Car Thief Signs Casually Hanging Around Edge of Parking Lot at Rudyard’s

Signs in parking lot across from Rudyards, Waugh Dr. at Welch St., Hyde Park, 77006

Update, 2 pm: Another reader sends a shot from the scene; this story has been updated.

A reader sends some snapshots from Hyde Park, where some new anti-theft infrastructure has been installed in the parking lot across Waugh Dr. from Rudyard’s British Pub and nextdoor The Next Door. The banner wooden sign shown above augments previously-posted-though-significantly-smaller signage in the vicinity, which already disavows any responsibility on the part of the nearby bars for loss of property from break-ins to cars parked in the lot. Meanwhile, a second sign was captured hanging out a bit closer to the intersection with Welch St., looking nonchalant:

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Signs in parking lot across from Rudyards, Waugh Dr. at Welch St., Hyde Park, 77006

Another reader grabbed a shot of 2 more of the signs, loitering against the fence in the other bar-patrons-only parking lot north of Welch, across from Al Quick Stop Meat Market & Restaurant:

Signs in parking lot across from Rudyards, Waugh Dr. at Welch St., Hyde Park, 77006

Photos of theft warning signs: MontroseResident (top 2), Clinton Okruhlik (bottom)

 

Watch Out at Welch

14 Comment

  • I have to admit… I laughed when I first saw these walking my dog, but then I realized how ugly they make an already ugly parking lot look. We have more problems with the inebriated folks from the bar bumping into other parked cars than break-ins (knock on wood).

  • That picture makes the sign look photoshopped

  • Those are legit. I ride my bike through the parking lot every morning.

  • Who are these people who apparently go around trying to get reimbursed for their losses due to theft from the local business owner? The thought wouldn’t even occur to me.

  • Hi there Cody… when I saw the Swamplot photos today, I too thought the banner was photoshopped, but I had to look at my photos, and yup, those are the original photos. No worries though, I am sure they will be defaced, or vandalized soon enough.

  • Yeah, I happened to drive by yesterday and saw these. They’re um, eye-catching, to say the least. I can’t imagine the signs would prevent vehicle break-ins Perhaps it’s a backhanded way to keep people from parking there?

  • Taco: When I was a teenager, I had my car broken into while watching a movie. The parking lot had signs saying “This area patrolled by security”.
    .
    Anyway, I went to the theater and said “Hey, can I talk to the security guard to see if he saw anything?”. They said they didn’t have anyone working. I said “Whats up with this sign then?” They said that was the one night they don’t have security AND are open (it was Easter night maybe? Or thanksgiving night?)
    .
    So they ended up giving me a one year pass to go see a movie whenever I wanted. I thought that was pretty fair.

  • Muh hood! I actually think cherryhurst park (the one close to Anvil) is worse when it comes to break ins. Pretty much a weekly occurrence of fresh smashed glass on the streets lining the park. Rudz is at least on a pretty busy thoroughfare, I think that dissuades some of the thugs who’d rather break into cars in a more residential area.

  • James… unfortunately, there is competition here for the worst spot. I happen to think the Morgan and Fairview corner has the most glass piles on the weekends! You know, the area by Boheme and Max’s Wine Dive. It will be nice once that garage is built around the corner and cars don’t have to park in the dark streets.

    I came from the suburbs to Montrose, and I always heard the stories, but since living here, I see it regularly. Not only do I see it, I was a victim at least twice, maybe more. Once, someone walked onto our property and removed the head rests with the video monitors in them. Another time someone got in another vehicle parked on the street and took a cell phone from the glove box, we only knew because my wife saw phone calls to Missouri… she looked at me with a squinted eye, and head slightly cocked to one side! I say maybe more because once I smelled cigarette smoke, and we are not smokers. Someone probably looking for change. Fortunately, we never had any damage because we leave our car doors unlocked. A shame, but this way they don’t have to break the glass.

    I feel for the victims of the damage, and/or theft; they come to the area to enjoy the urban vibe, only to be rewarded with anger, and a sense of being violated at times. Such is life in the big city I suppose. On another note, I once heard my neighbors giggling, I thought it sounded close, so I went to look out the window to see a car in front of my house. It was a car full of nice twenty-something babes, all dressed up… and as I am looking out the blinds, two come walking out from beside my house, which I thought was odd, only to find that they went between my house and my neighbor in order to relieve themselves! I thought only guys did this. HA!

  • And the idiots leave all manner of “valuables” in their cars,get broken into – then want reimbursement. The nerve of some people.

  • @Cody
    There is nothing wrong with informing a business that a crime occurred or making inquiries (and if they act generously as the movie theater did, all the better). I think any reputable proprietor would want to know when a crime occurs on his premises. It just seems like people must be constantly making demands for businesses to fix their broken windows and replace their cellphones given all the signs one sees saying, “management not responsible etc. etc.”

  • Interesting how nobody has brought up the fact that maybe a solution would be to have HPD beef up patrols in our area…?

    I have been a resident of, and frequenting the ‘Trose’ since 1989. I have seen crime get considerably worse, especially after that nice little event called ‘Katrina’. In 2000 I caught 27 stitches on the right eyebrow from a neo nazi when leaving Numbers on Christmas night!

    With the Montrose being so hip and trendy now and several new residents it only makes since. The ‘hood rats’ from covenant house have ALWAYS been the problem, but now we also have thugs who drive in from other parts of the City. Anyone remember the home invasion behind Boondocks a few years back?

    When I do see HPD they are seven vehicles collectively parked behind the Walgreens ‘hanging’ out sharing war stories and having a smoke…

    Get involved people if you want crime to drop, go the neighborhood meetings as there are several; Avondale, First Montrose Commons, Hyde Park, Cherryhurst, etc…

    Oh, and watch your back or be ‘packin’…

  • kineticd brings up a good point, if only in a round-about way.
    .
    I mean, I guess these places are popular enough to go to for people that the owners don’t care, but shouldn’t they hire off duty police? Hell, at least put up some surveillance, all weather CCTV + DVR is not that much more expensive than the wood and paint they have invested in.
    .
    I mean, they care enough to make snarky signs indemnifying themselves of any responsibility, but a few signs doesn’t absolve them of the responsibility to make their patrons feel safe.
    .
    I imagine some negative feedback on yelp, or google may entice them to take more proactive measures to ensure the safety of their customers.
    .
    and for the neighbors, if there were a security guard on duty, crime would be less likely to happen at all, assuming there are fewer targets for them to hit in one place, they’ll just skip the place all together and go to a different place with more targets.

  • absolving, not indemnifying. my vocabulary is playing opposite day!