www.nytimes.com/1993/06/27/nyregion/church-burglary-on-rise.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Quote
...for several reasons,
members of the clergy and security
officials say. Places of worship are
usually open round the clock, they
often lie in inner-city areas where
drug use is prevalent, and they are
increasingly using electronic
equipment like tape and compact-
disk players to provide music in
place of the traditional organs. The
equipment is often portable and
easily fenced for money and drugs,
the police say.
Many burglaries go unreported, law-
enforcement officials say, because
the clergy accepts the break-ins as
the price that must be paid to keep
the institutions open to the public,
particularly in the inner-city
neighborhoods.
Some members of the clergy say
they don't report the burglaries
because they fear that the publicity
might give others an idea to do the
same thing. But representatives of
the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish
clergy said their denominations'
local churches or synagogues are
told to to inform the police of all
incidents, no matter how small.
Stealing from a church... There's a joke in here involving tithes, but I'm not going to make it.
This is actually a pretty common problem, a few years ago someone stole a drumset from the church I attended. The only part is that they forgot the power cord. (It was a new electric drumset, pretty cool if you ask me.) So basically they stole a really expensive paper weight.
In the UK lead on church roofs gets stolen on a regular basis.
The e-drums I've worked with used pretty generic power cords... Shouldn't be a problem to find the adapter with more or less right wattage and amperage.
Quote from: TankIn the UK lead on church roofs gets stolen on a regular basis.
Indeed, and stealing from inside churches has been rampant for a long time. Attractive portable antiques like lecterns, crosses and seats are too easy. As a student of church architecture it annoys me that so many churches have to be kept locked, especially the remote rural ones.
Seems sad that people steal in general, unless its food to feed their family.
Also, I can understand charging person with felony if they are stealing/damaging irreplacable artifacts. It's like stealing a painting from a museum on a lesser degree.
Quote from: Sweetdeath on January 30, 2012, 02:25:01 PM
unless its food to feed their family.
No, that's the sadest of all, really...
I suppose there's no real reason churches should be immune to this kind of theft. If you left your door unlocked in your home in the inner city, you wouldn't be surprised if you got robbed. Still, it's a little sad to me because I do like the idea of a 24 hour safe house, so to speak, where a person in need could go if they had nowhere else to turn (I'm thinking homeless, transient, etc...). And while I personally may find it silly, I wouldn't want to deny comfort to someone at 3am after a loved one had died or they were going through something difficult where sitting in a church and praying or meditating might help. It is what it is I guess, but it is shitty that people just can't be respectful of other people and their property.
Yeah, it is sad when some people ruin it for everyone. :(
Quote from: philosoraptor on January 30, 2012, 07:21:33 PM
Still, it's a little sad to me because I do like the idea of a 24 hour safe house, so to speak, where a person in need could go if they had nowhere else to turn (I'm thinking homeless, transient, etc...).
Homeless shelters..? About equally lacking in security guards as churches, so pretty much as safe, no?
QuoteAnd while I personally may find it silly, I wouldn't want to deny comfort to someone at 3am after a loved one had died or they were going through something difficult where sitting in a church and praying or meditating might help.
I'd send them to the nearest hospital to look up a psychologist on call.
...No, I don't really have a point beyond that I see churches as useless. Turn them into places that sell overpriced crap to people, like everywhere else!
Quote from: Asmodean on January 30, 2012, 07:28:53 PM
Quote from: philosoraptor on January 30, 2012, 07:21:33 PM
Still, it's a little sad to me because I do like the idea of a 24 hour safe house, so to speak, where a person in need could go if they had nowhere else to turn (I'm thinking homeless, transient, etc...).
Homeless shelters..? About equally lacking in security guards as churches, so pretty much as safe, no?
QuoteAnd while I personally may find it silly, I wouldn't want to deny comfort to someone at 3am after a loved one had died or they were going through something difficult where sitting in a church and praying or meditating might help.
I'd send them to the nearest hospital to look up a psychologist on call.
...No, I don't really have a point beyond that I see churches as useless. Turn them into places that sell overpriced crap to people, like everywhere else!
