Both Mrs. Wallyhood and I work at home, so I was in my living room this morning when she called down to me “someone’s on the porch.”
“How exciting,” I thought. “A package has arrived. I love packages!”
When I opened the door, though, and looked left and right, there was no package, just a young man walking down the steps away from the house. I called to him, and when he turned around, I saw he was holding a basketball that bore a striking resemblance to one that I keep in a bucket on our front porch for our son (who, incidentally, never plays basketball).
“Hey,” I said firmly. “Give me back my basketball.”
I opened my hands for the catch and he tossed it to me. Then, he held out his hand to show a pile of change, and mumbled a question, which I took as an inquiry as to whether I would supplement his stockpile. I told him forcefully to get out of here.
I was a bit stunned, but I went back in the house and told my wife what happened, grabbed my phone, called the police, and went up the block where I’d seen him go.
He was still waiting at the bus stop.
What followed was a surreal 15 minutes. First, the police ordered me to return to my house and not to follow the thief. I refused and told them I was going to stay with him until a squad car arrived. (About 3 seconds after my mother reads the previous sentence, my phone will be ringing.) We argued about this for a minute or two, but in the end, they accepted that I wasn’t going anywhere.
So, there I was, in my pajamas, on the phone with the 911 operator for about 15 minutes, about 20 feet from the guy who just robbed me, while he waited for the bus and I waited for the police. He would look over at me occasionally, with my ear to the phone, obviously talking to the police, but he made no move to run. He counted his change, he walked up the block to see if the bus was on its way, he pulled some papers from his bag and he read.
Finally, the police arrived and arrested him, gently. As they did, a car pulled over to me, rolled down the window and told me to record everything, everything the police did. They can’t be trusted.
Eventually the policeman walked over to me, let me know that our conversation was being audio recorded, and asked if I wanted to press charges. I said yes, of course. It wasn’t about the basketball, but with the rash of porch thefts around the neighborhood, I was going to just let him go.
A second squad car came, and both officers talked to him some more and eventually came back to check in with me again: would I be willing to testify? The kid was 18 years old, should have been in school, no priors. He also mentioned how he was glad that the guy was cooperating, because if he ran, what were they going to do? Tackle him? Imagine if the kid got hurt while they were arresting him, and then the press asked “what was he charged with” and it turned out to be for stealing an old basketball. How would that look?
And the kid was cooperating. I’m trying to find the right word to describe his attitude. It wasn’t quite bored, nor dismissive, but more apathetic. He was waiting for the bus. The police came and asked him what had happened. He told them that he had been walking by, had gone up on my porch and taken a basketball. I had told him to return it, and he had. He seemed kind of tired, but not impatient.
Honestly, I had a flood of conflicting thoughts. The idea of some kid getting a criminal record that might interfere with his ability to get a job, a kid without obvious advantages heading into the system for some minor, random crime, seemed wrong. That’s not the part in his life story that I want to play: the white guy who called the cops and busted him for ball theft, just another brick in the wall.
But I really, really don’t want people walking up on porch and taking things. I think I’ve got the right to ask that.
In the end, I said I didn’t want to press charges, but did want them to write up a report for his record. Officer Stevenson offered to give him a talking to, based on his 35 years’ experience, to explain to him the paths available to him and encourage him to make good choices. Officer Stevenson’s 35 years’ experience didn’t sound like it made him too hopeful he’d make an impact, but he seemed genuinely willing to give it a go.
Best of luck to him.
Well, I guess you did the right thing. This kid/man did not run, he threw the ball right back to you. Given the circumstances, I I think I would have called the police. I’m not even sure about that. Probably would have. I am even ambivalent about having a report written up on him. I’d lean the other way. It was a wrong thing to happen to you,
And I do realize there have been thefts in W’ford. I live here, too, and (now) read Next Door.
I am glad it was Officer Stevenson with 35 years of experience. I think a talking to from Officer Stevenson, and his explanation of what he was planning to tell the boy/man. But after the policeman came to ask you if you wanted to press charges, you had accomplished what you intended to accomplish. You had a photo, you documented, you called the police. Not about you anymore. Not your job. I even agree that once they had arrived, you did not belong in the picture, unless asked to stay, speak to them. After that, get out your pajamas, get dressed,have a cup of tea or coffee..and enjoy your day. It was taken care of.
I am surprising myself a bit by my lenient thoughts for this kid, but this is the way I feel. I imagine the police searched his backpack. I hope they found books for school, and the life of this kid has been changed forever by this encounter with the police. I am not criticizing the way you managed it,)though I would really feel distressed if you had wanted to press charges,)and so would you have regretted it, after you spent time in court, and changed dates in court. I do hope this was a valuable lesson for this kid, and that he went to school that day. In summary, I am putting a lot of weight on the fact that he threw the ball back to you!
He did a really dumb thing, and it is awful to have your personal space and home violated…and it was.
My son got his black BMX bike stolen today. They took a hatchet to the chain. It doesn’t look like anything special but it sure cost a lot!
I’m sort of surprised you called the cops. In the words of Chick Hearn, “No harm, no foul.” Officer Stevenson sounds like a cool guy. SPD could use more like him.
