I forgot to mention someone broke into my building last week. I live in a 4 unit apartment building. Someone picked the bottom lock on the front door downstairs and basically rumaged thru the garage. Other than my motorcycle, which was with me at work, I don’t keep anything in the garage. My neighbor upstairs wasn’t so fortunate1. Whoever it was stole a variety of misc. items and his bicycle.
He stopped me in the hallway to ask if I’d seen or heard anything2. I hadn’t but I did notice when the bike went missing and shared the details with him. He then mentioned it has happened before3. Not surprising, it is a very opportunistic style crime. I’d bet money some homeless person, picked the lock, walked in and basically grabbed whatever he thought he could sell for booze/drug money. On a side note, it became abundantly clear why the landlord asks us to lock the deadbolt on the entry door.
Truth be told, crimes of this nature are very common here. Again, not surprising as we have a high rate of homeless folks. That said, I’d choose crimes like this over more violent and heinous crimes any day. For all it’s problems, there are few places in SF, I don’t feel safe to venture. I can’t say that of most cities I’ve lived in. I’d rather worry about shit like this than waking up w/someone sticking a gun in my face. And while SF does have some hardcore crime, it is not the norm.
The moral of the story? Lock the damn doors when you come and go Moby. *g*
2 My apartment sits right over the garage. I sleep w/ear plugs in so as not to be awakened by an old but loud garage door opening in the mornings.
3 He has lived in the building 10 plus years.
How the heck did this person pick the locks. Geeze, BrettC and I had a hard enough time just unlocking and locking that building’s front door when we were in SF back in April. But you are right, there are worse places than SF for crime.
I discuss this with my friends who live in the Castro all the time; crime has dramatically increased since I moved out.
QUESTION: Do you think the large population of homeless in the Castro increases the crime rate there?
Ouch. Sorry to hear about a breakin, but you’re right. Lock the doors!
It reminds me of the night of 9/11. I was at school and someone either climbed onto my second story apartment balcony or one of the maintenance workers walked in and stole my mountain bike. I was pissed, but was at fault for leaving it outside and on display for passerbys. Lesson learned, and hoping karma deals a blow to the crook whole stole on the day our country was under attack.
Moby….
I wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Don’t eat too much! I mean food that is. 😉 I’ll be in SF Friday either having lunch or dinner with another blogger bud. He lives above the bar that is just up from the restaurant we (the blogger gang) all gathered for lunch that one day. If your around and feel like getting out, let me know. I may get ahold of Dan at DanNation too. He knows I am coming in. Hugs!
You know, I hate the FEELING that goes along with being robbged almost as much as the acutal act. The feeling of being violated (not that I mind that so much, sometimes!) and that someone around you has stolen from you. We’ve had yard lights taken twice, a utility trailer, and a yard ornament taken. Each time, I wonder who lives nearby that is watching, waiting, ready to steal. For god sakes, just ask…..I’ll give it to ya! Happiest of Thanksgivings.
Hell, I live in a relatively small area, and I’m always locking up. A lot of that is my OCD, though. 😉
Glad to hear this incident didn’t involve you, Moby.
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, BTW.
Yeah I remember the days when we never locked our doors or our windows, but our house has been broken into a few times over the years, so now it’s become more of a reflex just to lock everything… sad man…