Davis Square, bikes, thieves, and the cycle of life

[yttrai.livejournal.com]

scholar and i caught the 5.45 Happening and as we exited the theater i BARELY managed to stop the guy in the middle of stealing my bike.  He'd already snipped both locks and was wheeling it away.  I suspect the red road bike he road off on was not his, so if you had one stolen tonight i HIGHLY recommend you call the cops and report it.  I gave a full description of him to the dispatcher, while the uniform asked many fewer questions, but regardless.  The information is in the system. 

Side notes:  311 on a cell phone went right to Somerville 311, which pleasantly surprised me a little due to the whole cell phone/911 routing issues.  The dispatcher took LOTS of info, but not, oddly enough, my name.   But other than that she was quite thorough.  Yay.  The uniform asked far fewer questions, but was polite and professional, so again good, and showed up within minutes - 3 minutes, at most?  It was fast, and that impressed me as well.

Anyway, go ahead and jump on me for using 2 cables and not a U for running errands, but this is the first time i've had a problem with daytime theft.  My days of innocence are now behind me.

If we're all vigilent maybe this guy will get caught.  Bike theft is hardly up there with personal assault, but when you love your bike and use it like most of us do, the loss hurts deeply.  As does the near loss.

And if someone wants to link to Sheldon's page again (we miss you Sheldon!) yes, we know.  U locks rule the day.

Comments

[ifotismeni]

oh geez! i'm glad you caught this guy. i'd been using a cable lock on my old beater but this is making me nervous.

out of curiosity where were you parked?

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

I am glad that you saved your bike, but the deeper loss here is that you went and saw The Happening. I am saddened by this news, and hope for a speedy recovery for you.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yes, this.

And yet--I'm tempted to go see both "The Happening" and "The Love Guru" as a double feature, because it is rare to see two such universally excoriated movies in theaters at the same time. I feel as though it would be a character-building experience.

[ron_newman]

You could be a real masochist and throw in "Hancock" too.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

"The Happening" was actually so bad that it wasn't even fun. I felt like I was being patronized and/or poked with a stick by Mr. Shyamalan.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I have enjoyed his other movies, even the ones everyone hates and though he has been given too harsh a time, however...The Happening was ONE OF THE WORST MOVIES EVER.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

What did the thief look like?

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Does Redbones still offer free bike valet services for people in Davis regardless of what they're doing?

[ron_newman]

I think so. It's on their web page.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

What exactly does one say or do upon noticing their bike being stolen? I think I'd be so amazed at the brass balls to snip locks in broad daylight that I'd be dumbstruck.

I'm so pleased that your timing allowed you to catch him in the act.

[awkwardduckling.livejournal.com]

i actually had a friend see someone riding my bike days after it was stolen and confront them about it. after some random threats from the thief that he was going to come back with friends and guns (i'm in dc these days...), the kid gave it up and my friend got it back for me. friggin amazing

[infinitemorning.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd say "Get the hell away from my bike, you asshole," and there'd probably be a bit in there about the police, and depending on who was with me, the threat of a punch to the face. (I'm not so good with the punching. And the threat would probably come from the aforementioned companion, as I don't tend to seriously threaten violence.) It's hard to go wrong with the classics, really.

I'm a bit shocked, too, though I get the impression that daylight bike thefts aren't all that uncommon in and around Davis.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

"Hey! GET AWAY!!"

At least that's what I remember saying when some teenager tried to grab my bike while I had hold of it. I'd probably use a variant on that if the theft was happening from a rack.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

How about posting the description here so folks can keep an eye out?

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

I don't understand what I would keep an eye out for. If a description of the thief was posted here, and I saw someone who I thought matched that description, I would.... do what? Not lock up my bike? Call the police?

The right response to this seems to be: remember that there's daylight theft and vandalism in Davis Square just like anyplace else in the city, and to take as many reasonable precautions against being victimized as possible (lock your car doors, use a U-lock on your bike, etc.)

And, frankly, if we see someone committing a theft, intervene. Either stop them and ask what they're doing or call 911. Entirely too few people will bother to do this if they see a probable crime being committed.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Better yet, if you have a camera on you, take their picture!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I used to fantasize about inventing a cable lock that detonated if cut through (except if disarmed by the owner). Not a big enough explosion to kill the the thief or bystanders, but sufficient that said thief would experience a different kind of being disarmed.

Evil, yes. But I hate bike thieves.

[righteousness-1.livejournal.com]

If someone is stealing your bike and you do punch them, can you be arrested? What about holding them until a uniform arrives? Is that legal?

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

You can hold them until the police arrive, if you can manage it. Not sure about the punching.