I can totally understand the frustration in this situation. Most of my immediate neighbors and one apartment building with a locked garage have been broken into in the past 2 months. It’s getting out of control and it feel so violating when someone invades your space. I was a teacher for many years specializing in students with special needs. It seems as if the individual you encountered likely has some mental health issue that hasn’t been addressed (or high on something). He didn’t run, seem agitated, or cognisant of what was going on…does that seem like the behavior of a criminal or someone in their “right” mind? Also, I hope you truely realize following him was a terrible idea. Although no one was hurt in this situation it could have quickly escalated (don’t forget the man killed by Ballard High School for not giving up his phone). Aside, as far as I can tell you are not law enforcement nor do you have special training in how to de-escalate hostile situations. I understand the frustration, but is that situation worth your life? Is it worth leaving your wife a widow and your precious son without a dad if the interaction got out of hand? In addition, him being arrested, charged with a crime, and/or talked to by the police likely didn’t resonate and wouldn’t resonate with him because again, it seems as if he had a mental health or drug issue. This is a great example of why mental illness (a direct link to drug addiction) and public health need to be taken more seriously and destigmatized in Seattle, Washington, and nationally. A friend told me about a service/organization you can call when you feel someone with a mental illness needs help (not the police). I can’t remember the name at the moment, but my friend said they were able to help the individual he spotted.
Thanks for this–the smartest, most balanced response to this issue. Also, posting the picture could be defamatory. Look it up. The language used for the headline and the connecting his kid to a rash of thefts (other than the theft a raggedy basketball that has zero reslae value) is pretty damning. Lucky for Wallyhood he probably doesn’t have a parent likley to protest or to sue for defamation.
Can’t wait to see what shenanigans little baby Z gets into and how Wally will feel when photos get posted online. Take it down.
I want to commend you for taking a stance, multiple stances, today when you saw someone doing something wrong.
I’d like to urge you to do one more thing, which I feel would be equally brave and noble: Please remove the photo of the 18 year old from the Wallyhood page.
Wallyhood is not a closed site. It’s visible to everyone. And everyone who sees that photo will now look at this kid as Other, as Outsider, as Dangerous. He made a mistake, but… it seems there could be a very real untold story in his decision to take a basketball, one that led to a poor choice, not a lifetime of poor choices necessarily, just that one particular poor choice. You felt strongly enough about not making life harder for this young man by pressing charges. But despite there being no name, I wouldn’t doubt that facial recognition software could be a thing employers make use of when today’s 18 year olds are starting their future careers.
We never know what’s going on for another person. One mistake can change the trajectory of a person’s entire life. Internet vigilantism is just as harmful, if not more so, then some of the mistakes 18-year-olds will make. Items are easily replaced. Lives and futures, not so much. Clearly what this young man did was wrong, but so was posting his photo.
I think that, as a community, we excel at looking out for our neighbors. But we can look for suspicious actions and activities without forever labeling a person.
Please, remove the photo. This site is such a positive force for the neighborhood. Forever attaching this young man’s image to the page in such a negative light doesn’t represent the best of anyone.
I love how much we all want to forgive this little fellow, but forgiveness requires the person wanting to be forgiven. It’s great he lives in the neighborhood, but stealing is stealing, wrong is wrong, and maybe seeing his picture on a blog will make him think twice the next time he wants to take something that isn’t his?
chris, you’re right that stealing is wrong, and the guy was punished in several ways:
1. he got busted and reprimanded by the homeowner
2. he got the cops called on him, and spent a bunch of time sitting publicly on a cop car getting interrogated.
3. some sort of report was filed against him.
considering the crime, i think this is sufficient punishment.
public shaming on the internet could have far-reaching implications beyond the scope of what is called for.
Actually, the photo was critical to helping me personally ID the perpetrator as a known resident/frequent guest of the illegal encampment at the I-5 offramp on 50th. Now I have even more fact-based reasons to not feel warm and fuzzy about the impact of these camps on our neighborhoods. And since you’re throwing out race cards like a poker dealer on speed, I want to make it very clear that I don’t think “they all look alike.” I don’t have a scintilla of a doubt this is the guy.
given your comment below, are you going to retract this statement, “Nelly?”
this is exactly the reason the photo should be taken down, because people like you are so sure it’s the same guy you saw committing some other crime – in this case, the crime being homelessness.
Homelessness is not a crime and I am frankly shocked you would suggest it was.
“_illegal_ encampment at the I-5 offramp on 50th” – Nelly
The camp is definitely illegal. The law is very clear that overnight camping on public property is illegal. The fact that these people are homeless in itself is not illegal at all – rather, it is a situation that merits a compassionate response of shelter and services…they can go right now to a shelter (there are many vacant beds – just go ask Union Gospel Mission or other area shelters. It’s well-reported) or they could go to a sanctioned tent camp (also room there) or the sanctioned RV parking lots if they have a vehicle (plenty of room there still). Now, if they don’t want to do that, then, they are breaking the law by camping, but not by being homeless. Really, it’s surprising you don;t know these things, given you have a lot to say on the topic.
Oh wow. I know that kid. He is the relative of one of my neighbors. Nephew, I think. He stays there sometimes. I don’t know him well, but he has always seemed like a sweet kid. I don’t think I’ve seen him lately but I would be very surprised if he was stealing packages or major things, and I think he is a Wallingford resident. I wouldn’t have been too surprised if he’d returned the ball after going to the park, even. So sad about this thread. This is a great example of how a community can help to reform kids who start down the wrong path. I honestly think this kid might have responded more to you explaining how you felt violated than to have Officer Stevenson explain the choices before him and the path to staying out of jail. That said, I also agree that following him was not wise. I wouldn’t have been brave enough to confront him at all.
Neighbor, after having read and understanding!- this thread, I want to ask you something. The thread has bothered me a lot and whereas I DO understand all the points of view, I just feel awful. What I wish? The youngster didn’t have to stay at times with relatives, that he may not be in school, and so many other things one can imagine, but here is a specific question for you: you “know” him … I want to buy him a basketball. But it would take you to get it to him … would you be willing? And oh, for someone to invite him to play basketball when he is around! It takes a village. Are we not a village? If only I could …. believe me, I would. (Seriously. About the basketball. I checked on Amazon and I can afford a new one. Just, would you? I don’t know how to get it done. Help!)
