The Toronto Sun has dug up the perennial "bike theft is rampant" story. The reporter, Brett, did some quote digging at the Community Bicycle Network where mechanic Dave confirmed that theft is a "really big problem" (CBN actually refurbishes used bikes but only accepts donations to help reduce the chances of getting stolen bikes). Sean Wheldrake of the City's Bicycle Promotions office counters this perception of an epidemic with the fact that though bike theft may be in the range of 12,000 per year, it is still far less than the million cyclists that live in Toronto. Toronto's not even in the top 10 of North American cities in terms of bike theft.
The juiciest quotes, however, go to Igor Kenk, who runs a little bike shop (or "chop shop" depending on who's perspective) down at the base of Trinity Bellwoods. A very common rumour is that he is a major buyer of stolen bikes. But could all these rumours be wrong? Is Igor being discriminated against because he's a bit messy? I don't know for sure, but I do have stories, some from friends with personal experiences. One friend's bike was stolen from in front of her apartment on Queen West and she immediately went down to Igor's and found it inside his little hole in the wall, mere hours after its theft. She reported to me that Igor gave it up without protest.
Igor's take:
"I'm a thief, I'm the darkest nightmare in the western hemisphere," says Kenk, again sarcastically, poking fun at his own dubious reputation.
The truth is -- and Kenk acknowledges this -- some of the bikes piled up in his backyard and in his store are most likely stolen. Some, not all. The same thing would be true for every pawn shop in the city, he says.
But according to both Kenk and Richard Mucha, the city's manager of licensing, Kenk is operating legally and doing everything by the book.
Kenk keeps the city-issued registry book -- second-hand shop owners must fill it in every time somebody sells them a used item -- near the door of his shop when he's working, and says he always asks for two pieces of ID from would-be sellers. Any information about the bike, including its serial number and physical description, is logged, along with the seller's information. The information is relayed to police frequently, Kenk says.
Just perhaps with every bike that the cops track down to Igor's shop and he has to give up there are a few more stolen bikes whose owners have no idea of how to recover or never even registered in the first place. This is what allows Igor to operate within the limits of the law.
Comments
Anonymous (not verified)
Suspected Bike Theft
Mon, 07/28/2008 - 13:26How do you find the owner of a bike that may or may not have been stolen?
A kid on my block, bragged to his friends that he had stolen a bike he was riding, a Black Specialized Allez road bike with clipless pedals (he was wearing runners on it).
I searched on all the web sites I could find for a report of a stolen bike fittng that description. Nothing. I don't want to call the cops, because I have no proof, but if the real owner of the bike could be found, that could remedy the situation.
Any suggests for what to do?
Svend
I won't judge his guilt,
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 21:19I won't judge his guilt, I'll wait for the court to do that.
I'd be anonymous too if I was defending someone with so much damning evidence on display.
Spacegirl bikes (not verified)
Toronto- city of thieves
Thu, 07/31/2008 - 13:082 years ago, my partner's shiny new Marin hybrid was stolen from our backyard. There is absolutely no view of anything in our backyard from the front of the house, so we suspected someone who had been viewing the house-for-sale next door was the culprit. We reported the loss to the police (and had fortunately registered it per the advice of everyone). 3 months later, we received a letter from the cops saying our bicycle was found. Hooray! Tax dollars at work. We were very happy with the police. Our bike was spanking clean and new.
Last month, my partner had just returned from a run and saw a young man working feverishly on a lock of a bicycle chained near our house. "Need help?" He genuinely asked. It was broad daylight, right next to the busy Queen street, not suspecting any thief would be that bold. This young guy got the shock of his life, and bolted off.
I know people who even have locks on their bikes in the basement of their houses.
I also know someone whose new Japanese maple tree he planted on his front lawn got stolen that night, leaving a gaping hole in the ground.
Something is wrong with this city when even a tree can be an object of theft. We are not a great city.
Ben
We are so.
