16 - Friday, July 1, 1994 - North Shore News ws TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES kept readers from answering last week's question. Sa, let's try again. Now that students are off for the sum- mer, Whitt ace your plaas’? Do you have a sum- mer (rip in mind? Does your family lake summer vacations together? Do you like them? He) YOu B&Es hit home to ripped-off teens AS MORE and more teens resort to criminal activity for fun and excitement, break-ins are on the rise. The B&E problem has been on the minds of many people for quite some time. They are always think- ing: “I really should get an alarm, but they’re so expensive, and what are the chanc:-s of my place being hit?” ’ It’s easy to say that when you have never been robbed. That's what my family was like when we moved into a new house in the summer of "92. One year later, we werén’t singing the same song. Why is it that it always has to happen before you actually do some- thing about it? To see how people feel about what happens when their homes have been violated and possessions stolen, I talked to a few people who I know have been robbed. lasked them a few questions and got some disturbing replies. OU IM BABYSITTING in Al Taman ros Commies YY CAT — 1 WAS FRAID HE MIGHT WANDER. OFF l asked the question: How did you fee) after being robbed? > B.M.: “I felt angry and pissed off, but, even more, I felt that my privacy had been violated. They actually went through my underwear!” > RF. “I was furious, and 1 tell you this: If lever catch the punks that did it, 1°11 kill them!” «MAKE THAT SUNBURN, SKIMPY SUITS ANO CELLULITE I $O | GOT ONE OF AWAY © Roy Delgado CLANCY TH LEASH THINGS SO CAN'T GET TOO FAR > S.P.: “My place was ripped off about two months ago. It was terri- ble! They snagged all the things that I had taken for granted: the TV, VCR, and all my stereo equipment. I felt very angry that a couple of thugs could just waltz into my house, steai all the stuff that I had to work so hard for and get away with it! I think that people have really lost all respect for other people’s property.” >» M.M.: “Of course I was mad, but I was even more so, when I found that they had stolen a ring that my grandmother had given to me on my 16th birthday. Things like TVs can be replaced. Things like the ring can't.” Why do you think they took the things they did? > §.P.: “1 think they took only what they could carry, probably in a large duffle bag because we have a large- screen TV in the family room that could have been loaded into a van if they had had one.” > M.M.: “I’m positive that they © Val Costantino BATHING SUIT BHOPAING ALWAYS LEAVES ‘EM CRABBY AND INSECURE. © Kelly Kennedy STEWARDESS ? WHATS THE MOVIE ON THIS FLIGHT ? ESE HE only took what they know they could get rid of in a few days, so if they did get caught, there would be no evi- dence.” I then asked if they had any sug- gestions to solve the problem, Some of them involved pets: “Pets can be a great defense against burglaries. 1 think the best pet to have would be a gorilla, but since there is probably a law against that, a dog would be the next best thing. “T would think that most burglars would move on to another house if they thought there might be a dog waiting for them.” Some people took a different approach. They thought that the answer maybe hang-outs for teens or teen clubs — not like YMCA — but places with an actual club atmos- phere with lighting and the music that teens like. Someone else said that the laws are too soft on teens and should be stiffer. Here are a couple of tips. Even if you don’t have any pets, you might want to go and buy a Beware of Dog sign, and post it where it is visible. If you are going away on a trip, or even for the night, it’s a good idea to leave a few lights on, particularly the front door, living room, and kitchen lights, because when you are home they are usually on. ; Also, burglars will usually look in a window to see if there is anything they could steal and sell in a short period of time. That’s why TVs and stereo equipment are easy targets. If thesc easy targets are visible from one of your windows, close the blinds before leaving. = Could one of these suggestions be the solution, or perhaps a combina- tion? We need to try something before people get so angry that they take the law into their own hands. Jared Lay, 16, hasjust completed Grade 11 at Argyle secondary school. He is interested in ski racing, and other sports, and hopes to become a World Cup racer. NEWS photo Mike Wakefield ART STUDENTS at Hillside school in West Vancouver put their brushes to canvas recently to create four large murals that will decorate the new Caulfield Plateau school. THIS WEEK we received one more comment on the Stanley Cup riot. Technical difficulties prevent- ed people from commenting on last week's question, so we are repeat- ing it. ® I think the police were a bit too nice to begin with; they weren't strict enough. That has something to do with it. A lot of people were upset that we lost, but a lot of people were happy we got that far. I watched the hockey game and ! think it was pretty sad that we lost, but what can you do? It was the consumption of alcohol that caused the riot. Alcohol plus unentertained peo- ple leads to trouble. Teenagers don’t have much to do and that’s what you get when you’re bored.