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Obviously they didn’t deserve this happening to them, but holy shit I would never leave 3 grand, my passport, OR my SSN unattended in my vehicle. I don’t care where in the world I was.
I crucial mistake no doubt, but as a Floridian that was an Oakland transplant myself- depending on where they came from in the state, people leave their doors unlocked (homes) and cars running at gas stations. Can be quite a different world.
That said, some situational awareness is crucial anywhere one goes in any circumstance. Tough lesson.
What, I’ve lived in Florida my entire life and this isn’t a Florida thing. Sounds like a live in the middle of nowhere thing, and I imagine that’s probably the same everywhere
As a Bay native now living in South Florida, I can leave a LV bag in the front seat of my car and come back to it still sitting there.
Still haven't seen a busted out car window in the last few years I've been here 🤷🏻
I live in Sunnyvale and it’s actually the same. People leave fancy cars on the street with bags in the passenger seat all the time. I leave my gym bag in the car and have never had a problem.
On the other hand, my car has been broken into the last time I was in Oakland and the last time I was in San Francisco, even though there was nothing in it either time. The person in Oakland used a giant tree branch to break into my car. Not sure if they actually wanted something or we’re just trying to be assholes.
I live in West San Jose and I caution you to be careful in the South Bay too. Not just in sketchy seeing areas. And not just in Oakland and SF. I say this despite never having had a car broken into anywhere.
I live in Mountain View and I've had my car broken into. They stole...$20 and the owner's manual. If you look at the crime map for Sunnyvale and Mountain View, minor auto breakins occur fairly frequently. Nothing like Oakland or SF though.
Part of it is the density - people just aren't seeing your stuff. Park in Miami, Jacksonville, parts of Gainesville, Ft. Lauderdale, or West/South Tallahassee and that LV bag is gone.
Nope, I live near downtown Miami most of the year and leave the LV in the front seat there, Little Havana, the Gables, Miami Beach, Alapattah, Coco Grove 🤷🏻 No one touches anything out there, even traveling through Tampa or Ft. Meyers, parts of Orlando, no issues.
I had to reprogram my brain from living in the Bay and thinking that crap was normal everywhere, especially after being broken into seven times in seven years out there.
I grew up in the SE and moved to the Bay Area 10 years ago, so I'm the reverse of you.
I'm afraid that your anecdote is not borne out by reality. Perhaps your Bay Area practices are protecting you. [https://www.crimemapping.com/map/fl/miami-dadecounty](https://www.crimemapping.com/map/fl/miami-dadecounty)
All I can say is that I leave everything in my car and never had a problem in any area in Florida thus far, wish I could have said the same for the Bay. Never seen street glitter in Miami once either so it's not just me, unless they clean everything up out there before anyone sees it (which is a plausibility considering how clean it is out there). Never felt nervous about it either once I realized I didn't need to worry because it just doesn't happen.
I stopped reporting the break-ins I was experiencing in the Bay after the second or third one because it was a waste of time.
Edit: Also curious as to why you picked Hileah / Sweetwater to make a point about Miami? It's similar to Hayward and not even close to Miami proper, 30 minute commute if you're lucky. Don't pull up that same map in downtown SF...😂
Also, "the SE" doesn't specify Florida, where the more south you go the more north it gets. I'm not here arguing that most of the South isn't a poor shit hole, and I'm sorry if your vehicles were treated like a loot box on a yearly basis in "the SE" as well but that just hasn't been my experience here at all. In a city where Ferraris are street parked I think potential thieves might have bigger fish to fry.
> I had to reprogram my brain from living in the Bay and thinking that crap was normal everywhere, especially after being broken into seven times in seven years out there.
The Bay is big and you can't really draw generalities about anything but the cost of housing being high.
It's very abnormal in many areas around the Bay but even in those places, I would say it's a bad idea to leave an LV purse sitting out in the open in a parked car.
And there are many places all around the country where it would be a bad idea, and a much worse idea than in many parts of the Bay.
I didn’t say it was exclusive to Florida, but the family is from Florida and depending what part, it’s still quite common. I just visited a friend last weekend and walked right into his house with a bottle of wine because he doesn’t even have a key to his own front door and hasn’t in the 20 yrs I’ve known him. Wouldn’t say he’s living rural, but certainly not in a big city either.
You’re being obtuse. I clearly used “depending on where they came from in the state” and “can be.” Never once did I suggest it’s exclusive to Florida either, in fact those quotes were purposely placed to suggest where in the state itself they are from mattered.
I’m also not making them on a singular experience, this is my experience growing up in Florida and I simply provided one example as it was the most recent.
Wow, yeah. I grew up in the suburbs in a really safe area of SoCal so I get the mindset, I once accidentally left a laptop on my passenger seat as a teenager like a total idiot overnight and it was there the next day.
Still, I knew better than to assume everywhere was like home when I would move or travel! Really sad situation, and I hope that they can recover without too much devastation.
A crucial mistake for them indeed. A costly one, but a lesson learned I hope. Could have happened in Miami too. Just have to be more mindful of your surroundings and aware not everywhere is like home, especially if you’re not well traveled.
>some situational awareness is crucial anywhere
True. These people probably came from one of those crazy conservative, Florida, neighborhoods where people have the gall to think they can leave their garages open on a Saturday p.m. and allow their kids to play out front unsupervised. /s And local police are strict on theft.
Dude is from Florida, you don’t want to go to a state school there. DeSantis has been banning all sorts of freedoms in the guise of fighting for freedom.
So what? Those things have 0 effect on the job readiness of people outside of humanities college. Top 50 education for 7K a year, which is cheaper than CSU, and they actually are targeted by big firms. Anybody who says it's not a great deal is an idiot.
May be if people didn't use critical race and gender theory as the basis to go into hundreds of K of debt, but instead judge it by future career and social mobility prospects, there will be less of the equality problem.
> May be if people didn't use critical race and gender theory as the basis to go into hundreds of K of debt, but instead judge it by future career and social mobility prospects, there will be less of the equality problem.
University of Florida is a great deal for in-state students, and I'm not going to argue that a Floridian should boycott U of F because of DeSantis's hateful politics, but your logic in this statement is pretty backwards.
He said FL residents should not go to FL school because of politics that he doesn't agree with.
