2/14/08

Canadian family victim of local thieves

Editor,

Mookie cat is our 5-year-old son’s favorite stuffed animal. He has had this stuffed animal since his first Christmas and now he wishes someone will find him.

On Sunday afternoon, January 27, our van was broken into at the Tulalip Premium Outlet Mall. We had just returned from a long holiday in Central America and as many travelers do, we stopped to shop before returning home. In the two hours there, all of our luggage, two large bags and two smaller kids’ roller backpacks, were stolen.

Unfortunately, the police tell us this is not an uncommon occurrence.  The enormous parking lot does not have video surveillance and many vehicles contain the luggage of the travelers who stop. The thieves did not get anything of great value to them—no passports, cash, jewelry or expensive electronics. The one credit card they took was immediately cancelled. What they did get was a lot of dirty laundry, summer clothes, towels, footwear, books and sporting gear (snorkeling gear, goggles, binoculars and lifejackets).

Sadly for our two kids, aged five and nine, their favorite little stuffed animals were taken as well as the trinkets and treasures they picked up during their holiday. Our daughter’s homework, on which she had worked so diligently, was also in the bags. The police tell us that most of this stuff gets dumped.

The irony is after traveling safely in Central America where personal theft is a problem, we got robbed in our own backyard. The difference there is theft is driven by poverty and you can be sure that every decent piece of clothing and footwear would be used by some child or adult. Here, most of the belongings get thrown away.

Our plea is to residents of the region to contact the Marysville or Tulalip police if you see a pile of discarded items on some back road, in a ditch or dumpster. Please make a mental note of the location and call.

After being exposed to the ugly side of people, perhaps some observant person could restore my children’s trust in others.

Sarah and Doug Ewing

Tsawwassen, British Columbia