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With increased local armed robberies, I’m no longer wearing Rolexes

ErichPryde
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blufinz52 blufinz52
I do mistrust both the NY Post and especially Fox.

Well... I don't even disagree that these scooter gangs may be partially or even primarily immigrant-composed. That is, it's not something I know enough about. But, for me it raises some logical questions worth asking:

Why is it important that the scooter gangs are possibly mostly immigrants?

Do non-immigrants form gangs and engage in illegal activity?

-If the second question is true then what is the significance of the first?
-If the second question is true then what is the solution to the first?

Next: I'm not really a fan of wide-sweeping generalization. For a lot of reasons- but a big one is that they are wide open to exceptions.

blufinz52 blufinz52
Has this really happened? People take pictures of themselves in front their house, then criminals figure out the location and wait for them to leave? It sounds like an urban myth to me.

I remember reading a statistic once that suggested more than 90% of home robberies are committed by someone that you know, because they know what you have and they know your schedule. When I was a child, we went on a week-long vacation and a friend of my dad stole all of his audio equipment because he knew we were gone. So, it happens. From what I understand, it happens the most in lower-income situations.

Regarding strangers committing these crimes based upon social media, there is at least some evidence that it does happen. Celebrities are sometimes targeted at the very least:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2024-03-19/paul-pierce-home-burglary-los-angeles

Another example is Saul murray, who posed on Instagram with FAKE rolexes, which led to a honeytrap plot and his death.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64827791.amp

It may not be super common, but it can and does happen.
 
ErichPryde
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Dsloan Dsloan
We've got a few lines of argument intersecting in this thread... But I'm really fascinated by these graphs. Any researchers here who can weigh in on the theory that lead poisoning has causal role?

property-crime-rate.jpg murder-rate.jpg 1.png


This is... pretty wild.
 
ErichPryde
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Poppyboy Poppyboy
Point taken. Appreciate the concern. On a related note, interesting that women regularly wear diamond rings which are often worth much much more than anything I could afford.

But, very important to note that diamonds have incredibly great loss-of-value when resold compared to even the worst performing luxury wristwatch brand.
 
Rasputin
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RevZMan123 RevZMan123
Seattle or Portland? Hard to tell anymore.
Didn’t Oregon decriminalize possession of small amounts of historically illicit drugs only to backtrack it a few years later?
 
Speed2Sea
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Rasputin Rasputin
Didn’t Oregon decriminalize possession of small amounts of historically illicit drugs only to backtrack it a few years later?
If you steal $950 or less in California the police typically won't bother showing up and if they do they issue a written citation. Personally, I favor the theft laws in Saudi Arabia they are very effective.
 
hen
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Speed2Sea Speed2Sea
If you steal $950 or less in California the police typically won't bother showing up and if they do they issue a written citation. Personally, I favor the theft laws in Saudi Arabia they are very effective.
So you are in favor of sharia law? If you are thinking of the in human and barbaric fingerkutting, I must
disagree with your view. A humane penalty system always have the lowest re incarceration rates.
 
JwRosenthal
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Poppyboy Poppyboy
I yielded to common sense. Thanks for looking out for me, brothers.
IMG_7494.jpeg
Someone is more likely to steal your Corned Beef now. Get a Dr, Browns black cherry for me.
 
JwRosenthal
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Poppyboy Poppyboy
IMG_7495.jpeg
My uncle didn’t get the memo
Tell him to make sure his geotagging is on his phone and post lots of really obnoxious pictures on social media! Make sure he hits all the big ones and hashtags #rolex #rolexexpensive #rolexinpublic #rolexcornedbeef #applesaucewithlatkenotsourcream
 
Larry S
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Rasputin Rasputin
I think it's all relative to your past experience, where you are in the city, and the events you're attending in the city. Downtown Chicago during a heightened security event like NASCAR is not representative of what living in Chicago is to the average person living in a more pedestrian area. Festivals in the suburbs are being cancelled because of concern from crime blow back from the city. Some stats from the CPD:
Yes and those stats exist for any big city. Chicago has been the Fox Fear Whipping Boy since Big O was president. Things are better since the pandemic ended. Our son lives in the city., East Rodgers Park. Works in the loop. Loves it. I worked in the loop and Goose Island. Like any city, you need street smarts to live and operate there. We still go in for a lot for concerts, theater, Art Institute. Festivals all over the place in the burbs. New apartment buildings going up all over the city and sold out quickly.
 
