Vandals Steal Children's Innocence

Vandalism at the snack booth in Redway discouraged both dedicated volunteers and community children.  This last week, the Redwood Times printed a letter from Gina Paine, Southern Humboldt Youth Soccer Representative, she said in part,

I have been pouring my heart and soul into the soccer program this year… I saw an opportunity to maybe raise some additional funds for this program by renting the baseball snack shack and opening it for business. …This venture took quite a bite of extra time and planning and coordinating and began to look as though it may be a profitable venture, especially if someone could put a little more energy into it next year.

But then I arrived Saturday morning to open up and realized that we had been broken into. All of the food items, candy bars and drinks had been stolen. So what could have been a possible profit is now a complete loss and then some. [L]ight bulbs had been broken out of the ceiling, the coffee pot was broken…

I do not know who did this and do not want to even guess. I just want to say you are stealing from our children. You are stealing from a program that keeps youth out of trouble and involved in positive play.

I am completely disheartened at this point and cannot help to feel deflated. I don’t think that people who do things like this realize what an impact their actions have. It is not just food you have stolen.

(entire powerful letter here)

Kim Sallaway sent out his photo of the day today (see above) and said, referring to this incident, “You can replace appliances, but not innocence.”

If you see Gina, can you hand her a few dollars for the kids?

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

57 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
WJ
Guest
WJ
12 years ago

Rule #1: Don’t leave valuables where they can be seen or are thought to be stored.

Rule #2: Well, that about covers it.

My elementary school doesn’t leave so much as an extension cord in a window sill for fear it will be perceived as a computer component. Window shades are drawn at the end of the day. The contents of every classroom are hidden.

WJ
Guest
WJ
12 years ago

Rule #1: Don’t leave valuables where they can be seen or are thought to be stored.

Rule #2: Well, that about covers it.

My elementary school doesn’t leave so much as an extension cord in a window sill for fear it will be perceived as a computer component. Window shades are drawn at the end of the day. The contents of every classroom are hidden.

Clover
Guest
Clover
12 years ago

Really, we should just sit back and accept that we must actually pack up the entire contents of a completely locked, secure, windows covered snack shack? I think not, that is absurd. Where do we draw the boundaries? The doors were locked, the windows boarded, that in itself should be enough. Let’s not even get into the fact that honesty, accountability and morals come into play. Has our community really reached a place that we are willing to accept that we have folks running around stealing from our children? So disheartening.

WJ
Guest
WJ
12 years ago
Reply to  Clover

You can decry the state of society, or you can plan for reality. There’s a snack shack in McKinleyville and I’m pretty sure the local soccer group fills it and empties it every Saturday. Young adults will destroy or steal for the sake of the act. Ask any store merchant who has had her store window smashed for no reason. Or ask anyone who had a sign stolen by those college students who were so indifferent they didn’t think twice about holding a party and showing off the collection.

In this case, the random vandalism netted actual food the thieves probably consumed, thus making the snack shack an even more inviting target. And what’s the downside? If they get caught, they get a slap on the wrist — regardless of whether they’re a minor or an adult. There are few repercussions for such a crime.

Clover
Guest
Clover
12 years ago

Really, we should just sit back and accept that we must actually pack up the entire contents of a completely locked, secure, windows covered snack shack? I think not, that is absurd. Where do we draw the boundaries? The doors were locked, the windows boarded, that in itself should be enough. Let’s not even get into the fact that honesty, accountability and morals come into play. Has our community really reached a place that we are willing to accept that we have folks running around stealing from our children? So disheartening.

WJ
Guest
WJ
12 years ago
Reply to  Clover

You can decry the state of society, or you can plan for reality. There’s a snack shack in McKinleyville and I’m pretty sure the local soccer group fills it and empties it every Saturday. Young adults will destroy or steal for the sake of the act. Ask any store merchant who has had her store window smashed for no reason. Or ask anyone who had a sign stolen by those college students who were so indifferent they didn’t think twice about holding a party and showing off the collection.

