29 January 2020, Wednesday

My entirely anecdotal evidence that crime may be increasing in New York City derives from my witnessing two low‐level crimes within minutes of one another.

A young woman walking in the opposite direction on 72nd St. stopped only a few feet in front of me to light up a joint and then continue walking.

In DR, 37th Ave., a dark slender Asian who gave me the impression that he’s Filipino seemed to be talking to himself, although he was probably using some mobile device, and then in enough delight over seeing Twinkies that he audibly referred to them by name, passed in front of me in the aisle to take a packet thereof. He continued down the aisle and seemed to look disapprovingly at the sweets there before turning around and passing in front of me again in the opposite direction. When I turned my head to glance at him, I saw him put the cakes in his coat as he moved to another aisle. I snitched to a female worker, but she was already aware and on her way to him, perhaps having seen him on camera from an employee room. She approached him, leveled her accusation and offered to ring up his items, but he loudly declared that he was leaving, passed me again in the perpendicular aisle between the main aisles, and walked out still in possession of the goods. By great coincidence, a police car was right in front of the shop, having I believe just parked there, and the worker gestured for the officers to enter, which they did when I could still see the fleeing criminal on the other side of their picture windows while I was on line.

The whole time, ਦਲਜੀਤ was a cashier at a register, and by the time I was on line, he was helping a customer with what appeared to be a lengthy return, but when I was next, the very worker who had interacted with the thief opened a new register and invited me thereto, as she was finished subsequently interacting with the police. She was understandably a little distracted as I paid for my Granola bars and trail mix (14:20), and she thanked me more than once for my participation even though I had informed her of nothing she didn’t apparently already know.