Wednesday Wander: Box Jobs; Watching The Resistance; Eggs And Insurance

Alright, let’s get into this national political situation for a moment – oh, put down your phones and molotov cocktails Angry Folk, we know better than to actually discuss what most of the country is talking about.

Instead, we’ll focus our hyper-local laser light on the crossroads of the county and what’s happening in the 24/680 – that part of it we can write about without getting sued, that is.

Things have been kind of sporty out there, our nocturnal recon runs turning up all manner of things going down in the wee hours, with crime crews lassoing safes and ATM machines like wranglers at a calf-roping contest and the police officers who haven’t taken early retirement and headed off to Oregon or Idaho hanging on for dear life – literally, in some cases.

Safe Roping has evolved into a new variation on an old theme: in-place safecracking by burglars who often spent hours on the premises “peeling” a target safe, known waaay back when as a “box job.”

But the old game of cop vs. crook hasn’t changed too much, despite advances in technology and methods.

We believe a Pleasant Hill PD officer got the E-Ticket thrill ride of the month early this morning when he was dispatched to investigate a suspected motorcycle theft in progress. Said officer arrived and confronted two men in a pickup truck apparently attempting to load a motorcycle into the truck bed and approached – only to find himself carried along as the driver reversed into him and sped off, the officer managing to smash the truck’s window with his baton before the truck fishtailed onto westbound Highway 24, where police lost sight of it. (Officer uninjured, luckily… but unhappy).

Local wags will no doubt make much of the directional path taken in this case and many others and, yes, it’s true – a lot of the crews venturing into Lamorinda and environs come here from Oakland and often return there after pulling a safe out of Taco Bell. We guess there’s money to be made moving Nachos and Chalupas but even keeping your green in a safe isn’t safe these days, much less making a deposit at your local bank. And, no, installing big castle-y gates at the Caldecott isn’t a practical remedy either.

WARNING WARNING – Editor’s Note: About to stray into national news territory BUT it has a local angle, we swear. 

Disciples of the current administration will undoubtedly let us know how unhappy they are that we’ve veered off but contrary to the beliefs of many not everyone in the 24/680 is on board with their ideology.

A resistance movement of sorts, cleverly named “The Resistance,” is forming locally and there are strong indications that despite what their opposition may think they are unpaid and growing in number. Our mental imagery of a resistance movement may be based on stories and black and white photos of cellars and hidden radio sets from World War II days – when membership in the movement could mean you’d end your days before a firing squad, but we’ve come a long way since the Allies broadcast the first two lines of Paul Verlaine’s poem “Chanson d’automne” as a coded message signaling the invasion would kick off within 24 hours.

Today, it’s less Les sanglots longs des violons de l’automne” and more “Rally Against You Know Who, Saturday, noon, Diablo Plaza – bring snacks, comfortable shoes and water.” Still, resistance is resistance and Americans, by nature, can be a rambunctious and feisty lot. There have been incidents of counter-protestor vs protestor aggression and the police, we believe, are watching. Those early – suggestions – of Civil War by hardcore fans of the current president are surfacing yet again, this time on the lips of people you’d least expect to utter them, and we’re just not sure where this is all going right now. We’re watching, too – though some aren’t happy about that, either.

Along with sub rosa Instagram messaging from angry mums and retirees we’re also hearing from folks upset by the state of their postal service, insurance rates, and general cost of living. Residents living in this part of the 24/680 are meant to have the financial wherewithal to weather surprise price jumps and increases but even they, it appears, are feeling the pinch as the price of medications, insurance, groceries (“has anyone heard that word before? It’s a beautiful word… groceries”) tick upwards.

We’re planting more vegetables in The Bunker’s survival garden and leaving the sunlight lamp on longer for our Laying Hens in order to stimulate production, but recent price hikes and adjustments to existing infrastructure have proven to be no laughing matter for many attempting to stay above water.

Where will it all end? We have no earthly idea, though we have our suspicions. Playing those close to the vest for now, as we all navigate these often trying times.

We’re also planning our coverage this weekend as messages continue to stream in from The Resistance, unfortunately not as poetic as “Bercent mon coeur d’une langueur monotone” – but clearly stating their goals: “Rally for Democracy, Noon. No Kings. No Nazis” – that line from Santayana resonating in our head.