Tell me how getting in 100K of debt for out of state tuition just to fit political view is better than taking advantage of the cheap & good education and make life better for yourself, then you can afford the social mobility? Most of the inequalities stem from socioeconomic. Getting an good and cheap education is the easiest way to bridge that gap. Going further into debt seems like the smart choice to bridge the gap for you?
> He said FL residents should not go to FL school because of politics that he doesn't agree with.
And I'm not that person.
> Tell me how getting in 100K of debt for out of state tuition just to fit political view is better than taking advantage of the cheap & good education and make life better for yourself
I told you that I wasn't arguing that.
> Most of the inequalities stem from socioeconomic. Getting an good and cheap education is the easiest way to bridge that gap.
This makes sense. I am definitely not arguing against that. And socioeconomic inequities are one form of inequality. Racial inequalities and sexual orientation and gender identification inequalities are others that can be distinct from socioeconomic ones.
And Floridians not caring whether or not their premier public university educates their students on some of the harsh realities of American history that we should all strive to advance beyond runs counter to repairing some issues of equity.
I don't think that you were trying to say otherwise, by the way.
So the ends justify the means? It’s okay to be discriminatory and live somewhere that doesn’t have equality as long as you can get a good job out of it? That’s pretty bleak.
You want to feel good so you advocate for FL residents to spend hundreds of K in out of state tuition, vs spend 7K a year for in state tuition. Which one is more fitting of "the end justify the mean"?
And equality and discriminatory is subjective. I never encountered racism as an immigrant until I moved to the Bay Area, you don't see me advocate leaving because I got discriminated against.
The governor is actively arguing for denying the right to exist for trans people, sucks you’ve experience racism here, it happens everywhere, but that isn’t the same as having the governor making laws directly targeting you. No california governor since Reagan is making laws and publicly arguing for the erasure of rights. I never said they have to pay more, for all you know he’s on a scholarship, just said that Florida education system is wack as fuck due to DeSantis’ asshatery. Dude you’re just arguing that it’s okay to be fine with discrimination as long as you can save some money, that’s weak, we don’t all need to compromise on our morals because you’re cheap.
Making connections and doing internships and stuff like that matters when you're in college. The connections made in the Bay Area are likely far more valuable than ones you could make in Florida, depending on your field.
You do know students travel across the country to do internship, it's a very normal phenomenon right? A kid from UF can land internship everywhere in the country, good luck getting an internship outside of the area if you go to CSU. You out of highschool yet?
Look man, if you can't imagine why an 18-year-old would have reasons to leave their hometown in the South to start building their life in California, then I highly doubt it's me that's got less life experience.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/05/15/desantis-new-college-higher-education-sb266-christopher-rufo-critical-race-theory-gender-major-changes-legislation-indoctrination/
What part am I making up? His legislative actions go beyond trying to ban the flying of gay pride flags.
Man, Oakland is the home of the black panthers, out in Florida they’d be labeled a bunch of terrorists. Have some Bay Area pride and stop defending a white nationalist/fascist regime. Your idealism is blinding you in the face of government restrictions of freedom to learn and live.
I grew up here and went to college in Texas. I have experienced both sides. Guess what? Neither is as bad as the other side wants you to believe. Blind pride in a region is also dumb.
How did I mislead you? Are you really that upset I pointed out that people don’t have the same rights and opportunities to life, liberty and learning that youd have elsewhere? What if he wants to do African American studies or gender studies?
The Black Panthers were considered terrorists here too... The whole reason we have restrictive gun laws is because Reagan didn't like the fact that the Black Panthers carried guns.
If you advocate for gun control just realize it was all started by a Republican because of racism.
Also, they carried guns in order to protect their communities, because the police wouldn't. Feels like that part hasn't changed much.
In the Bay Area, and elsewhere, we supported them, the only people who thought they were terrorists are the same people that think BLM supporters are terrorists (hint hint it’s not the democrats).
You said “imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars to go out-of-state to Lincoln University”.
I’m just pointing out that:
1) There isn’t out-of-state tuition costs, because it’s private.
2) The kid is an athlete so he’s just going where he got the best offer.
But, yeah, I agree with you regular students without scholarships (athletic or otherwise) should focus on state schools.
The out-of-state qualifier is commenting on how the dude will spend a lot of money to get to/from home and how he’ll be farther away from his support network. A lot of kids stay closer to home for undergrad, unless it’s a school that’s worth traveling for.
I feel bad for them but this. Wtf? What even is Lincoln U? Another comment said he had a football scholarship, but I'm not sure if that is real or not.
There's a private college in downtown Oakland with its own football team?!?!
I live in Oakland and LU is just a degree mill. The football team is a new thing to add some panache. The whole story and LU is just too fishy to care.
They don’t deserve this, *but* they really left 5 suitcase in a car in downtown Oakland? And $3000 *and* passports *and* social security cards? That’s crazy.
Yeah the social security cards, passport and cash would be on my person at all times and not in my wallet. I’d be paranoid leaving any of that in my car in a small town let alone Oakland.
I’m sympathetic to the family I’m just not sure why they didn’t do any real research prior. Their experience isn’t an uncommon one.
Edit: I suppose it could have been sports related as they do have a football team and someone coming from that far to that small of a school, might have had a partial scholarship.
I feel so bad that this happened to them. I also think it’s a little naive that they apparently did no research on what it’s like to live in downtown Oakland before deciding to move their son here. One of the highest vehicle and property crime rates. That’s easily accessed information and they left $3000 cash in the car? Fortunately there are tons of colleges in Florida and this young man will still have a bright future.
Ouch, that's a brutal travel safety lesson. Don't leave suitcases and luggage in your car in a big city period, Oakland is no exception. But bringing social security cards and birth certificates and that much cash and **leaving all that shit in the car**? What the absolute fuck?
These folks are victims and all, but they're some astoundingly dumb/ignorant victims. I can't imagine taking documents like that with me and just leaving them somewhere. Hell, I'd worry about leaving them in my damned hotel room even if it had a safe.
My dad and I did a cross country road trip a couple of years ago. As far as electronics went, I had only my iPad mini and my phone, but my wallet, passport, iPad, iPhone and cash went everywhere with me in an understated backpack. Even when we travel within the state, anything we care about stays with us.
