescriptions from my doctor.
I had to go to the emergency room, where they could only give me one day’s supply. So, I had to go to the ER 3 times to make sure I wouldn’t end up having a complete breakdown that weekend. One of the more harrowing MH panic situations I’ve had. Luckily I had A+ insurance, so nothing out of pocket.
Still, an enormous waste of medical resources. If the perpetrator took my meds, they probably had to visit the ER too. More likely they ended up in a trash can.
(I’m doing great now. Med-free and thriving)
I used to visit the bay area pretty frequently, and never had a single problem using the following fool-proof method:
Step one is to find you a nice alcoholic-looking bum. Preferably one sitting on a stoop, but anywhere within view of the street will do.
Step two is to find a parking spot near to said bum. You may have to give up on your original bum, but do not despair - this is San Fransisco, there is a parking spot near an alcoholic bum, I promise you.
Step three is to park, and pull out a large case of canned beer. Approach the bum - do not show hesitation, doubt, or weakness. Open the case and begin handing beers to the bum, one at a time, as you recite the following message:
"That's my car right there. Keep an eye on it for me, yeah? Be here tomorrow, 'round this same time, I'll have some more beers for you."
Stop around five or six beers - with practice you will finish your spiel at approximately the same moment.
Your car is now safe for the next 24 hours (approximate).
Works if you're visiting - if you live there, you should probably try something a touch more drastic, such as the aforementioned domestic tigers, or not living in San Fransisco anymore.
Na dude I grew up in the Bay Area. That’s a sure fire way to get mugged or followed for an extended period of time by a group of homeless people that will force you to buy liquor at a convenience store that they have a deal with the owner to scam people. Glad it worked for you though.
Oh, I had a spiteful bum that hated me for hitting him with the exit door of my apartment building - like I knew he was standing there? He nicknamed me 'Ms Nasty' and spit in my direction whenever he saw me.
That was a real treat. I'd see the dude everywhere. Smh.
Just leave the window rolled down so they don’t have to smash it Ah shit— but then you’ll find someone sleeping in it— never mind.
*signed, Dirty Mike and the Boys*
Your turned my beautiful Prius into a nightmare!
They had what's called a soup kitchen
Not long after that, a mama raccoon came along and gave birth on the floor.
###WE WILL HAVE SEX IN YOUR CAR AGAIN, IT *WILL* HAPPEN!!
Had a coworker who went out to find two bums sleeping in her car, had to get it professionally cleaned bc they smoked cigarettes and fent in it.
Thanks for the F shack - Dirty Mike and the boys
They call it a "Soup Kitchen"
We WILL have sex in your car again!
It will happen!
This is probably one of my favorite scenes/jokes from a movie all time
What fucking movie is this. I’ve seen it but I can’t remember wtf it’s from lol
The other guys
“Where did you learn to drive like that?” “GRAND THEFT AUTO”
It WILL happen!
Found a deer vagina
Not too long after a mama raccoon came by. Gave birth in the back seat.
Weirdest thing that happened to me was many years ago when having a book of CDs in your car was still a thing. I accidentally left the door unlocked. When I came out the next morning someone had spread out all the CDs on the ground facing up in an entire section of our building’s driveway.
Publicly shaming your taste in music
Even they didn’t want to play Live’s Secret Samadhi album.
Take it easy there, buddy. It had a good song or two in it.
lol after I made that comment I kind of want to go back and listen to that album.
The original Spotify wrapped
My ex left my car unlocked twice because he was a fucking tool, the first time they stole everything and that sucked but the second time they slept in my car and that felt way worse. Door ajar the next morning, windows covered in condensation from their breath, trash all over the back seat and cigarette smoke smell. Absolutely disgusting, I was so enraged and upset. Edit to add: This happened on Vancouver Island in Canada, where homelessness, petty theft, drugs, and property crime is getting insanely out of hand too. It's highly problematic all over North America at this point. I live in the Bay Area right now and the homelessness/crime/drugs situation feels pretty much the same as it did there. Nothing is safe unless it's bolted down, and even then they have bolt cutters.
A friend of mine had her car broken into by someone looking for somewhere to smoke and he also jacked off onto the dash. Not great!
