Summer 2001: Hoodlum breaks into my car, tries to steal CD player. Luckily, hoodlum is stoopid and can’t figure out how to get it out. Steals a cell phone.

September 2002: Hoodlum smashes left rear window, breaks into my car, successfully steals CD player. Also randomly pours a bottle of Coke on my backseat.

Last night: Hoodlum smashes right rear window (thank heavens for variety!), breaks into my car, successfully steals my CD player. Also takes about $40 (estim.) in change. Leaves my TollTag and my Texas state map.

All of these occur in a locked (or at least “locked”) garage. Just talked to the goonlets who run my apartment building — not even a “we’re sorry” or a “we’ll work on improving safety.” Just “There’s really nothing we can do” (!) and an explanation that, while they have security guards roaming the complex, they only work during the daytime. (Exact quote, I kid you not: “They have to sleep sometime.”)

So to Hoodlums No. 1 through 3 and the mind-blowing cretins at Post Properties, I give a rousing:

Thanks, assholes!

14 August 2003

Comments

14 August | 11:00 | kelly

I'm really sorry. That sucks. But at least I always know what to get you for Christmas!

14 August | 12:58 | Jason

The thing I don't understand is why the did it a month earlier this year? I mean they almost had a hat trick on September break-ins in Josh's car?! Oh well. Guess who's NOT going to make it to the Stanley Cup Theft Finals?
Also, I'd threaten litigation on your landlords...or something. That's just ridiculous.

19 August | 17:59 | lesley

Dude: Move! the same thing happened to me (once) at my Power Properties-managed apartment on Gaston... they said there was nothing they could do, they weren't going to alert any residents, blah blah blah. I was outta there -- plus they were raising the rent. The complex I'm at now has security guards AT NIGHT, *and* sends out notices on bright flourescent paper whenever any criminal activity happens. There's also a locked gate and cops that roam around to make sure no one's sneaking in.

Comment Preview

said:

Joshua Benton

Joshua Benton is the director of the Nieman Digital Journalism Project at Harvard University, among other things. Before that, he was a staff writer and columnist for The Dallas Morning News. (More.)