At gunpoint, outside of my home, about two hours ago (it’s about midnight right now). Three guys, might have been teenage kids but were probably in their twenties. They pulled up on BMX style bikes and surrounded me after I got my mail. One pulled a gun and held it about a foot from my chest while the other two went through my pockets and got my phone and wallet. I was pretty pissed off and annoyed…you know how when things like this happen, car accidents for example, and time actually seems to slow down? “Great. I’ll need to call the bank. And get a new drivers license. That’s going to suck. The lines there are ridiculous. And I’m sure they’ll take my phone. I’ll need to suspend the service and order a replacement. I hope someone is still up who will let me use theirs”…until the gun came out and then. Everything. Ground. To. A. Dead. Stop.
I was utterly paralyzed. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, nothing. I held my arms up and stared at the gun while two of them went through my pockets. I hate guns. Hate ‘em. After all, crime etiquette seems to have changed for the worse over the years. In the good old days, the Golden Rule was “Don’t try anything funny and nobody gets hurt”. Now, you hear about it all the time, bad guys are willing to kill (forget hurt) people for absolutely no reason whatsoever, whether you pull anything, funny or otherwise.
The whole thing probably took 15 seconds or less but I stood there in that spot after they rode off for, I don’t know, what felt like ten minutes or more. Then I threw up. Then I went to a neighbor’s house and called 911. A Hillsborough County sheriffs deputy showed up before it was 10:30 and took my info. I left and went to find a phone where I could cancel my bank card and also suspend my phone service. the first place I went was Wendy’s on Himes and Hillsborough. Their dining room was closed and they wouldn’t let me in. I tried the TGIFriday’s next door and a manager met me at the door and told me they were closed as well. I asked if I could use his phone, that it was sort of an emergency and he told me that the only phones they had received incoming calls only. Isn’t that interesting? I’m supposed to believe that an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages and prepares food for people to eat apparently doesn’t have enough trust in their employees to allow them to make outgoing telephone calls. I know I found it interesting. More infuriating really, but still interesting. A lot of bullshit you hear these days isn’t all that interesting. This was some interesting bullshit. At any rate, it says something about the society we’ve built for ourselves. I’m not sure what, but something.
Eventually, I found a gas station that kindly allowed me to use their phone and I was all set and went back to the apartment. I wasn’t scared anymore. The gun was long gone and I think I handled business on the phone and with the deputy coherently. But now I was really angry. Because I had lost my stuff, sure. But mostly at myself for letting it happen in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the macho man type and I’m smart enough to know that stuff can be replaced and is not worth risking life and limb. But I pride myself on being alert and recognizing threats and responding accordingly. And I had seen these three assholes on their bikes when I first pulled up and had made a mental note to call the cops because they looked really suspicious (I have a simple theorem that anytime you see an adult riding a child’s bicycle after dark, they’re probably up to no good; this theorem has yet to be disproved). But I lost sight of them, thought they were gone and let my guard down. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now, not only had they robbed me but were still out there, free to rob and/or hurt somebody else. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!
I was also really angry because now I was a member of the Victims Of Violent Crime Club. I had never been mugged before and you’d think that now that I have, I’d be at ease because statistically the odds of it happening again are proportionately lower. But the brain doesn’t work that way. Once you’re a member of the Victims Of Violent Crime Club, you immediately start thinking of yourself as someone upon whom violent crimes are perpetrated. Hell, I’ve only been a member for three hours (it’s about 1:00AM now) and that’s how I’m thinking. I’m worried that the thugs who robbed me now know my address (they have my driver’s license) and will break into my home. Maybe tomorrow when I’m gone. Maybe later tonight while I’m (trying to fall) asleep. I don’t know. I’ve loved living in my neighborhood but now I’m embarrassed. There’s no such thing as good and bad neighborhoods anymore; all manner of crime happens everywhere now. But still. I’m worrying if my friends are going to worry about being safe if they come over. As a member of the Victims Of Violent Crime Club I’m wondering if they should be worried.
