moshowmestatestl's Blog

This is becoming a serious problem and a eye sore to the city of St. Louis.

It can be easily stopped if whenever  you see someone or groups of people tearing down and cleaning the bricks call the city to see if a permit was issued for this address and if not ,call the police. If it is on a weekend just call the police and they can check out if they have a permit to tear down the property. Most  workers at the location cleaning the bricks and stacking them on the pallets are not aware they are in the middle of a stolen brick ring that seems to be spreading fast in the area. They are hired,  to tear down and/or clean them and stack them on the pallets. They believe that they are working for a contractor that has the permit to tear down. Since they may or may not even see or meet the contractor even on paydays they go by what they are told by the person in charge at the site keeping count of pallets completed. I think they receive approx $20 -$25 for each pallet of bricks they stack. Then the actual person or persons that is responsible for the theft comes around once or twice a week to pay the workers off. Wednesdays and Fridays is a common payday.

I know this because I know people that have done brick cleaning not  knowing  they were stealing them for someone else.  They get paid little money, work very long hours, take a chance of getting hurt not to even touch on the fact that many of these old houses have asbestos issues. I have, in the past, seen children working with their parents doing this work also.

Who's to blame? The workers that are tearing down and cleaning the bricks? I think not!They are trying to put food on the table for their families.

Find out who they are actually working for and then you will find your answers on how to stop brick stealing in St. Louis.