weird vandalism

[rejaka.livejournal.com]

So...I live off of Davis Square, and this morning we noticed that someone, most likely in the middle of the night, had come up onto our porch and stolen four individual impatiens from a large pot we keep on our steps.  We know it had to have been a human, because there is no mess...the four flowers are just neatly taken out from the roots.  There are still several flowers left in the pot...the ones taken were kind of randomly chosen. 

How weird is that?  Has anyone else experienced odd little pranks like this?  Who the hell steals impatiens? Plus, the person would have had to come very close to our front window...and the livingroom light was on, so they could have easily been caught.  WTH?

Comments

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

someone stole lanterns off our porch when we were home, also. i think it's just people who think it's *not really* hurting anyone, so why not?

[aki.livejournal.com]

That reads like "college students" to me.

(I'm not really that old and crusty, I swear, I just remember the attitude)

[noire.livejournal.com]

I remember there was a flower thief year before last, who stole impatiens and later dug various flowers out of yards in the Davis area. It was quite a blight on the entire summer and I'm wondering if it's the same person...

[ron_newman]

from last week's Somerville journal: When impatiens destroyed, priest waits to use them as a lesson

The day after St. Benedict's Church workers planted impatiens purchased with parishioners’ donations, the Rev. Robert Carr stepped outside in search of his Herald at about 6:30 yesterday morning [Sunday, June 3], only to find several flowerpots flipped over.

[turil.livejournal.com]

From further down in that article:

“We’re always trying to improve the parish,” he said of the Hathorn Street house of worship. “The thing that bothers me the most is this is a wonderful area, a shining star of Somerville, and (the vandalism) makes the whole neighborhood look bad.”

Maybe he should use his own reaction as a lesson in the sins of vanity...

(On another note, I'm still amused by the idea of interplanting stinging nettle with flowers, to make flower theft more of an adventure!)

[sasha-bee.livejournal.com]

on the cape and nantucket people steal hydrangeas all the time from people's gardens- my mother in law had her garden ransacked this year. i don't know if the impatiens thief is part of this but there is actually a black market for stolen flowers. my mom is a professional florist and she told me about the hydrangea theft problem & how florists have to be careful who they buy from because people do steal flowers in order to sell them. :-/

[rejaka.livejournal.com]

You guys are blowing my mind. I had no idea impatiens theft was so widespread!

[red-liner.livejournal.com]

We had a peony stolen from a community garden plot a few years ago....certainly blew our minds...

[caveatlector-09.livejournal.com]

I had my tulips cut last year - each flower cut off and left in the flowerbed. I guess the teenage punks/college kids have diversified in their floral fetishes....

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine watched a squirrel do this on a college campus, working methodically down a long row of tulips.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

It really could have been squirrels or birds or possums. I lost some seedling tomatoes from a 2nd-floor balcony that nobody could have gotten to. They were all torn off neatly at the stem without potting-soil tracked everywhere.

What can be done

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Related to the vandalism thread, I'm looking for input on this situation that just happened today.

There is a group of middle-schoolers that hang out on my street every day after school gets out. They are your typical punks, trash-talking with their pals, throwing their slush cups in the street and checking out the girls, normal kind of teen-behavior. Today I was on a conference call in the home office that looks onto the front street and was sort of zoning out and looking out the window and I noticed that a few of them were walking quickly to our front porch, where a UPS parcel had been left for one of the other units. Two or three kids came up on the porch and one rang my doorbell, while the other made a grab for the package. I flung open the door and scared the daylights out of them ... they took off down the street at full speed.

I didn't know what to do so I called the cops, thinking a cruiser might just make them nervous enough to knock it off and go somewhere else. Of course I've not had a cop come by yet, and I mentioned it was *not* an emergency so I don't know if/when they will. Here's the thing ... they are so stupid they congregated on some steps a few houses up the street. I grabbed my digital camera and went out and snapped a picture. Mostly of their backs as they ran off, but they are clearly identifiable. They were clearly freaked out ... but then ... GET THIS.... a few minutes later a few of the younger of this ersatz gang came up to the porch again with their t-shirts over their faces and when I appeared in the window to tell them to scram they took MY picture with a cell phone. Retaliation, I guess. I calmly gestured that I had called the cops and they should scram. Which they did.

Now, I'm not really worried about them per se ... really they are 14, 15 year olds, and obviously just full of themselves and hanging out. But I am looking for tips to deter them from hassling our house now, and especially if they grow up to be more of a threat than a nuisance. Thoughts? Ideas?

Re: What can be done

[righteousness-1.livejournal.com]

God, I hate those sort of fuckers. Supporters of letting kids loiter until they commit a crime take note. Loitering kids lie that should not be tolerated.
I'd call the cops and relay your fears. Give them a copy of the photo.

Re: What can be done

[righteousness-1.livejournal.com]

Actually, after some thought, I think it might be worth striking up a conversation with them explaining that you understand that they are just hanging out, shooting the shit and getting up to a little trouble.
You might also explain how you feel and that they should consider that having a rap sheet will be a problem for them when they get older. Maybe they might reconsider their actions. Worth a try.

Re: What can be done

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

do you mind my asking what street you live on? or vague area, if you don't want to be too specific? I have a ganglette oround the same age on Lexington Ave. The police know to patrol the Lex. Ave park, but are so good at missing the bad behavior that sometimes I wonder if one or more of the kids aren't kids of city councilers of something.

Re: What can be done

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Thurston Street. Thanks for the community police addy ... the cops never came by yesterday at all.

Re: What can be done

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I got a quick reply when I wrote to Sgt. Joe McCain ("Community Police Supervisor") at jmccain@police.somerville.ma.us about a problem on my street. (The address comes from the somerville city website).

Re: What can be done

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Hm. I still haven't heard from Officer McCain. How speedy was your reply?

Re: What can be done

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Huh. He wrote me back the very next day. I asked for the non-emergency number of the police, because I had talked to a neighbor about *very* loud music (it was loud inside my house, a block away, with my windows closed!) and he wrote back and gave me the number and asked the address of the house in question. Maybe your situation is more complicated and harder for him to write back to? maybe he's on summer vacation?

Re: What can be done

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

I got a message from him last night. I'm going to try to connect over the weekend. Thanks again for the address.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Our neighbor has had some flowers dug out as well. Definitely human, not critter.