thieves crash party, steal id, get blogged

March 24, 2004 10:08 AM

danah boydhosted a party at SXSW in Austin two weeks ago. Six thieves crashed the party and made off with her phone, id and credit cards. Fortunately, she has pictures of the perps. Can the MeFi folks catch a(nother) thief?
posted by paulschreiber (99 comments total)

She left her purse in the bathroom?!?
posted by Outlawyr at 10:18 AM on March 24, 2004

I remember back in the day when one could leave a purse in the bathroom at a houseparty. I think it was the seventies.
posted by dabitch at 10:23 AM on March 24, 2004

How, you think they blog their thievery? The local police would be a better start.
Also, "6 thieves" crashed a party then split a phone, id and credit cards among themselves. Sounds like "one" thief since one was witnessed.
posted by thomcatspike at 10:25 AM on March 24, 2004

I guess the cops are supposed to take care of this stuff, instead of MeFi, aren't they?

also, somebody I don't know (and most users here don't know, I suppose) posted on the Internet pics of some guys accusing them of theft. I'm not entirely comfortable with this thing.
again, I think that she should forward the pics to the local cops. "VigilanteFilter" sounds pretty bad.
posted by matteo at 10:26 AM on March 24, 2004

Can the MeFi folks catch a(nother) thief?

They're probably using her web phone to access Metafilter. They'll feel so guilty that they'll just turn themselves in.
posted by Mayor Curley at 10:29 AM on March 24, 2004

Quickly, alert the Justice Bloggers of America, and they will swiftly dispatch in their Blogomobile to dispense with the evil villians. Perhaps with a cheery, "You've just been trackbacked, criminal scum!"
posted by Stan Chin at 10:32 AM on March 24, 2004

again, I think that she should forward the pics to the local cops.

If you read the post, you'll see that she did (she even provides the email address of the detective working on the case). I don't see what's wrong with this -- she's not being a vigilante (she's not taking the law into her own hands), she's trying to identify the perpetrators and pass that info on to the police. Seems reasonable to me.
posted by pardonyou? at 10:33 AM on March 24, 2004

I thought that AskMeFi thread about fencing stolen goods seemed suspicious....
posted by tittergrrl at 10:38 AM on March 24, 2004

They're probably using her web phone to access Metafilter.

That's about as likely as these guys knowing anyone at the party or what it was for to begin with.
posted by stbalbach at 10:38 AM on March 24, 2004

I bashed this thread too early not looking at the blog itself but shrub's post. Look at apophenia's blog's posted thread: how to solve problems with social networks | Main | why my robbery matters :: essential questions about blogging and social networks . Links included.

This may be common in the future. Thanks shrub
posted by thomcatspike at 11:00 AM on March 24, 2004

Ok, I admit it. I stole her purse. And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling bloggers!
posted by Outlawyr at 11:02 AM on March 24, 2004

The least-hip person in the room? (from the description of the perp) As the least-hip person in every room I'm in, I really have to object to that.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:04 AM on March 24, 2004

"They're probably using her web phone to access Metafilter.

That's about as likely as these guys knowing anyone at the party or what it was for to begin with."

Interesting.

On what would you base this analysis?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:08 AM on March 24, 2004

sheesh. don't you just hate it when people collapse their contexts in public?
posted by andrew cooke at 11:08 AM on March 24, 2004

>sheesh. don't you just hate it when people collapse their contexts in public?
: bogging.
The public attended the party. The supposed "perp" is a "party crasher" because he/she stole as he/she was welcomed in.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:14 AM on March 24, 2004

Can the MeFi folks catch a(nother) thief?

Who was the other one? Maybe I was napping that day or something. Was it cool?
posted by milovoo at 11:15 AM on March 24, 2004

The least-hip person in the room? (from the description of the perp)
As the least-hip person in every room I'm in, I really have to object to that.

Yea! Damn profiling, we're the victims!
posted by milovoo at 11:16 AM on March 24, 2004

THE BLACK FUX0RZ MUSTA DONE IT!
posted by quonsar at 11:17 AM on March 24, 2004

I INVITED A SHITLOAD OF PEOPLE INTO MY HOUSE AND THEN LEFT MY PURSE IN THE BATHROOM. I CERTAINLY HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE IN BLOGGING. not even a hick from podunk, michigan would leave a purse with valuables in a bathroom with a room full of guests.
posted by quonsar at 11:21 AM on March 24, 2004

Yeah, it's the victim's fault.
posted by dhoyt at 11:34 AM on March 24, 2004

Charges of Racism in 5....4....3....