In this case, the random vandalism netted actual food the thieves probably consumed, thus making the snack shack an even more inviting target. And what’s the downside? If they get caught, they get a slap on the wrist — regardless of whether they’re a minor or an adult. There are few repercussions for such a crime.

Uti
Guest
Uti
12 years ago

Thanks Kym, I read the letter in the paper this week and felt bad for the group, but the crime was not surprising given the local social climate where it takes razor wire, chain link fences and extraordinary protection to keep thieves from stealing or vandalizing your stuff. The good news is that the parents and children will come out of this with valuable life lessons, while the perps will continue to live a miserable existence. When a person has sunk so low that they steal from children there’s little hope left and sadly few ever recover from that terrible place. I imagine that the homeless and transients will get the blame for the deed.

It would be great if Gina Paine or her group could post an address for donations to make up their loss or put donation jars at the grocery stores. I liked the newspaper report that someone upon learning of the theft immediately gave her $100 to help.

2 cents
Guest
2 cents
12 years ago
Reply to  Uti

LOCAL social climate?
it is a miracle kids have any innocence left to take in this WORLD.
Teen/tweenagers, not transients – though you may be right about who gets the blame.
A damn shame in any case, I hope Gina does get some help so we can keep trying to model sportsmanship. Last year’s season came to such a wonderful spectacular close – but some, obviously, don’t get it.
I know the kids want and need it and the MUD wants to air the Tourney again too. – this is one point in history we really really can’t afford to let the bastards get us down.

Uti
Guest
Uti
12 years ago

Thanks Kym, I read the letter in the paper this week and felt bad for the group, but the crime was not surprising given the local social climate where it takes razor wire, chain link fences and extraordinary protection to keep thieves from stealing or vandalizing your stuff. The good news is that the parents and children will come out of this with valuable life lessons, while the perps will continue to live a miserable existence. When a person has sunk so low that they steal from children there’s little hope left and sadly few ever recover from that terrible place. I imagine that the homeless and transients will get the blame for the deed.

It would be great if Gina Paine or her group could post an address for donations to make up their loss or put donation jars at the grocery stores. I liked the newspaper report that someone upon learning of the theft immediately gave her $100 to help.

2 cents
Guest
2 cents
12 years ago
Reply to  Uti

LOCAL social climate?
it is a miracle kids have any innocence left to take in this WORLD.
Teen/tweenagers, not transients – though you may be right about who gets the blame.
A damn shame in any case, I hope Gina does get some help so we can keep trying to model sportsmanship. Last year’s season came to such a wonderful spectacular close – but some, obviously, don’t get it.
I know the kids want and need it and the MUD wants to air the Tourney again too. – this is one point in history we really really can’t afford to let the bastards get us down.

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago

This is truly sad. I’ve always held Garberville, Redway, and the immediate surrounding folks, to be so community tight. I’m sorry to read of this.
On a better note: ‘ Pay It Forward,’ please go to this site: shar.es/bD04R for a heart-warming look.

Scob Do
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  Forest Queen

This act was not done by locals. It is the homeless that have come here from some place else that have done this terrible deed.

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  Scob Do

I didn’t think that it was the locals. I should have clarified.

Gayle
Guest
Gayle
12 years ago
Reply to  Scob Do

I disagree. I think local kids are doing the stealing. I was walking my dog around the ball park and saw two kids on bicycles trying to break into the snack shack. When they saw me they got on their bikes and rode away. As I got closer I could see they were trying to pry open the hatch.

Anne on a Mouse
Guest
Anne on a Mouse
12 years ago
Reply to  Gayle

There is so much fantasy knee-jerk scapegoating of the homeless. Thanks for the real life observation.

tra
Guest
tra
12 years ago
Reply to  Gayle

Gayle,

How long ago was this attempted break-in?

Did you report this attempted break-in?

While the chances of those particular perpetrators being caught may have been negligible, it does seem like there’s a chance that had this incident been reported, those operating the snack shack might have taken greater precautions (better locks and/or moving the merchandise to a safer location).