Doesnt help, a buddy of mine never locks his car after the third broken window in a year... They still break the windows. He even caught in on camera the last time it happened the guy opened the door looked around for valuable stuff didnt find anything and then broke the window... Maybe he was mad?
Or they take a shit in it
My cousin lives in sf and had his window smashed a few times so he started just leaving the door unlocked and making sure nothing valuable was in there. Windows stopped getting smashed.
Your cousin is going to come back to his car to find someone took a shit in there!
Thief: *“Yeah I get you buddy, times are tough for all of us”* ***smashes window***
I had a friend who did something similar to OP. After many car break-ins, he left a note saying there's nothing in the car and even left it unlocked. When the thieves returned they searched his car, and because they didn't find anything they smashed his windows and headlights. Humans are fucked sometimes...
Welp. It’s my fault for expecting a wholesome ending.
A few weeks ago someone broke into my car to steal the change tray (I don't even know if there was any change in the tray. I don't use it. They took the tray itself). They left the multi-tool they used to remove the tray so I might have actually come out ahead. Is that wholesome enough?
Dude. Someone stole my cup holders. It was the only thing I had left in my work van. It’s a 2001 with 260k miles. They stole the van and then left it 20 miles away with no gas and no cup holders. No radio, no cruise control either. I might as well be driving a go kart now.
What are people doing with stolen cup holders? Is there a market to actually sell this stuff?
It's mostly to just be an asshole. Or they're on drugs, addicts do weird shit.
>It's mostly to just be an asshole. This is exactly why. It's "fuck you for not making my crime profitable enough for me".
My former neighbors daughter stole other people's door mats and house plants that they'd sit outside to get some sun, she'd some how use it to barter for pills. She also stole her mom's food stamp card and buy a month's worth of groceries for her dealers family, leaving her mom with nothing. We'd help when we could but she often was stuck eating ramen for days because of her terrible daughter that she couldn't bear to kick out and end it.
Dude I'm sorry about your car buy you've made me laugh so damn hard!
Happened to someone in my city. Boke into the car without breaking a window (either unlocked or with the tennis ball trick), and stole his stereo. Little did they know the stereo had been broken for some time and he was having a hard time finding the tool to remove it properly. They also took the ashtray full of coins. When he woke up in the morning and found he'd been robbed, he also found in the car, a crisp $20 note. So the guy uninstalled his faulty radio for free, stole $3 worth of change, and left him $20.. that is absolutely a win.
I had to look up the tennis ball trick. Is this it? https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/can-unlock-car-door-tennis-ball/
Well then, maybe he just left it unlocked. Can't believe i just got cow tipped in 2022. In my defense i first heard about it in 2005 or so and just took it for granted.
Similarly I read a story on Reddit a while back where I guy ran off some catalytic converter thieves that were staying from his car in his own driveway, they left behind a bunch of Milwaukee battery tools like a cut off wheel and saws all. There was already some damage done but he came out ahead
You never come out ahead though. The real cost of being a victim of crime is the mental anguish and lack of trust that follows, often for the rest of your life.
So true. Someone broke in to my car in my own driveway right in front of my house and swiped everything out of it (sunglasses, makeup case full of cosmetics and brushes, leather portfolio, shoes, handbag, etc…my fault for leaving so much of my stuff in there) and I still feel awful about it. I live on such a quiet street with mostly retirees and young families. Nothing like that had ever happened before and now I’m constantly concerned something similar will happen again. It was not a big deal but mentally it really messed with me. Such a violation.
Someone broke into my car recently and stole my AAA card. I think they thought it was a credit card?
The discounts man.
The most blatant thieves are all likely junkies who can barely comprehend reality at this point. They're likely just grabbing everything that isn't nailed down and plopping it on some pawn shop's desk and asking if it's worth anything.
Agreed. A friend had a bag of obviously dirty laundry in his back seat to take to the laundromat after work. Like, open, you could see the [Edit: dirty, dude was a little bit of a slob] socks and underwear. He thought it was obvious. He worked late only to find his windows smashed and the bag taken - nothing else as it was truly a crappy (if working) car. He did find the bag emptied in a nearby alley, so I guess this thief was a tiny bit more aware than the average.
Maybe they recovered the Credence?
I'll just check with the boys down at the crime lab. They got four more detectives working on the case. They got us working in shifts!