Oh. Quansar beat me to it.
posted by dhoyt at 11:35 AM on March 24, 2004

quonsar: not even a hick from podunk, michigan would leave a purse with valuables in a bathroom with a room full of guests.

Hell, I'm from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and *I* wouldn't have left anything valuable in the bathroom.
posted by Hankins at 11:35 AM on March 24, 2004

Hell, I'm from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and *I* wouldn't have left anything valuable in the bathroom.
Your not at home amoung friends. She was visiting from Berkley, Ca in Austin, Tx.

My name is danah boyd and i'm a Ph.D. student at SIMS - UC Berkeley.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:42 AM on March 24, 2004

wouldn't have left
My mistake.
She was visiting was the main point which, when do you leave your stuff sitting out?
posted by thomcatspike at 11:45 AM on March 24, 2004

Is it me or are those "picture" pretty useless aside from the first one?

I mean, I might be able to identify an ex-girlfriend by the back of her head but some spiky haired knob? Nah. Probably not.

Good luck but hey, next time, secure your shit. You're from Berkeley, you should have known better.
posted by fenriq at 11:48 AM on March 24, 2004

Jeeze, can you people be any more insulting?

Where does it say anywhere on that site that she left her purse in the bathroom? It says that the person went through it in the bathroom. I assumed the thief brought it there for privacy, the same way a pickpocket will head to the bathroom in a mall to hide in a stall.

Even if she had left stuff out that doesn't mean she deserved to get robbed. I leave my door unlocked every day when I walk the dog. If I were robbed, and had photos of the thieves, i'd do exactly the same thing this blogger did. I suppose all you naysayers would just say "Oh, well." if it was your shit?
posted by dobbs at 11:56 AM on March 24, 2004 [1 favorite has favorites]

thomcatspike - not sure what you're saying (in reply to me), but my comment was a (flippant) response to the (rather pretentious) comments in the "about box" (left hand col of main page).

hmmm. i guess if it needs that much explaining, i should have kept quiet.
posted by andrew cooke at 12:02 PM on March 24, 2004

I suppose all you naysayers would just say "Oh, well." if it was your shit?

Yeah, because it's shit, and it happens.
posted by Stan Chin at 12:08 PM on March 24, 2004

She left her purse in the bathroom?!?

I figured that the guy found the purse and brought it into the bathroom to go through it in private. I wouldn't neccesarily assume that the host left it there.
posted by jpoulos at 12:13 PM on March 24, 2004

Yeah, because it's shit, and it happens.

Yeah maaaan! Our fuckin very own cracker jack philosopher. It don't matter sweetheart, nothing matters, babe.
posted by Satapher at 12:17 PM on March 24, 2004

You guys are a riot.
posted by The God Complex at 12:25 PM on March 24, 2004

From her site:
One party attender stated the this guy asked for the bathroom (where my purse was ripped apart for valuable items).

Foe - actually, i am 100% certain. First, one of my friends caught the one guy in the act, but didn't realize it until moments after the group left that he hadn't walked in on the guy peeing, but going through my purse. They left rather abruptly and quickly, with no goodbyes. Second, i had grabbed my smokes from my purse only a few minutes before and this group was the only group to leave between my accessing my purse and the point in which we realized it.