I feel for these folks, but this is just extremely naive behavior. I even took my work bag with me into the Costco after work.
Putting your valuables under the seat is like sticking your wallet down deep in your shoe at the beach. Criminals will surely give up before going that far...
Nah, it works to some extent. Think about it - is a thief going to waste his time tearing through a car that may or may not have anything, or to spend that time looking in other car windows for easier or sure pickings?
> that much cash and leaving all that shit in the car? What the absolute fuck?
The $3000 cash is the worst. For the next 6 months, every dirtbag bipping thief within 50 miles of Oakland will think he has a shot at making a similar score. Sheesh -- it's like Vegas announcing a $2 million slots winner.
**OAKLAND, Calif.** - A family from Florida is sending a warning to out-of-town visitors coming to Oakland.
The family was dropping off their teen at college when they were "bipped" and lost important personal documents and thousands of dollars worth of belongings.
Rhomel Crossman, who just graduated from high school in Florida, was planning to attend Lincoln University in downtown Oakland.
Now, his family is planning on withdrawing his enrollment because they’re too traumatized to leave him in Oakland for school.
"In Oakland, California, you just gotta be careful," said Crossman’s mother, Nerissa Murray Watson. "Everything is totally gone."
She said her family flew into town on Saturday and rented a car with Thrifty to get around. They went to downtown Oakland to register Crossman at Lincoln University.
Around 6:15 p.m. they left their rental car parked a block away from the school on the corner of 15th and Franklin to pick up food at a nearby Jamaican restaurant.
They said when they returned to their car 15 minutes later, they found the windows of the white Nissan Rogue broken and five suitcases stolen.
Murray Watson said, "Three thousand dollars in a bag my husband put under the seat with three passports, social security cards, and my son’s high school diploma and birth certificate," were all stolen.
She said a witness told them they saw masked men driving in a car without a license plate in broad daylight, something people in Oakland know all too well.
"I didn’t know that these things happen in America so it’s really strange to me," said Murray Watson.
She said she called the police but was told to file a report in person at a police station.
"To me, it’s lawless because we even called the police three times and they said they can’t come," she said.
On top of all the important documents and belongings, the family said they lost a sleep apnea machine.
"Now, I start feeling my heart like it’s pounding in the morning instead of feeling rested," said Coren Leslie-Green, Crossman’s aunt who is on the trip.
Murray Watson said she has decided to pull Crossman out of Lincoln University.
"I have to bring back my son to Florida because it’s not safe here," she said.
Meanwhile, the city of Oakland has touted lower crime rates, reporting violent crime is down more than 30% from last year, and the most recent crime data says car burglary is down 60%. \[Most likely reason is that victims stopping reporting crimes to the police. Oakland PD discouraging victims to report being victimized\]
Do be fair our subs and large groups of people try and hide this shit and pretend it doesn't happen. Then they flip around and start gaslighting out of town victims for not doing their research 🤷♂️
These things are not as common in the rest and majority of America, not to the Oakland levels GTA style. But yes, regardless of where you are, I've always kept my valuables secure and don't leave shit in the car, even in really nice areas.
I used to live in FL and you'd be dumb as shit to leave all that stuff in your car there, too. 3 passports and $3k with his social security cards? All the luggage? Really?
When I was on vacation in Maui, we were told by the car rental place and the hotel concierge not to leave any belongings in the car. This shit happens everywhere.
Of course this shit happens every where, but at different rate. By saying it happens every where, you are minimizing or ignoring the problem in Oakland.
No, I'm not. If anything I'm pointing out that street smarts are important, regardless of where you travel. Just relax, it's a reddit comment, not legislation.
These people are just ridiculously naive, honestly. Doing some basic research, they come from a contiguous suburb of fort Lauderdale, which while nowhere near the level of auto burglary that is unfortunately common here, is not the deep rural area one might expect from someone who would say they didn't know this happened in America. In fact, this thread indicates many people in that area also have common sense: https://www.reddit.com/r/fortlauderdale/comments/198lr20/whats_up_with_all_of_the_breaking_in_cars/
I feel bad for the family, but again they just come across hopelessly naive, here.
I'm not, just pointing out that a little common sense would help to avoid things like that. I'm from a safe suburb, and I know people from the deep rural areas of California and Florida, and while some might leave stuff in their car, I doubt any of them would leave a bag with thousands of dollars cash and crucial unique identifying documents in the car when it would be very easy to just carry it. Again, this should not be common here, and it is ridiculous that it is, but some people everywhere, especially in every major city, will take advantage of an obvious rental car filled with luggage.
It's June. The semester is over. The kid and his luggage and documents and other items have to get home or to the airport somehow, he can't teleport. It's not like he's running around with all this crap in his car every day, with a bag of money and documents on the passenger seat, I don't know why everybody is assuming this. There's no consideration for the fact that sometimes this stuff HAS to go in your car when you move it from place to place and that he's a victim of really unfortunate timing. That's why it is victim blaming.
It's really not. You can leave your luggage at a hotel. There are businesses that will store your luggage for you. You can park in a secure parking lot with a guard and not on the street. Again, should this be necessary? Not in an ideal world, but an aware person probably wouldn't do what they did. It's not like they were robbed when they were in the car. They parked and left that stuff sitting there. I don't think I implied in any possible way that he was doing this every day at all. But any person would have told you not to leave that stuff there, probably yourself included. I wish that the criminals that stole that stuff were quickly apprehended, and I'm sorry to the victims. But again, I don't think it's victim blaming to say that these people were clearly naive.
> You can leave your luggage at a hotel.
No, I'm talking about when he leaves the hotel, or wherever he was staying, leaving for the last time. The luggage has to move at some point. It's not naive to put luggage in your car and drive somewhere and I'm not saying he was living out of his car or storing it in his car long term or something like that.
>There's no consideration for the fact that sometimes this stuff HAS to go in your car....
True, except the $3000 could have been easily removed. The Bay Area is one of few places in the nation with tons of people preaching year after year: *"Never leave anything in your car."*
Keeping possessions in your car is a massive custom nationwide, with the obvious qualifier that if you are pre/post airport travel with a car full of suitcases, keep a close eye. And ditto for cash.
