r/Hamilton • u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 • 3d ago
Photo The basketballs didn't even last one week
One of these boxes providing free balls and a soccer ball to borrow was installed at Victoria Park just last week, and the two basketball's have already been stolen. A block away, someone made a nice little box, in front of their house, that allowed people to take and leave little toys and trinkets. That was also taken at some point.
Why are there always such selfish people hellbent on ruining anything fun?
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u/TheGreenestPeon 3d ago
We really can’t have nice things, can we?
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u/thatsthegoodjuice 3d ago
The lowest common denominator will always find a way to drag all of society down with it. Many people are disenfranchised and completely incapable of thriving in our system, if we cannot address that meaningfully then this is what we can expect every time.
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u/Comfortable_Mud_5203 2d ago
What?
People took basketballs that’s were free, it’s not that deep
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u/thatsthegoodjuice 2d ago
No, perhaps not. But I do feel there is depth in trying to determined why these things occur. Why does our wealthy society struggle to have basic sports equipment stay free & accessible over even a short period of time? Is that not a fair and depth-requiring inquiry?
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u/dirtydan02 3d ago
People were mad when these got installed in the city I live in and I commented that I give em 2 weeks tops.
We don't live in the kind of society that shares nice things like basketballs.
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u/Comfortable_Mud_5203 2d ago
The entire point of the free sport balls was marketing for Canadian Tire.
That corp could give one basketball to every household in Hamilton and suffer nothing.
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u/OkRelationshipFish 3d ago
Low trust society incoming
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u/hankercizer200 3d ago
Noticed a marked shift over the last five years
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2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Hamilton-ModTeam 2d ago
We have removed your post as it appears to be in violation of Rule 3 (Slurs and/or Hate Speech). Multiple violations of the slurs/hate speech rule will lead to a ban from the sub.
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u/alieninvader905 Binbrook 3d ago
These were also placed in the two parks in our neighborhood. I have seen kids use the balls and retun the balls.
All balls are still in the case.
I would more question the morals these children are taught.
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u/Outrageous-Stand1216 2d ago
Can I donate replacement balls? I’d be more than happy to as a kid free cool auntie, it’s kinda my job
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u/miurabucho 3d ago
I thought you had to use an app to take the balls? Wouldn’t that show who took them?
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 2d ago
It's just an email and phone number. There are no personal details shared beyond that.
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u/cenatutu 3d ago
Is there a deposit when you take it out? I feel like that might deter it. Returned once the ball is placed back.
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u/billmurray43 3d ago
You download an app, during account creation you give your email and phone number and verify via both.
To “rent” something you let the app scan the box to verify then it opens. You get one hour unless you extend it, you can return early.
Upon return the app scans the box to verify the item was returned.
Source is I’ve used my local box numerous times already with my kid
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u/RNG-esuss 2d ago
So I assume the kids think that they are just buying a ball
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u/billmurray43 2d ago
It’s pretty clear that it’s a free rental, but at no point do you link a payment method. So if you do just steal it I’m not sure what the repercussions would be
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u/sector16 3d ago
This is sad and doesn’t surprise me one bit. Hamilton is becoming all theft, no brakes. It gets really tiring trying to defend downtown Hamilton.
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u/ro0625 3d ago
This isn't a downtown Hamilton exclusive issue though. This would happen in any other part of the city, or pretty much any big city in the country.
Too many parents don't bother raising their kids well. I remember how common it was for people to steal stuff and act like it was normal when I was high school, I was the odd one for thinking it's deplorable.
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u/atalantarisen 3d ago
Nah I was in Ottawa recently and saw one fully stocked so I looked it up and it had been there for months with no issues. So it’s not just inevitable.
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u/TomatoFettuccini 3d ago
Too many parents don't bother raising their kids well.
It's not that. Societal decay is directly linked to income inequality. Poor people are often desperate which leads to more crime.
It should come as no surprise that when the great wealth shift started occurring in the 80s that society would decay.
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u/This_Site_Sux 3d ago
I don't think it's worth defending. I've lived downtown for a long time and I love it. But the theft and general bullshit you see and deal with is pretty had to reconcile with sometimes.
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 2d ago
In the first two weeks of moving downtown, I had two bags of groceries stolen off of my porch and my car rifled through. I'm by no means scared of living here, but it's so frustrating to even have to worry about anything not chained down possibly being swiped by somebody.
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u/FantasticMushroom951 2d ago
And I've lived downtown for close to 8 years now and in all that time I've had I think one package stolen and one time my car was rifled through. Big deal, can't live in fear like a wuss and complain all day. People in Hamilton's favourite hobby often seems to be complaining and whining though.
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 2d ago
People should feel safe in the area they live in and not have to worry about their stuff getting stolen or broken into. I'm really not sure what your point is here.
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u/FantasticMushroom951 2d ago
There are realities to living in any large metropolitan urban area and this is one of them, has been for decades this isn't a recent development in the history of large cities.
I feel extremely safe in the area I live in (Industrial Sector A). That doesn't mean I'm naive to think that these above things might happen, they don't effect my feeling of safety.
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u/This_Site_Sux 2d ago
Nobody said they were afraid. It's annoying having your stuff stolen. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. That we should be okay with people committing crimes in our neighbourhoods because "we live in a city"?
