Discussion on a Robbery

In my neck of the woods, it's pretty rare to find doors locked. After my first two months of living here, I stopped locking mine as well.

But the other day, I heard that one of my closest neighbors was robbed of a couple of electric guitars and an amplifier. Like my own setup, his home is really more of a collection of buildings, something pretty common here, and like my own, he's set a bit back from the road so you have to know where you're going to find it. So when I heard about the robbery, it bothered me personally for about five minutes before I just felt badly he lost his music making. It seemed most likely someone who knew the house and went to get those items specifically was responsible for the robbery.

Last night after dinner, however, my partner came back to the house after playing his old electric guitar in the studio and said he stopped. Why? Because he said he felt funny after hearing about the robbery and then went into elaborate detail that he knew that if someone was stopped at a certain spot along our road, they could see into the second floor loft where he plays. This, he said, might put his own guitar and amp - plus a lot of other equipment used there for production of different types - at risk.

Huh? Besides the fact that the person who happened to notice that if they stood at a certain point on our road and peered just right through the dense half mile of trees at a time of night when my partner is in the studio playing the guitar in front of the picture window and properly illuminated so he could be seen would also have to be felonious and specifically desiring of a guitar and amp (both nice but not exactly something to risk even a short jail sentence to acquire), it just seems nuts.

Why would you change your entire mode of operation around because one person decided to commit an act of burglary?

Now I've been robbed more than once and it's a very unpleasant feeling that usually exists and persists regardless of the value (or not) of the items taken. It's a violation of trust and home that sticks with you. In terms of non-violent crimes, the sensation is often about as close to the overall effects of rape as you can come in my experience of having gone through both.

Granted, it's not a case that things don't get stolen around here. The year before last, for example, the state police finally busted a guy whose home quite near here was filled to overflowing with a humungous treasure trove of stuff he'd taken from countless homes, including some on our road. This had been going on since shortly before we took up residency.

But damn, I feel blessed that I live in an area where my neighbors all seem like truly decent people, whom I usually don't mind just walking into my home unannounced and without knocking. I love it that even when I'm here alone late night or overnight, I don't feel like I have to lock every door and window. While none of my neighbors are within shouting distance, a quick phone call and anyone of them would come to help (and I them). Someone has a problem along our road, and the next person along is very likely apt to stop and see what he/she can do. They do that as often with strangers as neighbors.

So I sent my partner back to sit in front of the window to play his guitar and not worry about one miscreant. I just hope our neighbor gets his guitars and amp back. I hear nice music coming from down that way on warm evenings that draws me out to the deck outside my office to sip coffee, listen, and say a thank you that I found such a nice place to live.