Gayle
Guest
Gayle
12 years ago
Reply to  tra

It was probably a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t know how serious the kids were about breaking in and vandalizing the shack. I wasn’t close enough to give anyone a description. Just kids on bikes. I didn’t see the point of reporting it when I couldn’t give any details. Perhaps you are right and I should have.

tra
Guest
tra
12 years ago
Reply to  Gayle

With 20/20 hindsight, it does look like reporting it might have prevented the eventual successful break-in and theft (whether that was done by the same kids or someone else). But I can certainly understand why, at the time, it probably didn’t seem worth reporting.

So I’m not being critical of you for not reporting it, I’m just suggesting that perhaps one lesson to be drawn from this incident is that reporting a possible attempted break-in, even if it’s not clear how serious the attempt was, might serve as a useful heads-up to those whose property was at risk.

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago

This is truly sad. I’ve always held Garberville, Redway, and the immediate surrounding folks, to be so community tight. I’m sorry to read of this.
On a better note: ‘ Pay It Forward,’ please go to this site: shar.es/bD04R for a heart-warming look.

Scob Do
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  Forest Queen

This act was not done by locals. It is the homeless that have come here from some place else that have done this terrible deed.

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  Scob Do

I didn’t think that it was the locals. I should have clarified.

tra
Guest
tra
12 years ago
Reply to  Forest Queen

I have seen zero evidence presented as to who committed this crime and therefore no basis for saying whether it was committed by longtime locals (homeless or otherwise), or by short-term transients, by youths or by adults. Unless someone posting here has more detailed information that has not been presented here thus far, any atrribution of blame is sheer speculation, and as such is is mostly just a reflection of the speculator’s prejudices.

2 cents
Guest
2 cents
12 years ago
Reply to  tra

Vandalism has been around since when? The vandal Vikings maybe?
Plenty of locals and/or youth haven’t got any sense of common decency – as evidenced by our unwillingness to maintain a public restroom! Almost out of trees to cut down because people relieved themselves (term mean anything to ya?) behind ’em……..So NOW it’s time to talk. I can think of a number of such shortsighted abominations : the yews by the Preb,s church ; the redwoods next to Calico’s; the locusts between Murrishes and D’Amatos and – we won’t count those trees near Redway P.O. cause they were cut for undermining the foundation…………..uh huh. NOT!
Like the garbage we blame solely on the ‘homeless’ – we, once again. give ourselves WAY too much credit.

yep
Guest
yep
12 years ago
Reply to  2 cents

They threw up new mega-plex apartments off giuntoli in arcata, the bottoms immediately became a regualr dump site like never before. I’ve lived here a long time, they finished two new apartment complexes in mckinleyville and suddenly the field by my house as well as up the street became such regular dumping grounds they felt they had to cut down a bunch of huge trees, fence off fields where people used to walk dogs and etc. Homeless people don’t have a lot of garbage to begin with, let alone mountains of furniture, appliances, clothes etc.

The law of numbers, who’s making money by simply pakcing more people into the area?

yep
Guest
yep
12 years ago
Reply to  yep

…on a technical note, they’re clearing forest and digging pg&e for even more plexes up the street where a lot of the dumping goes on. Just what we need?

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  yep

Since I’m aware of the small percentage of population growth for Humboldt from 2000-2010, are these multi-plexs occupants Chinese? No, I’m not raciest one way or the other, it’s a global (debtor/creditor/political) perspective. aavez.org post I rec’d today with the 9th monk/nun dowsing themselves w/petrol, then a match, due to China’s genocide occurring in Tibet, makes me wonder. US INC -debtor to China, the creditor. Why else would we be able to cause so much havoc in Iraq?

Gayle
Guest
Gayle
12 years ago
Reply to  Scob Do

I disagree. I think local kids are doing the stealing. I was walking my dog around the ball park and saw two kids on bicycles trying to break into the snack shack. When they saw me they got on their bikes and rode away. As I got closer I could see they were trying to pry open the hatch.