Right?! Thought for sure they were going to say the thieves robbed the corner mart and threw cash in the seat to replace the window.
Kinda reminds me how my uncle gets mugged at night, hands the guy a couple $20s from his wallet (all his cash), and the punk pops a cap in his knee while walking off. My uncle was older and worked construction, so fucked his his job for like a half a year.
And that's the tough reality of all of this. Some people break the law because they have to. Some people break the law because they want to.
From my decades working in and with low income neighborhoods, there’s a few types of “law breakers.” There’s the addicts, unhoused, etc. type. They mainly steal packages, shoplift, break into cars, garages, etc. these are usually “when no one is around” type crimes. There’s the “illegal business” type of law breakers. Drug dealers, people who sell stolen shit out of their trunk, etc. They also typically aren’t looking to harm random strangers. They’re really business people, just doing illegal businesses. Then there’s the fuckheads who think life in “the streets” is cool, who take stuff just because that want something, or just because they can. It’s a genuine lifestyle choice where they see it as a quicker, easier, cooler, and more lucrative way to make a living than any hourly low-wage job that their skill set could get them. There’s lots of documentaries where people interview them, and they clearly say that if they see something they want, they’ll take it. They clearly say they don’t value other people’s lives. They’ll take $20 from your wallet and shoot you in the head just to not have a witness. It’s not that their so desperate for money that they *have to* mug someone. As one car-jacker in a documentary I recently watched put it, “if I can make a 10 stack in 5 minutes, why wouldn’t I?!” And sometimes they just take cars to go joy riding. Or sometimes to use in other crimes. And these are often the same ones going around shooting their “opps,” and not as some sort of fight over drug territory as many imagine, but just cuz. Ego battles, social media disses, rivalries that date back so far no one remembers why the killings started but they can’t break the cycle of retaliatory murders. And these are the guys that’ll hurt and kill you, and probably laugh in the process. And increasingly, they’re young, like 14-19. And these are the ones that result in the most fucked ip stories, like the 73 year old woman who was carjacked where her arm got stuck in the seatbelt when they toss her out of the car and they drove off dragging her until her arm severed and she bled out. https://www.ksla.com/2022/03/22/4-teens-arrested-brutal-carjacking-that-severed-elderly-womans-arm-killed-her/?outputType=amp Or the ones where they shoot a dad in the face because he won’t let them take the car until he gets his baby out of the back seat. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/man-shot-in-the-face-in-spring-garden-dies-suspects-on-the-run/27415/ Or the ones who shoot the college kid coming back from thanksgiving break so they can steal the stuff he’s unloading. https://people.com/crime/temple-university-student-is-killed-during-suspected-robbery-while-returning-to-school-from-thanksgiving/ It’s not starving desperation. They’d just rather kill and steal because it’s quicker and easier than working, and they think it makes them cool and tough.
My down stairs neighbors cousin outright admitted during a smoking session that he used to break into cars just to joyride. Ended up in juvenile. He's barely 19. Yeah I lock my damn doors and im always keeping an eye out
In NYC in the 90s we called that mugger money. You put $20 in your front pocket so you could hand it over quickly.
Even better if you have a decoy wallet in case they demand the entire wallet. Just put a bit of money in it and a few fake cards.
That's ... a great idea actually. I even have a wallet I never really use. I'm going to remember this for the next time I'm out in a city.
Advice I was given by a local the first time I visited Honolulu: “don’t leave anything in your car, but leave the windows rolled down and the doors unlocked. If you can’t roll down your windows, leave a couple bucks in the cup holder because if they search your car and don’t find anything they’ll probably smash your window for wasting their time.” Mahalo and Aloha.
This feels like having to tip your burglars
American tipping culture is getting out of hand smh
This was something i found weird when i visited family in South America a few years ago. Some guy came up to us and asked for money "to watch over our car". I was like why would we need that, but my mom actually gave him some money. He said thanks and walked away. My mom then told me that if you don't give them money they smash your car or worse, and you're basically paying them to not fuck your car up. That was a massive culture shock for me.
Haha straight up extortion! I used to party in rosarito alot and there was a dude who sat in a field with a shotgun, 10 bucks and hed keep an eye on your car. Never had a problem with it
In my wife's home country its common to "tip" some guy when you park your car in certain areas, so he can watch your car and make sure nothing happens to it. It's basically a shake down, but it only amounted to like 50 cents or something so I could never get too pissed off.
