Tool/Weapon Used: Toddler/West Seattle/Wed March 24/12:28 am: This afternoon, a young mother (age 16 or 17) and a child (age 1 or 2) entered the Hollywood Video. The young mother picked up a DVD copy of Rundown, which stars a muscular professional wrestler called The Rock. The young mother quickly stuffed the DVD into her child's sweatshirt, picked up her child in a playful manner, walked to the counter, and asked the clerk some nonsense questions about what movies were coming out in the near future and whether this or that movie was bad or good. The young mother then exited the store with the child up on her shoulders to avoid activating the alarm system. A clerk, who had observed the theft, followed the young mother out into the parking lot and demanded that she return the DVD. Officer McKenzie reports: "[The young mother offered the clerk a few foul words] and entered a green Mercury minivan, which had another woman (age 35 to 45) behind the wheel. The minivan left the scene."

Granted, this theft is by no means extreme or extraordinary. But we Americans can never overcome that swelling feeling of moral indignation that's derived from witnessing a child being exploited by his parent. But it can be argued that the condition of childhood is the condition of being exploited by one's parents to achieve short-term goals (to watch a new DVD movie tonight) and long-term goals (to watch me when I'm old). In actual fact, what we know to be true, but are never willing to admit openly, is that the most cruel thing a parent can say to a child is, "I don't want to exploit you; you are useless." Sadder than an orphan is the child that is unused.

He Soiled Our Precious Piggy/University District/Thurs March 25/7:45 pm: For this residential burglary, the suspect gained entry at an unknown location. There were no signs of force to any of the doors or windows. Once inside, the suspect removed computer equipment, stereo equipment, camera equipment, jewelry, and coins from a piggy bank. Officer Evenson concludes the report with this paragraph: "A fingerprint search was made by me. I found a piggy bank, two goblets, and a duck figure that had been moved by the suspect. I fingerprinted these items, and obtained prints from the piggy bank and the duck figure."

In this particular report, we can't help but feel that the burglar has befouled these innocent objects of childhood with his corrupt hands. In our imagination, such hands are not far from those of a pederast, another innocence depriver. We say to all burglars, "Take our stereo, take our cameras, but don't you dare take the coins out of the piggy bank. How dare you do that!" Robbery is a game with clear social rules that designate objects that are within limits and others that are off-limits.