Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › RANT: Thieves in West Seattle
- This topic has 35 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 7 months ago by miws.
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May 29, 2013 at 1:10 am #607666
phil.fountainMemberSo, it started at the SSCC culinary program for me. My school-funded (read: VA and BFET) knife bag was taken by another student, from literally right behind my back. The Chefs were kind enough to donate some knives that other students had left behind and no one had claimed… While working at A Terrible Beauty in the junction, my bike was stolen from IN BETWEEN TWO OTHER BIKES chained up to the same handrail in the back alley. The two other bikes in question were brand new and actually worth money, while mine was not… Two weeks ago my backpack was stolen out of a friend’s car, albeit in the Ravenna neighborhood. Inside were my new-ish laptop with 8 months of home-recorded music scratch tracks, an ipod, my house key and work clothes. Last night, my other backpack and the chef’s knife kit donated by my instructors *to replace the kit already stolen* were taken from in front of easy street records in the junction. My journal, songs, stories, the knives that are my livelihood in the culinary field.. literally everything that is either sentimentally or materialistically relevant to me, all gone. All taken by people who are low enough to steal from just another person trying to get by. Not even corporate stores, with insurance. Not to eat, not to feed their kids. No reason I can think of except for either drug addiction, laziness, or some misplaced sense of self-importance. I know this is not news to anyone, but what the F*ck kind of world are we living in? Oh, and whoever got the journal, I hope you feel really good about yourself. You stole from an Iraq vet on Memorial day. You’re a winner.
May 29, 2013 at 1:29 am #790736
Talaki34ParticipantHi phil.fountain.
I know it is hard to have all these things taken from you, especially your journal.
Many blessings…
Talaki34 (US Army)
May 29, 2013 at 1:38 am #790737
phil.fountainMemberMay 29, 2013 at 1:58 am #790738
Talaki34ParticipantThank you for your service too.
For tonight try to get some rest. Work on replacing the items that you can tomorrow.
May 29, 2013 at 3:19 pm #790739
ElizagraceParticipantBump. Does anyone have a line on some chef’s knives we can round up? Or maybe a bike someone has laying unused… Community support call to action!
May 29, 2013 at 4:01 pm #790740
Talaki34Participantphil.fountain – I just got off the phone with Ann Witt. Please go and see her. The two of you can go to the Dean’s office to see if there is any money available to help purchase another kit. I know it is near the end of the year, but you never know.
I also called the Bookstore and they have a set available for about $400 dollars. One of the culinary people came down to verify the set as being appropriate for the course. You can view upon request.
I didn’t realize that the kit contains much more than just knives.
Elizagrace – Thank you for your support!!!
May 29, 2013 at 8:38 pm #790741
phil.fountainMemberTalaki34, Thank you so so much for your help. Unfortunately, I am only alumni and not a student anymore. Ann Witt is great but I don’t think she could get funding for anyone who isn’t currently a student. But seriously, you rock! Elizagrace, thank you for your support. It means more to me than any of you probably know. -p
May 29, 2013 at 9:27 pm #790742
JoBParticipantcan we set up a fund at the bookstore?
May 29, 2013 at 10:39 pm #790743
ElizagraceParticipantPhil, what is number one on your list to replace (that we might be able to help with? – I know your journal is not an option, and I am so sorry about that!)
Bike? Knives? Bag?
What do you need – how can we help?
Cheers,
E
May 30, 2013 at 12:35 am #790744
phil.fountainMemberElizagrace, as kind as your offer is, I don’t know if I could accept flat out charity aside from neighborly consideration – keeping eyes and ears open. I would gladly accept a loan of a bike or a decent chef’s knife until payday on the 5th. My stupid pride notwithstanding, you are a sweetheart for offering. Thank you for making leaps and bounds in restoring my faith in people. – p
May 30, 2013 at 12:47 am #790745
JanSParticipantone of the things that I have learned about the people in West Seattle is their open hearts, and their willingness to help out. People here are givers…that’s community at it’s best. And…I have learned to swallow pride, sometimes accept the help..and say thank you, even when I thought I didn’t deserve. Here’s hoping that your journal makes it’s way back home….and that your knives get replaced post haste :)
May 30, 2013 at 12:54 am #790746
miwsParticipantPhil, I echo exactly what Jan has said.
