Mission Mission

[file photo by me]

Over the weekend I was taking an early morning stroll along Valencia Street when I happened upon an older white man who was knelt down in front of a trash can with a metal scraper going to work on a flyer that had been pasted onto the side. In the process of scraping the flyer off it had torn into pieces and once he was done he stood up, left the pieces on the ground and started walking back to his shiny PT Cruiser. In the past I’ve seen a few different people around the neighborhood doing this sort of this, like this guy, who Nick wrote about previously. I usually dismissed them because I felt sorry for them, as if they were so constantly bothered by flyers on trash cans and utility poles that they had to spend their time doing this. At the same time I have been annoyed that of all the things that take place around them this seemingly harmless thing would be the target of their energy. When I saw this guy go to his fancy car I couldn’t contain myself.

Me: Hey, you just gonna leave that trash on the ground?

Scraper: What?!

Me: You’re not going to pick that up?

Scraper: You see where it came from!

Me: Yeah, a trash can, and then you put it on the ground and can’t even put it in the trash?!

Scraper: (grumbles to self as he goes over to the pile of paper scraps and tosses them in the trash. Then points to garbage on the ground near his car) Why don’t you pick up that?!

Me: I’m not gonna pick up your trash.

Scraper: I didn’t put that there!

Me: Neither did I.

Scraper: (grumbles to self as he gets in his car and zips away to the next block to get out and scrape some more)

So, obviously pasting flyers and artsy things about is against the law, but so is littering. I just don’t get these people.

UPDATE: 1) I don’t know much about cars, and 2) Aaron and AttF remind me of the boringly-named film about vigilantes “Vigilante Vigilante”.

Apparently, our neighborhood thief has a violent rape rap sheet. My bear spray, bokken, & I are still not intimidated.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

It seems that a woman got a serial package thief arrested today, after setting a trap and spraying him with bear spray. “Professional food pornographer” Sonya Yu tweeted the ordeal as it unfolded. Select tweets appear below in chronological order.

@scoutj he’s the one that’s been rampantly stealing packages in our neighborhood. I put out a bait package today & will be quietly working. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
 

I GOT HIM WITH THE BEAR SPRAY BUT HE ESCAPED.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

I AM PUTTING HIM UNDER CITIZENS ARREST RIGHT NOW WITH 4 COPS. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
 

HE IS BEIN TAKEN AWAY IN AN AMBULANCE CUZ OF THE BEAR SPRAY I DOUSED HIM WITH.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

I WAS ALSO HIT WITH BEAR SPRAY BLOW BACK, SO MY FACE IS BURNING BUT IT FEELS SO GOOD. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
 

Tho imagining how bad he’s suffering (considering I emptied half a canister of bear spray onto him) makes me feel better.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

@nettatheninja he didn’t try to attack me but he did have a knife. I was above him on the 1st floor balcony, dousing him with bear spray. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
 

@whitneyreeder I just citizen arrested & bear sprayed a notorious, violent thief/rapist in the neighborhood that everyone has been after.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

@whitneyreeder he steals packages from door stoops – stole $1K+ worth from us earlier in the fall. He’s been targeting our neighborhood. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
 

JUST GOT A CALL FROM THE COPS: THEY’RE OFFICIALLY BOOKING HIM FOR ATTEMPTED BURGLARY & NOT JUST TRESPASSING. VICTORY!

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

Noe Valley SF also has some video.