Thu, 07/31/2008 - 14:39Name a city that has no theft. It is likely that Toronto has lower property theft rates than a lot of other cities that are considered "great."
jamesmallon (not verified)
baddies in the 905 too
Thu, 07/31/2008 - 16:42Yawn, Toronto's SOOO bad.
My school principal (my boss), used to drive around the school neighbourhood looking for the trees ripped off from school property, in Mississauga. My colleague in Brampton had her son stabbed (he survived). Both areas have half-million dollar homes as the norm.
Navid Taslimi (not verified)
You Have Been Warned
Sun, 08/03/2008 - 20:12I would like to inform the owner(s) of this blog that they will held liable in the near future for publishing these posts.
Sincerely,
Friends of Igor
Anonymous (not verified)
Dear Navid & Other "Friends"
Wed, 08/06/2008 - 14:18Dear Navid & Other "Friends" of Igor,
Sorry pal, but it's a free country & people have their right to free speech.
True, some of these comments are borderline libellous, but the most-oft theme seen is how people seem to find their stolen property at Igor's. His business practices are questionable at best.
Igor is now a very public figure & will naturally receive much scrutiny.
His actions (getting caught red-handed while directing another to steal) are a matter of public record.
As for suing the owners of this blog, well, perhaps your efforts would be better directed at creating a legal defence fund for Igor. Something tells me he's going to need it !!
Class Action Lawsuit (not verified)
Hey Anonymous, Here's a
Wed, 08/06/2008 - 14:40Hey Anonymous,
Here's a thought ....
Depending on how the courts deal with Igor, is it possible to Launch a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, Against Igor, on behalf of ALL the victims (alleged, at this point in time) whose stolen property was found in Igor's possession?
It might ask for compensation for lost monies shelled out to replace a missing bike, or for emotional distress for having their bikes stolen.
Mr. Kenk might not necessarily have known ALL the bikes in his possession were stolen.
HOWEVER, it is reasonable to assert he OUGHT to have known at least SOME of these bikes were stolen, or that he failed a Duty of Care to do the proper background checks required when a "provider" sells merchandise to him.
John (not verified)
Kindly put yourself in the
Wed, 08/06/2008 - 21:26Kindly put yourself in the shoes of the people HE stole from...There was no way the crackhead that sold him MY BIKE and MY GIRLFRIEND'S BIKE (that turned up as a result from the raid) was able to prove ownership.
Please let your "friend" know that cancer research missed out on $3000 worth of donations as i was going to ride my bike in a charity race. I can only hope that justice prevails and he himself gets cancer (this is not a joke, i really do)
That shop has been an eyesore, drug den and storage for stolen bikes for YEARS. The only pity is that the Queen W fire started in the wrong block and not right in Igor's backyard.
On the upside, he just lost his livelihood and will get time for possession of drugs. Every person in this city knows his face, good luck walking down the street without getting spat on
Anonymous (not verified)
Igor's Assistant Jean Laveau gets 14 days in jail
Thu, 08/07/2008 - 17:46Just read that Igor Kenk's Assistant, Jean Laveau, got sentenced to just 14 days (2 wks) in jail ... this despite the fact that he has a previous criminal record.
Mr. Laveau was the chap whom Igor instructed to steal a bike for him (& then did so ...).
I can see the criminal justice system is going to miserably fail all the bicycle theft victims in Toronto.
UNLESS there are mitigating circumstances (ie. Jean L. testifies against Igor), then basically, we are being told by the courts that bicycle theft isn't a big deal.
Luke Siragusa
Re: Igor's Assistant Jean Laveau gets 14 days in jail
Thu, 08/07/2008 - 17:58Details here. From TorStar's account:
Indeed. It seems nothing about this episode is typical.
Friends of Igor (not verified)
Att: All Uninformed People
Sat, 08/09/2008 - 15:17According to the the judge that granted Igor bail:
"This case is not so open and shut as an uninformed person might think."
Andrew Thomson
Well as an uninformed person
Sun, 08/10/2008 - 20:17Well as an uninformed person i personally think he's guilty as hell and they should have the same punishment for a massive bike theif like that as they would for a horse thief in the old days but thats not for me to judge and for the courts to decide
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