A Kodak moment:
Now that i have pictures, i have this deep desire to use the power of the interweb to make certain that they learn that they can't get away with such behavior.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:27 PM on March 24, 2004

The least-hip person in the room? (from the description of the perp) As the least-hip person in every room I'm in, I really have to object to that.

trust me, no one was hip at that party.

and what is it with these dumb ass nerds who take these pictures that look like the camera took a hit of acid.

also notice all the so called "party crashers" are not white.

and here i thought uc berkeley was a bastion of enlightenment...
posted by Dreamghost at 12:28 PM on March 24, 2004

andrew cooke
Added to your comment, : blogging was all. As danah boyd went public for her help since she feels the cops don't care as she does.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:34 PM on March 24, 2004

the cops dont care about her purse.

they got better things to do like solve murders, rape cases, or
fight the war on drugs (snicker)

furthermore the internet dont care about her purse.

im sorry her shit got stolen. but playing nancy drew on the internet is probally not gonna get her shit back. she would be better off begging for donations on her blog to get the money to replace the stuff that got stolen.

of course im sure mommy & daddy will replace the stuff anyways. so chalk it up to a lesson...

dont leave your purse/wallet/valued item somewhere where some stranger can have his or her way with it.
posted by Dreamghost at 12:55 PM on March 24, 2004

of course im sure mommy & daddy

Whooo.... out of bounds. I withdraw from this flaming train.
posted by Stan Chin at 12:58 PM on March 24, 2004

I bet she's even unattractive.
posted by xmutex at 1:02 PM on March 24, 2004

also notice all the so called "party crashers" are not white.

and here i thought uc berkeley was a bastion of enlightenment...

Since you're so enlightened, would you mind enlightening me as to why that's significant? Should she have refrained from posting this simply because they happen to be black? (If so, is that what "enlightenment" means?) Or do you not believe her simply because she's white and they're black? (If so, am I right in concluding that "enlightenment" means racism?)
posted by pardonyou? at 1:02 PM on March 24, 2004

Oh, the "camera on acid" bit? That's what happens when you have long exposures, i.e. inside without a flash.

What the fuck's with everyone being so insulting?
posted by notsnot at 1:07 PM on March 24, 2004

On what would you base this analysis?

it's the hair the 70s nappy fro is a dead give away.. ladies, watch your purse.
posted by stbalbach at 1:07 PM on March 24, 2004

I withdraw from this flaming train.

<Don Cornelius>All aboard the TROOOOOOLLLL TRAIN</DC>
posted by jpoulos at 1:08 PM on March 24, 2004

It's threads like these that make me hate this place.

Matt -- delete everyone's account and start over. This place sucks.
posted by paulrockNJ at 1:08 PM on March 24, 2004

I love how people keep implying she left her purse behind because she's some sort of idiot, not because she made an honest & careless mistake. Which is something I'm sure you're all innocent of ever doing.

also notice all the so called "party crashers" are not white. and here i thought uc berkeley was a bastion of enlightenment...

As stavros likes to say (paraphrasing), "The Stupid is strong in this thread."
posted by dhoyt at 1:09 PM on March 24, 2004

Without any way to corroborate the stories outside of one person's blog, this is the kind of thing best left in the hands of a detective. The idea of taking a one-sided accusation public without hearing multiple perspectives is, as far as I'm concerned, no better than a vigilance committee tar and feathering a guy just on hearsay.

The six guys came together and left together. This doesn't necessarily mean that if one of them stole the purse, that all of them were aware of it. And this doesn't mean that they didn't split up after leaving. And just because the guy in the first photo asked for the bathroom, this doesn't mean that he was the person who ripped the purse open.

A clue would have to operate on evidence. Something tangible, like DNA or an object left in the ripped up purse pile belonging to one of these guys, or the like.

Plus, why didn't the person who saw the guy going through the purse stop the guy or ask him what the hell he was doing with the bag? If he "didn't realize what was going on at the time," then what's to say that he realized that the guy's actions involved the purse? Sounds like bullshit to me.

The culprit could have been anybody who entered that bathroom. Anyone. And without anything solid pointing to the guy in the first photo, then this is definite invasion of privacy and possible libel. But I'm not a lawyer.

Innocent until proven guilty, folks. Don't go Ox-Bow Incident.
posted by ed at 1:10 PM on March 24, 2004

Can the MeFi folks catch a(nother) thief?I'm going to go out on a limb here after reading the comments and say, um, "no."
(Hey, look at me not helping, either).
posted by chandy72 at 1:15 PM on March 24, 2004

What the fuck's with everyone being so insulting

hi, welcome to metafilter.
posted by Satapher at 1:25 PM on March 24, 2004

Call the cell phone and get all angry an' shit.
posted by sharksandwich at 1:28 PM on March 24, 2004

What ed said. I have never humiliated myself more than by wrongly accusing someone of theft. And we were sure we knew who did it.
posted by crunchburger at 1:32 PM on March 24, 2004

danah boyd
posted by alms at 1:33 PM on March 24, 2004

Oops

(suddenly the room goes quiet)
posted by Outlawyr at 1:47 PM on March 24, 2004

When I said you're all a riot what I meant was you're all self-involved douche bags but I tolerate it because sometimes in your self-involved douchebagdom you come up with some clever quips, even thought you're clearly behaving like a douche bag.

