First it was the secret buddy gifts. Then it was the car, and not long after, the backpack. Our school is crawling with thieves, and these swipers need to stop swiping.
Back in December, for basketball’s secret buddy gift exchange, I was giving gifts but mysteriously never receiving any. The giver promised she was dropping them, but I only received two throughout the whole season. From this, I concluded that someone must have been stealing them before I could receive them. Although minor, this was my first encounter with a Roosevelt robber.
In January, the burglars started coming to my neighborhood. Within a week, three houses in my alley had been broken into. In addition, the burglars (maybe the same people) were scouring the block for unlocked cars. Once they found one, they would not only steal all of its belongings, but also hotbox the hell out of the car. Many of the neighbors were very upset, but the problems didn’t stop here.
In February, my car got broken into directly in front of Roosevelt, no later than 15 to 20 minutes after school. They smashed a backseat window, and stole Petra Lavin’s backpack. Along with all her schoolwork, they took her wallet and immediately proceeded to spend $300 at Northgate Mall. “I was obviously really sad and mad, but also creeped out because they had so much information on me now. I’m pretty sure it was an RHS student, so it’s really weird to know someone I could see in the halls has all my stuff,” explains Lavin. Her parents were also very frustrated, and had to quickly get all of the house locks changed because the thief had her keys and the address from her I.D.
When I called the police to report the smash n’ grab, they said this has been happening more and more at the high school. Clearly RHS has a growing thief issue, but there’s not much anyone can actually do about it. On paper, these crimes are very minor. But for those affected, these thieves are stealing more than material possessions. They are stealing time and energy away from students, as well as confidence in the natural goodness of humanity.
Luckily, Roosevelt teachers have been very understanding and helpful. Lavin explained how Ms. Lynn Kodama had everything she needed neatly prepared when she arrived to class, and understood the hardships of being stolen from. Plus, the library has a great process to get stolen textbooks back for free.
In the end, all we can do is be more protective of our belongings, be careful of where we park our cars, and wish for the best. I hope the thieves are happy, because I am not.
P.S. If you’re reading this and broke into my car you suck
graphic by: Tiamo Minard
