uptowngirl
uptowngirl

Invasion of the Chain snatchers in Chelsea

I have heard of chain snatching as a crime in India for Indian women usually wear gold chains to indicate their marital status so a recent report about chain snatching incidents in Chelsea in NYC caught my attention and made me stop and think.

http://dnainfo.com/20100713/chelsea-meatpacking-district/necklace-snatcher-targets-chelsea-women


Its hardly like American woman wear a lot of gold around their necks? so what exactly are these robbers snatching? costume jewelry? the popular Tiffany chains? can't help but wonder but I guess we should be careful in any case wouldn't want to lose any of my coral/turquoise/ topaz necklaces to these louts. They may not be worth much but I love my style statements. Do you any of you regularly wear chains/necklaces?
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
I wear necklaces all the time. They're hardly worth anything but I would be horrified if someone stole one off of my person. Much worse could happen, of course, but it's still just such a violation.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@JenMac totally agree ..any kind of theft is a violation, I remember I was once pickpocketed in London and I couldn't sleep for days as I kept having visions of the thief reaching into my handbag and nicking my wallet. As a precaution now I never ever buy a handbag now that doesnt have a zippered closure, so many women in NYC carry bags which are open or have only one snap closure and I always wonder how they do it? aren't they worried about losing their stuff for anyone can reach in and grab a wallet/phone/ipod etc
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
Although, I do not have or carry a handbag, I do have a wallet and because of the theft in crowded areas, I decided to place my wallet in my front pocket. No one things to look there. Since I made the switch, I felt someone stick their hands in my back pocket three times, while I was standing in a huge crowd. They got screwed. Ha ha.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
I actually never wear chains and I'm happy to say no one has ever stolen anything from off my person, which would feel truly terrible. I once had someone break into my car as a teenager and take all the money I had earned that week at my job, as I had just cashed my paycheck and put it in the glove compartment. But that was a lot less personal of a theft, in a sense, and I wasn't all that upset.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Most of the necklaces I wear aren't exactly worth stealing - unless you are into vintage (plastic!) Christian Dior.

I did drop my iPhone in front of my Park Slope gym the other day, but the guy who found it was nice enough to hold it for me - even if I did have to pick it up in Brownsville. I felt kind of violated that he looked at my Facebook, though.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I don't really wear necklaces, so I've never had that experience. But it must be so dangerous to just yank something around someone's neck like that - either the victim or the perpetrator is bound to get hurt, especially if the latter is on a motorcycle or some such.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleep you're lucky my friend had her iPhone knicked from her bag while she was trying shoes in a shoe store she still hasn't got over the loss..
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist that's a really good point...
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Ajadedidealist: I agree with you. For someone to come along and snatch it off a person's neck, that could hurt someone.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I forgot what this thread was about, and when I clicked it I expected to see a story about the "pod people" of chain stores taking over Chelsea with their brand-name homogeneity. That's for another article, I suppose
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I felt lucky at the time - and that MobileMe thing I pay for really came in handy. I could see where my phone was using the GPS online, and after my friend called the guy I put a pass code on the phone remotely so the guy who had it couldn't go sending my friends Facebook messages or something. I would have never gotten over the loss, either. And iPhones are expensive when you aren't up for an upgrade!
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps that's so cool.. when I get my new phone I am definitely going to sign up for MobileMe its so worth it considering phones are so much a part of our lives and so expensive to replace .
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Mobile Me sounds like a really great system! It does seem a bit pricey, but I imagine it's worth it for the insurance and security. I carry all my stuff in zippered or otherwise unopenable purses although I have a weakness for my messenger bag with the broken zipper.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist: I love Mobile Me. It's worth it!
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@JenMac Aha! You got your iPhone!
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
@uptowngirl: nooooooo! Those ATT bastards are not budging on my Sept 9th upgrade date. So, I have to wait for another month. But, I have mobile me on my computer and I love it.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@JenMac oh! that's clever of you! btw did you hear how the Blackberry is facing government censure in various countries like UAE, Saudi and even good old India.. all because Blackberry messages cannot be monitored and hence pose a security threat.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl Didn't UAE go ahead and censure Blackberries? It seems so absurd to my capitalist mind....

@ajadedidealist MobileMe is indeed worth every penny!
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Did you guys read that interesting article in Newsweek about the Haystack software and how it's being used to subvert government censorship in Iran? An inspiring read, to be sure!
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist No, but I will now! Sounds great...
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps all this happens when I was just about to jump on the Blackberry wagon now I am back to debating iPhone4 v/s Android...
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I wonder how they can ban Blackberry but not iPhone? Isn't iPhone more popular? I went to see Sharon Jones in Prospect Park over the weekend and I could not get my phone to work in that throng of people - a problem I have whenever there is a throng of young-ish people about. Then again iPhone seems to only be massively popular in the States. Have you seen this awesome video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg Good luck with your decision making!
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps that's sooo cute... just checked out the EVO though hmmm quite nice was going to get the Xperia by Sony Ericsson but now I am tempted by the EVO.
The reason they want to ban Blackberry because its data is encrypted and govts cannot monitor it so it can be used for terrorist activities hence the suggested ban.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I died laughing when I watched that video. It also really made me want the EVO - it's probably the best phone we have Stateside. But over where you are there are some cool Sony Ericsson gadgets, I'm sure. We are so behind the times when it comes to phone tech.

I don't know whether to be really creeped out by the reason for the UAE Blackberry ban or not. Doesn't that Patriot Act allow the government some crazy leverage when it comes to monitoring people? Now I think I need a Blackberry. Not that I have much to hide - I just feel the intense need to protect my privacy all of the sudden.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
What a fine line it is to be drawn! On the one hand, I want my government to know absolutely everything any potential terrorist is doing. On the other hand, I don't want the government to go into MY data. And yes, I recognize the hypocrisy of my instinctive position - I accept that it is not logically tenable. But therein lies the problem...
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