Our neighbor’s Catalytic Converter got stolen

It’s always sad and worrisome to hear stories of neighbors and friends about their actual experiences of having been victimized by robbers and thieves here in California. These are supposed to be things happening in third-world countries, not in the USA. Law and Order in America is beginning to be a tv show only, no longer a reality.

Our Filipino neighbor Jun who owns several vehicles, parked his Toyota pick-up along the street in front of their house. The catalytic converter, which is in demand then, and more than ever now, had disappeared. My sister’s office mates had also lost their catalytic converters to thieves. The policemen recently raided a warehouse in Sacramento, California and found 1,700 pieces of catalytic converters.

The favorite brands are Toyota and Honda.

The thieves, those who personally go to the streets stealing catalytic converters under vehicles get at least $200 per piece. The fence or whole sale buyer wait till he has several hundreds and then sells these to the melting plants. The melting plants separate the precious metals (platinum, palladium, and rhodium) and export them.

Criminals no longer are scared of policemen and security guards. They steal in broad daylight right in front of the faces of guards. They know too well they will not serve time. The judge will set them free. They go back to committing crime again. This law enables criminals and emboldens bad-meaning and misguided persons to disrespect their neighbors, community, authorities, government, and the country they call their own. They always complain of not being respected and treated equally because of their darkin skin. It’s not the color of their skin. It’s how many of them conduct and behave.

I’ve seen it a few times, black women carting away handbags and cosmetics, without any shame or fear. They were giggling and looked proud of their accomplishments. What kind of citizens are these? When the guard yelled at them, when the cashier accosted them, in both instances they shouted racism. If the thieves were white, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, or any other race, it doesn’t change the fact that they are committing crime. If I see Filipinos stealing here, I would yell at them “mahiya naman kayo!” “Dito pa kayo dadayo para magnakaw!”

Even before the pandemic struck, crime here is already on the upstick but not as brazen and widespread as today.

A 50 year-old Korean female, while driving on the freeway one night, was dangerously cut by another vehicle. Little did she know that those in the car cut her to take a good look at her and if she had any companion in the cat. They followed her until she reached home. And when she got off her vehicle inside their garage, she was held up at gun point. They took her purse. Her husband who was at their house called the police right away and luckily the bad guys were caught and my female neighbor got her purse back. The holduppers were a woman and her boyfriend who both live in Oakland, California. The sad thing was, they were soon released by the police. They didn’t go to jail. And I am sure as of this writing, they were back to their evil ways.

One time I was in the driveway with Mochi, I saw a car drove by. A woman was sitting on the passenger seat while a guy was the one on the wheel. They looked at me and I looked at them too. I knew from the get go that they were not from here because this is such a small community and I more or less know the kind of vehicles around here. I am a curious fool so I also know who are living nearby. 1 Korean family, 4 Chinese families, 4 Indian families, 1 Malaysian Family, 1 Black with a Mestiza wife, 4 White families, 2 Filipino families.
The couple in the car was certainly none of the above. They were not Latinos either.