Just to keep things clear.
posted by The God Complex at 2:01 PM on March 24, 2004

just another doofus at college on daddy's dime who overuses the word "digital" in contexts it doesnt even fit. a digital douchebag. (which she'll probably leave behind in someones bathroom where suspicious darkies will ravage the content)
posted by quonsar at 2:01 PM on March 24, 2004

Fezboy! <3 quonsar
posted by Fezboy! at 2:11 PM on March 24, 2004

Somehow, when quonsar says it, it doesn't sound so bad.
posted by jpoulos at 2:11 PM on March 24, 2004

Eesh.

Free Quonsar!
posted by dobbs at 2:30 PM on March 24, 2004

Really, what's important is that these people are not robbers but thieves.

Can we go beyond support? Can the Interweb/blogosphere actually demand justice on a personal level?

Demand, yes. Do anything about it? Probably not. Anybody spending copious time on the internet is de-facto not activity-based. Justice is a real-world activity, not a sitting-on-one's ass activity.

And what's this about justice? What's to say its not more just that princessa lost her booty? Is it just for her to have all that crap in the first place? Perhaps she already got justice -- having a party so large you do not know the attendees at your own party is asking for trouble and is certainly not Miss Manners behavior.

Not saying that she was "asking for it", just questioning the "justice" she's looking for.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:35 PM on March 24, 2004

PS --
Someone stole my stapler. It says "Chris Piper Memorial Stapler" on it and "No Molestare".

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it to post, but if you see it around the office, please be an agent of justice and, like, blog it or something, okay?
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:37 PM on March 24, 2004

1. Find someone you don't like
2. Post their picture on your blog saying they stole your stuff or is a pedophile
3. Get his/her punkass ridiculed by total strangers
4. Happiness.

Anyone else notice how easily people believe total strangers when it comes to committing crimes? I'm waiting for someone to purposely try to get on pervertedjustice.com using someone else's picture. I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened already. For all I know this is one of those cases. It could just be her ex-boyfriend she wants to get back at. It is just as likely as her story.
posted by Hypharse at 2:38 PM on March 24, 2004

4. Happiness Profit!!!
posted by Fezboy! at 2:43 PM on March 24, 2004

Kill everyone involved, let Zod sort 'em out.
posted by bargle at 2:43 PM on March 24, 2004

God Complex, hmm, but I'm an athiest therefore your comments don't exist so I guess I can't really take any offense at the non-existent.

But hey, congrats on getting douche bag into a comment three times. Must be some kind of record.
posted by fenriq at 2:53 PM on March 24, 2004

you people are such assholes. she's a victim of fraud and theft, and while her credit card liability may be 50$ thanks to Federal law, that doesn't cover her phone bill, any debit acct money they might have taken, or forged checks written.

perhaps she feels put out, a victim of a crime who goes through proper channels only to realize her issue isn't important 'enough' for attention. then she finds a pic, and you criticize her for posting it in an attempt to ID him? it's really easy to judge from behind a keyboard. Maybe you all live such detached lives you've never been a victim. Well, down here on the streets it's a little bit different. but we also don't leave our purses (or wallets) in the bathroom unattended.

sigh
posted by shadow45 at 3:31 PM on March 24, 2004

For a reminder of how an Internet-based community can really help solve a crime, review this metafilter about A Mac User Scorned.

It's not rocket science that this worked, but it was still really cool when it happened. And it had a distinct taste of justice, some kind of revenge of the nerds.

danah's experiment was a little more fraught, because she didn't have an address for the perp and a forged bank check as evidence of the crime. She just had some photos and stories to go along.

