A Uniquely Early 21st Century Crime - What Would You Do?

[tellner]

Coming close on the heels of this thread, what would you do if you came home and found a whole mob of people looting your house?

There's been a few times, of which the one below is only the latest, where someone posts an ad on Craigslist or similar. It says that a house had been abandoned. Please feel free to come and take whatever you want. The first time I saw this story in the paper the owner was away for days. She came home to find the pipes ripped out of the walls.

This time it didn't quite go that far.

The ads popped up Saturday afternoon, saying the owner of a Jacksonville home was forced to leave the area suddenly and his belongings, including a horse, were free for the taking
...
"I informed them I was the owner, but they refused to give the stuff back," Salisbury said. "They showed me the Craigslist printout and told me they had the right to do what they did."


The driver sped away after rebuking Salisbury. On his way home he spotted other cars filled with his belongings.

I'd tell them once clearly that it was my house, and they were stealing from it. After they've been informed they have a chance to put my property down immediately. If they don't, they are committing a burglary against a dwelling. And there's a whole pile of them which means I am in a situation with immense disparity of force. I can't reach into the souls of the people who are carting away everything. All I can know is that they've broken into my house to steal from me in large numbers. Since it's my house I know that they could be armed with my own weapons.


The numbers roll around and "deadly force" keeps falling out of the hopper.


I'm not a lawyer, but I'd be willing to bet that the guy who posted the hoax would end up riding the pipe for any deaths that came out of this. It was his or her conspiracy and actions which were responsible for the killings.

 

[KenpoTex]

A situation like this could easily have a very ugly ending in any "castle doctrine" state.

 

[still learning]

Hello, The safest thing is to call the police and contact a lawyer!

If confronted one thing you can do is ask them to leave with out your stuffs....get their licence plates,take pictures (if carrying a camera)...

Best not to get into any aggressive fights....accept what happen so far and prevent anyone else from entering the premise.

Sad that this has happen to someone...and for those who believe those ads? ...should question it? ...if it is too good to be true? ...mostly likely a prank!

Aloha

 

[tellner]

It certainly could turn ugly. And the safest thing to do is lie back and take it. Accept that everything you worked for will be taken from you and hope that the police will bother to come and take a report after the fact.

That would be safest.

Sometimes safest is not best. And where you fall on that is more a question of fundamental character than anything else.

Besides. I'll be between them and the door. If they want to take leave with what they've looted they'll have to physically assault me.

 

[terryl965]

People are more gullible today than ever before in history.

 

[kaizasosei]

i would call the cops! real fast!!!

j

 

[Ninjamom]

People are more gullible today than ever before in history.

I wonder if they are 'willfully gullible', though. Do they honestly NOT SEE that what they are doing is illegal and unethical, or is it just one more manifestation of our 'me first' entitlement culture?

It certainly could turn ugly. And the safest thing to do is lie back and take it. Accept that everything you worked for will be taken from you and hope that the police will bother to come and take a report after the fact.

After our home was burglarized two years ago, I came to the unpleasant realization that it isn't anybody's
'job' to see that we get a stitch of our stuff back. Catching and prosecuting the perpetrators takes the front seat. If in the process someone happens to see some of our stuff, that's 'nice', but not necessary for the rest of the process. I wouldn't go so far as to say that no one cares if we get anything back, but...... OK, yes I would say that.

 

[terryl965]

I wonder if they are 'willfully gullible', though. Do they honestly NOT SEE that what they are doing is illegal and unethical, or is it just one more manifestation of our 'me first' entitlement culture?

I would agree self induce, people today just does not get it. I know if that happened to me I would go nutts.

After our home was burglarized two years ago, I came to the unpleasant realization that it isn't anybody's
'job' to see that we get a stitch of our stuff back. Catching and prosecuting the perpetrators takes the front seat. If in the process someone happens to see some of our stuff, that's 'nice', but not necessary for the rest of the process. I wouldn't go so far as to say that no one cares if we get anything back, but...... OK, yes I would say that.

Sorry to hear you was burglarized, it isa hard thing to get over and some stuff can never be replaced.

 

[Flying Crane]

I wonder if it would all be covered by homeowners or renters insurance.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Well first of all, if the building was locked how did they gain access to start with?

I would hope any competent locksmith would verify the one calling would in fact be able to prove ownership of the property before working on the locks.....???

If one has neighbors surely even if they DIDN'T know what the owner looked like and were fooled by the locksmith even THEY would recognize a B&E in progress if someone just kicked it in?

 

[Live True]

I wonder if it would all be covered by homeowners or renters insurance.

Unfortunately, not all the loss is physical and replaceable.

 

[Steel Tiger]

I wonder if they are 'willfully gullible', though. Do they honestly NOT SEE that what they are doing is illegal and unethical, or is it just one more manifestation of our 'me first' entitlement culture?

