[RP TownTalk] car break-in

[Heather Cronk]

Thanks for sharing this, Sarah, and I'm sorry to hear about the break-in --
that can feel like a real violation of personal safety, especially outside
of your house and in your neighborhood.

However, I do want to throw one caution out there.  Often the message to
"be on the lookout" or to "call the police right away" can be taken as
permission for folks to call the police about anyone walking in their
neighborhood who they don't recognize or, worse, who they don't believe
"belongs" in their neighborhood.  I'm not suggesting that this is what
Sarah meant.  But I've heard too many stories from friends about being
confronted by police when walking through a neighborhood simply because
they didn't "look" like they belong.

I value many things about living in Riverdale -- chiefly, that it is a
racially and economically diverse community.  I would hate for anyone
living in this community to feel threatened or policed for simply walking
through our neighborhoods.  So please do call the police if there is overt
violence taking place -- but calling the police about anything that looks
suspicious is a recipe for overpolicing and discrimination.

-Heather

On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 2:45 PM, Sarah Wayland <sarah.wayland at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Yesterday afternoon, I went to get into my car, and someone had jimmied
> the driver's door open (it was locked, and my car is alarmed, but the alarm
> didn't go off), rifled through my glovebox and console, and took about $2
> in quarters.
>
> Having lived in Boston for many years, I don't leave stuff in my car, so
> it was no big deal, but it was annoying.
>
> A police officer came to investigate when I called to let them know (I was
> going to let it ride, but my town councilperson convinced me to call later
> that evening), and he did a *really* thorough job investigating. He was
> bummed that I had driven the car because he wanted to dust for
> fingerprints.
>
> Apparently there have been a string of break-ins like this, east of the RR
> tracks, on Riverdale and Queensbury Roads over the last couple of weeks
> (I'm on Sheridan St.).
>
> Take away messages:
>
> (1) Be on the lookout for strangers wandering the streets in our
> neighborhoods. Call the police if you see *anything* that looks suspicious.
> Let them decide if it's a problem or not.
>
> (2) Call the police right away (before you touch your car) if you think
> someone has broken into it.
>
> (3) The police actually want to investigate things like this, so let them
> know! It's the only way they can get the information they need to keep us
> all safe.
>
> -Sarah
>
>
> Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. | www.GuidingExceptionalParents.com
> <http://www.guidingexceptionalparents.com/>
> Supporting students with learning differences & their families
>
>
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