Anne on a Mouse
Guest
Anne on a Mouse
12 years ago
Reply to  Gayle

There is so much fantasy knee-jerk scapegoating of the homeless. Thanks for the real life observation.

tra
Guest
tra
12 years ago
Reply to  Gayle

Gayle,

How long ago was this attempted break-in?

Did you report this attempted break-in?

While the chances of those particular perpetrators being caught may have been negligible, it does seem like there’s a chance that had this incident been reported, those operating the snack shack might have taken greater precautions (better locks and/or moving the merchandise to a safer location).

Gayle
Guest
Gayle
12 years ago
Reply to  tra

It was probably a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t know how serious the kids were about breaking in and vandalizing the shack. I wasn’t close enough to give anyone a description. Just kids on bikes. I didn’t see the point of reporting it when I couldn’t give any details. Perhaps you are right and I should have.

tra
Guest
tra
12 years ago
Reply to  Gayle

With 20/20 hindsight, it does look like reporting it might have prevented the eventual successful break-in and theft (whether that was done by the same kids or someone else). But I can certainly understand why, at the time, it probably didn’t seem worth reporting.

So I’m not being critical of you for not reporting it, I’m just suggesting that perhaps one lesson to be drawn from this incident is that reporting a possible attempted break-in, even if it’s not clear how serious the attempt was, might serve as a useful heads-up to those whose property was at risk.

G.I.B.
Guest
G.I.B.
12 years ago

I’d be happy to send Gina a small check to help replace the stolen items.

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  G.I.B.

Check? Check? from a Credit Union or local bank right?
11-5-11 have your $ withdrawn or moved to a credit union. A poor man’s hedge is nickels. Trade in a worthless $20 FRN for nickels. There is also a ‘banker’s box’ -$200. Or, a casino will trade for nickels all day long. 15 cents worth of metal in nickels.
11-7-11 something other than my daughter’s birthday, I just haven’t put my finger on it yet.
11-9-11 TV, radio broadcasting ’emergency’ signal. Just another FED illusion. The plastic, fantastic (program transmitting) moon to be deleted by asteroid. Yipeee!

11-11-11 SHUT DOWN THE SYSTEM! appliances off, no shopping/no taxes, no traveling, except walking or bicycling, schools, admin. bldg., post offices closed (holiday). The Mayan Elders et al arrive in San Francisco, finishing up their pilgrimage from coast to coast.

Using the astronomical table in the Book of Enoch (left out of the Bible), historians have determined that his prophecies extend from about 5,000 years ago to the present and then continue about another thousand years beyond the 20th century. There is an obvious consistency between Enoch’s description of a changing world and the Hopi recital of changes at the end of the fourth world. In no uncertain terms, the Hopi prophecy states: “When earthquakes, floods, hailstorms, drought, and famine will be the life of every day, the time will come for the return to the true path.”

G.I.B.
Guest
G.I.B.
12 years ago

I’d be happy to send Gina a small check to help replace the stolen items.

Forest Queen
Guest
12 years ago
Reply to  G.I.B.

Check? Check? from a Credit Union or local bank right?
11-5-11 have your $ withdrawn or moved to a credit union. A poor man’s hedge is nickels. Trade in a worthless $20 FRN for nickels. There is also a ‘banker’s box’ -$200. Or, a casino will trade for nickels all day long. 15 cents worth of metal in nickels.
11-7-11 something other than my daughter’s birthday, I just haven’t put my finger on it yet.
11-9-11 TV, radio broadcasting ’emergency’ signal. Just another FED illusion. The plastic, fantastic (program transmitting) moon to be deleted by asteroid. Yipeee!

11-11-11 SHUT DOWN THE SYSTEM! appliances off, no shopping/no taxes, no traveling, except walking or bicycling, schools, admin. bldg., post offices closed (holiday). The Mayan Elders et al arrive in San Francisco, finishing up their pilgrimage from coast to coast.

