Dear PoP – If You See Something, Say Something

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

“Dear PoP,

What is wrong with people these days?!? Seriously! I am so completely disheartened with people as I write this story. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this city, but after last week I am really disappointed in the people of this city. I met up with two friends at a tattoo shop near the corner of 14th and U streets, NW. It was a Thursday night and the streets are pretty well lit and populated. I chain my bike to a tree right in front of the shop. As we are leaving, I say to my friends jokingly “Hope no one steals my bike!” As I say this a guy walks by and says, “Oh if it isn’t chained up they totally will.” I reply with “My bike is such a POS, who would bother to take the time?” He says “Once as a test I left two really old rusty bikes, one with flat tires out front of this shop just to see. The bikes were gone in under 5 minutes. They will take the bike too if it isn’t locked up.” Well I know this, that’s why my bike is chained to the tree. So I thank the guy and assure him it is locked and we head down a couple blocks to grab some grub.

Less than 2 hours later we return to the tree and my bike is GONE! All that is left is my bike lock…still locked but sliced in two as if it were butter, mocking me on the ground. I picked it up and my two friends and I start laughing at the irony of it all. One of my friends offers to drive me home and as we walk around the corner of U to 14th, what do I see? Some asshole sitting on my bike not even half a block down 14th. Before my friends even knew what was up I am running at the kid who doesn’t see me coming. I shove him off my bike and then a tirade of swear words that would make a sailor blush burst out of my mouth. The guy is so shocked he sort of just stands there still half on my bike. I grab the handle bars and say THIS IS MY BIKE! He has the audacity to tell me it is HIS bike. Then I tell him he is a POS that stole my bike after cutting my lock. His reply of “I didn’t steal no bike.” has me so convinced of his innocence…riiiiight. So then he tries to climb back on the bike at which point I again shove him off and bombard him with more curses.

As I walk off with my bike and my friends back around the corner to U, I notice he has the nerve to start following us. So again I turned around and screamed at him. This time telling him to stop following us or I will call the cops because I have all night to waste, but does he?!? I guess he decides he does not because he crosses 14th and heads the other direction.

Now as excited that I am that this guy is an idiot who stole a bike then stuck around, and as excited as I am that I got my bike back, WTF people?!? Why did no one do a damn thing the entire time? First the bike was stolen in good light, on a busy street where tons of people were walking around. Why did no one do a thing! And then when I was screaming pretty loudly at some asshole who stole my bike, everyone just stood there?!? How come no one bothered to ask if I needed help or anything? How come a small woman who is only 5’2, was not offered any type of assistance? Yes, my friends (a guy and another small woman) would have jumped in had there been a problem, but where was everyone…anyone else?”