I think she's discounting the breadth of the digital divide. I don't think she'll find these guys this way. But still, it's interesting to try. And she certainly doesn't deserve the ad hominem (sp?) attacks that have been flying around here.
posted by alms at 3:31 PM on March 24, 2004

Plus, why didn't the person who saw the guy going through the purse stop the guy or ask him what the hell he was doing with the bag? If he "didn't realize what was going on at the time," then what's to say that he realized that the guy's actions involved the purse? Sounds like bullshit to me.

The culprit could have been anybody who entered that bathroom. Anyone. And without anything solid pointing to the guy in the first photo, then this is definite invasion of privacy and possible libel. But I'm not a lawyer.

if I were the "accused" (or slandered?) guy in the picture, I'd sue danah boyd, shrub, and mathowie's asses off.
I'm not kidding.

unless the actual thief/thieves will do something dumb like trying to use the credit cards and getting caught (or using them on the Internet from their home computer leaving their ip address behind) they won't get caught, period. the only witness' account is very, very weak. DNA takes sometimes years to analyze in murder/rape cases, I don't see William Petersen creaming his pants trying to nail the Austin purse-tamperer with DNA evidence (plus, the purse/waller is all contaminated therefore impossible to use as evidence, now).
no court, I repeat, no court, not even in Texas, with this kind of "evidence", could shoehorn a guilty verdict into this sorry mess.

so it's an alleged thief vs a very possible slanderer(s)


It's threads like these that make me hate this place.

Matt -- delete everyone's account and start over. This place sucks.
posted by paulrockNJ at 1:08 PM PST on March 24

paulrockNJ's Profile
...
member since: April 5, 2001
paulrockNJ has posted 7 links and 15 comments to MetaFilter
and no threads and 2 comments to MetaTalk


heh. the irony. the invisible nanny.


posted by matteo at 3:33 PM on March 24, 2004

here's the police report number if anyone wants to do any digging on their own .
Austin Police Report Number: 2004-501-1946
posted by dolface at 3:50 PM on March 24, 2004

she's a victim of fraud and theft, and while her credit card liability may be 50$ thanks to Federal law, that doesn't cover her phone bill, any debit acct money they might have taken, or forged checks written.

A Kodak moment:
Now that i have pictures, i have this deep desire to use the power of the interweb to make certain that they learn that they can't get away with such behavior.
The above from my comment earlier which made me realize only her pride was stollen. If you go to the trouble accusing someone of a crime and don't bother with the amount stollen I will assume your out 0$ and the time to track it all down. She only mentions they racked up her bills, not that she is stuck with them. As one commented:It's good that you filed a police report even if *they* do nothing. Keep a hold of the report number (in fact, file to get a copy of it when it's all typed up). Three years after my ID was stolen, I had Verizon sending collection agents after me for a $3800 outstanding bill. It stopped when I was able to give them a police report. From my experience 0 bucks just my time.

Police reports have been filed, but if i've learned anything from the past, it's that i know nothing will come of it. :(
posted by thomcatspike at 3:59 PM on March 24, 2004

He was the tallest, least hip, and most drunk of the group

I was actually at that party, and I wasn't drinking, but I think that I fit two out of three of those descriptors. Luckily, I left before 1am (see "least hip"), so I'm off the suspect list.

But you know, a) that sucks, and b) what a bunch of jerks.
posted by majcher at 4:02 PM on March 24, 2004

23 minutes ago a gunfight erupted on a residential street in the southeast side of cracktown, USA. you wanna be junior deputy citizens, do something worthwhile. let people who throw thier homes open to strangers and fail to track thier valuables heal themselves.
posted by quonsar at 4:14 PM on March 24, 2004

just another doofus at college on daddy's dime
...
mommy & daddy will replace the stuff anyways

Is it really evil for someone's parents to pay for their college education? I missed out on the option, but I never thought you could necessarily insult someone with it. Don't a lot of people's parents pay for a large portion of their college? Isn't this what people save up for when they have kids? Does it somehow imply elitism? Is paying your own way the only real way to get an education? Does massive financial aid and debt impart cred and wisdom?

"Ha! Ha! Your parents planned better than mine ... or didn't die ... or something." (seems pretty weak)
posted by milovoo at 4:31 PM on March 24, 2004

God Complex, hmm, but I'm an athiest therefore your comments don't exist so I guess I can't really take any offense at the non-existent.

