We got robbed yesterday. Somebody came into our apartment and took my laptop, Monte's camera equipment and all my jewelry - including my mother's wedding ring.
There was no sign of forced entry, which means that either I left the door unlocked when I went to work or somebody has a key to our place.
I thought long and hard about it and I can't produce any memory of locking the door. Monte left the apartment first, I know that. I left about ten minutes later. And I remember closing the door, wondering: Did I turn off the bedroom light?, going back inside to check, then exiting again. That's where the memory stops.
But here's the thing: I've been locking that door every day for five years. The keys hang right by the door so I can grab them on the way out. I keep them in my hand because I need them to enter the bike storage room in the basement, so I can ride my bike to work. I cannot imagine that I closed the door, keys in hand, and simply walked away. I think I would have had a nagging feeling in my gut all day, a sense that something was amiss. But I didn't.
We filed a police report and we're having the locks changed today. And we have renters insurance (learned that lesson the hard way after the flood of 2003!), so we should be duly compensated. Honestly, in terms of getting robbed, it couldn't have gone better. They didn't ransack our place or steal things they didn't need just for kicks. When I think of all they didn't take: TV, stereo, kitchen appliances, financial records, personal photos - I know that we were really lucky. We never would have been able to replace all that.
But still - it's my stuff, man. My stuff is mine and it belongs to me. I wouldn't take your stuff. You know I wouldn't.
Since moving to the Bay Area I have had three bikes stolen (yes, three), my credit card number lifted (word to the wise: a hair salon does not need a credit card to make your appointment), a botched robbery on my apartment (attempted entry by crowbar) and now a successful robbery. I am a little put out.
Is this the price we have to pay to live in a diverse area? I love the Bay! I love the farmers markets and the varied restaurants, the quirky shops and the multi-colored people. I love the drum circle at the flea market and the guitar players in the BART stations and the bike messengers on Market Street. I love the Afros and the skinny jeans, the Oaklandish tees, the Obama pins, the vibrant scarves, the saffron robes, the oversize shades and the myriad tattoos that adorn the people in my neighborhood. This place is alive and teeming with funk.
But I am tired of the robberies, the gang violence, the homelessness and the sorry state of our schools. It's a lousy trade-off.
Someone told me today that I'm handling this situation with remarkable composure. I am trying to emulate my friend Candida (in the photo below). You might not think a woman so physically beautiful would have a spirit to match, but you'd want to think twice. She never fails to amaze me with her kindness and generosity.
One time we went out to lunch at a busy food court and she claimed a table by leaving her lovely jacket on a seat. "Aren't you worried that somebody will steal your coat?" I asked her. She just shrugged. "If somebody has to steal my jacket, it must mean that they need it more than I do."
That sure made me think.
They say that God is good, all the time. I know this is true.
But still. Stop stealing my shit.
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3 comments:
Did you see that Outside Magazine recently named Oakland one of "the 20 best places to live now"
http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200808/best-towns-rest-of-the-best.html
Washington DC was also on the list and the some of the letters in Sept issue commented on the crime problems in both cities. It's sad. How can someone take something that isn't theirs?
I wish the font were larger for old farts like me.
Dad, you can change the zoom on your computer. Play around with your menu...on Mac it's View > Zoom > Zoom In.
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