From The New York Shitty Inbox: Missing On Monitor

Jay (who took the above photograph) writes:

Saw your post yesterday regarding removal of street covers (or whatever they’re called) by metal scrappers. This hole on monitor has appeared not once but three times over the past year thanks to the practice of selling ‘scrap’ for $. My question is why are the scrap metal dealers taking a variety of objects that are obviously NOT scrap? I’m sure you’ve seen the memorials that have been stripped of bronze plaques. I won’t even get in to the copper wire thief who started the Great Greenpoint Terminal fire of ’06. That’s a whole ‘nother ball of molten metal.

The culpability (or not) of the man charged for starting our (not so) little barbecue aside, Jay makes a good point: these items would not be stolen (and resold) if someone wasn’t buying them. Then the becomes question is who— and what do we do about it?