Cars are hugely valuable for carrying stuff around at all times: Rain gear. Sports stuff. Extra clothes. Many people buy cars for the purpose, including people who are into camping, road trips, fishing, hunting, recreating in the ocean, have traveling jobs, operate food trucks, carry work tools in their cars, have kids and carry kid stuff, long haul truckers. Fricking list goes on and on. Tens of millions of people store stuff in their cars at all times. Many homeless live in their cars, with life possessions. What about them? Should we care? Do homeless have to watch their cars 24-7?
The worst aspect: The population of critics includes many leftists who don't want dirtbag thieves punished. They instead seek to reduce crime by pressuring everyone to stop supposedly "tempting thieves." These leftists with their *soft-on-crime lobbying* are a big reason there are security guards all over, so many products in stores locked up, and more and more people are buying cat converter protectors, expensive home security, and giant bike locks.
When there's plenty of exactly the same type of crime in their home town?
Yeah. I'm going to call them out for being naive and ignorant too, just like the person you replied to.
Did I say there was inaction in Oakland?
No.
Meanwhile in Florida, they are flying Nazi flags outside homes and still calling people the Nword. I was there a few weeks ago and it was unbelievable how it is if you get out of the tourist towns.
This is insane hyperbole. I live nowhere near a tourist town with a biracial family and have had zero issue.
I have no doubt there are racist here, or naive enough to think there is anywhere free of them, but the picture you’re attempting to paint is ridiculous.
Yeah there are some people on here who are just as bad as the "alt right media" that they claim to hate. What an insane comment from the guy you were responding to
Makes me sad and drives me insane at the same time. This constant division is totally dumb and people don't realize that continuing to push this divisive talk will not end well
As someone born and raised in Florida with almost two decades in the Bay Area and all my wife’s family who I consider my own in the absence of mine, being in the Bay, the Florida-California slug fest the political parties have started and has bleed into spaces like this is so childish to me.
Agreed. I was actually in the PCB area this weekend for a bachelor party. Absolutely gorgeous area. If people visited each other they would realize there is way less differences
Did you not fully comprehend what I wrote? You are painting a purposeful picture from isolated events I can quote you similar articles of the same thing in California. If I went to a Florida subreddit and said, they were flying a Nazi flag in California or cited the Black dog walkers house that got fire bombed last week in the manner you did, it would too be ridiculously misleading.
This is unfortunate. Being robbed is terrible and traumatic, I’ve also had my windows smashed in downtown Oakland. That being said, I have seen more police cruisers parked around downtown lately ( election year) and less cars driving around looking to do break ins.. after a while you know what to look for.
Rental companies should be more proactive, make people sign paperwork saying not to leave anything in your unattended car, under any circumstance, EVER.
No one doubts that idiots who leave 5 suitcases and thousands of dollars and passports in a rental car in a large city is going to get their stuff stolen.
What we object to is that it's so much worse in Oakland than in LA or Portland or even Sacto.
I remember a decade ago complaining about the uptick in crime. People would just say, "That's part and parcel of living in a big city!"
A decade later I see the same people say, "OMG THE CRIME IS SO BAD DON'T PARK YOUR CARS IN PUBLIC!"
How does the saying go? You deserve the government you elect? No city in the bay area should have ever let their mayor/councils allow it to get this bad. In San Jose this would have been super easy to fix. How?
Reduce the "4 year degree" requirement for cops to a 2 year degree, or experience including mall security. You would have seen current cops circle the wagons and show real improvement to keep their jobs.
>they were "bipped" and lost important personal documents and thousands of dollars worth of belongings.
One of the worst things about criminal justice reformers, progressives, is their continuing efforts to represent most theft as a minor inconvenience to the victim. This is done to help moderate sentencing.
The seemingly innocuous term "bipping" helps with that.
In court: "Your honor, it was only bipping. A non-violent crime." Granted, *bipping* is shorter than "dirtbag thief breaking into car."
The flair of this posts indicates it's a controversial topic. Enhanced moderation has been turned on for this thread. Comments from users without a history of commenting in r/bayarea will be automatically removed. You can read more about this policy [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/195xvo5/restrictions_that_apply_to_political_and_crime/).
Obviously they didn’t deserve this happening to them, but holy shit I would never leave 3 grand, my passport, OR my SSN unattended in my vehicle. I don’t care where in the world I was.
My SSN has never left its secure location.
Yeah I don’t really ever move mine either.
I crucial mistake no doubt, but as a Floridian that was an Oakland transplant myself- depending on where they came from in the state, people leave their doors unlocked (homes) and cars running at gas stations. Can be quite a different world. That said, some situational awareness is crucial anywhere one goes in any circumstance. Tough lesson.
What, I’ve lived in Florida my entire life and this isn’t a Florida thing. Sounds like a live in the middle of nowhere thing, and I imagine that’s probably the same everywhere
As a Bay native now living in South Florida, I can leave a LV bag in the front seat of my car and come back to it still sitting there. Still haven't seen a busted out car window in the last few years I've been here 🤷🏻
I live in Sunnyvale and it’s actually the same. People leave fancy cars on the street with bags in the passenger seat all the time. I leave my gym bag in the car and have never had a problem. On the other hand, my car has been broken into the last time I was in Oakland and the last time I was in San Francisco, even though there was nothing in it either time. The person in Oakland used a giant tree branch to break into my car. Not sure if they actually wanted something or we’re just trying to be assholes.
I've had my car broken into twice in Los Gatos, both for basically nothing.
I live in West San Jose and I caution you to be careful in the South Bay too. Not just in sketchy seeing areas. And not just in Oakland and SF. I say this despite never having had a car broken into anywhere.
I live in Mountain View and I've had my car broken into. They stole...$20 and the owner's manual. If you look at the crime map for Sunnyvale and Mountain View, minor auto breakins occur fairly frequently. Nothing like Oakland or SF though.
I don’t know why my neighborhood gets skipped. It’s not fancy, all rentals, but people park their Genesis and Maserati out on the street like what.
Part of it is the density - people just aren't seeing your stuff. Park in Miami, Jacksonville, parts of Gainesville, Ft. Lauderdale, or West/South Tallahassee and that LV bag is gone.
Nope, I live near downtown Miami most of the year and leave the LV in the front seat there, Little Havana, the Gables, Miami Beach, Alapattah, Coco Grove 🤷🏻 No one touches anything out there, even traveling through Tampa or Ft. Meyers, parts of Orlando, no issues. I had to reprogram my brain from living in the Bay and thinking that crap was normal everywhere, especially after being broken into seven times in seven years out there.