Are you sure of that? Is he possibly a homeless relative or maybe suffering from some sort of issue that would cause him to be at the 50th Street offramp homeless camp? I’m not saying you’re wrong…just wondering how he manages to be in both places…your neighbor’s house and that camp. Unless you meant the camp.
I agree with Angela that you should take down his photo.
I disagree! He stole. If you weren’t there to ask for it back it would be just that -stolen! He needs to understand that there are consequences for his actions. Hopefully this was his first and last offense.
Please take down the photo. I wonder what would have happened if when the kid threw the ball back you had said “You know what? Keep it. My son doesn’t even use it. Just next time ask – ok?”
Here’s what would have happened, K: The kid would have learned that, hey, it’s OK to steal if you think you need it more than others. If anything, Jordan might have stopped the budding criminal from continuing down that path.
Please take down the photo.
It doesnt feel good to have your space violated… ugh. That said, you have really good instincts about choosing to not destroy this kid’s future over this minor incident. Sure seems like this young man needs an adult around who is tracking him and encouraging him. Kudos to SPD for not escalating.
You should have had the police issue him a trespass citation.
I also agree about taking down the photo. I can also tell you (I work in the criminal justice system) that the officer clearly did not want the young man prosecuted. Its really not the victim’s decision about whether charges are pressed. The King County Prosecutor’s office takes the position the once a report is filed by the police and received by the prosecutor, its the prosecutor’s decision about whether the charges are filed, not the victim’s. Even a trespass citation is a criminal offense.
Please remove the photo.
Wallyhood, first off, I am glad you are OK. I kind of feel like this is a damned if you do, damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. I am glad you decided not to press charges. Just wondering, does that mean he wasn’t brought to the KCDAD to be booked (fingerprinted and photographed)? I am a proponent of having prints on file. You never know if the new data will be linked to unsolved crimes or will be helpful when trying to identify unknown deceased.
Agree with removing the photo. Seems an overkill ,a big one and almost spiteful. Do you know his age for sure? If you were under 18, a photo and auramine would not be published and anything would be right from his record After he’s an adult. I hope he is treated as a juvenile. In my opinion the actions of the canned and you were impulsive and spontaneous and not criminal. However if you regarded it as seriously as you did you should not have filed him you should stay In your house if you believed what you believe then he would have could have been dangerous and had open so following not have been a wise thing to do. It could be a dangerous thing to do
p.s. it would be awesome if you took the photo down. When I was in Ballard, some weird, angry pedestrian took photos of me, my son, my license plate and my car. He even blocked my car and took pictures of the front. I felt really violated and reported him to the police. I had no idea where these photos would end up. My son was upset too. To optimize the young man’s chances for reform, it would be good to give him anonymity. Even the police have strict rules when they can release a booking photo.
How dare we violate the space of the guy who stole the basketball. Let’s remember who the actual victim is?
I can empathize with his exhaustion. And yours. There are no winners in cases like this. He is accountable for his actions, but so are we. I don’t know what options and ‘boot straps’ he has been given in live. I refrain judgement of him based on so little biographical info. I know live in Haller Lake, Wallingford being a bit too spendy for we renters, and have a whole different set of criminals here. Constant mail thieves, mostly heroin users out on 99.
I appreciated your tale.
You put a kid into the system over a basketball, such a Wallingford hero.
It’s not about a basketball, FtW.
Of course, the kid did nothing to put himself into the system, right? Please leave a bucket of your property on the porch. We’ll be right over to get it. Thanks!
Aw geez, Jordan. You had to go and tell the cops you were going to follow the thief. Now you’ve made them have to actually come on down to Wallingford and do their job.
Should I walk down to Ravenna Park and photograph all of the Roosevelt high school kids who are skipping school and smoking pot under the 15th street bridge? Should I then post their photos on the internet? They, too, are breaking the law. They, too, are truants. Does their wrong give me the right to publicly shame them? Seriously, show some compassion. Take the photo down.
Please take the photo down and please change the headline, which seems to indicate that the perpetrator of all the other porch thefts has been caught. Regardless of other issues, there has been no investigation and there is no conclusive evidence that this young man was responsible for all those other acts.
Jordan, I very much appreciate you sharing your story AND posting the photo. How else are any of us supposed to know what this guy looks like so we can be on the lookout for him when he decides to steal something from our houses? And FromTheWest, what’s up with your idiotic ‘blame the victim’ comment? For all of you who want to give this kid a pass: what if this is one of a series of incidents this kid has been involved in that no one bothered to report because, God forbid he should face consequences for his actions!, and then we next see him on the news, having been involved in some horrific crime? Maybe if he faces consequences now, he’ll follow the straight and narrow from now on. Or if he has some mental or substance issues, he can get some help now instead of later when it might be too late. Glad you’re okay, Jordan, and leave the photo up!
There are multiple porch thieves. It’s not one person. it’s a neighborhood with a lot of deliveries and porch thieves are usually driving around in cars, often tailing trucks.
However, 18 is way too old for this shit, so let’s not act like he’s a child. However, his behavior, mannerisms and general demeanor tell me that he’s maybe not 100% in a good space, so I’d be tempted to forgive, forget and remove the photo. However, it’s your place that was violated and having been in the same situation before, I wasn’t anywhere near as reasonable as you, so it’s your call. But again,
18 is a grown-ass man. Not a child.
@Anne, although I appreciate your compassion for the young man, I think there’s a huge difference between stopping someone from stealing something from your private property and seeking out truants in the parks. It feels more like a personal violation when someone is doing something illegal on your property. Last year, our neighbors called 911 on a guy who was caught in the act of using a blowtorch to remove a bike lock. As I recall, it took the police a really long time to respond and the guy slowly sauntered away.
