For three days last week, we watched seemingly good personal belongings appear along an alley in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. The frequent deposits of stuff seemed like someone being evicted or the result of some relational breakup.
Night before, police cars filled the same alleyway, and a helicopter circled about with bullhorn blaring about the search for a five-foot, seven-inch white male. Could the events be connected? Unconfirmed local gossip put the gent inside a convenience store, where—armed—he was apprehended the following day, about when stuff started stacking up.
The Featured Image, taken using Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, captures the last load of things that I saw. A mountain bike stayed put a whole five minutes before someone snatched it. Earlier, a massively wide, vertical box filled with a cornucopia of apartment paraphernalia—everything from books to boxes of unopened pasta to various clothing sundries—appeared.
I would love to share some story explaining the what and the why of the placed possessions. That’s not happening tonight.
Photo vitals: f/1.7, ISO 12, 1/1000 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 11:20 a.m. PDT, June 20, 2024.