Re: [Ebbc-Talk] Stolen bike markets in Oakland

On Sat, Jul 28, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Robert Raburn <[email protected]>wrote:

> Bryce - A couple of flea market dealers in stolen property are likely
> contemplating new careers.
>

I'd love to believe that was true.  Hoping to see former bike thieves in
shiny suits handing out resumés, I visited the Ashby Flea Market this
morning.  Instead I found a scruffy homeless person selling a girls pink
suspension mountain bike yelling out "your daughter will need this soon".
There were rows of absurdly priced bicycles.  And a half dozen more people
wearing clothing goodwill would fumigate prior to burning, sitting atop
bikes that cost $800 new.

The tiny number of recovered bikes indicates the problem is far from solved.

Unfortunately I cant see much to be done.  EBBC could help a little,
perhaps, with a campaign to get people to record their serial numbers.  But
until something more substantial happens, theft will remain a tax on
bicycling.

---
When Karim was raided I had hope.  But the small number of bikes found to
be stolen indicated Karim was not in fact the major way stolen bikes are
fenced.  Or, perhaps, it's just an indication that almost nobody records
their serial numbers.  Even me.  Did I record the serial number of the 12"
pink kids bike?  Yes.  Could I find it when it mattered for the police
report?  No.  Did the bike shop on Solano Avenue keep a record of the
sale?  Not after 3 months.  That bike won't show up as stolen, even if
anybody checks.
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