I have no love in my heart for Roma or Tinkers or any Gypsy. I've had to deal with the wreckage these rascally thieves leave in their wake.
One incident in-particular stays with me:
I got a call to investigate a theft. It was a 90-ish year-old great-grandmother who lived alone in the run-down house in which she was born. A couple 'contractors' knocked and offered to re-roof her leaky porch for twenty dollars. While one guy surveyed the roof, the other disappeared. She knew something was up, but felt too intimidated by these big, fat bastards to say anything. The other guy came round front, and they said they had to go get some nails for the job.
While they were gone, the old gal searched and found that the bums had absconded with her life's savings of about $12,000: coffee can in the kitchen!!!
I got there while she was still waiting for them to come back. Poor thing: all she wanted to do was putter in her garden and live out her days in that old country home, using the cash to take care of the taxes and food that her small widow's benefit didn't cover. I held her in my arms as she sobbed; her last living child was in a nursing home, and she faced the grim prospect of going to one herself.
She could provide no worthwhile description of the men or the vehicle: she was nearly blind. I never got 'em.
A few months later I saw the house boarded-up, and the garden gone to seed. Still brings tears to my eyes thinkin' about it.
And that's why I hate Gypsies so: they pray on widows, the infirm, and the hapless , more trusting than is wise.
Then there was the travel agency from which they stole a shief of computerized airline tickets (they came in gang-style...asking lots of questions): about $60,000 worth, which the agency had to make good to the airline. That small business is no longer in business.
I hate 'em..I hate 'em...I hate 'em.
We cought two guys once; Mr Miller, the 'King', paid the complainant's damages and the bad guys were out, never to be seen again. Meantime I ran a III and print-check on them and got back about 20 different names, licenses in several different states....you get the picture. And that doesn't include the arrest records of states that don't report to the FBI database. These guys are so far under the radar, the courts can't deal with them. No one can say who the hell they really are! (Except a certain "Mr. Miller").
The only redeeming quality I can think of is that they don't crap in their own back yard, so to speak. They go to other states and countries to do that. So if you live next door, you're probably safe...from them...but certainly not their visiting business associates.
I got no use for 'em. They are among the most vile. And I understate.
TAXES!? Why does the government need to tax such old woman?