A stolen bike chop shop in Old Town
Police raided the Hip Sing Association building on Third this morning, in a drug operation, but they found a bunch of stolen bicycles, including some nice ones. There was also reportedly another stolen bike operation going recently off the Vera Katz Esplanade on the east bank of the Willamette. It's good that they've been broken up; that anyone will do any time for the misdeeds seems unlikely, however.
| Posted at 2:45 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (8)
The homeless camps on the east side are full of crews who steal and reassemble bikes. I saw two different guys on bikes carting two obviously stolen bike frames in various stages of assembly on the Spring Water trail.
I had been working with the homeless but I now avoid the camps with this obvious criminal enterprise. It is pervasive and obvious. The only time I ride downtown is when I either stay on my bike or can park it in a high traffic location.
One solution to bike theft. Make it a crime to sell those horrible ineffective cable locks.
Posted by James Vaughn | July 12, 2012 3:48 PM
coverage from the Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/07/seven_people_arrested_after_ra.html
Posted by Coverage | July 12, 2012 4:08 PM
Speaking of bikes, check this out:
http://www.kgw.com/lifestyle/health/Mom-rides-with-5-kids-on-bike-one-more-behind-162272296.html
[ Note - I don't see the broadcast video online yet, but hopefully you can find it. ]
Four kids wedged in the cargo bin, one on a trailer bike, one riding freely behind. Through four miles of city traffic, into the Pearl to Jamison square, in the heat.
If she drove a new car with A/C, side airbags and car seat anchors, and just one of the seats was installed slightly incorrectly, she could get a big ticket -- for the kid's safety.
If she pedals her kids into the traffic blender with no vehicular protection, everybody looks the other way and she is rewarded with a feel-good puff piece on the TV news.
Or maybe I just can't see the magic protective bubble.
Posted by Downtown Denizen | July 12, 2012 4:31 PM
Stealing anything is reprehensible. But the comment about the bike locks being ineffective and there "it should be a crime to sell", was ignorant. Every lock can be broken. You can weld the bike frame to a metal structure and it still could be stolen.
As an example of what crooks will do, try live high voltage wires in underground conduits. They steal those with abandon. Locks only keep honest people honest. Crooks, will do anything to get at what they want to steal.
Posted by Commguy | July 12, 2012 4:35 PM
Locks only keep honest people honest. Crooks, will do anything to get at what they want to steal.
In a black and white world that's true, but in reality you can either make it easy, or you can make them think hard about whether it's worthy their time and trouble.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | July 12, 2012 4:48 PM
You got that right, denizen. I'm sure the bike crowd applaudes her. But, can you imagine the result of a simple 15 mph side imapact to her bike? Every one of her kids would become a projectile. The lethality of such an impact would be certain. (Off topic - but the photo link Denizen provided was pretty shocking...)
Posted by HMLA-267 | July 12, 2012 5:09 PM
Isn't the Hip Sing right across 3rd from the Old Town police substation?
Posted by T | July 12, 2012 9:02 PM
Just in response to Mr. Grumpy. Did you not see the section where they will steal live high voltage wires? They can die doing that, if that isn't making the theft difficult, I don't know what is. I live in the real world. If they want it, they will take it, regardless of the way you secure it. Again, locks, and other means of security only increase the difficulty. What you hope for is that the next person hasn't made it as difficult. (The old joke about two guys being chased by a bear. One says I hope I am faster than the bear, the other says he isn't worried about the bear, he just hopes to be faster than the first guy.)
Posted by Commguy | July 12, 2012 9:37 PM