so.. i was robbed last night

[sonic assassin]

was out recording a band, came home to find they'd kicked the window mounted air conditioner in, turned my place upside down, broke the security latch on the way out the back door. clearly in a hurry.

somehow, my cat was too scared to venture out from under the bed. in the almost 6 hours that i was gone and this could have happened, she very well could have walked out the back door. pretty wigged out, but i calmed her down.

i know.. i know.. get to the good part. what did they take. well surprisingly they weren't very thorough. didnt bother to look under the bed where i keep several grand in instruments in cases. instead they took every guitar that wasnt in a case. including my first guitar (which as far as im concerned changed my life), my first bass, my 335 knock off and my custom painted explorer. also a small practice amp, my terabyte external hard drive filled with PRICELESS session files (you know.. the place where they are supposed to be safe), my outdated game systems, an old 2x10 cab, and one of my mixing monitors.

luckily, i had my recording gear sans the one monitor with me. if theyd have taken my computer or hurt my cat, id have gone on a shooting spree.

the window was fixed immediately but the back patio door is still a security risk. im almost certain it was someone in the building. the landlord seems to think the old crackhead landlord that she replaced might have something to do with it. its an odd shaped building and the best cover one would have would be going from my patio to their own. almost completely enclosed area that no one uses. did i mention i live in the hood? apparently some of the tenants, including the old landlord didnt quite like the idea of a white kid living here. he made several points to mention the racial breakdown of the building. not like i cared.

police report was filed. detailed lists of my instruments (all of which are fairly unique. not a lot of black and white stock J basses. all weird stuff that no one makes anymore). they plan to check pawn shops. i plan to check craigslist hourly. the plan is to let them do their job and find my stuff. as ive never really had a ton of faith in big city cops to deal with what most would consider a small incident compared to murders happening daily, i dont have much hope in that plan. i didnt have renters insurance, which i now whole heartedly regret. and my instruments werent really marked with identifiable stuff. i always scoffed at the guys that kept serial numbers on hand and hid their name in the neck pocket... now im wishing i had.

currently called off of work because i cant be bothered to stock shelves right now. got an apartment to reassemble. i cant mix yesterdays session. i cant record. i cant even think straight. i used to laugh at the people on the crime shows that gave the "i feel violated that someone was in my space" thing, but i kinda get it now. feels like the air is all wrong all of a sudden. i certainly dont want to be here with half of my stuff missing. i am admittedly a creature of habit. a little OCD. though my things often seem to be a mess, it's in its own state of organized. not seeing one of my monitors.. my explorer not being on the stand by the computer, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. i check my pockets at least 5 times before i leave the house, and often go back to make sure. i carry around as many things as i can fit in my pockets so i'll never be unprepared. and now i dont have all of the things i like to have when im at my own damn apartment.

thinking about moving. my landlord, who had been a tenant for about 4 years before the crackhead was fired, was also robbed when they first moved in. i dont want to come off racially insensitive, but the attitude around here isnt particularly in favor of white folks. its a black neighborhood, i get it, but im pretty polite. keep to myself. not sure i belong here anymore.

if i stay, i plan to fortify this place until its unlivable. also looking into acquiring a handgun. as well as renters insurance. im sure im babbling at this point, so i'll wrap it up. somehow writing all this to the world seems to help people, so i figured id try it.

[MJ5150]

Yikes, sorry to hear about your losses. I've had my vehicle broken in to, but never where I live. I think some of it will surface and you'll get it back. While it isn't inventoried as you would like, the uniqueness will work in your favor.

If you've been made to feel unwelcome, what are the chances of moving?

Edit....we have a lost/stolen forum here, make sure you post up details on the instruments and pictures if possible.

-Mike

[sonic assassin]

the old landlord had an odd polite, but concerned way about me living here. i brushed it off as him being old and from a time and place where he and i would not have gotten along when he was growing up. likely stayed with what he considered "his kind" and never thought twice.

a lot of the people in the building are friendly, but i cant figure out how sincere they are. they see me in the hallway for 30 seconds at a time and thats all. seems like they are polite but still give me that look of "now go back to where you came from". this part of cincinnati is still a bit segregated. mostly in a polite "you stay there and we'll stay here" sort of way. until another riot breaks out. so.. leaving.. thats still on my mind. i like it here because its cheap and the apartment isnt so bad. i dont care for moving. i havent stayed in one place for more than 6 months since i was 18.

and i was unaware that there was a forum for that. ill be sure to post there. thanks.

[Jay Ralston]

Can you post up some pics in here of your stolen gear for anyone in your area, that is also a member here, maybe they can keep an eye out.

