Robbed, Ripped-Off -- and Ignored
"The police have better things to do than chase after pickpockets," sniffed Inspector Boone, in his dingy little beige cubicle tucked behind a locked door at the Gare Midi, one of Brussels' largest train stations. "They know the tourists have money, so!" He shrugged. For this, my director of laser analysis, Dr. Wen-Bin Yan and I waited an hour behind a trail of similar victims from Africa, China, and other parts of Europe to report our stolen goods.
It happened so fast. Wen-Bin stepped away from our baggage-laden carts to join me at the ticket counter. The clerk had to have seen it -- the bags were behind us and directly in his line of sight. Was he in cahoots with them? And what about the cops: No time to stake out their station? These days, it's easy to get paranoid in Europe.
TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS. On our weeklong jaunt through Brussels, Munich, and Paris, first, a pickpocket physically assailed Wen-Bin, and then, at Midi, thieves stole his briefcase, containing his passport, new Dell Latitude C400 computer, Nikon camera, prescription glasses, personal papers, toothbrush, and medications.
They also made off with my backpack, which held the new and sleek Sony Vaio laptop my husband gave me for Christmas, and which was full of unbacked-up writing. Then there was the other stuff, beginning with a new Sony personal organizer, wheat crackers with sugar-free apricot jam, and a new hot pink leather purse. (Apologies to readers whose e-mails were lost before I could respond.) Separately, thieves also stole my jewelry -- two pearl necklaces and a pair of diamond stud earrings. All told they made out like, well, bandits.
My despair at the theft of my laptop and its precious contents, not to mention the pearls I bought for my wedding nine years ago, was overshadowed by the sense that we may be in the process of losing something more profound. "All the Americans think that they are the best," the Belgian cop sneered, accusing me of feigning the theft to collect insurance. Certainly the "halo effect" from September 11 has long since evaporated Americans traveling abroad. Subsequent events have seen to that.
LIGHT-FINGERED SAMARITAN. His attitude and that of the French cops -- even the concierge at Paris's fancy Hyatt Regency, where the jewelry disappeared -- left a disturbing impression. I can't remember when I've experienced more hostility toward foreigners in general. "They attack Asians here," said Wen-Bin, wide-eyed after the back of his suit was sprayed with a vomit-looking substance while we awaited the train to Leuven on our first day in Belgium. "You don't hear about it. You need to read Chinese to know," he added.
Over dinner a couple days later, a savvy American friend living in Paris set us straight. He explained that what Wen-Bin took for a racially motivated act was actually a ploy to get at the valuables in his jacket. Indeed, the well dressed, open-faced young man who rather crudely alerted us to the desecration was a little too nice. "He kept trying to get me to take off my jacket, and I felt his hand slipping in," recalled Wen-Bin, squirming at the memory. (The same friend also verified that Chinese actually have been menaced recently. An expert on French fascists, he said, "They go after Arabs, Jews, gypsies, Chinese, anybody 'different.'")
Our visit happened to coincide with nationwide demonstrations following the upset victory of far right Jean-Marie Le Pen in France's presidential primary. In Paris, the streets were deserted but for the police staked out to protect the government buildings near our hotel. Wen-Bin and I stepped up our pace, and I clutched my handbag all the tighter. Later, I discovered the jewelry missing from my suitcase, which had been in storage twice in 24 hours. A discerning robber, he left the costume stuff in its silky striped jewelry pouch. When I went down to report it to the concierge, his reaction shocked me. "And they are surprised about Le Pen," he muttered.
AN EXPENSIVE EDUCATION. Back in the U.S., the pundits on CNN confirm the Le Pen vote came partly in reaction to a crime wave sweeping France. (Count Belgium in, too.) While a tad more surveillance wouldn't hurt, I believe Wen-Bin and I could have taken steps to avoid being such easy marks. We both should have been more alert to those around us. As a precaution, we should have backed up our laptops, copied critical documents, and not totted easily clipped valuables, like jewelry. Like me, a trusting, somewhat distracted soul, Wen-Bin accorded it "a life lesson."