And it’s all because one of these punks pointed a gun at me. If you’ve never had a gun pointed at you, with or without malice behind it, I’d recommend you do what’s necessary to keep it that way. It’s really not a worthwhile experience. It doesn’t build character, it doesn’t test your mettle, it makes you feel impotent and somehow less-than-human. When someone indicates that they are willing to end your life to acquire some of your possessions, it’s an indication that that person doesn’t put a high price tag on your existence. Because of this, if they had just come up, demanded my wallet, maybe knocked me on the ground, I’d have given it to them and I’d still be pissed off but it would have been different.
Damn it, why’d they have to have a gun?
(Cross posted at Ridiculously Inconsistent Trickle Of Consciousness)
tim
2 years ago
The Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department has consistently shown complete laziness in responding to and investigating robberies and burglaries. It’s why criminals can just commit these crimes without threat of prosecution, and continue to do so.
It really sucks that you got robbed. I can’t imagine what it would feel like. Thing is, if they got your cell phone, and haven’t disabled it and thrown it out yet, it’s easily traceable to the person who has it. Not that the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department has any idea that that’s possible.
Dave
2 years ago
You must not live too far from us. That plaza at Hillsborough and Himes is a regular haunt of mine, we only live a few miles east of that intersection.
Yeah, businesses are really fickle about letting customers use their phones. Was there no pay phone outside of Wendy’s or TGIF? It’s weird, there used to be pay phones everywhere. But with the wide proliferation of cell phones, I guess they have fallen out of favor.
And with deregulation, you fall into the problem of paying 75 cents a call.
betsy
2 years ago
I wouldn’t compare my home (Savannah, Georgia) to Tampa, but we have a proportional crime problem for a town of our size. Few people could/would put into words how getting mugged makes you feel. I forwarded this to a few people. Thanks for writing it.
Ramajama
2 years ago
Wow, dude, glad to know you are OK.
Meredith
2 years ago
Clark, I’m so sorry you went through that, and I’m glad that you’re safe. Bless you.
Mariella Smith
2 years ago
No matter how alert, aware and sensible we try to be, this kind of thing can happen to any of us. But your writing about it will make it a little less likely.
I wish I could give you a big hug today.
Clark
2 years ago
Thank you for the support, everyone. It’s sincerely appreciated.
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » Blog Archive » 211: help when you need it
2 years ago
[...] been a week (well, six days) since I got robbed and I’m fine. Thank you for all the well wishes; very much appreciated. While going through [...]
eric
1 year ago
Aug 12 2008 2:07 AM
yea, some fucking faggot came in the store, he was talking to me for about 10 min about some shit that we sell, and he finally picked up his shirt and pulled out his gun, and told me to give him all the money. so i gave him everything out of the register. and he was like you better not tell them what i look like or ill fucking kill you, and to tell them (the cops) i was black, and to go to the back and count to 21. he then ran out, i ran to the front and locked the door and other customers were in the store with me… it was fucked up. prob the worst feeling of my life, even the first time i got robbed wasn’t half as fucked up as this one was.
UGH ill prob quit
Roman
1 year ago
Hey man sorry to hear this Happened to u let me share mines.
I live in Brooklyn, New York it’s a good area but just some certain people aren’t that great. Today29 08//08 @ 6:50pm I was robbed of 220$…Stupid on my part I guess.
Well i know this kid from school we are not friends just know each other. OK so this is how it started..I see this kid like 3 days ago I did not see him for a long time and we exchanged numbers saying we’ll pick a day to hang out, Now i asked him if he knows where I can get a phone [sidekick LX] he said ye of course i could get you it no problem how much I ask he say’s for 180$ so he calls me today and we meet up he is with his G-F and I am by myself which was stupid we take a bus ride like 30min from my neighborhood to a different one he takes me to these look like project houses and we go in the buildings he say’s lets go to the 10th floor or somewhat around there i forgot which so we go and we get off the elevator [now this is it]…..He says “let me get the money i will get the phone for you so i take out my wallet and once he sees it he grabs my hands and i lock his hands with mine he pushes away and takes out a box-cutter right away RIGHT there i swear to whoever is reading this felt like the longest 6min of my life or even like 5 he took my $$ out and threw me the wallet I would have tried something but i was afraid his G-F might have had a small gun or something so I let them go. Stupid part of me was that 5 yrs ago when i was 14..He took my phone :[ How? We were next to our old school and he said let me use you're phone for a second so i gave it to him after 3min or so he said hey go buy us some sodas so I went came back he was not there. :/ Lesson Learned: Do not trust old buddies [people NEVER change] that you hardly hung out with but thank god i did not get Cut cause money i could work for it again i just wanted a phone. I never went to cops because i believe they do nothing even though my close uncle is a cop i still do not go. Well sorry if i wasted anyone’s time but had to tell it to someone and some of my close friends. Never will tell my parents they will go nuts :/.