[Rbryant]

Dude, sorry to hear about the loss of your instruments (and glad the cat is okay)... you didn't buy any chance have renter's insurance or personal property insurance to cover the loss did you?

[colcifer]

Sorry, bro. I had a guitar stolen from me once and I was heart broken. None of the stuff taken ever surfaced, sadly. That really sucks about the HD. My humble advice, clean up as best you can and wait until the dust settles before making big decisions about all of this. You and your cat are ok which is a win. Now that the police are done checking for evidence, you might feel better if you have the place cleaned.

[BogeyBass]

sorry man.

on the flip side, yes the criminal most likely lives close by. and familiar with the building, most likely punk kids looking for drug money
find him .......kill him


check pawn stores,craigslist the cops wont check for you, but having the report will get your stuff back if found.

good thing your cat didnt get out, glad he/she is safe

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by sonic assassin

the old landlord had an odd polite, but concerned way about me living here. i brushed it off...............

That just might be the lesson learned from all of this.
Next time, pay attention when someone shows concern for you and your situation.

Sorry to hear that your gear got ripped off.

Oh,
Now the thief knows what's in your apartment, so the next time he needs a computer (or a cat), he'll be back!

[sonic assassin]

the officer scoured the place. no prints. not that i thought they'd find any. obvious points of entry and exit. they clearly ran out in a big hurry. dropped the power cable to the HD on the way out. not much for the cops to go on other than my things showing up somewhere.

i wish i'd had renters insurance.

upsides.. they didnt get my computer, they didnt hurt my cat, and they didnt get the vintage gibson, the vintage ampeg tele, my custom built acoustic, or my rare discontinued pierced SG. they looked right past all that and took the workhorse instruments that have the sentimental value. 4 missing from my collection, my pride and joy, is not acceptable. i do not, and WILL not ever have the money to replace these things. i live in the ghetto because i dont have any money in the first place.

[sonic assassin]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

That just might be the lesson learned from all of this.
Next time, pay attention when someone shows concern for you and your situation.

Sorry to hear that your gear got ripped off.

Oh,
Now the thief knows what's in your apartment, so the next time he needs a computer (or a cat), he'll be back!

next time ill be standing there with a ****ing 38 revolver.

and the landlord was a crackhead. he was fired for that reason. he was the one that put the air conditioner in the window and left it vulnerable in the first place. he is a suspect.

if i take his attitude as a lesson, its like saying stick with living in white parts of town. not the attitude i like to have.

[MJ5150]

If living near people of your race is safer, then it makes sense to do it. Then again, any racial group has it's collection of thieves and other assorted dirtbags. Maybe host a BBQ in the parking lot of your building when the weather improves, and break down the barriers you seem to be feeling.

-Mike

[Staccato]

Sorry to hear this news! Renter's ins. can be surprisingly affordable. Hope you reconnect with the missing gear, soon!

[snappytom]

Sorry to hear about this ...... Be advised that renters (and homeowners) insurance generally has limits on coverage for musical instruments, computers, jewelry, etc.. A rider or separate policy is sometimes needed to insure over those limits.

[Floyd Eye]

Handgun
Renter's insurance ( with appropriate riders)
Move


Sounds right to me.

[Dr_Funkdamental]

Originally Posted by sonic assassin

next time ill be standing there with a ****ing 38 revolver.

and the landlord was a crackhead. he was fired for that reason. he was the one that put the air conditioner in the window and left it vulnerable in the first place. he is a suspect.

if i take his attitude as a lesson, its like saying stick with living in white parts of town. not the attitude i like to have.

Sorry for your losses bro. Glad you and your cat are good over all the material things. As far as his attitude, from what Ive gathered from your posts seems more like he was thinking of your well being because you moved in a ruff place. You did say he got robbed before too. Less to do with color and more to do with area. Heck, cats get robbed on army bases, and thats about as diverse as ever.

[bassguy72]

10 to 1 odds u probably knew the people or person who did this....also a nice hand gun makes an excellent best friend......keep your head up my friend.....

[nortonrider]

Maybe it's just me, But....
I'm thinking that even if you had a truckload of guns.....
if you ain't home when the burglar does his burgling,
he's still going to make off with your stuff.

[handofseven]

My condolences...

I had a cabinet stolen out a car once. I was gone for less than 10 minutes. I got it back 2 days later when it was found in a pawn shop not 2 blocks away from the scene.

A house I was living in, with friends, got robbed once, but I didn't have anything stolen because I fortified my room with 2 extra locks (my roomies laughed and asked if I thought I was living in New York).

