Facebook neighborhood groups are the worst thing ever

xp - ohhh they did this with Telegraph Ave in Oakland right near me about a year ago -- between the diet, the buses, and the weird parklets -- it really discourages driving down that stretch of street

lol at Solano ave tho -- that's yuppie hell and way out of the way for me -- might as well drive to SF

I'm pretty sure that ppl on my nextdoor have complained about this telegraph ave road diet tho, however, it is eclipsed by the bigger issue of package theft. I swear, if someone were to run for city council in our district on a platform that prioritizes combating package theft with some innovative technological solution, they would win by a landslide.

package and bike thieves are the local scourge. every time someone loses a bike, someone replies that they should check the homeless encampments. Or when they see someone they ID as "a transient" with a bike, sometimes they take a photo of them and say "anyone missing a bike that looks like this?"

still tho, it really demonstrates the repercussions of amazon's dominance -- delivery companies are super lax now in terms of requiring signatures before delivery -- fedex saw no problem whatsoever in leaving packages on the doorstep to my apartment building, which is akin to putting them on the curb with a big sign that says "FREE!" ... maybe the prospective city council candidate could also file a class action lawsuit against FedEx on behalf of everyone in Oakland, pretty much

i mean, if the economic conditions of my life were such that stealing packages was a solid career move, I would totally target this neighborhood.

Amazon also just makes so much money that they'll take the losses on stolen packages and just send you a replacement with no question asked, so people feel secure in that regard as well. Which also cuts out local stores to an extent, people don't worry about not being home because it doesn't matter, they know a replacement would get sent regardless.

oh, I'm talking about FedEx -- delivering for companies that aren't just Amazon -- in that they are delivering so many Amazon packages, they need to be more efficient. Amazon would not refund me the cost of the makita drill batteries that got stolen, which I ordered from Amazon because Home Depot (and the other hardware stores) don't carry batteries for my 25 year old drill ...

imo Amazon capitalized on both sides of the equation by buying the Ring doorbell company

want some packages? we'll send you some. someone stealing your packages? buy our fancy motion sensor doorbell and find out who

brilliant!

maybe then they will buy nextdoor.com so they can monetize people complaining about their packages being stolen and posting blurry pics taken from the Ring cameras

I'm kind of thinking they will -- the Ring app already has a nextdoor-like feature and 90% of it is "this guy came up to my porch and looked in the window but didn't ring the bell"

oh yeah and the classic "loud noise - car backfiring or gun being fired?"

tbh I don't remember the last time I heard a car backfire but it's an interesting dichotomy set up

I'm kind of thinking they will -- the Ring app already has a nextdoor-like feature and 90% of it is "this guy came up to my porch and looked in the window but didn't ring the bell"

don't start shit won't be no shit let your cat sit in the window then imo

https://i.imgur.com/uopFUG8.png

NextDoor users are even more delusional than Craigslist users for people trying to sell their junk at high end prices

“Used ikea lack table missing 1 leg $50 cash offers only”

lol those things go for like $10 new in store!

someone's selling used bathroom mats in ours o_O

no longer do people leave notes on cars asking someone to move if they're taking up two parking spots, they snap photos of the offending vehicle and post them on NextDoor and the entire neighborhood is collectively *apoplectic* at these criminal acts.

Today, February 27th, at approximately 10:55am, OPD police activity briefly impacted the neighborhood near and within the 400 block of Oakland Avenue. OPD patrol located a stolen and parked recreational vehicle and were unable to determine whether the vehicle was occupied. Due to safety considerations, traffic was restricted to and from the area as officers employed various tactics to use time, distance, and communication to ensure the safe apprehension of anyone who may have possibly been inside the vehicle. Oakland Ave was reopened at 11:48 am and the vehicle was safely recovered without incident or arrest.

https://i.imgur.com/fKDNhLb.png

https://i.imgur.com/RKL8A0j.png

Anyone else catch men pleasuring themselves in their cars on Grand Ave?
In the past 4 months I have caught 2 different men pleasuring themselves (pants down, genitals out) in the front seat of their cars on Grand Avenue. Both instances have been between Lenox and Perkins St during peak morning commute hours. Has anyone else encountered this? What would you suggest doing? Is this even worth reporting to the police?
*** If you have been doing this in your car in public, I urge you, please go home! A major street with people and children walking around is not the place for you to be getting off.

New7h ago · 23 neighborhoods in Crime & Safety

OL who is leaning over to look??

presumably someone thinking of the children walking around?

East Bay Veterinary Clinic Located at 568 Grand Avenue Sold Me Counterfeit Flea Medication And Killed My Dog

Is that a song title from the next Mark Kozelek record?

There was just a big furore because apparently the ground of the play area in the local park was painted the colours of the Irish tricolour flag overnight by vandals. This is in the east end of Glasgow, so a potentially controversial topic amongst certain people, including the incensed and offended guy who initially posted about it after being sent a photo by a friend. "Think of the kiddiewinks!" etc.

In the end of course, it wasn't any such thing. I believe the play area has always had flooring in green, pinkish and orange sections, though I've never particularly paid attention to it.

