Publishing pictures of burglars as revenge
Interestingly enough, Amsterdam’s local television station AT5 got part of this story wrong and here I am to set it straight.
Two men caught on CCTV at restaurant lounge Canvas in Amsterdam on 13 November where I just happen to DJ once a month stole expensive CD players (not turntables, which are way heavier and worth three times less). The building is apparently plagued with theft and the guy who hires me says he actually understands how easy it is to steal their stuff, but not anymore, as I had to replug everything myself before my gig.
Why be bold and print the burglars’ faces on a flyer? Simply because the police are totally indifferent to this kind of theft, and sadly I think rightly so, as it’s not breaking and entering. Is it legal to spread this flyer around? Yes it is, I checked and the local TV station thought it wise to blur their faces to protect themselves just in case. If the thieves didn’t want to be on film, they should have hid their faces or not committed a crime. Imagine my surprise when I saw a very different flyer this month, thinking some hiphop group was in town.
I am surprised that this is legal. It is definitely childish.
And stealing is what, real adult-like? :)
Of course not. But the fact that it is not adult-like by no means imply that a non-adult-like response is justified. Pretty much in the same way that we should not be prepared to respond illegally to illegal things, think stealing and Lynch mobs :-)
If you call someone a thief, and they are not, they have every right to sue you. If someone steals from me, I will call them a thief without feeling even slightly childish. The victim is perfectly within his rights here, and if the chaps in the photo disagree, then perhaps they would like to make themselves known.