Deli owner prevents robbery, then gives to thief

S

sop

Forum Lieutenant
Messages
128
Reaction score
0
Points
16
An owner of a New York store prevented a robbery only to take pity on the perpetrator, who claimed he could not feed his family, and gave the man $40 and a loaf of bread.

This is how we all should be. Why can't we be like this?
 
because he used it to go buy crack down the street
 
sop said:
This is how we all should be. Why can't we be like this?
Click to expand...

Because you're rewarding criminals....which is a no-no. That's why we can't be like that.
 
Somebody on a forum told a questionably touching anecdote and didn't back it up with a news story. This is a terrible thread. Why can't we let it die?
 
Linuss said:
Because you're rewarding criminals....which is a no-no. That's why we can't be like that.
Click to expand...

Tell me that you wouldn't rob a store to feed your family, if it came down to it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
HotelCo said:
Tell me that you wouldn't rob a store to feed your family, if it came down to it.
Click to expand...

That saying has never and will never work on me because you can so extreme with it.



I guess we shouldn't prosecute career con artist by that logic, right? Because they steal and con to feed their families as well.


If you let a crime go unpunished, or worse reward it, you give the criminal no incentive to NOT do it. Attempted robbery is a crime.
 
Linuss said:
That saying has never and will never work on me because you can so extreme with it.



I guess we shouldn't prosecute career con artist by that logic, right? Because they steal and con to feed their families as well.


If you let a crime go unpunished, or worse reward it, you give the criminal no incentive to NOT do it. Attempted robbery is a crime.
Click to expand...

A crime the shop owner chooses not to prosecute, because he understands that there is such a thing as a 'grey area' and that not all who break the law are inherently bad and may do so to feed his family.

Would you prefer the man and his family starve to death on the street?
 
That saying has never and will never work on me because you can so extreme with it.



I guess we shouldn't prosecute career con artist by that logic, right? Because they steal and con to feed their families as well.


If you let a crime go unpunished, or worse reward it, you give the criminal no incentive to NOT do it. Attempted robbery is a crime.
Click to expand...

You didn't answer the question.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I actually read an article on (I believe) current-tv.com saying that same store owner got busted for selling drug paraphernalia. :rolleyes:
 
Ah, but I did answer it in two aeperate ways;

"That saying has never and will never work ok me"

&

"you can't reward a crime"


All caught crimes need to be punished in one way or another, even if it's just a cop going "bad boy" for going 5 over.
 
Alright let's ask it this way: Would you rob a store to feed your family, if it came down to it? Yes or No.

The question doesn't work on you, because you know what your answer would be.

Linuss said:
All caught crimes need to be punished in one way or another, even if it's just a cop going "bad boy" for going 5 over.
Click to expand...

He lost his bat. Have you been to Dunham's lately? ^_^
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Linuss said:
Ah, but I did answer it in two aeperate ways;

"That saying has never and will never work ok me"

&

"you can't reward a crime"


All caught crimes need to be punished in one way or another, even if it's just a cop going "bad boy" for going 5 over.
Click to expand...

You are avoiding questions on this thread. Would you prefer he and his family starve to death rather than him attempt to rob a store? Thank goodness the store owner shows more compassion and understanding than what has been shown on this thread.

And as for not rewarding a crime? Society NEEDS crime. It would never function without it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If I were to have seen this way back in 1985 when I started in private security my response would have been identical to Linuss. Now many years later my response in mixed between saying good only if he did go to feed his family with bread, and probably the same as Linuss if the robber used the 40.00 to buy controlled substances. Ideally we would live in a world where all people had shelter and didn't have to beg for food or commit crimes to eat or go to jail so they would have shelter and food to eat. as well as adequate health care. But unfortunately we don't live in in that world. When in gets to the fall I normally detain numerous homeless for shoplifting. They do this sadly because the want to spend the winter in jail where they will have a warm bed to sleep shelter and food to eat. I know this because they wait till I am visible then take something and walk out the door where they will wait for me to detain them for theft.

Since 1985 I have gained more wisdom just as I predict Linuss will. So people ease up on him he's young and he will learn and gain wisdom just like most of us have done.
 
Let's take the "if it came down to it" part out, and I'll explain later.

Would I rob someone to feed my family? No. There are many other avenues of getting help and feeding your family that don't require a felony.

He could have gone in and asked the deli owner if he could have some food. He could have got food stamps. Could have gone to a soup kitchen. Could have gone to a church and asked the preacher. Hell, he could have straight up stolen the food, a misdemeanor, instead of attempting aggravated robbery--- a felony.



Now, why did I want to take the "if it came down to it" part? Because you can throw in wild variable.


Would you kill 999 innocent people to save 1000 others? Where do you draw the line of "for the greater good"?

What if the money he was attempting to steal was the money the shop owner needed to feed his family? Bail his brother out of jail? Pay the rent for the store? Pay the car payment to stave off repossession?




Sorry, no pity from me when you commit a felony out of convenience, and not necessity. He didn't HAVE to commit agg. robbery to feed his family, he chose to. Fact is, he knew he was screwed when the owner took the firearm, and chances are he took the way he thought would get him in the least trouble-- tugging on someones heartstrings.



Don't you dare tell me I don't have compassion for other humans. I do my time in soup kitchens. I donate money. I help when I see help is needed. Hell, I'm in EMS for god sakes. Who are you to say otherwise?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For food stamps you not only have to fit into the governments formula, but you have to have an address to send it to. What if he and his family are now homeless?

Soup Kitchens? So you and your family could get jumped and robbed for their shoes in line? It's happened.

Not everyone is associated with a church.

Stolen the food? You yourself are so against crime.

How do you know he was just tugging some heart strings? How do you know he didn't have a starving family?
 
Linuss latest post got me thinking. What if the store owner didn't have a firearm to protect himself. The owner might have been a beating victim. Because how do we know that the robber wouldn't have beaten the owner to death or close to it with the bat. I just don't know if that would have happened but it could have progressed that way.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sasha said:
For food stamps you not only have to fit into the governments formula, but you have to have an address to send it to. What if he and his family are now homeless?
Click to expand...
If his family is homless, he's obviously in the right income bracket. Shelters will let you use their address so you can receive food stamps, mail, letters from prospective jobs and the like.

Soup Kitchens? So you and your family could get jumped and robbed for their shoes in line? It's happened.
Click to expand...

Yup, it's happened. I was working at a soup kitchen in Detroit on Christmas a few year ago-- guy was stabbed right infront of me. It happens, but hey, that guy could have also got a bullet to the face during the robbery.

Not everyone is associated with a church.
Click to expand...
You don't have to be. It's not uncommon for homeless to go to church preist, whom they've never met, ask for help, and the priest helps. I've seen it with my own eyes.

Stolen the food? You yourself are so against crime.
Click to expand...
You're FOR crime? Just because something is a necessity doesn't mean you should be for it. War, in essence, is a necessity, but I've yet to meet anyone FOR it.

I also said I was against having a caught felony go unpunished, and even more so, REWARDED.

How do you know he was just tugging some heart strings? How do you know he didn't have a starving family?
Click to expand...

I've seen it before, as many have. Someone comes up with a sob story, gets money, goes in to a gas station and buys beer.

How do you know he DOES have a starving family? You're going to take the word of a felon?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top