Thank you for having the courage to share your experience! I think your post shows how inadequate is is to try to apply the simplistic concepts of right and wrong, good and bad to many (most?) situations. Perhaps the reality is that the best we can do is to stand up and make decisions based on our best guesses at the time.
In hindsight, maybe some good came out of posting the photo–he’s now been recognized as a local kid, one of our own, provoking our maternal/paternal instincts.
Yes, the “system” is now aware of him, but do we know that’s a bad thing? I’d like to tell FromtheWest that the system is filled with many, many caring people and is not always the Bad Guy.
I love how the Wallingford residents demonstrate their willingness to be non-apathetic and to thoughtfully discuss issues.
Check the homeless encampment under I-5. That kid has been hanging around there a lot. I see bike parts. He has been bringing them all kinds of stuff from the neighborhood. I saw him trying to figure out how to get in my gait. The people there have been lighting things on fire and let off fireworks this morning.
Check for him there — why??? To chase him out of town, or at least out of Wallingford?
Take down the photo, Jordan. Especially since this is spinning out of control
I see a really sad and confused kid. Likely mental health issues, with no support system. Your description, below, is heartbreaking. He gave you back the basketball, and quietly asked you for change so he could catch a bus. I hope he gets help. No, that doesn’t mean I think he should be enabled to steal more basketballs or whatever. I just think he needs help.
“…And the kid was cooperating. I’m trying to find the right word to describe his attitude. It wasn’t quite bored, nor dismissive, but more apathetic. He was waiting for the bus. The police came and asked him what had happened. He told them that he had been walking by, had gone up on my porch and taken a basketball. I had told him to return it, and he had. He seemed kind of tired, but not impatient.”
You see what you want to see in the photo. You see a poor sweet misunderstood kid because you want him to be a poor sweet misunderstood kid who just wanted to borrow a ball. That doesn’t mean that’s what he is.
No, I don’t want him to be a poor sweet misunderstood kid. Not sure where you got that from.
What I said is that he looks sad and confused. Do I know that for sure? No. But that’s my best guess. I think it’s pretty reasonable and it is quite close to Jordan’s own description of the kid.
Good grief, Christine. This “sad and confused kid” is a CRIMINAL. If Josh is right, this is not the first time he’s stolen from others. How soon until he graduates into breaking into homes? And then, when a homeowner inevitably discovers him doing so, what then? How about when he breaks into your home? Are you going to give him a hug, Maybe some milk and cookies because maybe he wasn’t shown enough love?
And speaking of which, let’s lay the blame not just on him, but on his parents. I’ve seen no one in this discussion call them out for their obvious negligence. I’m guessing they’ll probably say “he’s a good boy, just turning his life around,” and make all manner of excuses. Whereas what they SHOULD do is put their foot down, turn him over to the authorities, and make him go and make amends to every single one of his victims. And after that, maybe a few months of some really difficult community service, say, cleaning up all the needles, trash, human waste, and other filth from the so-called “homeless” who plague our neighborhood. Make him regret suffer and regret his actions, and MAYBE he will turn his life around. Continue to treat him like he’s some poor, lost little boy, and I guarantee you he’ll continue to victimize your neighbors and eventually become a hardened criminal.
“IF Josh is right”
That says it all about escalation, doesn’t it? You are so quick to attribute more egregious acts to this young man based on one anonymous post.
And now you’re proposing punishing him out of proportion now for some imaginary acts he might commit in the future.
To be less anonymous I live in the house that looks directly at the camp, 5th and 42nd. I called the police when they blew up propane tank a few weeks ago. One week later they caught one of the guys in the camp lighting my neighbors recycling bin on fire. The man in the picture hangs out there and i have seen him bringing things to and from that camp. He tried to open my gate.
Maybe Josh’s observation would be helpful to his family to know (another poster is familiar with his living situation). You seem to be afraid of being proactive about this kid, the crime, the camp under I-5 (where a kid should NOT be hanging out OR bringing stolen items to those denizens) or anything resembling a crime in our neighborhood for fear of being thought badly of or of inconveniencing anyone doing the bad actions. If this poster has actually seen him hanging out there, what harm is there in following up on this info to see for yourself if it’s true. Whatever the case may be, shielding this kid from answering to someone (the authorities?) for his actions, isn’t helping him. The photo is helpful to all of us, and, in the long run, to him.
Yes, I’ve seen him there, too. He caught my attention just yesterday because he was throwing large handfuls of trash down the hill. It’s definitely him.
Please, LEAVE THE PHOTO UP! I understand why some folks may want you to take it down, but you give a nice explanation as to the situation and I think it’s clear we all want to see him learn from this. If this is going to be a community blog (which it has been) then we should honor what’s going on in the community. Think of it as a virtual small-town community where everyone can remember way back when… when something happened, like when little Timmy fell down the well and Lassie came to his rescue (or something like that). It’s part of growing up for this [new] legal adult. I truly want to see him turn things around and succeed. I want to see him a year from now in college and studying his arse off, but what if he doesn’t learn and does the same thing to someone else? How do we know whether or not it was the same kid? We’ll know because of his picture. For better or worse, you captured what happened and it will serve the community.
Thank you, Jordan!
i agree with the majority here that the photo should be taken down or obscured to remove identifying features.
perpetuating the image of young black men in police custody has socio-political implications far beyond teaching him a lesson about one stolen then returned old unused basketball.
internet vigilantism and public shaming create a ripple effect with repercussions that are unknowable. do you want that on your conscience?