Using the astronomical table in the Book of Enoch (left out of the Bible), historians have determined that his prophecies extend from about 5,000 years ago to the present and then continue about another thousand years beyond the 20th century. There is an obvious consistency between Enoch’s description of a changing world and the Hopi recital of changes at the end of the fourth world. In no uncertain terms, the Hopi prophecy states: “When earthquakes, floods, hailstorms, drought, and famine will be the life of every day, the time will come for the return to the true path.”

RefFan
Guest
RefFan
12 years ago

I thought we were speaking English on these blogs?? Guess I was wrong, AGAIN!!

G.I.B.
Guest
G.I.B.
12 years ago
Reply to  RefFan

Guess I’ll resort to smoke signals.

Still looking for an address to help replace the stolen items.

RefFan
Guest
RefFan
12 years ago

I thought we were speaking English on these blogs?? Guess I was wrong, AGAIN!!

G.I.B.
Guest
G.I.B.
12 years ago
Reply to  RefFan

Guess I’ll resort to smoke signals.

Still looking for an address to help replace the stolen items.

redwoodP
Guest
redwoodP
12 years ago

This is truly a sad story. I was involved with a local snackbar once and we always packed up all of the items after each game and hauled them out. It was always in the back of our minds that someone could break in and loot the place. Well, unfortunately, while we were taking all of those precautions, one of our own was embezzling over 1/2 of the cash proceeds from each game!!

You would be surprised how much embezzlement goes on with these local sports snack bars. We caught our thief and it turns out she had been doing it for years from other sports and their snackbars. Of course, no one wanted to have her prosecuted so she most likely is continuing her little scam somewhere else.

redwoodP
Guest
redwoodP
12 years ago

This is truly a sad story. I was involved with a local snackbar once and we always packed up all of the items after each game and hauled them out. It was always in the back of our minds that someone could break in and loot the place. Well, unfortunately, while we were taking all of those precautions, one of our own was embezzling over 1/2 of the cash proceeds from each game!!

You would be surprised how much embezzlement goes on with these local sports snack bars. We caught our thief and it turns out she had been doing it for years from other sports and their snackbars. Of course, no one wanted to have her prosecuted so she most likely is continuing her little scam somewhere else.

mars101
Guest
mars101
12 years ago

how very sad.. @ redwoodP. This whole episode strikes @ the heart. All this is for the kids!!! I guess nothing is truly sacred anymore.

mars101
Guest
mars101
12 years ago

how very sad.. @ redwoodP. This whole episode strikes @ the heart. All this is for the kids!!! I guess nothing is truly sacred anymore.

j.marko unknown (@obtusemental2)
Guest

could not evil ,just be evil-

j.marko unknown (@obtusemental2)
Guest

could not evil ,just be evil-

humboldtkids
Guest
humboldtkids
12 years ago

Fiance here: Coming from a family of Soccer Players..I would like to donate a little. I can’t do much…but those pennies add up. Address please!

humboldtkids
Guest
humboldtkids
12 years ago

Fiance here: Coming from a family of Soccer Players..I would like to donate a little. I can’t do much…but those pennies add up. Address please!

Staff
Member
12 years ago

For all you asking, I’m trying to get an address. I want to send money also. Will post it as soon as I get it.

Staff
Member
12 years ago

For all you asking, I’m trying to get an address. I want to send money also. Will post it as soon as I get it.

G.I.B.
Guest
G.I.B.
12 years ago

Thanks Kym. I’ll work on one too.

G.I.B.
Guest
G.I.B.
12 years ago

Thanks Kym. I’ll work on one too.

trackback

[…] When vandals destroyed the merchandise for the snack shack, Gina Paine was discouraged. All that work and effort only to have most of the profit destroyed.  My post about this ended, […]

trackback

[…] When vandals destroyed the merchandise for the snack shack, Gina Paine was discouraged. All that work and effort only to have most of the profit destroyed.  My post about this ended, […]