Now I wanted to take the matter into my own hands but I thought about it and said screw it apperently he is a member of the CRIPS gang and I do not want to get involve over the stupid green paper and a piece of shit electronic device. People always say i have a good heart and one of the nicest kid they have ever met and people tend to take advantage of me they say, but i do not know how to act different i do not respond in violence i never understood what makes a human being do those kinda things so yea my name is Roman and this is my story
Ali
1 year ago
I got robbed last night on Valentine’s day! They came into my house whilst i was in the next room having dinner & took everything that i owned! I live in Brixton & pride myself on where i live. I want to move now. I hate this place. Those wastes of a space of life can go to absolute hell. I am so angry. This was my story.
Chris
11 months ago
I just got robbed today, too! I was just walking down the street after school listening to my ipod when these 2 black guys came up to me and said to empty out my pockets. I would have punched the guy that was holding on to me but then I saw the other guy with his hands in his pocket. I thought he could have a weapon in his pocket so i went along with it. It only took a mere 10 seconds but it felt like an hour. I called the cops after but I feel like they wouldn’t even do anything about it. This feeling I have right now, it’s like how can I be robbed? These guys think I’m worthless or something. I hate robbers, they just really annoy and irritate people.
Anonymous
9 months ago
I was robbed this past weekend the guy was much much bigger then me n my friend he is 18 years of age and is very muscular and me n my friend are 16 and small for our age the guy grabbed me by my neck as his friend stood there we knew if we fought back they both could of killed us and no one would know because we were back in the woods the robber then precided to flip my friend and run his pockets. He took 30 dollars from me. Im mad because that was the only money i had for the rest of the summer.. Fucked up but this isnt rare in my neighborhood anymore a kid was just beat to death up the road i want to move
H.Yilmaz
8 months ago
i got robbed a week ago in my apaprtment by some animals with guns. They took my laptop(some part of my thesis in laptop), vallet, cell phone, science journals and articles in a bag etc. Well i chased them to their car and got their plate number. About 3 munites later i saw a police car and reported to them. Cops went behind them, then i remembered i need to cancel my credit cards ets, so i went to my laboraoty where i have internet and phone. After canceling the cards (which is really a pain) i went to local police station. Guess what…
Cops told me they catch the guys but then they had to release becasue they could not find me!!!!!!!!!!!! Such a shit … Cops said there was no laptop or guns in the car, but they got thier information. next day i was called from the central station, the officers there told me the guys actually gave wrong information to the cops when they are areested in the past night!!!!. Any way now they are looking for them.
Well I wish i had a gun, i would blow the head of that animals in the first place. Now i am suspicious of everybody around, and i dont want to live here anymore. I just need few more month to finish my thesis and get the hell out of this place.
Two days later when i went to local station to get the case number to renew my licence, i saw a note book, in that they put these case numbers, and they had already 50-60 new incident after mine (in two days)in such a small area!!!. So you guess where could be this shitty place on the earth.
I am very very angry.
shotzz
8 months ago
i gt robbed in a alley yday. they asked me for a fag so i gave it them then they said where are u from n started sayin wat u doin round here then n then rushed me
KristinaLA
4 weeks ago
ok. The reason is why Iam reading all that is because I heard how the store next door from my place of work was robbed today (2/9/10)at 7:55pm. Three black males came into that store plus they were armed, took all the stuff that they needed (I don’t know exactly what, maybe money, maybe something from the shelves). I heard weird noises!!! i thought some drunk homeless broke in and they are trying to kick him out or something. I donno. Im kinda scared…. i have been working next to that place about 1 month from now….. maybe I should find another job? what if it was a sign and next time they will brake in in our office? I donno
((