Morgan Law: "Generally there is a problem in Portland."[/caption] By Carol McCracken (Post # 843)

“Someone took my bike,” said Nate H. last night. On Sunday evening around sunset he was at Sumner Park on North Street on the Hill. He’d ridden there on his bike. Two young African guys – between the ages of 20 and 25 years old, approached Nate at the Park. One asked if he could use his Trek greenish/blue bike to shop at a nearby store and he’d bring it back when he was finished. Meanwhile, friends of the two began to gather. Nate tried to explain to them why he didn’t want to give up his bike. He offered to go to the store for the two. Nate felt he had no choice but to give it to him. He was heavily outnumbered. Several hours later, Nate was still waiting for his bike at the Park. You know the rest of the story. He still hasn’t seen it. (See Nate in above photo.)

“I’m willing to give a limb if I get my bike back. It’s how I live, how I get around. I don’t have a car,” said Nate who works at Colucci’s Market on the Hill. He didn’t report it to the police. “They have bigger fish to fry than my bike,” he said. Nate had his bike for about 10 years and it’s like a “baby” to him, he said.

Morgan Law, lives on the West End of Portland. He had his wheels stolen from his bike about a month ago. Likewise he has not yet reported it to the police, although he intends to. “Generally there is a problem in the city of Portland,” said Law. “Bicycle thefts are happening everywhere especially in the west end.” Law is an architect who moved here about five months ago from Portland, Oregon.

Nate said that he hopes from his experience and others he knows of that “some awareness will be gained of this problem so we don’t have to be suspicious of everyone.”

editor’s note: MHN.com apologizes again for the obvious difficulties in labeling the above photos.