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| A car that has been burglarized. Bad for me, good for Wikipedia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The point of this story is that within a short time after this incident we had the smashed window fixed and most of the items not just replaced in kind, but also in additional quantity. For example where one case of cassette tapes had been stolen in the burglary it was not long before we had more tape cases filled with tapes than any burglar could easily carry off.
Some of our stolen possessions were replaced by my coworkers who had felt bad about our loss. A couple of them had gone to a pawn shop and bought us a bunch of used cassettes that they thought we might enjoy. While there they looked around to see if they could recognize anything that we had lost, but even if our stuff had been fenced to a second hand goods dealer, by the time it had we were gone from Greeley and in our next town.
Stuff comes and goes in our lives. Theft, loss, or just throwing it away dwindles our ownership of goods as we in turn keep buying more and have more given to us. Material possessions are often so ephemeral that we eventually don't even notice when they are gone. Others on the other hand are sadly missed and even mourned.
A briefcase containing a lot of my writing, including a journal that I had kept about events in my life and a notebook full of original songs, was stolen on that sad night across from the Greeley police station. We replaced most of our lost goods, but the contents of that briefcase cannot be adequately replaced. That was my biggest loss on that night.
Soon after the Greeley incident we had a car alarm installed in our van and all of our vans after that included an alarm. Still our vehicle was again broken into twice over the following six years. None of those break-ins resulted in as significant losses as that first one, but nevertheless they were a hassle. Especially having to replace the broken windows.
Taking into account all of our years on the road with a van load of personal possessions, I guess we were fortunate to not have had more incidents like the ones we had. Road life is a risk, but so is living in one place. Only once, many years ago when I lived in a dump of an apartment, has my living space been violated with break-in and theft. Crime can happen anywhere and anytime. Precautions are well advised, but never completely fail proof.
Crime against our stuff can be disconcerting, but much less so than crimes against our persons. In that respect I've been very lucky. That's a crime I'd rather never experience.
Have you ever been the victim of a break-in? If so, what was taken? What do you do to avoid being a victim of crime?
Thankfully I've never had that experience. Although my wallet was taken out of my backpack on a MUNI bus in San Francisco and that cause me years and years of trouble. This was in 1991 and identity theft was in its infancy. No one believed me when I told them my wallet was stolen (with a full book of checks, my social security card, sentimental ID cards I should've put in my scrapbook and credit cards). The credit cards were easily canceled. But waiting 10 days for my new drivers license was beyond inconvenient. Then they called my bank the day after I closed the account and said, 'My wallet was stolen and I don't remember my new account number, here's my SSN' and the bank gave them my new account number which they then drained (the bank made it right). Checks bounced all over the Bay Area. New credit card accounts were opened in my name. I had to fill out fraud affidavits all over the place. They opened a cell phone account w/ Motorola and I got bills for over $500. This affected my ability to buy my first townhouse....I had to fill out reams of extra forms and provide copies of everything. Finally in the late 90s my lawyer bosses wrote letters to the credit reporting agencies demanding all the bad stuff be removed.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, theft of a wallet or other things from which my identity might be stolen would be a really big hassle. When I was in college I had my wallet stolen from a locker in Phys Ed class. I had only about $3, a driver's license, a SS Card, my university ID, and my draft card. Back then identity theft was no real issue. I didn't replace my SS card until about 40 years later when I needed a physical card for some reason--prior to that my memorized number was adequate. I didn't care about losing my draft card. My credit so far has remained safe and unsullied (other than my own foolishness).
ReplyDeleteLee
I once had my purse snatched (I was 13 so there wasn't much in it) and that was scary, even more so talking to the police officer who had reflective sunglasses on while he talked to me and I couldn't see his eyes (the detective that came later was much more personable).
ReplyDeleteHowever, when I was newly dating my now husband someone tried to break into my apartment while I was sleeping. Fortunately they ran as soon as they realized they had woken me up.The police responded quickly and more importantly my boyfriend came over right away and sat up with me the rest of the night watching Elvis Presley movies.
Now I simply try to remember to always lock my doors, lock my car, keep valuables out of sight, etc. The rest I leave up to prayer.
Sheila, personal crime is such a disconcerting violation of our private space that I tends to put us at unease when it happens. When my break-ins happened my spaces felt so unclean and I never did feel completely safe after those incidents.
DeleteLee
I have been fairly lucky in not experiencing too much theft. However I came across a website with a picture of a green garden seat with wheels like one missing from my backyard. Considering who it is, their proximity to us, and the unusual nature of the object, I wonder.
ReplyDeleteAnn, be on guard. If someone steals from your yard it may not be long before they find their way inside your house. Take precautions to increase security if only a little bit.
DeleteLee
Yes, when hubs and I were walking one night we had parked our car at a local park, it was 9pm and there was one or two cars there. When we returned, the passenger side window was smashed in and a small bag in which I carried a few items was taken. It was under the car seat and the perps probably thought it contained something but it didn't. I had kept my keys, and ID on my person, but left a lipstick, gum and comb in the small purse. So the thieves took only that likely thinking it might have money in it. This was a truck, so we had the window fixed and never went to that walking spot again. The police liked the idea that the thieves lost out on that one. But so did we, having to replace a smashed window. We to date haven't lost anything of major importance.
ReplyDeleteDG, having to replace a window is no small deal--somewhat expensive and a hassle. If someone breaks in my vehicle I'd prefer they find another way besides smashing the window or causing damage.
ReplyDeleteLee
Egads! A friend of mine just had his back window smashed out while he was at World Con. Yeah, no fun there. Nothing of his was stolen because he didn't have anything worth stealing in the car, but he still had to pay for the replacement window. That particularly sucks about losing your writing. You never get it back the same exact way.
ReplyDeleteLoni, vehicle damage (or other damage due to a crime) is particularly frustrating and never comes at an opportune time. Losing my journals was the worst since there were details there that I don't clearly remember and needed for the reference. That will never come back the same way it was initially recorded.
DeleteLee
Theft is something you just can't help taking personally, no matter how random the action might have actually been. We work for our stuff, or get things as gifts and it does hurt when they are stolen from us.
ReplyDeleteMy purse was yanked off my shoulder with my very first paycheck inside. I chased the guy down and got it back. Probably shouldn't have beaned him with it, but I was extremely angry!
In my early twenties I lost everything I had ever written, when my home burned to the ground the night I moved in.
A few years ago, our garage door malfunctioned and opened in the night; allowing thieves to make off with nearly all of my husband's tools of his trade. I no longer complain when make insurance payments ;-)
Such an interesting chapter in your memoir, I am enjoying (so to speak) each one!
Sorry I'm such a late-comer this time.
Diedre, never too late to visit my posts! You've really had some tough losses to deal with. Glad you at least gave the purse snatcher his comeuppance. A fire has to be so devastating with the loss as well as the inconvenience it creates. So far I've been fortunate to avoid that kind of catastrophe.
ReplyDeleteLee