Oh please, oh please, oh please! I beg…
*PLEASE* let’s not make this into an issue about race. That’s not the issue at all. This is about an 18-year-old man who trespassed on someone’s property and stole something. There’s at least two posts where people saw his picture and either knows him or has seen him. I’m thankful to see that they’re shedding light on his situation. If it truly “takes a village” to raise kids or help people out, then maybe our Wallyhood “village” will be able to watch out for him and help him along in a positive way.
you are very vehement about your opposition to having a discussion about race in our neighborhood!
i’m not making this into an issue about race. it IS an issue about race.
it’s also an issue about public shaming – you didn’t object to that part of my post? just the part where i mentioned race?
runyararo, would it be an issue about race if the photo was of a white guy? NO ONE has made this a racial issue except for you. I knew as soon as I saw his photo that it wouldn’t be long until someone here tried to paint it as such and then demand he be given a feather-light slap on the wrist. Congrats, you win the prize.
actually, the original poster, wallyhood, brought up race:
“The idea of some kid getting a criminal record that might interfere with his ability to get a job, a kid without obvious advantages [sic] heading into the system for some minor, random crime, seemed wrong. That’s not the part in his life story that I want to play: the _white_ guy who called the cops and busted him for ball theft, just another brick in the wall.”
His mention of his own whiteness in relation to the “kid with obvious disadvantages” tells me the author knows there is a racial element to the situation.
And I didn’t suggest “feather-light” anything. Unless you think having the cops called on you is feather-light?
There is not information to post this photo. Not at all. And when and how was it decided that he was 18?
And…I copied the reply from kris, for I though it has a message for all of us.
I think photographing this kid and publishing here is wrong. And where else has it been published?? Just wrong. Deleting it would be a good idea. There is just not enough information for this entire situation to escalate to the point it did. The police were called. They came. They saw a kid who took a basketball from a front porch, he was confronted by the owner, who said it was his ball, and to throw it back. The kid did.
kris REPLY
March 8, 2016 at 9:07 am
p.s. it would be awesome if you took the photo down. When I was in Ballard, some weird, angry pedestrian took photos of me, my son, my license plate and my car. He even blocked my car and took pictures of the front. I felt really violated and reported him to the police. I had no idea where these photos would end up. My son was upset too. To optimize the young man’s chances for reform, it would be good to give him anonymity. Even the police have strict rules when they can release a booking photo.
Anne sure has a good point about taking photos of all the Roosevelt kids smoking dope during breaks. I could have been busy all day long photographing the graffiti, smoking in alleys, and more, when Ballard and Roosevelt were at Lincoln. Not Garfield, though. They were respectful of neighbors and property an rules. All they wanted to do was get on the bus, get out of Wallingford and go home after school.
I questions Josh’s post. Easy to say that. Too easy. If this is what you have seen, then, of course YOU (Josh should call the police stat.) Did you?
Officer Stevenson is getting a letter of commendation. I hope more than one!
The headline is definitely misleading and almost feels like click bait actually. Random teen opportunistically taking used basketball was caught. But organized package theft ring not yet busted yet that we know of. Not really fair to teen that his image has had organized crime put on it by implication of the headline, with at least some of said crime demonstrably having been done by a northwestishly-dressed, middle aged white woman (as caught on someone’s home security camera). It is good to be strictly truthful, especially since my demographic is never thought of as criminal, but his invariably is.
This posting shows why Wallyhood failed as a neighborhood blog. It is an embarrassment to Wallingford the amount of racist items that end up on this blog. You shouldn’t have put up a photo of this kid. Even the policeman didn’t seem to want you to put this on his record.
Helen, Wallyhood did NOT fail as a neighborhood blog and it’s dismissive and knuckleheaded of you to say that. What have you done on behalf of YOUR neighborhood lately? And by “neighborhood”, I mean all of Wallingford, which Wallyhood covered. If you follow any of my comments, I don’t agree with a lot of the commenters OR Wallyhood, but Jordan has put in an amazing amount of work to make this blog the one stop information supplier I relied on it to be. And when crime started its uptick in our neighborhood, I was grateful to Wallyhood for letting us all know who, what, when, where, why and how, when that info was available despite the fact that some people whined about it, saying it was so unpleasant and it shouldn’t be part of a neighborhood blog. Jeez, really? Got your head in the sand much? And what about when crappy things happened to our neighbors blocks away from our respective immediate neighborhoods we might not have known about had it not been for Wallyhood? And it was also the best place to find out about projects in the works that would positively or negatively affect our ‘hood and allow us the chance to either support it or oppose it by attending meetings or signing petitions, etc. Wallyhood has been a fantastic resource for Wallingford and I’m sorry to see it mostly gone. And the fact that Jordan had the balls to see this incident through, despite the pooh poohing attitude of the police, I appreciate. I moved here from Rainier Beach quite a while ago and it was a little culture shock from what we now call the lack of “diversity”. But it’s always been kind of hilarious to read so many of the comments over the years that reek of white liberal guilt, sort of like today. You don’t have to make this particular incident “racist” unless you want to. It was a kid doing something stupid and someone had the temerity to call him on it. A KID. Yeah, he appears to be darker skinned than, say, a Norwegian kid from Ballard, but his ethnicity shouldn’t matter. So why doesn’t everyone stick to the facts in this case. Leave the photo up. Keep your eyes out for this kid, whether in your immediate neighborhood or at any of these other places people purport to have seen him. Clue his family in to this if you know them. And this “it takes a village” stuff also works for the village if other villagers are looking out for their fellow villager’s welfare. Kind of what Wallyhood does. I’m wondering if it would be considered “racist” for white people to give this kid a pass because he doesn’t appear to be white; I’m pretty sure people in another more “ethnic” neighborhood wouldn’t, based simply on his actions-stealing a basketball (whether the kid were white OR black).
