Petrelis Files

Robbery Report: Liza Tix OK, Electronics Need Replacing

Dear Friends and Family,

You may have heard that our apartment was burglarized on Monday. We've finally determined all that was stolen and needs to be replaced. And I have taken this negative and turned it into a positive: I am organizing my extensive activist archive.

Many huge thanks to all of you who have expressed concern and love during this traumatic episode. Special shout outs to some folks who went out of their way to help us get over this crime: Rick Gerharter, Tate Swindell, Jay Blotcher and Ken Hodnett.

First up, neighbors here in The Mission have been alerted to the crime. Everyone is a bit rattled that the robbery happened during the afternoon when the street is busy with foot and vehicular traffic. Asking around, I've learned that in the past two weeks the Friends School was broken into during a weekend day. Also, two cars have had their windows smashed and property stolen. Plus a man sitting on the bench in front of the St Francis of Assisi Senior Center in the early evening was robbed of his laptop by three young adults. Clearly a rash of crimes are happening in our area.

Some have asked if I think this was a payback message from one of my political enemies and the idea has crossed my mind. But in the context of crime in our part of the Mission and other factors, it's highly unlikely the robbery was political revenge. When my enemies in San Francisco want to come after me, they use other tactics: they bring charges via the District Attorney and drag me through the criminal "justice" system.

As my friend Gregg Scott said, if they truly wanted revenge that would sting, they would have stolen our tickets to tonight's Liza Minnelli concert! Happy to say the tickets are safe and you can be damn sure Mike and I are ready for a night of entertainment with the legendary Liza.

Other good news is that cherished mementos from my late mother Rose weren't harmed or taken. All of my photos and paper documents, along with content on my hard drive, are also safe. Some of what was robbed has been replaced by friends, including a monitor and medicine.

Now, here's the list of items stolen that need to be replaced: Two winter coats, my passes and gift cards for the Roxie, Landmark and Cinemark Theaters.

The electronic equipment includes a 2008 pay-as-you-go cell phone, one small camera, three battery rechargers, rechargeable batteries, the LifeCam for my PC, various cables and adapters, a CD/radio player. > What was not stolen was an external hard drive and I need one so I can back up all the government documents and other important records on my hard drive.

If you would like to donate any of those electronic devices, please let me know. And should you wish to make a monetary contribution to replace these items, I would be grateful. Just click on the PayPal Donate button on the upper right of this page. Or contact me for our snail mail address if you want to send a check or an electronic device.

Again, much gratitude to all who've offered comfort and understanding. While this week started with the burglary ... it ends with the beauty of Liza, Liza, Liza!

Best to all,
Michael and Mike