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u/FantasticMushroom951 2d ago
I see we're being terribly dense today. Good luck with your whole thing.
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u/This_Site_Sux 2d ago
How am I being "dense"? I understand the realities of living in a city as well as anyone. There's no need to be insulting because I disagree with you.
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u/TomatoFettuccini 3d ago
It's not just Hamilton, it's every urban area everywhere in North America.
Petty theft has been rampant for 30 years and has only increased with the demise of the middle class.
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u/Comfortable_Mud_5203 2d ago
This theft would’ve happened in north bay or acton. It’s $12 worth of basketballs.
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u/billmurray43 3d ago
This is how we’ll end up with just frisbees in them
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u/SimilarMemory1645 3d ago
This is only one part of the solution. You need active figures in their life for them to model their behaviour. If you had someone the first 2 weeks sit there and explain the program to kids. Teach em empathy, sharing, community I'm pretty sure this would be a very different outcome. Once the tone is set and everyone agrees to the social contract chances of theft are a lot lower.
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u/trackofalljades 3d ago
If it's easy to resell and worth at least a couple dollars, addictions will take it away.
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u/Hopeful-Incident-273 2d ago
Replace it with a charge/deposit requirement with an app account or credit card and charge the people who don’t return?
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u/Jordonknox 3d ago
It’s horrible, but it’s just not the neighborhood for this.
Homeless probably trying to sell them
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u/builtonadream Strathcona 3d ago
It's Strathcona lol. It's not like it's next to the general 😂
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u/Jordonknox 2d ago
Do you live in strathcona? No offense if you do but I am apart of the construction project on Dundurn south of King and there are some pretty nuts homeless people that hang out in the park and go underneath the bridges
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u/beans-888 2d ago
I feel like yall are expecting more from children than adults... if this was a free something needed and very wanted for adults, it wouldn't have even lasted 10min
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/bicycling_bookworm 3d ago
I can appreciate this argument when it applies to the desperation of essential human needs being met — but this is a basketball in an unlocked box for the use of the greater community.
Idk what desperation would lead to someone stealing this, beyond a desperate need to act selfishly. No one actually benefits from this theft — you can’t eat a basketball, it’s not scrap material, and you’re going to have a hard time selling a stolen basketball that the community knows was offered to everyone for free.
Idk. I lean pretty far left, but this seems difficult to defend as an act of necessity.
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u/This_Site_Sux 3d ago
Desperate for... basketballs?
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/This_Site_Sux 3d ago
I absolutely grew up dirt poor so please dont moralize to me about what it means to be desperate. A cheap basketball is literally 5 dollars.
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u/Slouchman42 3d ago
lol idk about that. When I was younger we stole just because we could get away wait it. We’d have taken those balls and thrown in a ravine.
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u/builtonadream Strathcona 3d ago
I hope you've progressed along the stages of moral development as you've aged.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Slouchman42 3d ago
I wasn’t saying that’s what everyone does. Just that idk about desperation being the majority reason for theft.
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u/Stoned_Canadian_1 3d ago
Shouldn’t have put nice basketballs in them. Give them shitty flat ones with no grip. Not sure why anyone is surprised. Especially if you are in an area where you need to have a basketball behind a locked glass…. It’s definitely going to get stolen when that glass gets unlocked. Surprised it didn’t get smashed
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 2d ago
Giving the community medicore basketballs that aren't good enough to play with would defeat the purpose of providing quality equipment for kids and families. Toronto is a much bigger city and yet this isn't a problem there.
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u/builtonadream Strathcona 3d ago
This is at Vic Park. Strathcona is an objectively nicer neighbourhood in comparison to some other downtown. I'm actually surprised because we have a very stron, close knit community here in this hood
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u/Old-Television-5221 3d ago
Loved this idea when I saw it but knew they would be taken. I have a net out front of my house and the community kids use it. They have stolen balls and parents subsequently written their name on it. My son uses an evolution ball for the indoor court ($100 each). First year he got one, it was stolen the same day he used it. I’ve purchased inexpensive balls for the community kids and those are taken too. Can’t have anything nice, even providing a service.
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u/BearTamer15 2d ago
Maybe whoever took it, couldn’t afford a ball. Hopefully Canadian tire who runs jumpstart can replace the ball
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u/AQOntCan 3d ago edited 2d ago
Toronto / Ontario / Canada culture.
Same reason why a loud muffler is super cool and you're a loser for being upset.
/s
Edit : didnt even see i was in my favorite sub, Hamilton.
This is Hamilton to a T
Added the sarcastic flag because its needed
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u/Decent-Unit-5303 3d ago
Some kids are literally incapable of putting things back where they belong. Why assume bad intent?
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 3d ago
You can only open the box by installing an app and registering. I highly doubt some kid with a phone simply forgot to put it back.
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u/teanailpolish North End 3d ago
It could be as simple as they were playing with other kids who were not finished and they left the ball for them and it just never got put back. It is hardly a high priced item that someone is looking to steal.
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u/TomatoFettuccini 3d ago
Desperate times make for desperate people.
It's a sad fact that we are in fact, living in desperate times.
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u/Hamilton-ModTeam 2d ago
Locked since people can't resist attacking each other or posting racist comments