Something Petty
Last Sunday I tumbled down an escalator and was fortunate not to break anything. I abraded my upper left arm but was amazed at how little harm I’d done to myself. The immediate assistance provided by strangers truly surprised me…
Tuesday night, my car was broken into. The thief destroyed the car’s ignition switch and steering column cover. He/she/they stole $25 and did not find the collection of old New Yorker magazines I keep in the car worth stealing.
As soon as I realized what had happened, I went into to-do mode. I notified the agency from which I rent my apartment and parking spaces. I told them of the theft; they showed minimal interest. I called the Fairfax County Police Department and was instructed to fill out an online form. I was told I’d be contacted by the police (as of this writing, neither the police nor my building’s rental people have contacted me.) I called my insurance company, insisted on speaking with a real person, and filed a claim. Then I got into my hobby car, an aging 1989 Avanti convertible which has been sitting in the garage for two years and went to my favorite diner for breakfast.
Today, I woke up sore everywhere. My butt, my neck, and my left leg ached. The lacerations on my arm itched, my head hurt. And I was angry. I’ve been the victim of petty crime three times. My homes were burgled on two separate occasions, and now my car was rendered useless because an inept cretin destroyed what he/she couldn’t steal. I know for a fact that the rental people will say they bear no responsibility. There are no security cameras in the building’s garage, and anyone can have access to the cars parked there. Other thefts have occurred, and the building management’s concept of security is at best ephemeral. The crime will never be investigated or solved. The crook will never be caught and will continue to act with impunity.
A petty offense is defined in 18 U.S.C. §19 as a Class B misdemeanor, a Class C misdemeanor, or an infraction, with limitations on fines of no more than $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for an organization.A car break-in is a petty crime. The word petty and the French word petit==small—share the same root. But a petty crime is not petit to its victim. It is life altering, even if only for a short while. It instills doubt and fear. It costs time, and money. It angers and frustrates. It does not seem to cause much of a reaction from the authorities which, I assume, are busy dealing with less petty issues, but it makes me doubt the authorities’ efficiency.
Can an event that has so many aftershocks really be called petty?
Tuesday night, my car was broken into. The thief destroyed the car’s ignition switch and steering column cover. He/she/they stole $25 and did not find the collection of old New Yorker magazines I keep in the car worth stealing.
As soon as I realized what had happened, I went into to-do mode. I notified the agency from which I rent my apartment and parking spaces. I told them of the theft; they showed minimal interest. I called the Fairfax County Police Department and was instructed to fill out an online form. I was told I’d be contacted by the police (as of this writing, neither the police nor my building’s rental people have contacted me.) I called my insurance company, insisted on speaking with a real person, and filed a claim. Then I got into my hobby car, an aging 1989 Avanti convertible which has been sitting in the garage for two years and went to my favorite diner for breakfast.
Today, I woke up sore everywhere. My butt, my neck, and my left leg ached. The lacerations on my arm itched, my head hurt. And I was angry. I’ve been the victim of petty crime three times. My homes were burgled on two separate occasions, and now my car was rendered useless because an inept cretin destroyed what he/she couldn’t steal. I know for a fact that the rental people will say they bear no responsibility. There are no security cameras in the building’s garage, and anyone can have access to the cars parked there. Other thefts have occurred, and the building management’s concept of security is at best ephemeral. The crime will never be investigated or solved. The crook will never be caught and will continue to act with impunity.
A petty offense is defined in 18 U.S.C. §19 as a Class B misdemeanor, a Class C misdemeanor, or an infraction, with limitations on fines of no more than $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for an organization.A car break-in is a petty crime. The word petty and the French word petit==small—share the same root. But a petty crime is not petit to its victim. It is life altering, even if only for a short while. It instills doubt and fear. It costs time, and money. It angers and frustrates. It does not seem to cause much of a reaction from the authorities which, I assume, are busy dealing with less petty issues, but it makes me doubt the authorities’ efficiency.
Can an event that has so many aftershocks really be called petty?
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