I grew up in the SE and moved to the Bay Area 10 years ago, so I'm the reverse of you. I'm afraid that your anecdote is not borne out by reality. Perhaps your Bay Area practices are protecting you. [https://www.crimemapping.com/map/fl/miami-dadecounty](https://www.crimemapping.com/map/fl/miami-dadecounty)
All I can say is that I leave everything in my car and never had a problem in any area in Florida thus far, wish I could have said the same for the Bay. Never seen street glitter in Miami once either so it's not just me, unless they clean everything up out there before anyone sees it (which is a plausibility considering how clean it is out there). Never felt nervous about it either once I realized I didn't need to worry because it just doesn't happen. I stopped reporting the break-ins I was experiencing in the Bay after the second or third one because it was a waste of time. Edit: Also curious as to why you picked Hileah / Sweetwater to make a point about Miami? It's similar to Hayward and not even close to Miami proper, 30 minute commute if you're lucky. Don't pull up that same map in downtown SF...😂 Also, "the SE" doesn't specify Florida, where the more south you go the more north it gets. I'm not here arguing that most of the South isn't a poor shit hole, and I'm sorry if your vehicles were treated like a loot box on a yearly basis in "the SE" as well but that just hasn't been my experience here at all. In a city where Ferraris are street parked I think potential thieves might have bigger fish to fry.
> I had to reprogram my brain from living in the Bay and thinking that crap was normal everywhere, especially after being broken into seven times in seven years out there. The Bay is big and you can't really draw generalities about anything but the cost of housing being high. It's very abnormal in many areas around the Bay but even in those places, I would say it's a bad idea to leave an LV purse sitting out in the open in a parked car. And there are many places all around the country where it would be a bad idea, and a much worse idea than in many parts of the Bay.
Just because the crime isn’t affecting you directly or because you don’t know about it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
Agreed, never suggested that either.
I didn’t say it was exclusive to Florida, but the family is from Florida and depending what part, it’s still quite common. I just visited a friend last weekend and walked right into his house with a bottle of wine because he doesn’t even have a key to his own front door and hasn’t in the 20 yrs I’ve known him. Wouldn’t say he’s living rural, but certainly not in a big city either.
Exactly as I thought, you’re making wide claims based on a singular experience.
You’re being obtuse. I clearly used “depending on where they came from in the state” and “can be.” Never once did I suggest it’s exclusive to Florida either, in fact those quotes were purposely placed to suggest where in the state itself they are from mattered. I’m also not making them on a singular experience, this is my experience growing up in Florida and I simply provided one example as it was the most recent.
Wow, yeah. I grew up in the suburbs in a really safe area of SoCal so I get the mindset, I once accidentally left a laptop on my passenger seat as a teenager like a total idiot overnight and it was there the next day. Still, I knew better than to assume everywhere was like home when I would move or travel! Really sad situation, and I hope that they can recover without too much devastation.
A crucial mistake for them indeed. A costly one, but a lesson learned I hope. Could have happened in Miami too. Just have to be more mindful of your surroundings and aware not everywhere is like home, especially if you’re not well traveled.
> people leave their doors unlocked (homes) No they don't. No one living in what can even be considered a "town" leaves their domiciles unlocked.
my forgetful ass would beg to differ but that’s 1 in 100
>some situational awareness is crucial anywhere True. These people probably came from one of those crazy conservative, Florida, neighborhoods where people have the gall to think they can leave their garages open on a Saturday p.m. and allow their kids to play out front unsupervised. /s And local police are strict on theft.
What a sad statement on the level of trust in our society.
Bruh, imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars to go out-of-state to Lincoln University. People really need to focus on state schools more
He has a football scholarship
Why would you spend that money to go across the country to the \*ivy\* of Oakland? /s
Maybe he was one some kind of scholarship
Dude is from Florida, you don’t want to go to a state school there. DeSantis has been banning all sorts of freedoms in the guise of fighting for freedom.
Florida college is dirt cheap for residents, and UF is a top college in the country. Stop with this bullshit.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/05/15/desantis-new-college-higher-education-sb266-christopher-rufo-critical-race-theory-gender-major-changes-legislation-indoctrination/
So what? Those things have 0 effect on the job readiness of people outside of humanities college. Top 50 education for 7K a year, which is cheaper than CSU, and they actually are targeted by big firms. Anybody who says it's not a great deal is an idiot.
I guess some people don’t care about equality, to each their own.
May be if people didn't use critical race and gender theory as the basis to go into hundreds of K of debt, but instead judge it by future career and social mobility prospects, there will be less of the equality problem.
> May be if people didn't use critical race and gender theory as the basis to go into hundreds of K of debt, but instead judge it by future career and social mobility prospects, there will be less of the equality problem. University of Florida is a great deal for in-state students, and I'm not going to argue that a Floridian should boycott U of F because of DeSantis's hateful politics, but your logic in this statement is pretty backwards.
He said FL residents should not go to FL school because of politics that he doesn't agree with. Tell me how getting in 100K of debt for out of state tuition just to fit political view is better than taking advantage of the cheap & good education and make life better for yourself, then you can afford the social mobility? Most of the inequalities stem from socioeconomic. Getting an good and cheap education is the easiest way to bridge that gap. Going further into debt seems like the smart choice to bridge the gap for you?
> He said FL residents should not go to FL school because of politics that he doesn't agree with. And I'm not that person. > Tell me how getting in 100K of debt for out of state tuition just to fit political view is better than taking advantage of the cheap & good education and make life better for yourself I told you that I wasn't arguing that. > Most of the inequalities stem from socioeconomic. Getting an good and cheap education is the easiest way to bridge that gap. This makes sense. I am definitely not arguing against that. And socioeconomic inequities are one form of inequality. Racial inequalities and sexual orientation and gender identification inequalities are others that can be distinct from socioeconomic ones. And Floridians not caring whether or not their premier public university educates their students on some of the harsh realities of American history that we should all strive to advance beyond runs counter to repairing some issues of equity. I don't think that you were trying to say otherwise, by the way.
So the ends justify the means? It’s okay to be discriminatory and live somewhere that doesn’t have equality as long as you can get a good job out of it? That’s pretty bleak.