At least it was a great post for highlighting the sectarian bigots and credulous idiots in the immediate area. There was some nice piss taking as well, thankfully, with at least one Ivory Coast reference before it all escalated to deletion.

Are there that many sectarian Irish in Scotland? Dumb question probably, sorry.

There are (historically) issues with sectarianism in Glasgow. I'm not really clued up on it as I totally eschew both religion and football, but it's there. Being very lazy with my link choice here sorry, a bit short of time to read any deeper articles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectarianism_in_Glasgow

Gonna go down to the playground and paint a big Mexican flag. Tell everyone it's the Irish flag if they complain.

Trayce - there are signs on public transport in Glasgow basically warning you not to talk about religion in public because you could be arrested for inciting violence.

Who... who includes a selfie with their post asking for dental advice?

https://i.imgur.com/lhPTDtz.jpg

at least open your mouth

someone had a fight in the alley

I also heard. The men were screaming, but not cursing. I prayed that the Prince of Peace would intervene. I also went to call the police. But didn't because I could no longer hear anything. It sounded like it was right outside my bedroom window in the back. Three young men rent the house next door. They are middle-class, but there is at least one girlfriend who sometimes spends the night. Many are deluded, thinking sin has no consequences. The devil is a liar.

Man, when the Prince of Peace and the Police show up to the same alley fight.

who would win? prince of peace or cops? scouting reports on POP are high in praise but afaik cops are 1-0 lifetime vs prince of peace

the bizarre poetry of Facebook neighbourhood groups

I joined the Reading one, but it proved to be a long series of "Who remembers Rumbelows?" type messages.

My nextdoor group has been relatively chill up until now, but recently the paranoiacs have infiltrated.

https://i.imgur.com/izv68JB.jpg

Someone else made a post to report a strange van idling on her street, but it turned out to be her neighbor who had lived there for 4 years.

Thanks. My husband says as you say...action needed. At 6:10 am one morning 2 weeks ago, .went to my car in driveway. I.was .not aware until later that I.may have witnessed something bad. I heard like a firecracker, then a short guy in hoodie running down the street....I ducked low near car....around 9am I reported it to the police.....not.good...

I had to try typing that out for myself to see how it feels. .....not.good...

haha

On the poetry front, there's one particular person in the group for my local area who always posts in an amazing and particularly idiosyncratic style.

Here's a favourite that I saved from a few months back. All the formatting is hers as well.

But also the railway line
BELLGROVE
Then to Edinburgh (via carntyne fine)
The sub. Bit to Springburn
Is not needed
A new Edinburgh-springburn route
Done via stepps
I think ?
If I’m wrong sorry
But I see all that area away for a new development
That no one wants
The old buildings need to stay

that one was a failed ilx sock, iirc

H------ E-----, A-----

Cars Keyed
Someone came around the L---- area and keyed all the parked cars including my own.
I don’t know if anyone has seen this activity before or has had it happen on their block/car.
Can anyone recommend a good camera? I need to stall it inside my car so that this doesn’t happen again.

H-- R-----
These things don't happen in Singapore, S. Korea, Japan..with or without surveillance camera. Probably don't happen in China, but they have cameras everywhere. The cause of these things is Western Leftism and rule by Democratic Party.

https://i.imgur.com/2KPKp39.png

https://i.imgur.com/VjCNSAj.png

70% of the topics she lists I have never seen show up on our nextdoor feed.

the neighborhood fascists have dropped their masks on this thread asking earnestly: Do anyone else agree that it’s time for the National Guard to step in to handle the crime in the city?

I’d rather the military patrol than watch several drug deals every morning and evening (I work 8+hours a day so I’m sure I’m not seeing the others) or have to dodge strung out people as soon as i get home.

I feel very safe in Israel with all of the military carrying assault rifles......much safer than Baltimore!!

I'll say if there's one thing everyone in Little Rock can agree upon, it's that we never want to see the National Guard called out for anything ever again.

musing on the recent closing of a TCBY, nostalgia for when things were good and people valued their slaves

Where we spend our money creates an important dimension of our reality. Think of a dollar as a vote, then think what are you voting for? Unfortunately, our priorities are often in conflict with our beliefs and desires. I think of that every time I order from Amazon, although I don't know where I might find all the little odd things I need, things that were once sold in 5&Dimes, which themselves had displaced smaller shops. In NYC there was an old couple who had a tiny button shop on First Avenue, that was it, just rows of wooden boxes on the walls. Then next door there was Maria and her husband, who could add up long lists of numbers in his head, who sold fruits and vegetables. The NY I grew up in no longer exists. And it is a fiction for younger generations. Maybe they'll see it in old movies if they're willing to watch. In the 80's began the commodification of everything. I've been reading southern history, and from their point of view, the south fought the Civil War to maintain their version of civilized life (I know, I know). over against a soulless money-oriented north. They argued that as slaves were property, they had value, whereas in the north, workers were expendable, easily replaced, and could be worked to death. The north won, and still is winning, as all living things on earth face extinction.