But hey, congrats on getting douche bag into a comment three times. Must be some kind of record.


A god complex is only an old psychology term (long fallen into dissuse) for someone who believes they're god. It has nothing to do with an actual, tangible god or whatever complex he lives or does business in, although I bet he uses formica tabletops.
posted by The God Complex at 4:54 PM on March 24, 2004

Perhaps Danah probably just wants to have a little chat with the thieves.
posted by Tarrama at 4:55 PM on March 24, 2004

arrgh! delete probably
posted by Tarrama at 4:58 PM on March 24, 2004

In her own words:
"Additionally, many people on the web know me because of my deep appreciation for the words of Ani Difranco and her power to make us all reflect on our identity and impact on this world. Soul exploration is a key part of who i am. Thus, while folks music always soothes my heart, psytrance / goa soothes my soul, forcing me to explore things beyond my realm of imagination, question reality and appreciate the power of movement. I go through phases where i babble out thoughts for the world to see (blog, rants), but then i get all introspective and refuse to share. My digital ramblings are because i love provoking people to provide me their thoughts (although my response is heavily dependent on how much i can stand email at any given point).

I am a big believer in cooperative living and spent my undergraduate years in coops. Spirituality and altered states are crucial to my existence and i encourage others to look inwards to find their place in this world.

Basically, i am just another crazy, overachieving, passionate, activist grrl."

maybe she can look inwards to find her handbag.
posted by sgt.serenity at 5:33 PM on March 24, 2004

maybe she can look inwards to find her handbag.

Did you actually quote all that just to make that joke?
posted by The God Complex at 5:35 PM on March 24, 2004

The stupidity in this thread is strong indeed. Why are you some of you people being such asshats? Have a little fucking compassion you shitheads.

Don't underestimate the power of social networks.

A friend of mine (In Austin, no less) had practically everything in his house stolen - personal items, clothes, camping gear, electronics, music gear, thousands of rare CDs and records - and his fucking truck by someone he knew and his friends knew.

The only thing that led to the trail that eventually caught the stupid asshole was that a mutual friend came down from Dallas and mentioned offhand "You have to get to this record store in Dallas! There's all these great, rare CDs that just showed up!" and after we asked him to name some of the CDs we figured out they were indeed his CDs. We're talking about a very eclectic and rare mix of limited edition experimental and electronic CDs. (Think World Serpent and 4AD and schematic and the like.)

Because of Texas' stupid property laws, he actually had to buy his CDs back from the unscrupulous store in question. The icing on the cake was one thoughtless employee saying "Oh, but my friend was going to buy those ones, I was saving them for him." as my friend was buying them all back. I would have beat the stuffing out of that brainless idiot. My friend must have much more patience than I do.

The stupidity and meanness in this thread makes me want to delete my MeFi account and never come back. Assholes. Feel real big now? Is your self-worth sufficiently inflated at someone else's mistake and misery? Go fling your poop elsewhere, you subhumans. It's not funny.

Good luck Danah.
posted by loquacious at 5:54 PM on March 24, 2004

Metafilter: Have a little fucking compassion you shitheads.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:11 PM on March 24, 2004

Metafilter: Go fling your poop.
posted by loquacious at 6:13 PM on March 24, 2004

Lighten up, francis.
posted by jpoulos at 6:20 PM on March 24, 2004

yes i did gc , i'm glad you appreciated it , if you ever need any tips on how to make your comments as good as mine , i'm always happy to help , laddie.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:40 PM on March 24, 2004

The stupidity and meanness in this thread makes me want to delete my MeFi account and never come back. Assholes. Feel real big now? Is your self-worth sufficiently inflated at someone else's mistake and misery? Go fling your poop elsewhere, you subhumans. It's not funny

*subhumanly moved, waves goodbye to (ironically named, given his/her very stingy comments&threads output) loquacious, flings poop in same direction*
posted by matteo at 7:32 PM on March 24, 2004

Here's an interesting thought: what happens if someone actually recognizes one of the people in the pictures? And they call the Austin police? And the Austin police go by the guy's house?

Then what?

Austin PD: Er, good morning, sir. We've had a complaint about a missing purse, and someone suggested you might know something about it.

