On my downtown wanderings last week, I stumbled upon what seemed to be a uniquely comfortable laundromat, City Suds at 19th and L. It was spacious, with cafe tables, free wifi, ac outlets, big screen tv, snack machines, microwaves and a restroom. Plus it was laid out in an attractive manner with the machines in a kind of "S" formation rather than then usual box shape.
So, when I decided to do some laundry today in preparation for my first day at work tomorrow, I sought this place out. Things seemed to be going fine, the lady who was attending the place even brought out a box of free doughnuts for the customers. How homey! I had my laptop out and was working away as my laundry went through it's cycles. Then a couple of homeless (or nearly homeless) guys came in. Both seemed on the edge, but decent enough. They began to talk and as it turns out, the night before, one of them had been drunk and had gotten robbed. Another tale of woe! I needed to use the restroom, and although I had concerns about the safety of my laptop, I left it unattended on the table. Thankfully it was there when I returned. My trust in humankind was confirmed, at least for a brief moment.
As I worked away, one of the guys wanted me to look up on the internet a number for "Crime Stoppers." It seems he had witnessed a crime recently and he was looking for a way to cash in with a reward. I saw no reason not to help out the guy and found a number. He then pulled out an ipod and mentioned something about downloading some music. I'm not sure if he was offering some music to me or if he wanted me to download some music for him. I just told him, "I don't mess with that stuff...."
Well, he plugged his ipod into the wall to charge it and when he wasn't looking, a third guy came in and stole his ipod. Of course, minor mayhem ensued. All kinds of yelling and cursing.... The third guy was apparently known to all parties, including the laundromat attendant. It turns out I am not the only one attracted by free wifi, microwaves and alternating current; this is a bit of a hang out for the local low lifes. I am sorry for the guy who lost his ipod but feel very fortunate I did not get ripped off! I surely could have been a victim had that guy come in a few minutes earlier. My laptop was unattended and right by the door. How stupid am I? This is a city, dummy! OK, in the future, the laptop goes to the bathroom with me.
I didn't actually see the the theft occur as I had my back turned, but I was later walking around the neighborhood, and saw a guy who fit the description to a T. He was drinking with some buddies in a vacant lot on L Street between 21st and 22nd. As I strolled back to the laundromat, I saw the guy who had been robbed and I couldn't resist telling him that I had seen the thief. For a nanosecond I even considered offering to be his back-up, but thankfully thought better of it. He then took off running. I am not sure what the results were, but I did my part to rile things up.
I am not sure if that was the right thing to do. The sad part is how ethics erode with desperation. It's an age-old story. These are all probably decent people underneath, but when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose. And you need to get by... you commit desperate acts. That's my 2 bit analysis.
Yep, that's life on the road. Incident at City Suds.
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