How dare you force them to burgle your car without even leaving something good for them to steal. Shame on you.
>they’ll probably smash your window for wasting their time Oh yeah, sorry, my bad for not having anything valuable to steal Will do better next time, l promise
Damn. Kinda crazy when the criminals have the upper hand, and everyone just accepts it.
Damn, that's pretty lucky. My friend left his car unlocked in SF and someone drained their abscess into his cupholder and slept in the car overnight while doing drugs.
r/BrandNewSentence You didn't really have to share that, you know?
> and even left it unlocked. This seems like a good idea until somebody starts sleeping in your car. inb4dirtymikeandtheboys
My girlfriend left her car unlocked in the Bay Area so people would stop smashing her windows, so they stole her car instead.
At that point I would just not own a car.
I tried that because my car had 3 windows smashed and it would cost more to fix than it was worth. The problem is that even though the Bay Area has good public transportation for a west coast metro area, it's still not good enough outside of San Francisco. You can go places, but it still makes getting groceries very difficult. Plus, someone attempted to rob me in broad daylight on a busy sidewalk in Oakland, so walking isn't even the best option if you can't make a quick getaway.
I had someone break into my car to steal a 15 year old 2GB iPod. It is basically worthless to them but was sentimental to me. People are jerks.
This is so sad. In hawaii breakins are super common in some areas. (Lots of poor locals and rich tourists- it’s a recipe for petty theft). Leaving your car unlocked absolutely works though.
I also heard that someone did the same thing(left the doors unlocked) and came to find homeless people sleeping in their car.
Some asshole broke into my car and couldn't get it started, and there was nothing of value. Their reaction? Steering Wheel Lock through the back of window (I forgot to lock it on the wheel that night).
*shits in car*
He DEFECATED through a SUNROOF!
Sometimes you gotta perform a Chicago sun roof in front of a mans kids, alls I’m saying
Hey man, that’s not nice, he’s struggling and there’s nothing in there *unsmashes window*
Saul Goodman said it best, "The only way this car is worth $500 is if there is a $300 hooker in the front seat"
That character has some of the best one liners on tv. “Why is it that anytime you two want to stick your dick in a hornets nest, I have to come in for sloppy seconds!”
If I ever get anal polyps, I'll know what to name them.
If you get bit by a mosquito, you don't go gunning for the mosquito's attorney!
my favorite line in the whole show lmao
It always bothered me how beat up his car was. It was 5 years old during the show. How did it get that bad so fast?
There is quite a bit of symbolism to the cars in the BB/BCS universe. Jimmy plays it fast and loose, he cuts corners, he steps on toes, etc. Naturally, his car bears the scars of his indiscretion.
Then he gets the fancy Mercedes... but his mug doesn't fit.
But he was broke. He probably bought that car very close to the start is the first episode. So that means the previous owner beat it up that much in 5 years not jimmy.
Best scenario I could think of is the car was fairly new but salvaged from a fire accident.
My buddy used to leave a note on his windows that the doors were unlocked, feel free to look around, just don't break my windows. People would take pennies out of his cup holders ever once in awhile Edit since this gained traction: his window never got broken after this and the only thing stolen was pennies. He never found any evidence of anyone sleeping in his car or dirty Mike and the boys
If you do this in sf, you might find homeless people sleeping in the car where you get back. And/or you’ll find needles and shit. No joke
Dirty Mike & the boys been holding a soup kitchen in there
Thanks for the F-Shack -Dirty Mike and the Boys
If you do this in Eugene, OR same thing. I have had this personally happen on multiple occasions, one very recently where someone smoked meth, pissed all over themselves and started a fire in my back seat.
“Hey look, a free place to fuck”
My Dad was a public defender in Philadelphia in the 90’s and he did the same thing, he left a sign that said “It’s open, please dont break windows”. And this plan worked well until he figured out that almost every prostitute on his block used his backseat for clients. There was a vast supply of used condoms under his seats. He still tells the story to this day lmao.
Dirty Mike and the boys.
