"Gateway to Freedom" scrapped?

**Rocko** · August-22-10, 01:00 AM

Hey Searay, where's that streetlight photo at? It's amazing what Looney Toons there are running around this city. Maybe they should wire up those streetlight junction boxes at the base so they give a 400 volt jolt to anyone who dares trying to steal one! Its really, really distressing about the Gateway to Freedom Monument. Aren't there security cameras all along the riverfront? And what with the Atwater Precinct just steps away....

**fryar** · August-22-10, 03:26 AM

Looking at Searay's pics, that looks pretty dangerous. There could well be some of those hand-wrapped connections in there with the little plasticky twist-on screw things, people could get a jolt. Couldn't one put cheap plastic things on there that snap into place, so you'd have no metal parts worth scrapping?

**Huggybear** · August-22-10, 08:29 AM

Just spot-weld them on. Cutting torches are pretty conspicuous at night. The problem was that the city used metal bands to keep the covers on, and all you need to cut those is a pair of bolt cutters. But yes, it does also beg the question of using a good composite.

Originally Posted by fryar

Looking at Searay's pics, that looks pretty dangerous. There could well be some of those hand-wrapped connections in there with the little plasticky twist-on screw things, people could get a jolt. Couldn't one put cheap plastic things on there that snap into place, so you'd have no metal parts worth scrapping?

**gumby** · August-22-10, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

If you don't have an address there is nowhere to send the Bridge Card.

You can get a Bridge card at the DHS office. I have plenty of homeless people with no mailing addresses on my case load, they just use the DHS office as the mailing address and are supposed check in often to see if they have any mail which they never do and at the yearly review that they don't come in for they end up closing and they reapply the next month. It is an imperfect system but it works. And don't fool yourself that the scrapping is for food. Trust me that homeless guy begging for money saying he hasn't eaten in forever, hasn't eaten because he sold his food benefits for drugs at 50 cents on the dollar or goes in buys 200 dollars in pop, empties the cans and then back in to get the deposit, I've seen it happen.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · August-22-10, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Huggybear

Just spot-weld them on. Cutting torches are pretty conspicuous at night. The problem was that the city used metal bands to keep the covers on, and all you need to cut those is a pair of bolt cutters. But yes, it does also beg the question of using a good composite.

It likely wouldn't take much to find the dealers that take in these stolen items.

Obviously, they don't care. Maybe with the right sort of penalties and law enforcement that did care, things would change.

It's one thing for somebody to show up with a truckload of burnt out bar-b-ques. Manhole covers and plaques, these buyers need to be simply put out of business.

**Zacha341** · September-02-10, 08:35 PM

I went downtown last weekend and the front panel is still missing from the monument but thankfully there is no further damage [[see earlier link)
http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/2010/08/theft.html

I took these photos in 2009... from the river side of the monument. See in one shot the large plaque flanked by the engraved portions [[I took this shot from the bridge of the Diamond Jack tour ship). Notice on the photo below the bronze flap to the side where the little girl is. She is really engaged in the sculpture! Beautiful monument that I hope is not further damaged...

**kathy2trips** · September-02-10, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by Searay215

Amen....I could not agree more...Heavy penalties and or jail time for taking in stuff like that. Its not like they don't know....come on.
Photo of street light covers stolen....

Oh, yeah...community service. There's plenty maintenance work around town that needs to be done....pick up trash, paint over graffiti, etc. Enough work, and they'll be too tired to vandalize the people's property.

LodgeDodger · September-02-10, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

I went downtown last weekend and the front panel is still missing from the monument but thankfully there is no further damage [[see earlier link)
http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/2010/08/theft.html

I took these photos in 2009... from the river side of the monument. See in one shot the large plaque flanked by the engraved portions [[I took this shot from the bridge of the Diamond Jack tour ship). Notice on the photo below the bronze flap to the side where the little girl is. She is really engaged in the sculpture! Beautiful monument that I hope is not further damaged...

I have to admit that I'm a bit old-fashioned. I don't like the idea of kids crawling on the public sculptures. They're not playthings.