"Don't mess with 25th Street?" Wow, have we come a long way

Love this story in today's S-E (click) about a couple of shoplifters who got busted by the owners of Sock Monkey'n Around antiques and the KoKoMo Lounge.

Picture of Cindy Simone, cops and perps in today's S-E

I tend to agree with the cops that a citizens' arrest is a dicey thing, but on the other hand we've cut back funding for police protection so far that the cops can't really respond to these things like this rapidly, if at all, leaving an open field for petty crime.

Unchecked crime of any sort is the last thing 25th Street needs. When I moved to town 35 years ago I'd drive down the Two Bit Street and girls on the sidewalk would wave to me. I was able, almost, to think that their attentions were because I was so good looking and not because they rented by the hour.

Now Two-Bit street is as family friendly as Disneyland. My son runs a business there. I ride my bicycle down it to get to work at Union Station. I take my grandchildren there. So can you.

But letting people get away with even small crimes threatens that. The "broken window" theory of crime is that if you allow one broken window on an abandoned building, pretty soon they're all broken. This stuff needs to be nipped in the bud.

So when these guys robbed CJ's store, on tape, and the police professed to not be able to find them, Cindy Simone at the Kokomo and CJ Bovee in the antique store decided they'd had enough. They, like all the business owners on 25th Street, are local, they've worked hard to build their business, they don't want to give all that up because of a couple of twits.

They had video of the guys, social media had been all over the deal, when the perps (love this cop talk!) were sighted again they called the cops, yes, but also took action.

Next thing the guys knew they were zip-tied to lawn chairs on the sidewalk.

Good for Cindy and CJ. 25th Street is our street in our city, guys like this should learn to behave or get out.