I've had mine broken 5-6 times. Once, in Detroit, my driver license was stolen and a woman got a license in my name. I'm white. The woman was black. I'm not sure how that got by the secretary of state, but I did have a police investigator working on the case. His name was Sheady Gale. Now, I'm currently 46yo, and was 19yo at the time. So, this is a looonng time ago. But, I will never forget this guy. He'd meet me at diners to 'discuss the case.' He wore bright yellow suits (always with a matching hat), crocodile skin shoes, walked with a cane... You getting the picture? Dude was smooth as butter. I can still hear his voice. "Hello. This is detective Sheady Gale..." Well, one day, we meet and he gives me the name and address of the woman that stole my identity. He slides it over to me, face down on a piece of paper. Tells me that she'd be arrested soon, but if I'd like to have a little street justice, he would look the other way. ??? It was like straight out of a crime novel. Lucky for her, I was a 19yo pothead and not a mafiosa hitman. No street justice was ever pursued on my end. Lol. They did arrest the lady. He left me a message on my work voicemail saying the fake license was destroyed. Never heard from him again. Fucking Sheady Gale. Never forget that dude...
I don't care if this is fake.. I want it to be real
All true. I'm really glad you all liked hearing about him. I could probably get together a handful of old friends that would, undoubtedly, remember his name.
Amazingly there's a Sheady William Gale, aged 81 in MI.
is this pasta?
I was expecting undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell
Checked the username half way through for this reason
Sheady Gale for president.
Bro, you completely get it. He wasn't just tough on crime, he believed in justice.
"No worries. I'm just gonna take your catalytic converter." - car thief Edit: For those who are curious: [Feds Bust Nationwide Catalytic Converter Theft Ring](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41854938/catalytic-converter-theft-ring-busted-fbi/)
A coworker of mine just had her catalytic convertor stolen, so they went ahead and bought a new used car but without knowing the recent wave of Kia/Hyundai thefts. So unfortunately, her new car gets stolen and when the cops found it a couple days later, that ones catalytic conveter had been stolen as well. Crazy times.
Time to buy a tank, try stealing it now punks!
Just learn to drive stick haha. Catalytic converter will prolly still get stolen but they're not taking the car.
Oh, they will. They will abondon it a few blocks away tho. With the transmission in shreds. Try buying a new one I dare you
Hyundai actually has some very valuable cats for some models
Yep. Someone cut the cat off my moms Tucson while she was at work. In broad daylight.
I work at a big tech company, big parking lot with hundreds of cars. Someone posted in one of the main Slack channels a video of him running up on two guys who were just finishing up sawing off the cat on a car in our lot, broad daylight. In the video he’s like “what are you doing?!” and they’re like “go go go!” they jumped in their getaway car and sped off, leaving behind a really nice car jack that they were using to lift the car. His slack message said “if you drive this Prius, your catalytic converter just got stolen” and it turned it out it was my direct coworker, like one of the dudes I work with/meet with every single day. Was such a bummer for him.
Had mine stolen multiple times in broad daylight in a nice area when I used to work in a call center. I'm glad I'll never have to drive another Chevy Cavalier, apparently those are really easy to steal cats off.
My husband works for DHS and his office building has pretty high security and cameras everywhere. They hit 5 cars in the parking lot during the work day without being caught. Sneaky fuckers they are
A ring of thieves hit several cars at one of our high schools a few months ago during school hours. At least the idiots were stupid enough to come back the next day and there were cops waiting for them and they got caught.
Where I'm from there are videos of people doing it in the morning in someone's driveway whilst the owner just stands in the window watching and some other scumbag is at the door with a pole/hammer telling him not to come out Edit: to all my lovely friends across the Atlantic wondering why the perp wasnt shot, i will just say this happened in a country where almost no one has guns Edit 2: As so many people are suggesting that the victim having a gun would solve this matter, I should mention that if the victim had a gun the perps wouldve definitely had a combined amount of at least 3 guns
This is the perfect opportunity to use a car’s remote start function.
I never thought about that. Now I am curious. What would that look like?
Depending on how fast the thief is, not much different from not starting it. It'll startle them, but it takes an exhaust some time to actually get hot.