Please take the photo down… please.
Leave the photo up. I want to know who I need to keep a closer eye on in the neighborhood. Had he not been ID’d by someone earlier, I would have sworn he was one of the residents of the tent encampment at the 50th Street offramp. He has a doppelganger living there who I see coming and going from there with some frequency. Thanks.
right, you commented rudely to me earlier in the thread that you “don’t have a scintilla of doubt this is the guy” you saw at 50th street.
you contradict yourself so much I hope no one takes you seriously.
I saw the post from the person saying he was a neighbor’s nephew, which shocked me because I’d seen the kid in the camp. Then when I saw other posts saying they’d seen the guy in the camp, I was convinced. That’s all there is to the story here! I don’t have a scintilla of a doubt. And how you take or don;t take me is of little concern to me. I don;t come here for your acceptance or disdain. Good day!
You said you saw him at 50th St . Now you’re jumping on the 5th and 42nd train, pretending they’re the same. I’m not fooled.
I saw him at 50th and the other guy saw him at 42nd. You’re a special case.
Thank you Anne
Mr. Wallyhood, you had a hard time describing his attitude. Gathering all you wrote…apathetic, didn’t care about escaping. Would you say he seemed depressed? Defeated? Didn’t care what happened to him? “Do your worst, nothing matters anyway?” He held out his hand with money, and mumbled something that you took as asking for a handout. But do people ask for handouts with money in their hand? Since you didn’t hear the question clearly, could he have been offering you his bus fare as a lame attempt to offer compensation for his trespass? These are just impressions I get from your description. Of course I wasn’t there. Without more information, I can only hope that Officer Stevenson, in talking with him, discovered what was eating him, and helped him somehow. It seems to add up as to youth’s self-destructive cry for help. I am impressed with how Officer Stevenson handled him, and you. It sounds like the kind of logical, mindful police work that I hope to expect from our Seattle police department.
I would encourage you to take the photos down. I suspect that internet shaming in this case would be counterproductive.
i really appreciate this post, BandB.
even our most minor assumptions may lead us down a path of misunderstanding.
leave the policing to the police.
This neighborhood has issues with porch theft. Contact your vendors and ask them to require a signature. Or tell them not to leave in the absence of one. It works well in the UK. It amazes me what is left on porches here as a matter of course (and I count a $1k+ chair as one of those, and yes, I called the company to complain).
If its a worry to you and you do nothing, don’t complain (we were broken into via our basement windows. We registered an insurance claim and put bars up. We didn’t just leave them as was for.more thieves to enter and then moan about it. Even though theft is wrong). Let’s be smarter about driving out theft by depriving the thieves.
The stupid theft by a daft young man is not the same thing.
Dear goodness, is this the community I moved 5000 miles to be part of?
Also, what’s with people not posting their names when they comment? Stand by your convictions, folks.
Uh, the difference in transparency between posting as “Laura” or “Lorax” is zero. Were you going to start adding your last name?
It feels more human to me to have a name, even a first name, “Nelly”
This neighborhood has issues with porch theft. Contact your vendors and ask them to require a signature. Or tell them not to leave in the absence of one. It works well in the UK. It amazes me what is left on porches here as a matter of course (and I count a $1k+ chair as one of those, and yes, I called the company to complain).
If its a worry to you and you do nothing, don’t complain (we were broken into via our basement windows. We registered an insurance claim and put bars up. We didn’t just leave them as was for.more thieves to enter and then moan about it. Even though theft is wrong). Let’s be smarter about driving out theft by depriving the thieves.
The stupid theft by a daft young man is not the same thing.
Also, what’s with people not posting their names when they comment? Stand by your convictions, folks.
So many good comments and thoughts, I’m sorry I can’t reply to all of them.
I’m really conflicted about the whole thing (as I think the original post made clear). Whether to include his picture is just one small part of it, although it’s obvious it’s important to a lot of readers.
For me, the problem is that there are two legitimate narratives: one is that he’s a kid who made a dumb impulsive move, and the consequences of that may not fit the crime. Lord knows there are dumb things I’ve done in my day that I’m glad I didn’t have to face the full consequences of.
The other is that he’s an adult who went on my porch to steal something, didn’t see a package, so he grabbed whatever was handy. Certainly that was what I thought was going on in the moment, and what drove me to call 911 and follow him.
I don’t know his motives, but I know his actions.
Either way, though, I think that community censure is the appropriate punishment. It’s better than what the system would give him. Yes, it’s painful and embarrassing. But it’s not jail time, it’s not a prison sentence, it won’t interfere in his ability to get a job or apply to schools.
In answer to Anne, I think it WOULD be a great idea to take pictures of the kids skipping school and post them on the Internet. Maybe it would bring attention to what they’re doing and get the adults in their lives to take notice. Yes, shine a light on the shadows. Anonymity abets evil. Only when people know they will be held accountable for their actions will they hold themselves accountable.
If he or his family ask me to take it down, I will listen to that request as a good neighbor would.
and what measures are you taking to ensure that he and his family are aware that you have posted these photos?
if you’re really so sanctimonious about not giving him anonymity, what effort will you put forth to identify him and contact his family? because, obviously, contacting his parents would be a more productive and community-minded way to punish him than lazily posting photos on a blog and Facebook and washing your hands of any negative outcome.
if “community censure” via photograph is an appropriate punishment, you should allow all members of the “community” here to post photos. otherwise, you are abusing your gate-keeper authority, even when you’ve gotten overwhelming requests from the [non-troll] “community” to remove the photo.
Meh.
