Pirates in Oakland? From the San Francisco Chronicle, August 20:
In Oakland's crime wave, unique problem hits waterfront: ‘Pirates’
UPDATE: The bay's waterfront pirates hit a brazen target — a San Francisco fire boat
Jonathan DeLong was sleeping in a berth of his sailboat at the shore of Oakland’s Jack London Square when he heard a thump. Startled awake, he knew trouble was right outside.
A woman stood on the dock in the inky darkness while a man glided toward DeLong’s sailboat in a dinghy, both seemingly intent on boarding. To DeLong, the scene was familiar: Countless times, he’d seen people prowl the bay on small watercraft, using bolt cutters or angle grinders to burglarize boats, or to pry open the fiberglass “dock boxes” where estuary residents keep their supplies.
When he sternly confronted and shooed away the pair of trespassers on a July summer night, DeLong said, he was already frustrated and weary from the constant break-ins — the latest illustration of a property crime surge that’s gripped Oakland and spilled onto the waterfront.
As Oakland police grapple with rising burglaries, robberies and carjackings on land, residents on the water say they’re getting little help and are left on their own to chase out intruders.
Some have discussed arming themselves. Others have ventured out to reclaim their stolen property. Several bemoaned the lack of law enforcement response, saying it’s allowed crime to spiral and encouraged vigilantism. In recent months, a malaise has settled over the kitschy houseboats and lagoons, as boaters who sought an island lifestyle are suddenly finding themselves terrified....
....MUCH MORE
And from KPIX-TV, CBS Bay Area, News:
Marina residents say Oakland pirates becoming more brazen after several ships stolen
From the intro to "Why Pirates Are Giving Up On Oil":
I was always under the impression that by taking up piracy those who ply that vocation self-identified (probably not a term they use) as outlaws, literally outside-the-law and could be shot on sight by any navy in the world. The lady attorneys tell me this is not always the case.
More after the jump....
Some of those links are pretty interesting:
Who said a grenade launcher could not be a perfect financial asset?"
A new form of finance on the coast of Somalia.
I particularly enjoyed this part:
Piracy investor Sahra Ibrahim, a 22-year-old divorcee, was lined up with others waiting for her cut of a ransom pay-out after one of the gangs freed a Spanish tuna fishing vessel.
“I am waiting for my share after I contributed a rocket-propelled grenade for the operation,” she said, adding that she got the weapon from her ex-husband in alimony.
“I am really happy and lucky. I have made $75,000 in only 38 days since I joined the ‘company’.”On the other hand, if the government and police and navy won't intervene there's this from September 18:
Meanwhile In San Francisco...
....I wonder if they are going to bring back the vigilantes?
SFGate, August 1, 2014:
1856 vigilantes changed corrupt political system
The vigilantes who seized control of San Francisco in 1856 had more on their minds than exacting street justice - they wanted to change the city's entire corrupt political system. They were revolutionaries....