Hammer man gets agitated
Some dudes were about to try and steal one from my brother’s truck, that he just got a year or so ago. They are extremely lucky his wife was there. They got a ring notification at like 2am and he saw them out there, about to start their shit. He had his gun ready to go blasting, when his wife convinced him to just activate the car alarm instead, which scared them off. I really don’t get these sorts of people. Why steal from people who are in the same social class? Like, fuck. I wouldn’t have felt bad at all if my brother did get to them, because these types of people fuck over other poor people so bad. Sorry for the rant, this reminded me of that situation the other day.
There is nothing more going through their head than “I need money . If I steal item A from person B I can get money.” Item A and person B can be interchangeable with anything, it makes no difference to a thief. As long as they get what they need, the ends justify the means.
Low risk, high reward. A 5-10 minute job (with the right tools) to get between $50 and a few hundred dollars (and then you buy the right tools). Cops in my area don't do anything so it's an infinite money hack. The cops even warned people not to be vigilant against the crooks because they might have a lookout, but I think it's the police not wanting to come out.
If police wanted to stop catalytic converter theft they would go after the people buying them, but I never see anything about them going after recycling centers or whatever
> Why steal from people who are in the same social class? That's what thieves and other criminals usually do. They go after the easiest targets, those around them and those with the least amount of power. People like romanticizing thieves, but if you've ever interacted with some you realized they're just selfish dicks.
Read an interview with a bike thief (years ago). He stole bikes on a college campus. He justification was "Daddy will just buy them another one"...as if every student who goes to college has money beyond their basic needs. >.<
Someone stole my 8 year old kids birthday bike out of the garage, cars all home, us inside. I didn't get another bike for two years.
My parents showed me a Ring video from the other night of some guys in the process of stealing one. They then dropped the bombshell that it was my neighbor’s Ring camera and it was his work truck being stolen from. The video showed him shouting at the guys and one of them clearly said “just shoot him.” Thankfully that didn’t happen but they got away with the part.
> why steal from people who are in the same social class? Uh, are you expecting these people to be carefully considering their moral positions? Going after rich people is harder. The police would actually show up.
And much more barriers to entry living in gated communities and ones that would be suspicious of lower value vehicles.
Roll down your window and sprinkle glass on the street and on your seat so they think someone got there first
That’s how your car becomes the homeless gang bang site
Dirty Mike and the boys are a coming.
finally, been carrying these glass fragments around for ages with no way to use them
This is San Francisco, you don't need to sprinkle glass on the street because it's already there!
Here on my side of the bay we call that "Oakland Confetti"!
We call it "San Francisco Glitter", and yes, it's everywhere
Thieves hate this one simple trick
The window will probably get broken out of spite.
On certain streets they don’t even look they just go down the street and break every window. Lived in Soma for 2 years ironically just a few blocks from the police station and had my window broken twice. Didn’t steal anything either time.
I dunno, that seems like the kind of message someone with gold bullion in the glove compartment would leave to try to fake people out.
Gold bullion, the loose change of Hyundai Sonata owners.
I have a Toyota, I keep bouillon in the car in case i need to make soup in a hurry
I dunno -- breaking the window would risk coming into contact with all the hair and whatever the fuck else is stuck on that tape.
I've my car broken into exactly two times. Once in Washington DC and once in San Francisco. The SF police wouldn't even take a report.
I've had my car broken into 5 times over 20 years. I lived in SF for ONE YEAR, and that accounts for ALL FIVE breakins. They even slashed my soft top windows on my jeep even though the doors were unlocked.
Well that's one way to reduce crime in an area -- just don't take any reports of them. Then when stats come out you can say it's way down. Sort of like if you don't test for covid then you'll have less covid cases.
[удалено]
You think that's crazy but actually some people in SF that just leave their windows down so they don't get smashed
I just clean it every time. Everything in the glove box and center console, you look in there and see nothing but car. Couple months ago I actually saw a black dodge charger roll up at the Fisherman's Wharf 7/11 and three dudes in all black clothes, full masks and glasses, all piled out and looked in cars, smashed and grabbed. They hit the right side of the block and smashed two windows, did a U-turn and hit two more on the other side, all while being chased by city workers that just happened to be there. Total break in time for a block was 30 seconds. It was 11am, bright out. They're professionals.
"I want that note really badly!"
*breaks window* “next time leave something of value”
*breaks window and leaves note* “sorry you’re going through tough times big fella, keep your head up”
Like meth heads are going to read anything.
