WWYD: Witnessing illegal transactions; say something or mind your own business
‘œSee everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.’ ‘“ Pope John XXIII
Not too long ago, I noticed a drug deal going down at my gym. The alleged drug dealer is a club member who happens to be at the gym every time I set foot inside the building. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is’¦ he’s there. Six o’clock in the morning’¦ he’s there. Lunchtime’¦ he’s there. 7:00 PM on a Tuesday night as I head into yoga class’¦ he’s there.
Although he looks fit, you would think he’d be Mr. Universe with the amount of time he’s there. Then one day it all made sense. As he was pedaling on the stationary bike, I saw him peddle something to a young woman as she passed behind him. Nonchalantly, he slipped her something’¦ something small in the palm of his hand and she just kept on walking by. It happened so quickly and with such dealer technique, that for a moment I wondered if I had really seen what I saw.
The gym is his office and gym members are his clients. He has quite the gig. It’s a thriving business as he profits from the illegal activities of the partying kind. It has nothing to do with me. Or does it?
At first, I looked away. Then for a moment I thought about reporting him to the manager until I thought about it some more and wondered if the GM was getting a cut’¦ either in product or profits and decided that maybe he wouldn’t be the best person to complain to about wanting a drug free zone at the gym.
Over time, I found myself formulating self-righteous thoughts as I did my forty on the treadmill. But as many times as I fantasized about the Newport Beach police hauling his ass off to jail, there are equal moments spent wondering if he has made his quota for the day and can go home.
After all, he’s just trying to make a buck like most working folks. So why do I feel compelled to be the guardian of public accountability. Isn’t that why we have people like Ralph Nadar or Michael Moore? Who died and made me the gym rat?
At its simplest form, this makes me a whistleblower. Or possibly anti-capitalist.
So what is the right thing to do? Say something or mind my own business. After all, does his business have anything to do with me? Let me know what you think below.
What would I actually do? Nothing. In the evenings, I walk past people all the time in my area sitting in parked BMWs waiting for other people to get in for very short periods of time, and then get out. I’m just about worldly wise enough to recognise that they are dealing. I’ve never done anything about it and I don’t intend to.
What do I think you should do? That depends on whether you think there is something morally/ethically wrong with drug dealing in this way. If you do, and you think the manager is in on it, then you might want to point out to them that you noticed, and there’s nothing to stop someone else noticing and reporting it. Alternatively, call the crimestoppers number and report it anonymously. I can’t honestly say I think it’s morally wrong.
I once witnessed some dealers downtown, just after I had come from a job interview.
I called the police and lurked in the background to see what would happen. It took about a half hour for one of their plainclothesmen to see what I had seen then the guy dealing got arrested when two squad cars came squealing into the scene.
I then went on about my business- but was feeling like some sort of street level detective.
If we all continue to look the other way, there will be no semblance of order or adherance to law. (Do I sound too conservative in that statement?)
I know that I would want to report the activity, but given the recidivism rates, what would be the point? My observation is that drug offense punishment isn’t suitable to correct the root cause of the problem. Perhaps if our system gave drug dealers training/skills while in prison- something they could actually make a decent wage doing once they got out of jail- the rates of recidivism wouldn’t be so high and reporting crime would be worth it?
My forays into criminal activity reporting in my neighborhood stem from wanting to protect my property values. It goes back to another blog entry I saw on here- I’m infringing on someone else’s capitalism to protect my own.
I have a very strong opposition to the War on Drugs, but I frequently must concede that drug dealing and other violent crime definitely go hand-in-hand. At the gym, the guy’s not going to shoot the place up if a deal goes bad, so I probably let him do his little bit of black market capitalism. But if I see some thug on the street with a gun or two selling drugs and roughing people up, that’s when I intervene.
I guess maybe there are other examples, too. Like when I worked at a clothing retailer and saw associates occasionally taking from the cash drawers. That’s my money, too. I reported them without hesitation. I guess for me it all goes to the harm to others created by the illegal actions.
how would you feel if you saw him slipping something to your 15 year old daughter? Or if he conducted his business on the street outside your house instead of at the gym? Or if maybe the competition came into the gym and got violent while you were there? Basically regardless of whether you agree or disagree as to whether its wrong or not, it could be a nuisance which might impact on you negatively. So yes I would call the police and report it.
I might make an anonymous tip to the police simply because I wouldn’t feel comfortable about the possibility that something bad would happen there. Like another guy tried to move in and things got violent.
I had an interesting case where I found a wallet with a baggie in it. I’m much too inexperienced to be able to figure out what the stuff really was…maybe crack?
Anyway, as I saw it my options were leaving the wallet there, calling the owner because she left her learner’s permit in it, or giving it to the police. I chose the last because the girl was 15. I couldn’t in good conscience give a 15-year-old back her drugs. I also didn’t want for something to be missing when she got it back…that would have been bad too. And giving it back without the drugs, again potential for violence even if I said someone must have taken them. And I couldn’t figure out what to do with the drugs. But the police station was just down the block, so I took it. I suppose I could have flushed the drugs and turned it in, but I was worried about being caught with them. And I didn’t want to leave it for another kid to find. *sigh* Not a fun time.
Don’t talk to the manager. Call the police and report it.
>>I’m infringing on someone else’s capitalism to protect my own.
Good point. What’s the big deal? What are the chances that the guy is dealing Crystal Meth? Big deal. Crystal hasn’t done any harm to the gay community. Those statistics linking unsafe sexual behavior to drug use?
Crazy stuff. Don’t talk to the manager. Call the police and report it.
You could put yourself at risk by reporting this clown to the cops. In my part of the sticks, this would be a dangerous thing to do.
Whereas personally I would WANT to blow the whistle on him, realistically I probably would take my business to another gym. If the management wouldn’t give me a prorated refund, I would tell the manager what I had seen and tell him I was going to report the perp and the gym to the police unless I got my money back. Bye!
Thanks everyone for your comments… interesting insight. I’ll report back when the Newport Beach police puts him out of business.
Report it. Do you think the gym really wants trouble? Do it anonymously if you must. But this crap about “he’ll just move on” and “you’ll put yourself at risk” is complete BS. It’s that kind of an attitude that probably brought him to your gym in the first place.