Back around ’88 or ’89, Jersey City PG (PreGentrification) had an interesting interlude with the NEW AND IMPROVED version. There was a building upgrade / redo going on in the Heights. For who knows what reason — the developers acquired a well-known local as (get this) security. One Sunday the guy sold all the brandy-new appliances — refrigerators, washers and driers. (Dish washers might have been up for grabs, too. My memory is a bit foggy in that regards.) Like a little crowd was there hauling the fridges out the door, into vans, up on car roofs and maybe even strapped onto supermarket shopping carts. A couple of elderly women next door were watching the scene and one finally asked, “What’s this all about?” The ring leader of the circus was completely cool and just said, “THEY SENT THE WRONG ONES!”
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Second Thief, Best Thief – An Old Jersey City Saying
The Jersey City Waterfront once was covered with warehouses and piers. Adjacent to these were miles of railroad yards dotted with innumerable sheds and small buildings for use as storage and as workshops for mechanics, machinists, and welders.
During the depression, children from impoverished families would climb onto the roofs of the outlying structures, both to hide and to gain a view of the surrounding area. From up there, they'd watch for workers stealing from the docks, the trains, or the warehouses. The initial crooks would sneak off into the weeds to hide the swag with the idea of retrieving it at the end of the shift. Seeing opportunity made available, the kids would wait a bit for the situation to cool. Then, they'd climb down, grab the goods, and make a getaway through the vacant lots.
Practitioners coined the saying "second thief, best thief" to describe this method of survival.
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Too Funny
Ahhh, the good old days ….when just walking down the street, being aware of your surroundings, was good for a laugh!
No Reality TV needed