Chances are, that if you were robbed for drug money, the thief(ves) will be moving your stuff as quickly as possible, for as little trouble as possible. Start looking at pawnshops closest to you and circle out. Keep in mind, that whatever pawnshops take in, they usually sit on in a back room while they wait for a 30 day period to expire, so you might not see it out on the floor right away.

Also, if the thief(ves) weren't able to take everything with them the first time, and left significant items of value behind, there is a very good chance they will be back.

All the advice about acquiring a handgun should be taken with salt. If you need to own a gun to feel safe about where you live, shouldn't you simply be looking for a new place to live? Owning a gun won't help you if you aren't home to use it when they come to rob you again. What's more, they could find the gun and use it against you or someone else in the commission of another crime.

If it were me, I wouldn't think twice about moving and getting set up properly from the get go with renters insurance and decent security.

[runmikeyrun]

I'm terribly sorry to hear about this. At least one good thing will come out of it- I'm writing down all of my gear's serial numbers and putting my name in a hiding spot on all of it.

Best of luck recovering your stuff, especially those session files.

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by sonic assassin

was out recording a band, came home to find they'd kicked the window mounted air conditioner in, turned my place upside down, broke the security latch on the way out the back door. clearly in a hurry.

somehow, my cat was too scared to venture out from under the bed. in the almost 6 hours that i was gone and this could have happened, she very well could have walked out the back door. pretty wigged out, but i calmed her down.

i know.. i know.. get to the good part. what did they take. well surprisingly they weren't very thorough. didnt bother to look under the bed where i keep several grand in instruments in cases. instead they took every guitar that wasnt in a case. including my first guitar (which as far as im concerned changed my life), my first bass, my 335 knock off and my custom painted explorer. also a small practice amp, my terabyte external hard drive filled with PRICELESS session files (you know.. the place where they are supposed to be safe), my outdated game systems, an old 2x10 cab, and one of my mixing monitors.

luckily, i had my recording gear sans the one monitor with me. if theyd have taken my computer or hurt my cat, id have gone on a shooting spree.

the window was fixed immediately but the back patio door is still a security risk. im almost certain it was someone in the building. the landlord seems to think the old crackhead landlord that she replaced might have something to do with it. its an odd shaped building and the best cover one would have would be going from my patio to their own. almost completely enclosed area that no one uses. did i mention i live in the hood? apparently some of the tenants, including the old landlord didnt quite like the idea of a white kid living here. he made several points to mention the racial breakdown of the building. not like i cared.

police report was filed. detailed lists of my instruments (all of which are fairly unique. not a lot of black and white stock J basses. all weird stuff that no one makes anymore). they plan to check pawn shops. i plan to check craigslist hourly. the plan is to let them do their job and find my stuff. as ive never really had a ton of faith in big city cops to deal with what most would consider a small incident compared to murders happening daily, i dont have much hope in that plan. i didnt have renters insurance, which i now whole heartedly regret. and my instruments werent really marked with identifiable stuff. i always scoffed at the guys that kept serial numbers on hand and hid their name in the neck pocket... now im wishing i had.

currently called off of work because i cant be bothered to stock shelves right now. got an apartment to reassemble. i cant mix yesterdays session. i cant record. i cant even think straight. i used to laugh at the people on the crime shows that gave the "i feel violated that someone was in my space" thing, but i kinda get it now. feels like the air is all wrong all of a sudden. i certainly dont want to be here with half of my stuff missing. i am admittedly a creature of habit. a little OCD. though my things often seem to be a mess, it's in its own state of organized. not seeing one of my monitors.. my explorer not being on the stand by the computer, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. i check my pockets at least 5 times before i leave the house, and often go back to make sure. i carry around as many things as i can fit in my pockets so i'll never be unprepared. and now i dont have all of the things i like to have when im at my own damn apartment.

thinking about moving. my landlord, who had been a tenant for about 4 years before the crackhead was fired, was also robbed when they first moved in. i dont want to come off racially insensitive, but the attitude around here isnt particularly in favor of white folks. its a black neighborhood, i get it, but im pretty polite. keep to myself. not sure i belong here anymore.

if i stay, i plan to fortify this place until its unlivable. also looking into acquiring a handgun. as well as renters insurance. im sure im babbling at this point, so i'll wrap it up. somehow writing all this to the world seems to help people, so i figured id try it.

If you're a professional musician, you'll need insurance for your equipment because renter's or homeowner's insurance won't cover it. Also, if you have any collectible gear, you'll need a separate rider because that's not usually covered, either.