Guy: Nope, don't know anything about it.

Austin PD: Okay, then. Have a good day!

I mean, unless the guy already has an outstanding warrant or something, there's nothing the police can do about this--even if she has the right guy.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:26 PM on March 24, 2004

ditto what loquacious said. some community this is.

aside: matteo w.t.f ?!? comparing mefi penis measurements with other users twice in one thread? Feeling big? I hope so.
posted by elphTeq at 8:36 PM on March 24, 2004

Who said that?
posted by jpoulos at 9:03 PM on March 24, 2004

I've been on the wrong side of enough crimes, that I feel for this girl. Plus she apparently digs psytrance, which always scores points in my book.

Too bad I haven't a damned clue whodunit.
posted by mosch at 11:59 PM on March 24, 2004

yes i did gc , i'm glad you appreciated it , if you ever need any tips on how to make your comments as good as mine , i'm always happy to help , laddie.

I'll get back to you on that one, captain.
posted by The God Complex at 12:10 AM on March 25, 2004

I am working directly with the detective. I have blogged about it, but other attendees have also given their statements to the police about what happened that night. Five who were there until the end and saw different details are willing to testify.

Sidhedevil - it is a felony fraud case under investigation; the police are taking these photos seriously and have asked anyone with more information to contact them directly. If they can determine the identity/location of these people, a warrant will be issued.

The party was in a friend's home. Like many such parties, everyone placed their purses, coats on the owner's bed. There were only about 14 people left in the house when my purse was removed from the bedroom and torn to shreds in the bathroom.

In addition to the credit card charges, which will most likely be refunded, i lost > $1200 worth of cash and technology. Things rarely come of identity theft. This is part of the problem; this makes people think that they can get away with it. And Dreamghost - since i don't have a daddy or even a sugar daddy, are you volunteering to cover my costs that you so arrogantly assumed would be take care of?
posted by zegooober at 2:17 AM on March 25, 2004

spent my undergraduate years in coops

Won't anyone think of the pigeons?
posted by biffa at 2:25 AM on March 25, 2004

Wow, I haven't been back to MeFi in ages. Glad to see nothing's changed! Oh boy oh boy oh boy... I'm going to jump in.

Dreamghost, it's pretty clear from your comments and "web site" that you're just a punkass kid. But that's cool, I used to be a punkass kid.

Anyway. I was thinking about this social network thing. You know, if some dudes off the street crashed a Shriner party and somebody snapped a few pics of them, the Shriners would be making photocopies and coming down on their ass. Because one of their own got the shaft, you know?

I never met danah before that party, but I read her blog and think of her as "one of my own" - a smart blogger I like and trust. So I feel bad that her valuables got stolen and want to help. Is this the best way? Who knows - it's an experiment. Maybe if somebody DOES find one of these guys, maybe that matches up to a phone trace or an IP or some other evidence.

True, only one of them actually committed a crime so it's not really fair to group them all together. But if I was in her shoes, I'd sure as hell post pics of all of them. They seemed pretty tight to me.

Here's what I find sortof exciting - bloggers (in this case me) are overdocumenting their lives, so you know -- don't fuck with bloggers! They'll post your picture on the web, they'll swarm, they'll find you. Bloggers are hyperaware of their power as a network, so I think they're more willing to come together around something like this.

Well, at least that's what I thought before reading this thread.
posted by Dok Millennium at 2:48 AM on March 25, 2004

Dreamghost - since i don't have a daddy or even a sugar daddy, are you volunteering to cover my costs that you so arrogantly assumed would be take care of?

no thanks, ill pass, i have read your website. you seem to be doing quite well maybe you can ask your well connected brown buddies to hook you up for a loan. or maybe play out the paypal angle like i suggested earlier.

i'm not trying to be a ass but they way you played this out kinda irked me the wrong way.

i mean its kinda funny they only stole from your purse? i mean this was a "huge party" right? how do you know maybe one your internet buddies took it? who knows...

i hope you get your stuff back, & the perps are caught & punished.
posted by Dreamghost at 3:33 AM on March 25, 2004

Tuesday night I went to the pub with a friend. He had a T-1 mac with him which we were playing with a lot, a wallet full of cash and various other gadgets in his bag. Once or twice during the pub visit we both left our seats, with coats and bags still there, and raced to the restrooms. Nobody touched our stuff in a crowded pub. Rushing off to another place we grab our coats and run, duh, leaving the bag. The pub owner took care of it, and my friend could pick it up the next morning. I [heart] that pub. Wouldn't it be nice if private parties had this kind of honest people in it?
posted by dabitch at 3:34 AM on March 25, 2004

Wouldn't it be nice if private parties had this kind of honest people in it?

