Papers disappear too quickly from racks

Joshua Miller
DM Feature Editor

If you had trouble finding a copy of The Daily Mississippian yesterday, then you're not alone.

Reports from students, faculty and citizens on Monday suggest that at least 1,500 of The DM's 12,000 printed copies were missing from their designated bins.

Jarvis Busby, printer and delivery supervisor for The DM said that all of the papers were delivered to their proper locations.

"They were out and on the stands by 7 a.m.," Busby said. "About 7:30 a.m., we got a call from Martindale that 300 papers had been stolen."

Calls poured into The DM office from individuals on campus reporting missing papers. Students reported empty bins in Hume Hall, Conner Hall, Holman Hall and Peabody Hall.

Amy Strayer, a junior psychology major, has a 9 a.m. class in Peabody Hall, and noticed the empty bin.

"I'm used to getting my paper in Peabody at that time, but there were none there," Strayer said.

Several Oxford businesses reported similar occurrences. Burnice Webb, a manager of Abner's restaurant on the corner of University Ave. and Lamar Ave. said that the bin outside Abner's is usually full when she comes in at 9 a.m.

"I don't remember seeing any in here at all," Webb said about Monday morning's papers. Larson's Big Star, located on University Ave., also reported missing papers.

Karen Walters, an employee at Chevron on Lamar Avenue. said that their copies of The DM were taken by an unidentified male.

"Somebody took the whole stack this morning," Walters said. "They just picked up the stack and took them when I turned around to pour some coffee."

Walters said that the incident could have been an accident.

The Daily Mississippian Business Manager Mark Roberts fielded calls from customers who missed getting their regular copies of The DM on Monday.

"Our papers are free of charge to thousands and thousands of Oxford residents and Ole Miss students," Roberts said. "When someone steals those papers, they are depriving our readers of the information and entertainment provided by The Daily Mississippian."

Editor of The Daily Mississippian Chris Thompson said he was disturbed by the reports of missing papers.

"I find it odd that this happened on the eve of an election, although I do not believe that any of our local candidates would stoop to stealing newspapers," Thompson said. "I hope whoever did this one day realizes the importance and value of free speech."

Student Media Center Director Ralph Braseth notified UPD after hearing about the stolen papers.

"It's against the law, plain and simple," Braseth said. "Rather than have the police get involved, the best justice would be to have one of our photographers catch the thief in action."

The last time that copies of The Daily Mississippian were stolen from their racks was during the 1998 ASB presidential elections.