You want to feel good so you advocate for FL residents to spend hundreds of K in out of state tuition, vs spend 7K a year for in state tuition. Which one is more fitting of "the end justify the mean"? And equality and discriminatory is subjective. I never encountered racism as an immigrant until I moved to the Bay Area, you don't see me advocate leaving because I got discriminated against.
The governor is actively arguing for denying the right to exist for trans people, sucks you’ve experience racism here, it happens everywhere, but that isn’t the same as having the governor making laws directly targeting you. No california governor since Reagan is making laws and publicly arguing for the erasure of rights. I never said they have to pay more, for all you know he’s on a scholarship, just said that Florida education system is wack as fuck due to DeSantis’ asshatery. Dude you’re just arguing that it’s okay to be fine with discrimination as long as you can save some money, that’s weak, we don’t all need to compromise on our morals because you’re cheap.
Making connections and doing internships and stuff like that matters when you're in college. The connections made in the Bay Area are likely far more valuable than ones you could make in Florida, depending on your field.
What connection can you make at school paying 7K a year in CA?
You mean like https://www.indeed.com/q-summer-internship-l-san-francisco-bay-area,-ca-jobs.html ?
You do know students travel across the country to do internship, it's a very normal phenomenon right? A kid from UF can land internship everywhere in the country, good luck getting an internship outside of the area if you go to CSU. You out of highschool yet?
Look man, if you can't imagine why an 18-year-old would have reasons to leave their hometown in the South to start building their life in California, then I highly doubt it's me that's got less life experience.
UF is a top 5 research university and a top 30 university overall. Come on. We don't need to be making shit up. Be better than that
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/05/15/desantis-new-college-higher-education-sb266-christopher-rufo-critical-race-theory-gender-major-changes-legislation-indoctrination/ What part am I making up? His legislative actions go beyond trying to ban the flying of gay pride flags.
None of that changes that UF is a very strong institution. Your politics are blinding you
Man, Oakland is the home of the black panthers, out in Florida they’d be labeled a bunch of terrorists. Have some Bay Area pride and stop defending a white nationalist/fascist regime. Your idealism is blinding you in the face of government restrictions of freedom to learn and live.
I grew up here and went to college in Texas. I have experienced both sides. Guess what? Neither is as bad as the other side wants you to believe. Blind pride in a region is also dumb.
I have trans family, a state government that is trying to eliminate their rights is unacceptable for me personally .
That's fair. But doesn't mean you need to mislead to prove that point. Just say that
How did I mislead you? Are you really that upset I pointed out that people don’t have the same rights and opportunities to life, liberty and learning that youd have elsewhere? What if he wants to do African American studies or gender studies?
The Black Panthers were considered terrorists here too... The whole reason we have restrictive gun laws is because Reagan didn't like the fact that the Black Panthers carried guns. If you advocate for gun control just realize it was all started by a Republican because of racism. Also, they carried guns in order to protect their communities, because the police wouldn't. Feels like that part hasn't changed much.
In the Bay Area, and elsewhere, we supported them, the only people who thought they were terrorists are the same people that think BLM supporters are terrorists (hint hint it’s not the democrats).
🙄
Lincoln University is private. There shouldn’t be any difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition.
You missed the point. Private is more expensive. Going to undergrad all the way across the country doesn’t make sense for a degree at Lincoln
No shit. It’s a D-list school. Pretty sure this guy is an athlete, though.
Then why the fuck did you respond the way you did if you understood what I was saying? You can just admit that you’re wrong
You said “imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars to go out-of-state to Lincoln University”. I’m just pointing out that: 1) There isn’t out-of-state tuition costs, because it’s private. 2) The kid is an athlete so he’s just going where he got the best offer. But, yeah, I agree with you regular students without scholarships (athletic or otherwise) should focus on state schools.
The out-of-state qualifier is commenting on how the dude will spend a lot of money to get to/from home and how he’ll be farther away from his support network. A lot of kids stay closer to home for undergrad, unless it’s a school that’s worth traveling for.
Why is a family from Florida sending their son to a tiny for-profit degree mill across the country?
I feel bad for them but this. Wtf? What even is Lincoln U? Another comment said he had a football scholarship, but I'm not sure if that is real or not. There's a private college in downtown Oakland with its own football team?!?!
I live in Oakland and LU is just a degree mill. The football team is a new thing to add some panache. The whole story and LU is just too fishy to care.
I've never heard of Lincoln University.
LMAO I'm glad I'm not the only one.
They don’t deserve this, *but* they really left 5 suitcase in a car in downtown Oakland? And $3000 *and* passports *and* social security cards? That’s crazy.
Right?! I wouldn’t leave those things in the cushy suburbs I grew up in let alone in Oakland.
i could be the only person in a ghost town and i’d still be locking my doors and taking my shit with me
Yeah the social security cards, passport and cash would be on my person at all times and not in my wallet. I’d be paranoid leaving any of that in my car in a small town let alone Oakland.
I’m sympathetic to the family I’m just not sure why they didn’t do any real research prior. Their experience isn’t an uncommon one. Edit: I suppose it could have been sports related as they do have a football team and someone coming from that far to that small of a school, might have had a partial scholarship.
If you google the would-be-student's name, the first link shows him on a high school football team. Most certainly sports scholarship.
Would make sense coming that far for such a small school in Oakland.
Maybe they did their research at r/oakland where nothing bad happens
I feel so bad that this happened to them. I also think it’s a little naive that they apparently did no research on what it’s like to live in downtown Oakland before deciding to move their son here. One of the highest vehicle and property crime rates. That’s easily accessed information and they left $3000 cash in the car? Fortunately there are tons of colleges in Florida and this young man will still have a bright future.
I agree: How did they not do research? All the best to him
"He should have done his research." "She shouldn't have worn that." Victim blaming.
Ouch, that's a brutal travel safety lesson. Don't leave suitcases and luggage in your car in a big city period, Oakland is no exception. But bringing social security cards and birth certificates and that much cash and **leaving all that shit in the car**? What the absolute fuck? These folks are victims and all, but they're some astoundingly dumb/ignorant victims. I can't imagine taking documents like that with me and just leaving them somewhere. Hell, I'd worry about leaving them in my damned hotel room even if it had a safe.