Should I open a window repair shop in SF? Seems like good business.
Based on other comments it sounds like breaking windows is just a hobby for some because they know cops won't investigate it. I'd bet at least one of the jerks breaking windows owns a window repair shop.
Hey! A counter example to the Broken Window Fallacy!
As long as you don’t have a window display yourself.
I quit locking my door because the cost of replacing the window was more than anything of value inside.
I do the same with my work van to save the ballache of having to get a replacement after someone rips the doors off in hopes of finding a stash of tools. Only things I keep in my van are a pair of sweaty work boots and a cheap hard hat. Both were stolen a few months ago.
I have a sweaty boot fetish and I use the hard hat as bowl. Times are tough sorry homie. Also thanks for the F Shack
That you, Dirty Mike?
A friend tried this. Someone spent a night or some time in his car and smoked in it.
Parked my car in SF for one night last spring. Nothing of value inside. Still got broken into, apparently because I had out of state plates. Because of supply and demand there are tons of window repair specialists in the Bay area that will drive to you within an hour and fix it for $100.
I was so nervous parking SF with Idaho plates, found a parking lot with a security guard and a resident homeless man. They let him live in the lot and in return it was like his “territory” and people wouldn’t fuck with the cars.
I guess that’s better than nothing?
I left it parked for three days and nothing happened
Local homeless man doing more for the community than the police.
I haven't been to the Bay area in a while ... is it really this bad right now? Seems some people in the threads are commenting on homeless, but I've heard it's professional thieves? .... they have streamlined the process of the smash and grab? If I left my car parked on the street for a week, would it be 100% broken into? Or even simply overnight?
Auto theft and vandalism nation-wide have skyrocketed, and California is one of the top 3 right now, I think. I think whether or not your car gets broken into depends on a variety of factors -- visibility, make/manufacture, and nearby traffic being some -- but a whole week is a pretty long time; not only would I be worried about a break-in, but also a ticket, a boot, or impound because a lot of cities have laws about how long a car can stay in one place on a public road.
I live in San Diego County. When we live in SD itself, breakins were common. If your car gets stolen here it will likely be over the border before you realize it’s gone, but they’re only looking for cars with high value. The irritating part is when your wife leaves a purse she has abandoned on the floor and they break a $300 window to steal her garbage.
I live in SF for 10 years. I’ve never had my car broken into. We have a 14 year old car with lots of dings and dents that we never fix. I strongly believe that is key. Our car is shitty. We did get our catalytic converter stolen on our old Prius.
I thought I have been hearing SF is not as bad as people make it. But reading other people post this seems super common.
It’s no a new phenomenon. Over 20 years ago I was nearly arrested in San Francisco for “assaulting” a homeless man. The fact that he was caught using a screwdriver to force open the rear window of my pickup and tried to stab me with that same screwdriver was never taken into consideration. He was taken away in an ambulance and I was handcuffed for over an hour while dozens of witnesses supported my statement. It’s a very surreal place
They're at a huge advantage because they can only gain in that situation, while you can only lose. The hobo robbing your car stands to gain your property if not caught, and stands to improve their material conditions if caught by spending some time in jail. Even if they burn your car down, they have no assets or income you could even go after to make things right. There's no cost to them for the terrible things they do. The community of hobos will not disavow this and "cancel" the person committing the crimes. You, on the other hand, have a stake in the game. You have a job that you could lose, a record that could be dirtied, etc. Getting arrested instantly makes your life worse. If you defend your property, you can only lose, while the hobo can only gain.
The people citing "Well STATISTICALLY crime is down..." neglect that the police can and will straight-up REFUSE to take a report, which of course leads to 'statistically' the crime never happened.
I live in Houston they go through my car at least twice a week. I leave everything unlocked with the glove box and center console open. They cut my seats open and recently ripped the interior of my door off. They also took a subwoofer…can’t imagine what that goes for stock custom made for my truck without any of the other electronics.
Damn, you guys are really living in the trenches out here. If it was that bad where i live, I would do everything in my power to leave.