JwRosenthal
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Larry S Larry S
Yes and those stats exist for any big city. Chicago has been the Fox Fear Whipping Boy since Big O was president. Things are better since the pandemic ended. Our son lives in the city., East Rodgers Park. Works in the loop. Loves it. I worked in the loop and Goose Island. Like any city, you need street smarts to live and operate there. We still go in for a lot for concerts, theater, Art Institute. Festivals all over the place in the burbs. New apartment buildings going up all over the city and sold out quickly.
I live in what was a street-car suburb (still within city limits and sadly no more street car). I have friends who rarely come to visit (we go to them) who live in the county and think it’s Beirut c1978 down here (too much doom scrolling and network news)! Sure you need to know where to be or where not to be, but it’s that way in any dense urban area. Desperate times/situations yield desperate behavior. If more focus were paid to improving the quality of life in our cities rather than how to lock everyone up, there would be a reduction in crime.
 
Poppyboy
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Lived in the city for several years (Bucktown, Lakeview, Logan Square) before moving out to the northern burbs @ 8 yrs ago. Never had any crime issues until I moved to Lakeview and escaped a mugging. Still, loved my time in the city and enjoy the occasional visit.
 
Poppyboy
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
I live in what was a street-car suburb (still within city limits and sadly no more street car). I have friends who rarely come to visit (we go to them) who live in the county and think it’s Beirut c1978 down here (too much doom scrolling and network news)! Sure you need to know where to be or where not to be, but it’s that way in any dense urban area. Desperate times/situations yield desperate behavior. If more focus were paid to improving the quality of life in our cities rather than how to lock everyone up, there would be a reduction in crime.
And, teaching people how to raise their kids…
 
JwRosenthal
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Poppyboy Poppyboy
And, teaching people how to raise their kids…
That is such a massive topic with roots back to the stripping of fundamental educational tools in public schools (like public health in the UK, the best way to show something has been ineffective and should be canned is to defund it over 30 years).

When you don’t give kids the tools to succeed in life (with emphasis on skill training, the arts & humanities) they lack the ability to think critically and make smart choices- you get babies raising babies. When you deprive communities of basic amenities and opportunity, you get a populous who are either overstretched or have given up. When you have nothing left to lose, you don’t give a shit anymore.
 
dsio
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I'm going to ask again, please stop veering into US politics, the security topic is relevant as this is a watch site but when it segues into rants about American politics, it causes too many problems and cleanup.
 
CBM1590
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I’m trying to figure out whether I’m disheartened or amazed that this thread is still regularly active since its inception in 2022.

We live in a fallen world full of people who are more than happy to take advantage of others. It happens every day. So, keep your head on a swivel, don’t do things that draw attention, stay out of areas that make your spidey senses tingle and beware the nice stranger. They are potentially more dangerous than anything else you’ll encounter. (I’d rather offend someone who had good intentions than end up beaten, robbed or dead.)
 
Rasputin
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Larry S Larry S
Yes and those stats exist for any big city. Chicago has been the Fox Fear Whipping Boy since Big O was president. Things are better since the pandemic ended. Our son lives in the city., East Rodgers Park. Works in the loop. Loves it. I worked in the loop and Goose Island. Like any city, you need street smarts to live and operate there. We still go in for a lot for concerts, theater, Art Institute. Festivals all over the place in the burbs. New apartment buildings going up all over the city and sold out quickly.
Sure but as was said it’s all relative. Growing up within a few minutes of Midway Airport and well before Obama was president, none of those regions mentioned are the more pedestrian areas of the city. Even the more affluent areas of Chicago are being affected. Ask many native Chicagoland families why they moved out of the city and into its suburbs and you’ll likely get similar answers. Are you as comfortable wearing your Rolex now wherever in the city compared to 20 yrs ago? If you are then I suspect you’re in the minority.
 
gbesq
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Not that I don't exercise all of the typical precautions for my personal security, but I do think that one of the pros of owning/wearing an Omega is that it tends to fly below the radar with most street criminals compared to Rolex. Some brands even more so. While I've had a few people inquire about my Speedmaster while I'm wearing it (almost always other watch nerds or folks with a knowledge of NASA's space program), no one has ever asked me about my JLC and it's by far my most expensive watch.
 
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