It happened again!! For a second time, I became a crime victim and I am all at once furious and concerned.
On the morning of February 16th at around 11:00a.m., after my physiotherapy session, I bid the therapist good-bye and then went to use the phone. It was out. Dead! I went on Facebook to ask a neighbour if her phone was out; alas, she no longer has a landline but confirmed with another neighbour that her phone along with the phones of a few others was out; they are folks, like me, who are home during the day.
Since I don’t drive, my home alone status is impacted by any number of events that would require me to be able to leave quickly and easily. I’m glad that I have a network of neighbours who have, over the years, made themselves available to me should I require any sort of assistance given my mobility challenges. They ensure that my quality of life is made stable so that I may continue to live independently and safely on my own. In a pinch, I’d not have a problem morphing into a fleece robe, flannel PJ wearing mobility scooter speed demon, to make my way next door so long as I wasn’t up to my bum in snow. Thankfully, today, the driveway is clear.
My usual but never taken for granted connection to the outside world, my phone, has been severed! Copper thieves were at it again. This is the second such incident within a month. A month!!!
On 18 January, copper thieves struck, impacting the lives of me and many others on my road. What these persons fail to realize is that they’re stealing more than copper wire. They’re stealing security and peace of mind.
Vandalism compromised the quality of my life and my safety when a person or persons unknown cut a swath of telephone cable that disconnected me and hundred of other homeowners from landline telephone service in the Williamsburg-Napadogan area. From just after 9a.m. to just after 6pm, we rural dwellers were without service. A technician from Bell Aliant came to my home later in the day after I had called about the outage to inform me of what had happened and that cable crew and police were on scene. And so I waited. Thankfully, my mobility scooter was charged. I chose not to lay a fire ‘just in case’. As person with multiple disabilities, living home alone, I have to pick my battles. Safety first and add another layer.
The crime of stealing copper wire and selling it to recyclers is one crime. Manifold crimes fell on top of that when hundreds of lives were put at risk by that one act of disconnecting people from services they need and use on a daily basis. Not all rural dwellers have access to cell phone service and not all cell phone services function with a high degree of stability in some rural settings. That’s the nature of aging technology in rural areas trying to pair with modern communication trends. As well, that act of vandalism elevated the stress level of those who rely on services like Lifeline which is landline dependent. Not every senior can afford both a landline and a cellphone.
In my reading, I learned that copper may be stolen from electric poles, power lines, substations and company storage yards with cables being cut in short lengths with saw, bolt cutter or axe, with the plastic coating being removed, as raw copper is more valuable.
Copper thieves are receiving cash from recyclers who often fill orders for commercial scrap dealers. Recycled copper flows from dealers to a range of specialized applications on an international scale. It seems like an attractive venture to someone who doesn’t have a full time job and is looking for an ‘in and out’ gig to earn a lot of money over a short period of time, or someone who’s keen to go all in and make a full time job out of ‘cutting the cord’ of anyone and everyone in their community; effectively putting lives at risk! Yes, copper theft can make some people dead. Let that sink in. And let this sink – copper thievery can make the criminal dead if he doesn’t know what he’s doing and is cutting chunks of cable willy-nilly without regard for the steps required to safely complete the process.
And what do we, their victims get? The medically fragile, housebound, in many cases and having no access to a cell phone, is truly trapped. A person impacted by the criminal act of copper theft could be their own mother or father, or some other relative or family friend. Do they find their spine, their moral compass and stop. Do they turn themselves in, recognizing that they have to pay for the crime they’ve committed. Or do they keep going, and wait for the law to catch up with them.
Let’s hope the courts will expeditiously take care of the morally bankrupt who’ve put lives at risk. A slap on the wrist isn’t enough; community service and an impactful fine rather than jail time would be more of a deterrent. Perhaps restorative justice could be part of the process as well. This is serious, people!
If you see something, say something!
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, a boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell
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