Maybe THAT'S the reason they ed up your car.![]()
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19818804/?gt1=10150
WASHINGTON - On a narrow, leafy street in Northwest Washington, where Prius hybrid cars and Volvos are the norm, one man bought a flashy gray Hummer that was too massive to fit in his garage.
So he parked the seven-foot-tall behemoth on the street in front of his house and smiled politely when his eco-friendly neighbors looked on in disapproval at his "dream car."
It lasted five days on the street before two masked men took a bat to every window, a knife to each 38-inch tire and scratched into the body: "FOR THE ENVIRON."
"The thought of somebody vandalizing it never crossed my mind," said Gareth Groves, 32, who lives with his mother in a three-story home in the 3400 block of Brandywine Street NW in American University Park. "I've kind of been in shock."
Looks of satisfaction
Now, as Groves ponders what to do with the remains of his $38,000 SUV, he has been the target of a number of people who have driven by the crime scene in his upscale neighborhood and glared at him in smug satisfaction.
"I'd say one in five people who come by have that 'you-got-what-you-deserve' look," said his friend Andy Sexton, 27, who is visiting from Arkansas and has been helping Groves deal with fallout from the crime.
Neighbor Lucille Liem, 37, who owns a Prius hybrid, said that a common sentiment in the neighborhood is that large vehicles are impractical and a strain on the Earth -- and Hummers in particular are a symbol of consumer excess.
"The neighborhood in general is very concerned with the environment," said Liem, whose Prius gets about 48 miles a gallon compared with the Hummer's 14 miles a gallon. "It's more liberal leaning. It's ridiculous to be driving a Hummer."
Liem added quickly that she does not condone violence.
Another neighbor, Lani Fremaux, 58, said she bought a T-shirt months ago with a picture of a Hummer and above it the word "Bummer." She wore the shirt proudly but said she is so upset with recent events on her street that she might retire it.
"They've got everything at their disposal in this city to make a statement in a legal way," Fremaux said of the bat-wielding men who struck out at the Hummer. "I consider this a hate crime."
First attack of its kind
Police said they see small acts of vandalism in the area from time to time, but they have not seen anything so severe, or with such a clear political message, in recent years.
"This seems to be an isolated event," Cmdr. Andy Solberg said.
Investigators said they are searching for the vandals but don't have many leads. Witnesses saw two men about six feet tall with bandanas or masks over their faces smash up the car about 3:30 a.m. Monday and then run off.
Groves's mother, Phyllis Groves, 70, said she is sad for her son because he has wanted a Hummer for a while. But even she did not exactly approve of the purchase.
"I teased him because of the gas mileage," she said. "But he wanted a Hummer. He didn't have other gas guzzlers in mind."
He bought the used 2005 vehicle a month ago from a dentist in Fairfax County and left it in a shop for several weeks so it could be outfitted to his specifications -- new, bigger tires and a "lift kit," meaning it would be higher off the ground.
Groves, who grew up in the District and works in marketing for a local radio station, said he wanted the car in part because he is starting a company, Washington Sports Marketing, that is "image-based."
He said he wants to get it towed and repaired but fears extremists might not be done making an example of him.
"I'm worried about what I do now," he said. "If I get it fixed, do I put it back in the same spot three weeks from now?"
Maybe THAT'S the reason they ed up your car.![]()
I couldnt help but notice the same thing.
The car loan is probably in his momma's name too.
Arent hummers a bit more than 38k?
that's probably the reason he got a Hummer in the first place. Overcompensation.
Base model, I guess. He pimped it after.
damn i didnt know those earth friendly fools were so gangsta![]()
He bought it used and then altered it.
He bought the used 2005 vehicle a month ago from a dentist in Fairfax County and left it in a shop for several weeks so it could be outfitted to his specifications -- new, bigger tires and a "lift kit," meaning it would be higher off the ground.
It's all relative anyways....
If I drive a 24 mpg vehicle to work and only have to commute 5 miles per day, does my vehicle polute more than a Prius driven 20 miles daily?
LOL serves the er right (not that I "condone violence"). Up in the 'burbs north of Dallas my Civic Hybrid is more likely to be "vandalized" by some SOB in an 8-mpg SUV running a red light and t-boning it.
Those enviorment and globabl warming s are annoying and dumb as .
nothing justifys this, or anything else.LOL serves the er right
The guy has a right to own any damn car he wants, and its bull these ers are gonna get away with it.
THAT'S RIGHT!
THE ENVIRONMENT! WE'LL DO WHAT THE WE WANT!
THEY TOOK ERRRRR JOOOOOOOOOOOBS!
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I don't particularly like those trucks, either ... but I know I don't have the right to destroy someone else's property. WTF?![]()
The moral of the story:
Those "friendly" tree-hugging liberals in your neighborhood really aren't all that friendly.
so she say's now, but when her man cheats on her. its play ball![]()
I think hummers are stupid with gas prices but I have no right to vandalize someone's car.
Nah....the worst I'd do is throw all of his in the front yard, after I sold all of the good stuff. I'm not one of those kind of women.![]()
oh is that all
I'd fix the hummer then ram the out of every little gay ass prius on the ing street.
Didn't the great Al Franken get arrested for assaulting someone?Those "friendly" tree-hugging liberals in your neighborhood really aren't all that friendly.
Ew. Are you saying his mom gave him a hummer?
good
don't hurt our environment
every hummer owner deserves this
Spoken like someone who desperately needs to hear George Carlin's Earth + Plastics bit.
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