Just watched the news, 106 people arrested, 62 robberies in South Fl, from "the pillow case robbers". They expect many more, Police said, "we can't stop this". People were coming home after 25 minutes at the store, and the bad guys were coming out of their house with all their valuables.
If they were home, someone may have been shot or killed. We were told by Vero Beach Police, last year, "we cannot protect you any longer", we don't have the manpower or budget to even patrol these developments. Buy a gun. The community relations sergeant told the HOA at a meeting. There are a lot more crimes than you are aware of, they bury them so as not to disturb the tourist trade.
I would say that FL, in general is "busting out with B&E, armed robberies, and assaults, over the past 2 years. You just aren't being told about most.
Mike I used to think like that also until 5 guys came through my front door 35 years ago, "1979" with a shotgun and pistols. If I would have been able to take out the first guy "which I would have" it probably would have ended there, they had 17 priors. They had to come in one way, and out the same. Right then I decided that if I survived that I would never leave my life and my family's up to the decision of some stoned out morons, who kidnapped the kids of another victim and tried to burn down the house on the way out, Lido beach LI, ""on the water", a very good neighborhood.
Most people are "set up" by someone they know, or someone who is given their information. That's why it's called organized Crime.
Also most people don't pursue these things, they are just happy that they are alive. My way of thinking is a bit different, as long as there is an active threat out there, it may come back, and usually does. If someone gets away with something, there is no reason why they won't come back and do it again, knowing the "lay of the land"
I wasn't prepared in 1979, no alarm, no dog, just a 6 shot revolver, vs 5 armed men, who did this for a living, and were Federal informants. So they were "off limits" to, local police.
If you want I will give you the name of the female who was the ringleader, she testified against her husband and he got life.
Meanwhile she was a respected business owner, in Hewlet Harbor LI, "a very upscale neighborhood".
She knew everyone in "my business" and was a talented businesswoman. But she also was a Gambino associate, who led a double life.
And according to the Feds was found Decapitated in LI sound, a long time after that. Which I don't believe either.
So maybe that has some merit as to having gone through these things at a relatively young age. I try to learn from the past, as ignoring it would be inexcusable in my eyes.
As far as the cars and cash go, I started out making $65 dollars a week, and no one gave me anything. My dad passed leaving me with my mom to support at 20 years old, and that's what I did. I don't bitch and moan about how tough life is, because in this country you have the opportunity to work hard and get ahead. If I want to drive a nice car, of my friend had 20 of them, I haven't seen him in quite some time, as I moved up North.He worked his ass off to get them, He's a household name who started with nothing, I grew up in a 1 bedroom apartment in Bed Sty, with 5 people in it, but if I want to buy something with the money I made, no one has the right to steal it from me or try to take what isn't theirs.
My dad dug his way out and ended up a plant manager with 1500 people under him. Once you make it sound garish to drive a nice car, or afraid to live in a nice house, that isn't America. The whole idea of this country was and is to better yourself, not to hide behind a façade so as not to attract attention. A piece of advice, don't leave your windows and doors unlocked and your garage door open, eventually someone will come in who was not invited. It will happen way before the plane crash.
If you think that you are more likely to die in a plane crash than have a B&E because you left your house unlocked and your garage open, you are living in denial. You will eventually get robbed if not worse. Just because nothing happened to you, don't assume that it will never happen. It just hasn't happened yet, I hope it never does, but I have learned that the odds are if you tempt fate it will bite you.
and some of us prefer to NOT be so paranoid. If you truly want to prevent ANY bad things from happening to you, buy a mountain top somewhere miles from anyone and live there off the grid and be completely self-sustaining. Personally, life is too short to go through it in a constant state of fear and paranoia.
