Formosa Café in WeHo recovers stolen rickshaw

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The rickshaw belonging to the Formosa Café in West Hollywood is back home. 

The chariot-like vehicle was stolen from outside the Asian-themed bar and restaurant on WeHo’s East Side over the weekend. Owners put out a call for help on the restaurant’s Instagram

Users @alex_bedrin and @andreametz came across the abandoned rickshaw Monday and alerted the Sheriff’s Department, who returned it to the establishment.

Originating in Asia in the late 19th century, rickshaws were once a common form of urban transportation. They have been largely supplanted by cycle rickshaws (where the driver pedals a tricycle) and auto rickshaws (motorized versions) in modern times, though they can still be found in some tourist areas for their cultural and novelty value.

Rickshaws are known for their simplicity and use in providing economical transportation, often in crowded urban environments, but in recent years they have been vilified as symbols of racism and colonial oppression by political activists and historical revisionists. 

Dating back to 1939 and recently restored, the landmark Formosa Café on WeHo’s East Side incorporates a red train car from 1904 into its decor and is remembered as an old Hollywood hangout frequented by the likes of Frank Sinatra and James Dean.

The West Hollywood Gateway next door to the cafe has become a hotbed for retail theft over the past few years. The Target located there recently made headlines for putting many basic necessities in locked Plexiglass cabinets. 
 

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Really...
Really...
9 months ago

Perhaps the attachment of an Apple Air Tag to anything of value would assist in locating the item. This seems like a no brainer. Am I correct?

Unsafe & Disconnected
Unsafe & Disconnected
9 months ago

Apparently objects that are either “nailed up or nailed down” are not safe in West Hollywood. Do residents and businesses need to employ individual body guards for every known object? Will thieves be ripping out landscape features and shrubbery in the future?

Only recommendation would be tight neighborhood groups augmented by Sheriff patrols “on the street” not training sessions for Block by Block Ambassadors. We have lost the fabric of our community which is neither seen nor understood by most in City Hall who are simultaneously disconnected mentally and geographically.

Cy Husain
9 months ago

This is more like The Hangover Part II where some guys have a night on the town and are waking up in the morning to find out just exactly what really happened❗ I thinking the joy riding in the stolen rickshaw is only a small part of the story.😲

Unsafe & Disconnected
Unsafe & Disconnected
9 months ago
Reply to  Cy Husain

Sure Cy. Crime is crime, joyriding or otherwise.

Cy Husain
9 months ago

So that’s crime ❓ Like way back in the 20th Century when I was a kid and got bored we went joy riding in top of the line high performance sports cars that sometimes resulted in high speed chases with the LAPD that we easily escaped. How we tried to top that scene of the tow cable tied to the axel of a police car completely ripping it out at the start of the chase. Now joy riding a rickshaw is news❓🤷🏽‍♂️

Ethics
Ethics
9 months ago
Reply to  Cy Husain

You appear to be proud of this. Years ago while in grammar school a group of perpetual wise guys destroyed the Tiffany stained glass windows and organ in a stone church on an island in a private community. When the BOD contacted the parents their answer was: “So, we’re insured”. Starts with the parents and it seems yours may be proud of you. Sadder than sad.

Cy Husain
9 months ago
Reply to  Ethics

Well the police🐷 don’t have Tiffany stained glass windows or organs, so those items are completely safe from me❗