Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/256387
malevolent or premeditated," Barbee says. Graffiti is a case in point. "It doesn't help that graffiti is now considered an art form. People who trespass or vandalize often think of them as victimless crimes. It's stunning to them to realize they are wrong." Or their actions have unexpected consequences. In one particular case, a business was "tagged" (painted). The owner had previ- ously left a city where her store was targeted by a gang. She thought the graffiti meant it was happening again. In another, three of the four youths who painted swastikas around town didn't know what the symbol represented. One just thought it was an edgy design. They just wanted to do something cool and artistic but were clueless it would make people afraid. Similarly, shoplifters think stores are big and won't miss what's taken. Sometimes they want the items but often it's just for fun or for reasons even they don't understand. But when they hear how cumulatively it affects the bottom line, that there will be no Christmas bonuses that year or a raise for a deserving employee, they feel terrible. "In a circle," says Barbee, "one very angry owner said, "You have made everyone who works here feel dirty that they didn't catch you. We don't want to have surveillance. It's costly and uncomfortable for our staff and customers, and this is a low margin business. But now we feel we have to." And the shoplifter felt ashamed. 153 s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 | W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e 144-153_WWMa14_good works_C4RJ_v2_WellesleyWeston Magzine 2/2/14 12:51 PM Page 153