Suspected Copper Thief Shot Dead In Palmer Park...

[DetroitPole]

Even during the times of relative prosperity in the region[[though Detroit gets the short end of the stick on this continually), crime in Detroit was still astronomical. People here are indeed desperately poor, but, not to laud our woefully inadequate social support system, virtually no one is starving. Most of these scrappers even have the means to have automobiles and power tools. Again, not to justify the deep economic inquality here, but rest assured virtually none of these scrappers are doing this to buy a loaf of bread to feed their families.
Even if you shut down the scrap yards buying this stuff, it still has intrinsic value, so a black market would arise anyway. You would have to somehow make copper valueless, but since we've already gone through the copper age, that isn't going to happen.
The worst part about this is the devastating affect on the city. Entire neighborhoods are being permanently wiped out because of these scrappers. Structures go from being simply vacant and waiting for a new owner [[if you're optimistic) to being nothing but dangerous shells overnight. I've said it before and I'll say it again: even a dog doesn't shit in its own crate. These people are worse than that, destroying any possibility of any kind of jobs, investment, or residents coming back to the city by literally dismantling the remaining infrastructure.
I wish these stories somehow could be publisized more to make the scrappers think twice. Ultimately these people are cowards; scavangers; vultures. If they thought their chicken-shit worthless lives were seriously in danger they'd go back to collecting cans and bottles and living off the dole. Many of them never bothered to learn to read so maybe we could take this last guy and impale him on a pike with some copper wire on his hand and leave him there for all to see. I think then, no matter how irretreivably stupid they may be, they would get the message. Your choices and actions have consequences.
We've had formerly beautiful homes in my neighborhood completely destoryed thanks to these people and it could very well mean the end of the neigborhood. No more. If I ever saw one of these guys they're not getting away alive. And a bullet is too good for them. They're going to wish they were never born.

[hamtown mike]

Your choices and actions have consequences.

AMEN!

Long term thinking has very little place in the minds of many. Instead, there is im'me'diate thinking. What's in it for me now?

Scrappers are thinking "There's copper in that building. I have a hacksaw. Soon I'll have money."-for god only knows what. Instead of thinking "Hey, that's a solid building that could one day house a business that I could work for."

Perhaps people have been holding on to that 'one day' for far too long. It would be interesting to see how many who lost their automotive jobs in the 80's that have remained relatively un/underemployed.

[Mackinaw]

Assuming the facts as given are true, the security guard will be prosecuted. Property cannot be defended with deadly force. The guard will have to show that he reasonably believed the copper thief threatened serious bodily harm against him or others. I doubt this is the case.

But yes as a general matter this scrapping crime is absolutely outrageous and even more outrageous is the lack of some law enforcement task force to attack it at its source. Instead, we allow some of our finer neighborhoods where reasonable people still want to live to fall victim to this assault on their property.

Don't shoot at scrappers. Prosecute them and those driving the market.

[JBMcB]

Even if you shut down the scrap yards buying this stuff, it still has intrinsic value, so a black market would arise anyway. You would have to somehow make copper valueless, but since we've already gone through the copper age, that isn't going to happen.

+1. If you make it illegal to buy scrap copper, scrappers will just melt it down into bars or rods first. The melting point is only around 2000F, you could build a coal-fed forge out of cinderblocks and spare parts that could accomplish this. Forging ain't hard - they were doing it thousands of years ago with dirt, clay and wood.