Definitely a manifestation of the 'me first' culture. Just look at the reprobate who used a print out from the internet to explain he had a right to steal. Where do these ideas come from? I fear that if I were in that situation that particular individual would not have been driving away, others might escape, but not him.

I must have missed something in the last couple of decades, when did our society get so mean spirited that someone would intentionally set up another persons house to be robbed and vandalised? I wonder was it someone with a grudge or just one of thosemindlessly vicious crimes against a complete stranger.

 

[MJS]

Hmm..what would I do? Well, after getting over the initial shock of seeing what was going on, the first thing I'd do is call the police. I really don't think that just by showing a copy of the craigslist ad, that that would be enough proof, for someone to go thru my house. I don't feel that an ad is a legal document. I would demand proof that it was I that actually put the ad online in the first place.

As Andy said...how was access to the house gained? Kicking in the door? Through a window? I'm sorry, but if something was free, it would be easily accessable. Basically as far as I'm concerned, these people have broken into a house and are guilty of B&E as he said.

And who in their right mind would actually think that there was nothing odd about an ad like this. An entire house up for first come first serve? Then again, there're alot of stupid people out there, so anything is possible.

I'm sorry, but I don't feel that I should have to accept anything. I'm not going to just stand by and watch people enter/exit my house with my property, without doing something. If that means fighting with the person or using force to keep my belongings, then so be it.

 

[thardey]

I would probably pick one of the looters, and "publicly" perform a "citizens arrest" starting with the one who showed me the ad in the first place. Loudly and firmly tell him that I am calling the police, and that he is going to jail. That would certainly serve as a deterrent to more looting. You know he'll be squawking about his "rights" and anybody else around will know that I got one of 'em, and they don't want to be taking his place.

I doubt that anything would come of it, but I'm sure I have the right to detain an "invader" to my property. I'm got some zip ties in the garage that should hold him nicely. (Assuming that they weren't among the first things to go.)

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I think in a situation like this having a phone and calling the police would be the first response. Taking pictures and video with the same phone would be the next response. (you have to love our modern cell phone's

) I would be taking photos of cars license plates, faces, etc. Truthfully I would try and stay away from the looters because if there are that many then a physical confrontation would certainly be bad and someone (not me) would probably end up seriously hurt. (remember I am a tool based martial science practitioner) I imagine in my small town that the police would be there in less than two to three mintues and the situation would be resolved shortly and everyone there would be arrested and yes I would prosecute for the damages and well in general for their stupidity.

 

[sgtmac_46]

I'd walk in, grab Mr. Benelli from his hiding place, and then proceed to 'explain' to these morons that A) They're under arrest B) They're not free to leave and C) Anyone who does attempt to leave is going to get SHOT!

Of course that's assuming their outside my house.....if they're IN my house we'll skip the middle man and start shooting people!

 

[Makalakumu]

I'd walk in, grab Mr. Benelli from his hiding place, and then proceed to 'explain' to these morons that A) They're under arrest B) They're not free to leave and C) Anyone who does attempt to leave is going to get SHOT!

Of course that's assuming their outside my house.....if they're IN my house we'll skip the middle man and start shooting people!

I'd be afraid of starting a shootout. Who knows who else is armed? If the mob is peaceful, I'd call the police and start taking pictures. If not and I feel personally in danger, I would exit the situation. I can't imagine that someone would pursue...but if they did, I'm attacking.

Where does it stop? How far do you go? If the cops show up and you are shooting people or exchanging fire with a mob, what do you think they are going to do?

Very ugly.

 

[rompida]

screw that - my first shot would be in the air. Whoever is still in my house after that is fair game. I am a firm believer in the castle doctrine.

 

[Makalakumu]

I would fire from cover in a tactical position that would make it very difficult for a mob to assail me. If I were armed in such a way and I felt threatened or felt motivated by such law, I would look for a place that I would have the maximum effect on killing my fellow townspeople.

Of course, then I may have to deal with the retribution. Whose brother, mother, father, sister, did I just knock down to protect my stupid ****? Is Their life worth more then my property?

If your little sister thought that my TV was fair game because of something she, naively, read on the internet and I blew her brains out, would you feel a little miffed?

This is how the blood fueds get going in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

[sgtmac_46]

I'd be afraid of starting a shootout. Who knows who else is armed? If the mob is peaceful, I'd call the police and start taking pictures. If not and I feel personally in danger, I would exit the situation. I can't imagine that someone would pursue...but if they did, I'm attacking.

Where does it stop? How far do you go? If the cops show up and you are shooting people or exchanging fire with a mob, what do you think they are going to do?

Very ugly.

If they're in my home it won't matter who's armed....it'll be over with in just a couple of seconds anyway. REAL gunfights don't generally last more than a few seconds. Those not dead will be running from my house as quickly as their legs will take them!

If they're not in my house, i'll be at my front door preparing to repel boarders! I'm not retreating from my own home for ANY mob, peaceful or otherwise!

Also, since the cops where I live are my co-workers, and those who will be responding to my house know where I live, they know who's side their own when they show up.