I feel there's something else to be learned, as well. Truth is, our way was eased by strangers, like the two Belgian taxi drivers who helped us lift our heavy cart over a steep curb, the young European backpacker who guided us to the police when we were robbed, and all the folks who patiently gave us directions the many times we were lost. Although their kindness doesn't make a great story or inspire social commentary, it does give me pause. Take what they will, I won't let those thieves rob my faith in humanity
It happened so fast. Wen-Bin stepped away from our baggage-laden carts to join me at the ticket counter. The clerk had to have seen it -- the bags were behind us and directly in his line of sight. Was he in cahoots with them? And what about the cops: No time to stake out their station? These days, it's easy to get paranoid in Europe.
TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS. On our weeklong jaunt through Brussels, Munich, and Paris, first, a pickpocket physically assailed Wen-Bin, and then, at Midi, thieves stole his briefcase, containing his passport, new Dell Latitude C400 computer, Nikon camera, prescription glasses, personal papers, toothbrush, and medications.
They also made off with my backpack, which held the new and sleek Sony Vaio laptop my husband gave me for Christmas, and which was full of unbacked-up writing. Then there was the other stuff, beginning with a new Sony personal organizer, wheat crackers with sugar-free apricot jam, and a new hot pink leather purse. (Apologies to readers whose e-mails were lost before I could respond.) Separately, thieves also stole my jewelry -- two pearl necklaces and a pair of diamond stud earrings. All told they made out like, well, bandits.
My despair at the theft of my laptop and its precious contents, not to mention the pearls I bought for my wedding nine years ago, was overshadowed by the sense that we may be in the process of losing something more profound. "All the Americans think that they are the best," the Belgian cop sneered, accusing me of feigning the theft to collect insurance. Certainly the "halo effect" from September 11 has long since evaporated Americans traveling abroad. Subsequent events have seen to that.
LIGHT-FINGERED SAMARITAN. His attitude and that of the French cops -- even the concierge at Paris's fancy Hyatt Regency, where the jewelry disappeared -- left a disturbing impression. I can't remember when I've experienced more hostility toward foreigners in general. "They attack Asians here," said Wen-Bin, wide-eyed after the back of his suit was sprayed with a vomit-looking substance while we awaited the train to Leuven on our first day in Belgium. "You don't hear about it. You need to read Chinese to know," he added.
Over dinner a couple days later, a savvy American friend living in Paris set us straight. He explained that what Wen-Bin took for a racially motivated act was actually a ploy to get at the valuables in his jacket. Indeed, the well dressed, open-faced young man who rather crudely alerted us to the desecration was a little too nice. "He kept trying to get me to take off my jacket, and I felt his hand slipping in," recalled Wen-Bin, squirming at the memory. (The same friend also verified that Chinese actually have been menaced recently. An expert on French fascists, he said, "They go after Arabs, Jews, gypsies, Chinese, anybody 'different.'")
Our visit happened to coincide with nationwide demonstrations following the upset victory of far right Jean-Marie Le Pen in France's presidential primary. In Paris, the streets were deserted but for the police staked out to protect the government buildings near our hotel. Wen-Bin and I stepped up our pace, and I clutched my handbag all the tighter. Later, I discovered the jewelry missing from my suitcase, which had been in storage twice in 24 hours. A discerning robber, he left the costume stuff in its silky striped jewelry pouch. When I went down to report it to the concierge, his reaction shocked me. "And they are surprised about Le Pen," he muttered.
AN EXPENSIVE EDUCATION. Back in the U.S., the pundits on CNN confirm the Le Pen vote came partly in reaction to a crime wave sweeping France. (Count Belgium in, too.) While a tad more surveillance wouldn't hurt, I believe Wen-Bin and I could have taken steps to avoid being such easy marks. We both should have been more alert to those around us. As a precaution, we should have backed up our laptops, copied critical documents, and not totted easily clipped valuables, like jewelry. Like me, a trusting, somewhat distracted soul, Wen-Bin accorded it "a life lesson."
I feel there's something else to be learned, as well. Truth is, our way was eased by strangers, like the two Belgian taxi drivers who helped us lift our heavy cart over a steep curb, the young European backpacker who guided us to the police when we were robbed, and all the folks who patiently gave us directions the many times we were lost. Although their kindness doesn't make a great story or inspire social commentary, it does give me pause. Take what they will, I won't let those thieves rob my faith in humanity
