''Garbage Picker'' steals bikes in the news

Originally Posted by newattitude

I've seen this guy driving around and now the kids/cops will BOLO for this guy but I wonder if this will have impact on anyone else driving around and add to people not putting garbage out early, etc.

Guy driving a black truck with a trailer took 3 kids bikes while they watched. He is known in the area as a ''garbage picker'' who is in the neighborhood every Thursday.

Now, if I'm out and you can ask my parents, I have passed up questionable things like bikes which kids leave all over the place. Unless a bike is up against a garbage can or obviously broken I don't take them. Same with some chairs if it looks like it might have been set out for a parent to watch kids play on a circle and left it sitting there thinking it was safe to do so.

By the time the cops got there and the parents went looking for him he was gone. He had to have known he did a bad thing. But that he took them right in front of the kids is amazing! And of course they will be able to identify him if he has the guts to go around again after seeing this in the newspaper! Just one more person giving us a bad name.

What a loser...with all the stuff on craigslist, businesses, construction sites, etc you are going to steel some poor little kids bicycle. The nerve of some people!

Originally Posted by newattitude

Now, if I'm out and you can ask my parents, I have passed up questionable things like bikes which kids leave all over the place. Unless a bike is up against a garbage can or obviously broken I don't take them. Same with some chairs if it looks like it might have been set out for a parent to watch kids play on a circle and left it sitting there thinking it was safe to do so.

Or basketball goals. Even if they are on their side at the curb.. I typically won't take unless there's a note on it, or it's cut in half

Originally Posted by newattitude

I know, breaks your heart doesn't it? Hard for parents to come up with money for bikes nowadays as it is and for them to be stolen like that? I had a bunch that were bad and if I thought they were fixable I'd have dropped some off at the police station and they could have called the parents and told them to come get them. I hope they catch this guy. I also wonder if, when something like this happens if they put the scrap yards on a ''BOLO'' notice?

I had not read this thread before and stealing candy from babies is lower than whale $hi!! at the bottom of the ocean. Please, I am not trying to derail a thread only trying to help kids like this from a scrappers view.

NA your idea of donating good bikes to the police department to benefit the needy in their local communities is great. Many police departments have bike rodeo's. There are several reasons for these including PR, teaching kids bike safety, giving away free helmets, and giving away bikes that have been impounded. Good bikes that we have can be donated to such an event and we could get a tax break. Another idea is to contact local schools and ask if they have students without bikes. Imagine getting a tax break equal to what you could get advertising on CL, dealing with people, and hoping the check does not bounce.

If your local police department does not have a bike rodeo, you could sponsor one for the cost of time. It is easy to get businesses to donate items for such an event when in association with the city council, police department, fire department, etc. When aligned with community entities it provides great PR, a chance to help the community, and the tax breaks for the businesses. Most community entities have a PR fund that they might be willing to invest. Other options for support include the Lions Club, Eagles, VFW, Boys Scouts, Masons etc. For your time to organize such an event think of the number of individuals you can impact. Now add your marketing plan and you have a new network. But most of all you can ensure kids will always have a bike even if their parents cannot afford it.

By the way, if there is not a bike rodeo in your community then the community is probably auctioning the bikes in a surplus sale or hauling them to the dump. Ask if they would be willing to donate the bikes and time for the kids of the community.