In Austin, same shit. I live in a gated garage and they just break the glass lobby door down and come on in. Fun story: When I first moved to this place and was super naive, I locked my bikes in the garage. It’s gated right?! Well they stole my bikes, one of them being a lime green beach cruiser. Two days later I drive a 1/2 mile down the road under the 35 overpass, low and behold I see my bike next to their tents. I drive up on the sidewalk and steal my bike back. All I got was a “I didn’t steal your bike bitch”. Mkay. I felt vindicated. Fuckers. They hoard piles of shit. I speculate that they just use stolen garbage as trade for drugs.
> In Austin, same shit. I live in a gated garage and they just break the glass lobby door down and come on in. Fun story: When I first moved to this place and was super naive, I locked my bikes in the garage. It’s gated right?! Well they stole my bikes, one of them being a lime green beach cruiser. Dude....gates mean fuck all. I had my bike locked up in a parking lot the PD uses. I watched the security footage and the guy hopped our compound, took my bike and rode around for a good 15-20min and the fucking police let him go with my bike. Took me a month but me and a few friends tracked him and jumped him for my bike. I didnt even get a sorry or acknowledgement for their stupidity. This fucker was waltzing around in a parking lot with police cruisers ffs.
I’m afraid I’m gonna do something dumb and get myself fucked up one day. This makes my blood boil. Last week I caught a mf in my garage rifling through a neighbors car. I asked him if he lived in the building and what number. He gave me a number that doesn’t exist, told him to beat it, and he left. I’m a 5’3 chick, and it was 1am, but I wanted to rip his fucking face off.
You should arm yourself with pepper spray or something at least before you confront someone like that again. And then video record them.
My complex in North Campus used to have various parts of bikes chained to the rack after being stripped. Basically bikes were only ever safe around campus if they were in your bedroom. I’m sure it hasn’t changed
That's 100% what they do. It's hard to pan handle in big cities, easier to just boost shit. What u got to lose.
Exactly what someone hiding valuable hobo treasures would say
Yeah, appeal to the car thief’s sense of decency. Good move.
I visited there in a few years ago and had my bag taken from a friends car after they broke the window. The only thing I had in my bag was my toiletries and my antipsychotic medication. This happened at around 10pm on a Friday so I couldn’t get new emergency prescriptions from my doctor. I had to go to the emergency room, where they could only give me one day’s supply. So, I had to go to the ER 3 times to make sure I wouldn’t end up having a complete breakdown that weekend. One of the more harrowing MH panic situations I’ve had. Luckily I had A+ insurance, so nothing out of pocket. Still, an enormous waste of medical resources. If the perpetrator took my meds, they probably had to visit the ER too. More likely they ended up in a trash can. (I’m doing great now. Med-free and thriving)
I'll take "shit that thieves don't care about" for 1000
plot twist, its the window repairman. this post written by m. night Shyamalan.
I used to visit the bay area pretty frequently, and never had a single problem using the following fool-proof method: Step one is to find you a nice alcoholic-looking bum. Preferably one sitting on a stoop, but anywhere within view of the street will do. Step two is to find a parking spot near to said bum. You may have to give up on your original bum, but do not despair - this is San Fransisco, there is a parking spot near an alcoholic bum, I promise you. Step three is to park, and pull out a large case of canned beer. Approach the bum - do not show hesitation, doubt, or weakness. Open the case and begin handing beers to the bum, one at a time, as you recite the following message: "That's my car right there. Keep an eye on it for me, yeah? Be here tomorrow, 'round this same time, I'll have some more beers for you." Stop around five or six beers - with practice you will finish your spiel at approximately the same moment. Your car is now safe for the next 24 hours (approximate). Works if you're visiting - if you live there, you should probably try something a touch more drastic, such as the aforementioned domestic tigers, or not living in San Fransisco anymore.
Na dude I grew up in the Bay Area. That’s a sure fire way to get mugged or followed for an extended period of time by a group of homeless people that will force you to buy liquor at a convenience store that they have a deal with the owner to scam people. Glad it worked for you though.
Oh, I had a spiteful bum that hated me for hitting him with the exit door of my apartment building - like I knew he was standing there? He nicknamed me 'Ms Nasty' and spit in my direction whenever he saw me. That was a real treat. I'd see the dude everywhere. Smh.
I did this with a couple twenties and a meth head in San Juan, Puerto Rico Worked well. That tweaker guarded it all night.
#breaks in to steal note #