An accident in Lower Towamensing Township before Christmas took the lives of four teenagers. Friends and relatives put up a roadside memorial at the accident scene. One mourner placed a necklace at the memorial, and the necklace was stolen. The perpetrator then tried to sell the necklace on the Internet, was caught, and tried to blame the theft on a mentally-challenged person.
I have a number of thoughts about this whole episode.
First, roadside memorials, no matter how noble the intent, are a poor way to remember accident victims. The flowers fade, the snow and rain and frost do their work, and in a few weeks you have an unsightly mess rather than a meaningful memorial.
Secondly, if you put a valuable necklace along a public roadway, you should not be surprised if it is stolen. The world is full of miscreants and charlatans. Putting such a temptation in their way is not a good idea.
Thirdly, what kind of mean person would take an item from a roadside memorial and then compound the crime by trying to blame it on a mentally challenged person?
Nobody comes out of this looking good.
I can understand the sentiment of an impromptu roadside memorial but feel any thing over a week or two it should be destroyed. That is what cemeteries are for. If you want to memorialize the spot your loved one dies that is fine if you own the property other wise it is an unwanted intrusion into the lives of the motorists.
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