I know that unfortunately a lot of homeless shelters have a limited amount of resources and thus have a limited amount of space, and also have rules about when you can come and go. I do think it's necessary to have some sort of "on demand" place that people can go to get warm if they should find themselves without shelter and unable to enter into a shelter at any time.
Hospitals. Usually open 24/7
Open, yes. Accessible? Not necessarily. Hospitals are full of sick people-most of them will not be keen on homeless people crashing the ER waiting room to get warm, especially not if they're packed to capacity.
Chest pain. Can buy you quite a lot of hours.
Quote from: Asmodean on January 30, 2012, 08:42:16 PM
Chest pain. Can buy you quite a lot of hours.
Plus, in the US, under the EMTALA law, you can't refuse someone who comes into the ER for treatment.
Yeah, I still like the idea of a place people can go 24/7 if they are in need, without having to lie about it. If that's a church, so be it.
I think when you are in a situation where you have nothing and nobody - or need to get away from something and somebody - that truth is probably the least of your concerns.
I'm not disagreeing with that sentiment regarding needs and truth, but a hospital is still not the best place to go if all you want is to get out of the cold. It's also stupid and selfish to lie about having chest pain or being sick if you aren't, because than you're taking doctor's attentions away from people who might legitimately need it, and if they find out that you lied intentionally that's a whole other can of worms. A hospital ER also probably isn't the best place for someone who needs a quiet place to think.
Churches are cool. The architecture is often times beautiful, and they're usually quiet and peaceful, to a point. Whether people worship in them or not is kind of besides the point. But I do think it's good that they are open and available to people 24/7, whether that's because it's snowing and you're homeless or having an existential crisis and in need of a quiet place to think.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on January 30, 2012, 08:45:49 PM
Quote from: Asmodean on January 30, 2012, 08:42:16 PM
Chest pain. Can buy you quite a lot of hours.
Plus, in the US, under the EMTALA law, you can't refuse someone who comes into the ER for treatment.
Right, but in the US you can also get saddled with massive debt if you get treated or stay in a room for the night, thanks to our lack of universal health care.
When you are out on the streets, possibly because of debt, do you think more debt is really an issue?
Quote from: Asmodean on January 31, 2012, 03:27:07 AM
When you are out on the streets, possibly because of debt, do you think more debt is really an issue?
Yes. Someone in that situation may not necessarily be penniless; maybe they just got kicked out of their apartment and need to stay somewhere a night or two while they look for a new place. So adding thousands of dollars in debt when you're trying to feed your family is not feasible. Also, ERs in this county are horrible over-crowded and have long waiting times, so how much are they going to care about you while there are sicker patients waiting ahead of you? Would you really choose to go to an ER anyway when a church or some other organization is offering a bed and food with no strings attached? (Yes, besides preaching their message, but in that situation, it's a small price to pay.)
Quote from: Firebird on January 31, 2012, 03:51:02 AM
Would you really choose to go to an ER anyway when a church or some other organization is offering a bed and food with no strings attached?
No, I'd go to a motel. If I'm not
that broke, chances are that I have the coin for a couple of motel nights.
Maybe libraries should just be open 24/7 instead of churches. That way people could come in out of the cold, sit, and not have to use up resources for people who are actually sick. I could get behind that.
PS. Asmo, Jesus fuck, you really never do sleep, do you?
Quote from: Ali on January 31, 2012, 04:53:19 AM
PS. Asmo, Jesus fuck, you really never do sleep, do you?
Nope. ;D
Quote from: Ali on January 31, 2012, 04:53:19 AM
Maybe libraries should just be open 24/7 instead of churches. That way people could come in out of the cold, sit, and not have to use up resources for people who are actually sick. I could get behind that.
I approve this message. ;D
Quote from: Ali on January 31, 2012, 04:53:19 AM
Maybe libraries should just be open 24/7 instead of churches. That way people could come in out of the cold, sit, and not have to use up resources for people who are actually sick. I could get behind that.
PS. Asmo, Jesus fuck, you really never do sleep, do you?
I agree! I love libraries. I'd gladly work the nightshift.
Well, it's their fault for not sticking to organs.