I’m one of the posters who requested he leave the photo up. And maybe the poster who said he knew the kid’s family will clue them in. Jeez, Jordan’s already got a kid to take care of. Maybe this kid’s will eventually take care of their own, too. And apparently anyone who doesn’t agree with your opinion is a troll? Then “troll” I shall be. I collected trolls when I was little; they’re pretty cute?
Please remove the photo! It’s not necessarily true that because this 18 year old kid took a basketball from a porch that he’s also going to be taking packages. In fact that seems like a very tenuous logic to me. And he is a kid!
He’s not a kid. He’s been seen delivering items to the homeless encampments and he was taking things from Mr. Wally’s porch.
So well said Jordan! As someone who has had their car prowled, trash taken from our garbage can and packages stolen from our porch, I can relate to feelings of frustration and anger. I worked for the King County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years and care deeply about public safety and community.
Josh, thank you for calling 911 when you saw the fire. I am so sorry about the encampment. Have you tried contacting Facing Homelessness? They are a advocacy group for the homeless. Maybe they could help with trash pick up or relocating the homeless folks to a more appropriate location? I’ll attach their links below.
http://www.facinghomelessness.org/
https://www.facebook.com/HomelessInSeattle/
Kris – From what I can tell, the homeless organizations are very vocally AGAINST the relocation of people from the encampments. I stand to be corrected, but that’s what I’ve picked up from news articles and activist Facebook pages, Next Door, etc.
Thank you Nelly! I didn’t mean to give out bum information! You are right, Facing Homelessness advocates for homeless people’s rights and if the homeless individual would rather live outside, FH will not help roust/relocate them. I was hoping since they helped a man in an RV relocate to a safe lot, I thought they did that type of outreach. They will help relocate, if the person wants to find housing. Josh, I don’t know if you can find out if they want to find housing, but if they do, FH can help them. I just spoke to Sarah, the office manager with Facing Homelessness, and she said she would be happy to talk to you or any others who have questions. I think their main mission is to help society see homeless people as humans. There is no such thing as a throwaway person. I wonder if calling DOT (since the highway is their jurisdiction) would help with trash clean up.
I didn’t mean to derail the conversation. I think rising property crime and Seattle’s state of emergency housing problem are related.
I agree about throwaway people…society absolutely should provide shelter and services. I’m even for “wet housing” where folks who are alcoholic and/or drug users can move in, no questions asked, and have services right there for when they finally decide enough is enough and they want help. Also need shelter for couples, people with pets, etc. We need to eliminate the reasons people find to avoid services, within reason.
To my eyes, the biggest friction occurs when people who advocate for the homeless/addicts take the position that there’s nothing we should do…that there is no accountability to society by these folks, even though society is accountable to provide them services.
I think there is a middle ground…you want to live free of responsibility and rules? OK, you can do it in an encampment sponsored by the city but you cannot do it on the freeway right of way or public parks, etc. You cannot steal and you cannot leave needles or poop in people’s yards. Pretty basic stuff. I realize others are more hard-ass than I am, and there are certainly others who are much, much more laissez-faire. That’s the fun of being a moderate – everyone hates you! 🙂 Thanks for trying to help these folks.
I think I hit post too fast.
By this: To my eyes, the biggest friction occurs when people who advocate for the homeless/addicts take the position that there’s nothing we should do…that there is no accountability to society by these folks, even though society is accountable to provide them services…
…I mean: Some believe that there is absolutely nothing wrong with people parking RVs in neighborhoods and leaving trash/waste/etc, or with people camping under the freeway (bring them food, bring them plumbing!). I believe that all of us in society are accountable to society. Sure there are fragile, even broken people, and we must lift them up. But that, to me, doesn’t mean we enable and allow them to do whatever they want, wherever they want.
Nelly, I agree with you 100%!!! Well said!
Pictures of “porch thieves” and young people caught on video stealing packages have been posted on these forums. No one has to objected to these postee photos or suggested leniency due to the age of the thief.
Kind and sympathetic feelings aside, taking something without consent of the owner makes the taker a thief. We don’t know why the young man in this post returned the ball. We don’t know why he took it. We can posit that if he gets away with it, he will do it again.
We have had chairs stolen from our front yard. In November a lab test kit I needed was stolen from the mailbox. Last week we found all of our empty mailbox doors left wide open. Fortunately, the mailman had not yet delivered that day.
The photos of thieves, casual thieves and not so, are useful to those of us who live in Wallyhood. I appreciate having the pictures posted . It is not up to Jordan to decide which photos could be important and which not.
Thank you.
Clarifying. ” …decide which photos could be important and which not”. Decide to allow this photo or not to based on what and whose criteria and what soures of information? Not a simple, easy decision. Jordan has been clear about the time and effort he can invest in keeping Wallyhood going. As I see it, the point of continuing the forum format is to let us have at it without a lot of work involved on his part.
Our part is to write thoughtful posts, agree to disagree with each other and respect each other’s opinions. So far we’ve been doing really well; discussing rather than disputing. This topic has been particularly relevant and timely for our neighborhood..
Not sure what the photo is achieving actually. Not like we’d do anything next time we saw a person that looks like the one in the photo.
I know exactly what I would do. If I saw him walking down the street – I’d do nothing. If I saw him going up to my porch, I’d ask him how I could help. If he had a legitimate need, I’d try to fulfill it. If he did not, I’d let him know his photo had been shared, that I knew he’d tried to steal a basketball from a porch, and that he should not return to my house.
But how would you know it’s him? What if it’s somebody else that looks alike? And honestly, even if there is never such a photo, you can tell whoever attempt to take things from your porch exactly the same thing, regardless if you really have seen their photos or not.