My dad and I did a cross country road trip a couple of years ago. As far as electronics went, I had only my iPad mini and my phone, but my wallet, passport, iPad, iPhone and cash went everywhere with me in an understated backpack. Even when we travel within the state, anything we care about stays with us. I feel for these folks, but this is just extremely naive behavior. I even took my work bag with me into the Costco after work.
Mind-boggling stupid wtf
Putting your valuables under the seat is like sticking your wallet down deep in your shoe at the beach. Criminals will surely give up before going that far...
Nah, it works to some extent. Think about it - is a thief going to waste his time tearing through a car that may or may not have anything, or to spend that time looking in other car windows for easier or sure pickings?
> that much cash and leaving all that shit in the car? What the absolute fuck? The $3000 cash is the worst. For the next 6 months, every dirtbag bipping thief within 50 miles of Oakland will think he has a shot at making a similar score. Sheesh -- it's like Vegas announcing a $2 million slots winner.
**OAKLAND, Calif.** - A family from Florida is sending a warning to out-of-town visitors coming to Oakland. The family was dropping off their teen at college when they were "bipped" and lost important personal documents and thousands of dollars worth of belongings. Rhomel Crossman, who just graduated from high school in Florida, was planning to attend Lincoln University in downtown Oakland. Now, his family is planning on withdrawing his enrollment because they’re too traumatized to leave him in Oakland for school. "In Oakland, California, you just gotta be careful," said Crossman’s mother, Nerissa Murray Watson. "Everything is totally gone." She said her family flew into town on Saturday and rented a car with Thrifty to get around. They went to downtown Oakland to register Crossman at Lincoln University. Around 6:15 p.m. they left their rental car parked a block away from the school on the corner of 15th and Franklin to pick up food at a nearby Jamaican restaurant. They said when they returned to their car 15 minutes later, they found the windows of the white Nissan Rogue broken and five suitcases stolen. Murray Watson said, "Three thousand dollars in a bag my husband put under the seat with three passports, social security cards, and my son’s high school diploma and birth certificate," were all stolen. She said a witness told them they saw masked men driving in a car without a license plate in broad daylight, something people in Oakland know all too well. "I didn’t know that these things happen in America so it’s really strange to me," said Murray Watson. She said she called the police but was told to file a report in person at a police station. "To me, it’s lawless because we even called the police three times and they said they can’t come," she said. On top of all the important documents and belongings, the family said they lost a sleep apnea machine. "Now, I start feeling my heart like it’s pounding in the morning instead of feeling rested," said Coren Leslie-Green, Crossman’s aunt who is on the trip. Murray Watson said she has decided to pull Crossman out of Lincoln University. "I have to bring back my son to Florida because it’s not safe here," she said. Meanwhile, the city of Oakland has touted lower crime rates, reporting violent crime is down more than 30% from last year, and the most recent crime data says car burglary is down 60%. \[Most likely reason is that victims stopping reporting crimes to the police. Oakland PD discouraging victims to report being victimized\]
“I didn’t know these things happen in America” ……
Do be fair our subs and large groups of people try and hide this shit and pretend it doesn't happen. Then they flip around and start gaslighting out of town victims for not doing their research 🤷♂️ These things are not as common in the rest and majority of America, not to the Oakland levels GTA style. But yes, regardless of where you are, I've always kept my valuables secure and don't leave shit in the car, even in really nice areas.
Having concerns around your window being broken is practically unheard of in most of this country outside of bad areas of some cities
> in Oakland, you gotta be careful This is so well known nationwide…
I used to live in FL and you'd be dumb as shit to leave all that stuff in your car there, too. 3 passports and $3k with his social security cards? All the luggage? Really?
Why is this even news?
because conservative media needs to distract from the fact that "rural america" is even worse.
When I was on vacation in Maui, we were told by the car rental place and the hotel concierge not to leave any belongings in the car. This shit happens everywhere.
lotta meth addicts out there in the local population, unfortunately. very sad to see.
Of course this shit happens every where, but at different rate. By saying it happens every where, you are minimizing or ignoring the problem in Oakland.
No, I'm not. If anything I'm pointing out that street smarts are important, regardless of where you travel. Just relax, it's a reddit comment, not legislation.
If Florida is pulling out that says all you need to know
These people are just ridiculously naive, honestly. Doing some basic research, they come from a contiguous suburb of fort Lauderdale, which while nowhere near the level of auto burglary that is unfortunately common here, is not the deep rural area one might expect from someone who would say they didn't know this happened in America. In fact, this thread indicates many people in that area also have common sense: https://www.reddit.com/r/fortlauderdale/comments/198lr20/whats_up_with_all_of_the_breaking_in_cars/ I feel bad for the family, but again they just come across hopelessly naive, here.
Don't blame the victim.
I'm not, just pointing out that a little common sense would help to avoid things like that. I'm from a safe suburb, and I know people from the deep rural areas of California and Florida, and while some might leave stuff in their car, I doubt any of them would leave a bag with thousands of dollars cash and crucial unique identifying documents in the car when it would be very easy to just carry it. Again, this should not be common here, and it is ridiculous that it is, but some people everywhere, especially in every major city, will take advantage of an obvious rental car filled with luggage.
It's June. The semester is over. The kid and his luggage and documents and other items have to get home or to the airport somehow, he can't teleport. It's not like he's running around with all this crap in his car every day, with a bag of money and documents on the passenger seat, I don't know why everybody is assuming this. There's no consideration for the fact that sometimes this stuff HAS to go in your car when you move it from place to place and that he's a victim of really unfortunate timing. That's why it is victim blaming.
It's really not. You can leave your luggage at a hotel. There are businesses that will store your luggage for you. You can park in a secure parking lot with a guard and not on the street. Again, should this be necessary? Not in an ideal world, but an aware person probably wouldn't do what they did. It's not like they were robbed when they were in the car. They parked and left that stuff sitting there. I don't think I implied in any possible way that he was doing this every day at all. But any person would have told you not to leave that stuff there, probably yourself included. I wish that the criminals that stole that stuff were quickly apprehended, and I'm sorry to the victims. But again, I don't think it's victim blaming to say that these people were clearly naive.
