An open letter...

...To the two Somali gang-banger wannabes who stole my brand-new mp3 player from the YMCA last night - I hope you get plenty of enjoyment out of it, although since it takes a proprietary connector to both charge and use it, I don't know how you are going to get it to work.

Yes, you were seen taking it, although the supervisor didn't realize what had happened until I came back from my less than 90 second trip up and then back down the stairwell, as that's how long it took me to realize that I had left it sitting on the front counter. That's all the time it took for you thieves to grab it and then walk out. Great job of taking that opportunity to rip me off.

I wonder if you two are part of the large Somali teen crowd that's pretty much ruined Saturday nights at the Y. Large numbers of non-members hang out at the front desk, hoping to cadge guest passes from the members. Once inside, they take over the basketball court, intimidating others who wish to play as well. They wear gang-banger type outfits and act all "tough", cursing and calling each other "nigger" in a family facility. After playing, they roughhouse and gab on their phones in the locker room, both of which is against Y policy. When they are asked politely to not do these things, they get all pouty and accuse people of being racist.

I try mightily to judge each person on their own merits, not because of some PC "tolerance and diversity" indoctrination, but because it's what's right, and it's how I wish to be viewed. Some groups make this awfully hard to do sometimes, however.