I agree with you , it would be lovely , you book the room and i'll bring the kilts and haggis.
It would be even better if (like your good swedish self) honest people worked in the field of advertising too ; )
posted by sgt.serenity at 5:50 AM on March 25, 2004

right , ok , i've been talking a load of pish here , does anyone want to start a wee fund for the lassie who lost her bag ?
If somebody sets up an address to send it to , i'll send a few quid and if a few other people join in we might help a wee bit.
posted by sgt.serenity at 5:58 AM on March 25, 2004

Zegooober, it absolutely sucks when your purse gets stolen (it's happened to me).

But the fact is, I think that my scenario is going to be a lot closer to what happens than yours is. The police are going to tell you that they're working on it, but they're bound to have a lot more pressing things on their plate than this.

It would be great if you got your stuff back. It would be great if whoever stole your purse was brought to account for it. But there's something about this "Encyclopedia Brown goes Internet" thing that is rubbing me the wrong way. I can't articulate why, though.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:56 AM on March 25, 2004

i'm not trying to be a ass

No, you do it very well without even trying.

Thanks, loquacious, for saying so eloquently what I was thinking. I'm really sorry I came into this thread—not only is the asshole quotient high, but some MeFites I generally respect are behaving like assholes. If I ever run into trouble, I sure won't be coming here with it.

*fucks off back to fantasyland where people behave decently to each other*
posted by languagehat at 10:02 AM on March 25, 2004

no thanks, ill pass, i have read your website. you seem to be doing quite well maybe you can ask your well connected brown buddies to hook you up for a loan. or maybe play out the paypal angle like i suggested earlier.

i'm not trying to be a ass but they way you played this out kinda irked me the wrong way.

The fact that you're not trying is what frightens me. Go irk off somewhere else.

*fucks off back to fantasyland where people behave decently to each other*

We lost another one to the mormons! ;)
posted by The God Complex at 10:16 AM on March 25, 2004

Dreamghost - part of what makes this a known case is that these guys showed up toward the end. When they went in the bedroom, there were only 8 additional people left and i was the only one with a purse. So, while a few hours before, there were piles of purses and jackets, at that hour, there was my purse and 3 jackets. Nothing else could've been easily taken from that bedroom without being caught, particularly because the bedroom was in easy view of the living room.

I know you weren't there and it's hard to imagine. I also realize that it's easier to critique me and tear apart what is presented than to listen to what i'm saying and believe me. Basically, the goal of this kind of rhetoric is to turn me into a caricature so that one can have distance to attack. I guess that i just find it utterly disappointing that there's an active digital community where people thrive on being mean.
posted by zegooober at 11:14 AM on March 25, 2004

MetaFilter: an active digital community where people thrive on being mean

Sorry you got ripped off and I hope you get your stuff back.
posted by turbodog at 11:41 AM on March 25, 2004

Maybe a lot more can be learned here than bad commenting, not giving a hand and the last line in my previous comment.
Sorry zegooober, have to point out your situation was not properly presented. Looking at it now easy to see the "rude remarks". The thread was not presented right imho as was mentioned in my second comment. also you added pertinent information on your blog through the "comments". This I feel added misleading information and some confusion that received "the rude remarks" until it was cleared up.

Bet if you had been home when writing all this your tale may have been better presented. As you would be in your surrounding elements making your thoughts and ideas better presented. Excuse me if this critique was harsh to you as this was a social experiment. Good Luck.

PS, blog justice sound like mob justice which seems wrong in a civilized country.
posted by thomcatspike at 2:25 PM on March 25, 2004

to clarify , i'm embarrassed by my own comments in this thread and i hope things work out for the lassie that lost her bag.
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:57 PM on March 25, 2004