Social Experiment: Bike Theft in New York City
New York City, the home for thousands of bikes, is not, unfortunately, a safe place for them. Normally, a person would expect a reaction from people or the police when a thief steals one in the broad daylight, but not in New York.
That is exactly what art activist Casey Neistat wanted to test in his last social experiment. He locked up his own bike, and later ‘stole’ it as a suspicious thief would, complete with a saw or crowbar. Sadly, New York and its citizens did not react the way Casey wanted them too. Nobody dared to even look at him while the theft was in progress.
Only after he put on his most suspicious clothing and moved to a crowded area in Union Square with a drill, did police show up after only 9 minutes. After explaining his experiment, he asked the police if they’d ever caught a bike thief, and guess what they answered? NO!
The video below documents his interesting experiment. It is featured on NYTimes, LaughingSquid, and StuffIStole.
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