Vandals are messing up Della’s mailbox
by
It’s an act of vandalism perpetrated primarily by teenagers
After her mailbox was destroyed for the 8th time, one Rutherford County woman said enough all ready and called that is messed up.
Della Molloy is a fun loving woman who has a dry wit and a quick quote. She realizes we’re not talking about world peace so she plays the story with some tongue and cheek enthusiasm.
“If this mailbox could talk what would it say?,” I ask her, standing by her bashed in mailbox on a four by four that is leaning like it should be a tourist attraction in Italy.
“I’m sick and tired of being hit,” she says. “What is the point of replacing it.”
Della Molloy is fed up. Why wouldn’t she be. She points to the old mailbox, crumpled and sad, lying in her front yard.
“How many times has this mailbox said help me,” I ask grabbing the mail box lid, opening and closing it like it is speaking to her.
“How many times?”
“8 times.”
8 times. 8 times!!
That is not only Messed Up. It is ridiculous.
“It is a dangerous person who hits a defenseless mailbox,” she says in her straight forward way.
“Enough is enough. Why should I care? ”
“Did you report this to Johnny Law man?”
“No I reported it to you.”
“Why?”
“I felt it was time that the mailbox needs someone to stand up for them.”
I have to laugh out loud clutching her broken mailbox.
“Andy. Andy help me! No one is an advocate for mailboxes like they should be.”
Molloy can’t prove it, but she suspects neighborhood teens are responsible for her damage, which says has also affected dozens of her neighbors over the years.
It’s an easy deduction to make when you see how many videos on line are dedicated to the act of mailboxing…
YouTube is loaded with video of teens breaking, bashing, smashing and vandalizing. The videos show a dark, nefarious element of teens, unsupervised, wreaking havoc and causing expensive damage where they live.
We drive through Molloy’s neighborhood which looks like it has been visited by these video vandals we find mailbox after mailbox that is either dented or ready to topple over.
“The problem is people are protecting their mailboxes by placing them in metal like armor,” I say to Al standing on this rural country pike.
According to the U.S. Postal Service: it is a federal crime to destroy a mailbox. People who have been caught have been severely punished.
The penalty? Up to $250,000 or federal prison for up to 3 years for each violation.
