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Free ‘sports library’ in Tacoma, WA cleared out by thieves
For two months, a Tacoma father and son have been fixing up bikes and lending them out for free — but last night, thieves pulled up in a truck and cleared them all out.
TACOMA, Wash. - Nate Bob says his family’s free sports library was wiped clean by a man in a truck who swooped in early Friday morning.
About two months ago, Nate Bob created a little, free sports library.
"We noticed the kids aren’t out in the neighborhoods playing anymore and stuff. They're all inside at video games. So, try to make this whole block and area to get all the kids in the neighborhood out and playing again," said Bob.
The backstory:
Inspired by the little libraries around Tacoma neighborhoods, he started gathering scrap parts for bikes and scooters and using his repair skills to create fun for kids in the community.
The effort was inspired when he realized some of his 9-year-old son’s friends did not have bikes.
Nate Bob said the impact it had on the community had been huge, and other organizations were reaching out to help in the effort.
However, early Friday morning, Nate Bob’s surveillance cameras captured an adult driving a truck, stalking the block for hours, then finally grabbing all the available bikes.
"When you’re taking it to go scrap it and take things away from kids who could possibly have them, that’s where it’s ethically wrong," he said.
Despite having video, Nate Bob tells FOX 13 Seattle he does not plan on calling the police.
"Because it says free sports equipment, but who they did take from is all those kids that would have had those bikes," he said.
Why you should care:
He is still sharing the story in the hopes to inspire more people to create similar resources for their neighborhoods.
Nate Bob finds the bikes he adds to his library at yard sales. He buys them for a cheap price, and uses his skills to make them ridable for kids.
If you have a bike you are looking to get rid of, or want to help out his effort, you can find more information here.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.