My family is hooked on Craigs List. They are always looking for the next treasure, the next bargain. I am a fearful New Yorker. I don’t like strangers in my home, and I don’t readily trust strangers on their tuf  either. But there is something about Craigs List thatturns us all into such trusting souls. That I s why I was chilled and saddened by the murder of  Jim Sanders in Seattle, who was murdered by four chromosomal humans who responded to his ad offering a diamond ring for sale and killed him in the ensuing robbery. This is only the latest in a long list of violent crimes resulting from Craigslist ads.

On the other hand, a controversy rages over whether Starbucks stores should permit openly carrying firearms in jurisdictions that permit it. Some people are nonplussed by the sight of lethal weapons. Starbucks is in a manner of speaking, sticking to its guns. I respect them for that.

Here’s an idea. Whether you are answering a Craigslist personal, and don’t want to end up as a date rape statistic, or whether you are selling an i Pad or a diamond ring, wouldn’t it be nice to meet in a safe environment? What if Starbucks opened up special outlets with at least one  moonlighting cop or ex marine carrying a loaded weapon? And what if at these special showrooms you had to make a reservation in advance and  present two forms of ID that match the information given over the phone. For the extra cost of security, the fortified Starbucks could charge a 10 or 15 dollar cover fee, which would include two drinks and pastries. This way, if  a guy turns out to be an armed robber or a pervert, there would be a documented paper trail connecting him to the crime.

There could be specially marked Starbucks with a Craigslist logo underneath that of Starbucks. You could be responding to any ad at all and Craigs list would still get the publicity for providing a safe selling environment. Craigslist would be steering customers to Starbucks and Starbucks would take the fear out of meeting strangers.

I can’t bring the management of these two corporate giants together, but I can throw the idea out  into cyberspace for their consideration. Please guys. Get together. Make this idea happen. We all need it.

Tags:

Craigslist, Guns in Starbucks, Jim Sanders, killed for diamond ring, Starbucks, Starbucks and guns