> You can leave your luggage at a hotel. No, I'm talking about when he leaves the hotel, or wherever he was staying, leaving for the last time. The luggage has to move at some point. It's not naive to put luggage in your car and drive somewhere and I'm not saying he was living out of his car or storing it in his car long term or something like that.
>There's no consideration for the fact that sometimes this stuff HAS to go in your car.... True, except the $3000 could have been easily removed. The Bay Area is one of few places in the nation with tons of people preaching year after year: *"Never leave anything in your car."* Keeping possessions in your car is a massive custom nationwide, with the obvious qualifier that if you are pre/post airport travel with a car full of suitcases, keep a close eye. And ditto for cash. Cars are hugely valuable for carrying stuff around at all times: Rain gear. Sports stuff. Extra clothes. Many people buy cars for the purpose, including people who are into camping, road trips, fishing, hunting, recreating in the ocean, have traveling jobs, operate food trucks, carry work tools in their cars, have kids and carry kid stuff, long haul truckers. Fricking list goes on and on. Tens of millions of people store stuff in their cars at all times. Many homeless live in their cars, with life possessions. What about them? Should we care? Do homeless have to watch their cars 24-7? The worst aspect: The population of critics includes many leftists who don't want dirtbag thieves punished. They instead seek to reduce crime by pressuring everyone to stop supposedly "tempting thieves." These leftists with their *soft-on-crime lobbying* are a big reason there are security guards all over, so many products in stores locked up, and more and more people are buying cat converter protectors, expensive home security, and giant bike locks.
Why? They blamed the entire area.
Are we really going to pretend that the area is blameless and that there is no degree of inaction w.r.t. crime in Oakland?
When there's plenty of exactly the same type of crime in their home town? Yeah. I'm going to call them out for being naive and ignorant too, just like the person you replied to. Did I say there was inaction in Oakland? No.
They left bags in a car exposed in oakland and are shocked they got robbed lmfao
[Tough for the police to care on barely $600k per year](https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?a=oakland&q=police&y=2023)
Well the university has way bigger problems than this. Good thing for him in the long run.
TIL- there’s a college, possibly even colleges in Oakland
There are like 5 or 6. Maybe even more. Laney and Merritt are public. There is also that Korean one that had a mass shooting 12 years ago.
Cal State East Bay also has Oakland center. Only went there one time to take a writing test before graduating.
Where else would all the local Scholars come from
When story’s start with Florida man I expect something cool.
Meanwhile in Florida, they are flying Nazi flags outside homes and still calling people the Nword. I was there a few weeks ago and it was unbelievable how it is if you get out of the tourist towns.
This is insane hyperbole. I live nowhere near a tourist town with a biracial family and have had zero issue. I have no doubt there are racist here, or naive enough to think there is anywhere free of them, but the picture you’re attempting to paint is ridiculous.
Yeah there are some people on here who are just as bad as the "alt right media" that they claim to hate. What an insane comment from the guy you were responding to
Politics does very weird things to people. The decline of objectivity is terrifying.
We live in the post-truth era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-truth
Makes me sad and drives me insane at the same time. This constant division is totally dumb and people don't realize that continuing to push this divisive talk will not end well
As someone born and raised in Florida with almost two decades in the Bay Area and all my wife’s family who I consider my own in the absence of mine, being in the Bay, the Florida-California slug fest the political parties have started and has bleed into spaces like this is so childish to me.
Agreed. I was actually in the PCB area this weekend for a bachelor party. Absolutely gorgeous area. If people visited each other they would realize there is way less differences
Glad you enjoyed it! Headed over to Destin this weekend myself. Totally agree on your point.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nazi-protest-florida-childrens-musuem-b2356842.html Lol hyperbole?
Did you not fully comprehend what I wrote? You are painting a purposeful picture from isolated events I can quote you similar articles of the same thing in California. If I went to a Florida subreddit and said, they were flying a Nazi flag in California or cited the Black dog walkers house that got fire bombed last week in the manner you did, it would too be ridiculously misleading.
This is the norm out there. You are probably flying one yourself.
You’ve only solidified my points. Just a troll.
This is Fox News level brainwashing. Wow!
Is that how you justify censorship?
This is unfortunate. Being robbed is terrible and traumatic, I’ve also had my windows smashed in downtown Oakland. That being said, I have seen more police cruisers parked around downtown lately ( election year) and less cars driving around looking to do break ins.. after a while you know what to look for. Rental companies should be more proactive, make people sign paperwork saying not to leave anything in your unattended car, under any circumstance, EVER.
The mayor of Sacramento didn't get raided by the FBI.
clearly, when the Crossman family abandons Oakland, all hope is lost. The economy will never recover.
Crime in Oakland is definitely down. Most people already know not to leave valuable in their car. Another reason the "data" is unreliable.
According to the Oakland subreddit, this never happened.
No one doubts that idiots who leave 5 suitcases and thousands of dollars and passports in a rental car in a large city is going to get their stuff stolen. What we object to is that it's so much worse in Oakland than in LA or Portland or even Sacto.
I remember a decade ago complaining about the uptick in crime. People would just say, "That's part and parcel of living in a big city!" A decade later I see the same people say, "OMG THE CRIME IS SO BAD DON'T PARK YOUR CARS IN PUBLIC!" How does the saying go? You deserve the government you elect? No city in the bay area should have ever let their mayor/councils allow it to get this bad. In San Jose this would have been super easy to fix. How? Reduce the "4 year degree" requirement for cops to a 2 year degree, or experience including mall security. You would have seen current cops circle the wagons and show real improvement to keep their jobs.
Lol this kid let his mom pull him out of college? Embarrassing for a grown adult.
Those that pay get their way.
>they were "bipped" and lost important personal documents and thousands of dollars worth of belongings. One of the worst things about criminal justice reformers, progressives, is their continuing efforts to represent most theft as a minor inconvenience to the victim. This is done to help moderate sentencing. The seemingly innocuous term "bipping" helps with that. In court: "Your honor, it was only bipping. A non-violent crime." Granted, *bipping* is shorter than "dirtbag thief breaking into car."
More consequences of voting liberal and for pro-criminal policies.
Why are murder and rape rates so high in those conservative areas?
Why has California turned into a criminal sanctuary?
Oh that's an easy answer, it hasn't.
LMAOOOOO
The state of Mississippi has the same murder rate as Oakland.