When I read your comment #10, my first thought was to post pretty much what Jan said.
I admit, I still have trouble asking for help, but have learned to accept help offered.
One thing to consider, it if might help, is that by accepting help now, maybe you could pay it forward sometime in the future, even if it’s years away, and dissimilar to the help you’ve received.
Mike
May 30, 2013 at 1:24 am #790747
JoBParticipanti believe in paying it forward:)
May 30, 2013 at 1:44 am #790748
Talaki34ParticipantWell said Jan and Mike!
Elizagrace and Job are not offering charity, they offering a helping hand to a neighbor.
My set of knives(bought at FM on sale)you can use. They need to be sharpened, but they may work for you until the 5th. It is all I have, or I can pitch in for a good one. Or a bike. :)
Bargreen Ellingson has this Chefs Knife
http://www.bargreen.com/usa/chef-s-knife-12.html
Would this work? If yes, can you get there to pick it up? 3627 1st Ave S.
May 30, 2013 at 1:56 am #790749
celeste17ParticipantI have a bike you can borrow for as long as you need it. It needs a little attention (like tires pumped) as I haven’t ridden it in a while. You can reach me at celestine18 at comcast . net
May 30, 2013 at 2:17 am #790750
JayDeeParticipantI also have a Global Chefs knife I can loan if need be. The blade was reground due to my stupidity so there is less of a “rocker” than it should have. Post if you’d need two of them until 6/5.
May 30, 2013 at 3:46 pm #790751
ElizagraceParticipantMay 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm #790752
miwsParticipantMay 30, 2013 at 6:54 pm #790753
phil.fountainMemberWow. Just, wow… To all of you, thank you for such generosity to a total stranger. I’ll admit I almost teared up reading all of these responses. As an update, my wonderful mom put together a collection of (i might add very nice) knives she has been keeping around. She’s kind of the reason I got into cooking in the first place, and will probably always be better than me. lol.. So I have a hodgepodge of old wusthofs and spanish henckels rolled up in a laptop tote, ready to be christened, sharpened and dirtied in the service of food. I am blessed to have the family that I do.
Celeste17, I would like to take a look at the bike you mentioned, at your convenience. I will email you at your comcast address. I’m off today, and next week, probably mid-week like wednesday or thursday.
Thanks again to all of you for the support and encouragement. I haven’t felt so connected to any community probably ever. I was just starting to feel that west seattle was turning into a home after 16 years, and you all have proven my intuition right. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
-p
May 30, 2013 at 9:41 pm #790754
phil.fountainMemberUPDATE: Gabby, who lives upstairs from the corner pocket, was nice enough to grab my stuff when she saw it outside and no one around to claim it. She recognized the blue knife bag and dropped it off at my restaurant this morning. I feel a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders that I got both the journal and the knives back. I literally can’t believe that someone grabbed my stuff out of consideration and not because they were trying to rip it off… lol. Call me a cynic. Gabby, know that I owe you big time. You have no idea how happy I am!!
To all of you kind folks on the WS Blog who have been so considerate, thank you again. I’m going to have a small get together at my place – bbq, what have you. Please respond with any allergies or dietary restrictions. I would love to feed you all as a token of my thanks. :-)
-p
May 30, 2013 at 9:44 pm #790755
pattileaParticipantThat is such a happy ending!!!
May 30, 2013 at 10:06 pm #790756
MercyMoiParticipantHappy story, indeed! I’m thrilled for you – mostly because you got your precious journal back. Knives will come and go but your in-the-moment recording of life experiences could never have been properly retrieved. I’m happy for your your reunion!
Plus, you might get a bike on loan. Very happy ending!
May 30, 2013 at 10:53 pm #790757
JoBParticipanthappy endings are a good thing :)
May 30, 2013 at 10:54 pm #790758
JanSParticipantit’s a wonderful thing !
May 30, 2013 at 10:57 pm #790759
LStephensParticipantWonderful that a thread that started as a RANT turned into a RAVE for the kind and helpful people of our neighborhood!! A shining example of community. So happy for you Phil, that the backpack, knives and especially the journal were recovered. Welcome to West Seattle!
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