As we routinely read on CC, San Francisco remains a magnet for tourists and graduates hoping for cool jobs in a cool city. The city if often painted with a palette of romantic colors and … naïve views. Right here, people have objected vehemently when someone dares to scratch the surface and expose the smelly underbelly of the city.
For people who keep track, today marked the fourth time in one year that my car was vandalized (for no good reason) by some entrepreneur who believes in the redistribution of wealth. Actually, it might be the fifth time according to my insurance, which will probably be my former insurance. And I live in a nice neighborhood, if you want to know!
I’d rather have my car keyed, than my wallet stolen.
Washington state has the highest rate in the country, of property crime. I imagine Seattle is the highest in the state.
Thieves are entering locker rooms with bolt cutters, and using stolen credit cards to buy gift cards before the cards can be canceled.( I just had my brand new iPhone/wallet case stolen last month).
I’ve also had my car broken into, in my driveway/ and in the parking lot of my daughters high school, ( the dog & I were out)
It’s unfortunately part of living in a city.
But it is a pain when damage isn’t enough to warrant using insurance ( our deductible is really high)
But if I lived in San Francisco, at least I would have adequate public transportation.
We do indeed have public transportation and I mostly bike everywhere. That is part of the problem as the car presents little use during the workdays, and we have to monitor where it is parked. Between the city violations for cleaning days and the hobos who take a liking to break the windows in hope of finding something to satisfy their cravings, it is not a walk in the park. I wish it made sense to leave a note on the windows that say “There is nothing to steal here. If you really are in dire need, call me at XXX, and I will “loan” you twenty bucks. Do not break the windows.” Utopia at best.
I have been on the waiting list to get a garage spot but I am moving up ever so slowly. I could leave the car in a safe spot but would have to bike to Tiburon. Not exactly convenient on a regular basis.
This sounds a lot like NYC in the 80’s when car radios were the big ticket item being stolen, as well as certain makes of cars. I suspect that the vandalism of cars might be the frustration with how gentrified SF has become thanks to the latest boom in Silicon Valley, and some are lashing out at those they see as pushing them out of their own city. NYC has become so gentrified I guess people have given up on the silly notion it is supposed to be a city for all, now that the city is almost all luxury housing and what isn’t luxury housing is kind of “roped off” from the rest of the city.
At least in our area, the police have been breaking theft rings. Also online neighborhood message boards, alert people to increased activity. One of our neighbors just had her truck stolen from in front of her house, and it is 28 yrs old!
Apparently, thieves like older cars, cause they can just use a shaved down key, they don’t have to to strip the ignition.
I knew I should have special ordered a manual transmission for the Jeep.
At least I don’t think we have to worry about H getting his F100 stolen. It has a stick on the column- plus a choke!
I’ve been lucky in LA. My not the nicest neighborhood still doesn’t have much crime and I’m close to the metro rail. My biggest issue is LA Parking Enforcement. If I forget to move my car for street sweeping it costs $65.
C’mon over to where I live. I don’t even know what a set of keys to my house looks like. Hubby leaves his wallet in the unlocked car in the driveway. You’ll just have to wade through 3 feet of dense snow to get here!
I solved that problem living in the Bay Area by having cheap cars that I kept dirty. Nobody messed with a proletariat machine. Get a motorcycle, park it in your backyard and use zip cars for shopping.
My first car was “urban camouflage,” bought used, pre-scratched and dented with a cruddy looking radio. You may want to trade until you have a secure place to park.
My brother raised two boys in SF and has never had a problem.
To be clear, the model, age, and appearance have NOTHING to do with the attraction of the idiots who break windows to get into the cars. They are not trying to steal the car for its value. My car is 11 years old and is a workhorse. There isn’t anything that looks appealing in the inside of the car that warrants breaking the windows. Those people are not exactly the sharpest tools in the box. They just have tools that are sharp enough.
I parked a very old car on the streets of the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the early 90s. I had paid $400 for the car, if that provides perspective. Someone stole the battery out of it one day and another day, the seat belt that had been left hanging out of the car door (did not retract properly) was slashed. Eventually garaged the $400 car for $350/month!
My sister had her car broken into while visiting me when I lived on the Upper East Side in the late 80s. Smashed & grabbed the radio from the corner of 79th & 2nd on a Saturday afternoon.
So sorry you have to deal with this mess! I guess if someone is hell-bent on damaging the car, leaving it unlocked will not help.
Sadly, similar stuff is happening here in Seattle. SPD does pretty much nothing about car prowls, vandalism, and thefts, citing lack of resources. I gather that the unspoken policy behind that is to discourage car ownership and overnight street parking in the city.
