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Some years past, we were blessed by having a large crime family occupying both sides of a duplex in our neighborhood. Their main enterprise was being the local organizers of a large drug cartel. In addition to that, they brought stolen cars into their backyard and stripped them into parts.
Also, throughout the night, vans would pull up and each would unload a bunch of high-value potted plants out of sight, along the side of the building. Before daybreak, some family members would load them all into an oversized van and leave. We assumed they were being delivered to an unscrupulous landscape contractor. Every night, front yards and probably garden stores were being robbed of dozens of big plants.
There was nothing we could do, as the Feds had the family under surveillance and were putting together a case for a big drug bust. The local police were forbidden from answering any complaints about them. So this went on for 18 months, before that raid took place and key family members were sent up for 20 years.
Amazing. I thought you were going to say your neighborhood became the safest once these people moved in because the crime family wanted their area patrolled and kept safe and clean by them. So they were just ordinary plant thieves too.
This story is from way back in the day when kids freely roamed the neighborhood:
I was about 5 or 6. My friend and I visited neighbors' flower gardens, cut whatever we wanted, put them in our family wheelbarrow, and took them door to door selling them! I can't remember but I don't think we knew it was wrong - though how could we not???
My mother was MORTIFIED and took me to each neighbor's house to apologize
I can't believe how calm y'all are about people who plot coming onto your property for stealing purposes and just keep doing it.
Holy crap, I'm easy going, but that would be...hee hee...nipped in the bud PRONTO if it were at my house.
Well, here's the deal.
I'm not going to shoot the person.
I'm not going to stay up and watch my yard every night till I catch the person.
I'm going to eventually buy outdoor security cameras, but I have a big yard, and that's an expense. Not high on my list of priorities.
I'm not going to bother the police with minor "plant theft." In other words, I'm not going to waste their time - or mine.
So other than the security cameras, my options seem very limited.
And actually, nothing has been taken from my property - someone has just been ON my property. Now, someone has stolen plants and pots - nothing else, just plants and pots - from other people, and I suspect it's the same person (and this person has mental health issues). And frankly, we don't even lock our shed. Or our gate. More trouble than it's worth to us.
I guess I'm saying I'd start there - locking the gate and shed. Installing security cameras. That's about it. I already have a security system for the house, and a couple of dogs, and a license to carry, but honestly, those are for potential "big stuff."
But I promise you, if I caught someone, I'd shame them - and if I caught them on video, I'd put it on social media too.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 03-24-2019 at 05:54 AM..
I'm not going to stay up and watch my yard every night till I catch the person.
I'm going to eventually buy outdoor security cameras, but I have a big yard, and that's an expense. Not high on my list of priorities.
I'm not going to bother the police with minor "plant theft." In other words, I'm not going to waste their time - or mine.
So other than the security cameras, my options seem very limited.
And actually, nothing has been taken from my property - someone has just been ON my property. Now, someone has stolen plants and pots - nothing else, just plants and pots - from other people, and I suspect it's the same person (and this person has mental health issues). And frankly, we don't even lock our shed. Or our gate. More trouble than it's worth to us.
I guess I'm saying I'd start there - locking the gate and shed. Installing security cameras. That's about it. I already have a security system for the house, and a couple of dogs, and a license to carry, but honestly, those are for potential "big stuff."
But I promise you, if I caught someone, I'd shame them - and if I caught them on video, I'd put it on social media too.
Well then, you're a nicer person than I am. When I bought my house last fall, I was dismayed by the total lack of nice plantings in the yard, especially since I had left such an enormous number of large shrubs and trees at my old house. I refrained from putting any bulbs in, hoping that something would emerge in the spring, but alas - nada. So now that the weather is getting nice, I'm planning on a major, and expensive, revamping of my small yard which will involve planting a lot of nice shrubs and perennials and bulbs. I'll also be putting some really nice planters in my back yard. I guarantee that if I find someone stealing any of my plants or new planters, I'm not going to just "shame them" on social media, I'm filing charges.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by couch coyote
But . . . but . . . tell us what your response was! I hope you at least smashed a couple of ripe tomatoes over her head!
Nah, I just let it go. She was quite bad with money and I doubt she could have afforded a farmer's market, etc. She had some pretty severe mental problems, a few tomatoes out of my garden wasnt a big deal to me.
If she hadnt been such a sweet lady I probably would have freaked out.
I can understand a little kid picking a flower. But they would have to be pretty little. Most kids aren’t allowed to roam free like we did when I was young. They are supervised, at least in my part of town. It’s the adults I don’t understand. They are just thieves. Who knew thieves steal potted plants to resell? Who buys them?
I’m on a big hill that is totally landscaped with hostas and other perennials. The only potted plant out front is a very heavy cement stand but it at the top of the hill at my steps.
Well then, you're a nicer person than I am. When I bought my house last fall, I was dismayed by the total lack of nice plantings in the yard, especially since I had left such an enormous number of large shrubs and trees at my old house. I refrained from putting any bulbs in, hoping that something would emerge in the spring, but alas - nada. So now that the weather is getting nice, I'm planning on a major, and expensive, revamping of my small yard which will involve planting a lot of nice shrubs and perennials and bulbs. I'll also be putting some really nice planters in my back yard. I guarantee that if I find someone stealing any of my plants or new planters, I'm not going to just "shame them" on social media, I'm filing charges.
Well, like I said, nothing has actually been stolen from my yard.
Look on the bright side. I don't worry about garden plant thieves. Someone is going up and down the roads where my land is stealing trees for firewood. Literally coming up, cutting down a large tree, and hauling it off. The property next ti mine has been hit hard. 8" diameter sugar maples just cut, got hung up and they were left to rot since they're afraid of being caught.
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