You called 911 to report someone had taken and then returned your basketball? And then ignored what the 911 operator told you to do anyway? Your self-importance is breathtaking
Seriously. What person who actually needed 911 couldn’t get through because this smart guy tied up the line for 15+ minutes?
Wow!
I appreciated the photo and more info about the incident.
It is interesting how some people comment with such anger and blaming.
Wallyhood did not fail but rather fell to an angry person.
I cant believe the lack of empathy that is being portrayed on this message board. There were so many awesome ways you could have handled that situation. You could have helped someone obviously in need and instead you decided to call 911 and waste the operators time, drive up response time to actual emergencies, and made yourself look like a fool in my humble opinion. I’m glad the police officer had some sense in letting the kid go.
All over a basketball, you self righteous moron, give me a break Mr. Wallyhood. Did it occur to you to ask this kid ‘why he wanted it?’ or maybe strike up a conversation about how much he had to offer, would he be willing to earn it somehow. You could have been so cool there… I’m disappointed.
Gray, I’m just curious — how many times have you had a warm, fuzzy conversation with someone who has just tried to rob you? How did it work out? Just wondering if your theory has ever been put to use or if you’re just talking to make yourself feel good. I think the way Mr. W’hood handled it was awesome — a potential crime was averted, the perpetrator made aware there are consequences for such behavior and a bunch of neighbors have at least a slightly better idea than they did a week ago of who a criminal in their midst is.
Tried to ‘rob’ you?! Please, just a kid grabbing a basket ball on his way to the bus, lighten up. My dear daft Nelly unfortunately this blurb did not enlighten you one bit of a ‘criminal in your midst’, it is pure speculation about this kids intentions. I really feel bad about all the comments for this entry, it really makes the neighborhood look like a bunch of entitled buffoons.
So that’s “no.” Thanks!
Dear Gray, I asked my friend who works for 911 Communications Center regarding calling 911 in case of an emergency. Specifically, I used Wallyhood’s basketball theft as an example. This is what he said: Please tell your neighborhood blog that if they are ever in doubt about whether to call 911, error on the side of caution and just go ahead and call. And let them know that that is advice from a 24 year 911 veteran.
Is there no editing button? I meant to address my last comment to Gray, NextDoor and Commenter. When in doubt, call 911. The professionals there will determine if your call is an emergency or not. If it is not an emergency, they will transfer you to a non-emergency line.
Wow! I’ve been considering moving to Wallingford and this post makes me rethink! Is there a reason you did not ask the kid “hey. can I help you? What’s going on for you?”
Yes, Wallingford seems like a nice place with all the bungalows and trees and flowers, but there are at least a few residents who will call the police on thieves rather than try for understanding and redemption. I would guess that your choices of neighborhoods is in this respect quite limited, though. In fact Wallingford still might come out ahead on the average.
Especially if you leave out the east side of the neighborhood, which has been dealing with chronic problems that you may see hinted at above if you read the whole thing. Regular trouble from hard cases hanging out at the freeway exits. It tends to erode tolerance and understanding. I’m not really talking about this case, though I think it’s geographically apposite, I’m talking about your apparent surprise that Wallingford isn’t full of a small-town neighborly gracious attitude towards human failings. As downtown policy has extended tolerance to the freeway crowd, tolerance erodes in adjacent neighborhoods. It might be reversible, but it won’t come back as fast as it left.
Well, Rachel, I wish you luck in finding your special utopia where your neighbors provide hugs and are full of understanding, compassion and concern for those who victimize them.
Rachel – I may not be quite as nice a Wallingford resident as Donn, but much in the same way I would tell a teen-ager doing something uncool but basically harmless like toiler-papering our tree to “cut the crap and clean it up” rather than calling 911, I would likewise tell a teen-ager who lifted something that’s mine but basically worthless from our porch to “cut the crap and give it back” rather than involving the police.
Actually, I’m for summary execution. The police will just let him go, and then he’ll be back for revenge.
Rachel: what you suggest would be very kind. I think it would be a great idea for you to go to the King County jail. There, you will find hundreds of people who also stole things and were caught. Although you do not know their stories, the people there all need help. You should ask each and every one of them what they need and how you can help.
If you do not, you are heartless and I will judge you as you judge me.
It’s threads like this one that make me wish Wallyhood had a “thumbs up/thumbs down” option so I could immediately respond to all you knucklehead bleeding hearts who want to coddle criminals and criminals-in-training. You do understand that the officer supposedly gave this kid a stern talking-to that will, hopefully, set him on the path to redemption, good grades and a bright future. Who do you think that talk would be more effective coming from, Jordan or the cop? Yes, everyone wants to believe a TV movie tender moment will solve the world’s ills, especially in Wallingford, it seems, but maybe you should adjust your thinking to more of the “Scared Straight” scenario which would likely be more effective than a glass of soy milk, a gluten-free cookie and a pat on the back. I’d be curious to know if anyone has seen this kid back with the miscreants under the bridge or if anyone knows if his parents/family have been informed of his delinquent activities in our ‘hood?
Looks very much like the registered sex offender, recently arrested several times for voyeurism and killed by a drunk driver in his tent. Sad end.
http://www.king5.com/news/local/driver-runs-over-tent-along-i-5-off-ramp-kills-person-inside/317144985
Wow. That’s crazy and sad for like, 100 reasons.
Job 1: Get our Mayor to stop using the homeless problem as a prop for his developer friends to continue to build garbage parking-free housing for wealthy millennials under the ludicorous pretense of creating “low income” housing. Deal with the underlying problems the homeless endure, of which Homelessness itself is often a symptom of, rather than a cause. The continued intellectual dishonesty from both ends of the spectrum is making these folks’ lives worse, not better.