An unwanted part of the story
The gun looked big. I suppose it always looks big when it’s pointed at your face. It was silver and shiny. It was a revolver. I don’t know anything about guns, but it looked like the kind the man with no name would wield.
I just got off work and walked a friend to her house. I dropped her off and turned down Race and then California. About halfway through the block, by the D.C.F.S. building where my father worked, I heard footsteps running behind me. I turned around and heard, “Give me your wallet.” I looked up and there was the big silver gun.
There were two of them. They circled around me and told me to turn around. I turned toward the building and stared at the brick. He told me again to give him my wallet. My first reaction was to laugh, to say that’s not a real gun, to tell them to go home and leave me alone. But something in my mind stopped me. It was a second before I could say, “I don’t have a wallet, but I do have cash.” I took it out of my front pocket and handed it behind me. He took it and they ran off.
I stood, staring at the ground for a moment more. My thoughts were somewhere between “well, that was something” and “what do I do now?”
I’ve always been interested in crime. It’s what I primarily focus on in my reporting. I love the real story behind criminals. They aren't monsters. They’re humans who choose to work outside of society’s chosen morals. That’s always been my thought but, then again, I've never had an actual crime committed against me.
I hesitated about calling the police for a moment. I turned around and started walking home, but then reason got the better of me. I work two jobs and try to write when I can. My money is precious to me — why should they be able to take it by force? Also, if that gun was real and loaded, which I sincerely doubt, they could hurt someone else. I called the police. I told them I didn’t see their faces. I told them that one had a big black jacket and the other was tall. I’m sure I was a big help. Before I was off the phone, an officer drove up. I told her the same thing. Half an hour later, she said they had someone and asked me if I wanted to ID him. She took my pocketknife and put me in her squad car.
The back of the car smelled strongly of sweat and the seats were made of hard, molded plastic. I’m about average height, but I was still cramped. There were strange smudges on the glass and a sign that told me I was on camera. I asked her if there are many instances of this around here. “Sort of,” was all she said.
She drove to where they had the suspect and let me look at him. She asked me if it was one of the guys. I said, “Maybe, but I don’t know.” Definitely not the guy with the gun because his jacket wasn’t big enough. They took the handcuffs off him and let him go. And he walked away.
The officer spoke into her radio, “Transporting the victim.” I don’t feel like a victim. Nothing happened. I just lost a few dollars, but I didn’t get hurt. I’m not scared to walk those streets again. I don’t feel like I’d be safer carrying a gun. I don’t really know what I’m supposed to take from this. Or if there is anything to take. All I know is, that was a fucking big gun.
18 comments
I’m glad that you’re OK. I’m glad that you called the police. I’m really glad that during the robbery you didn’t panic.
I don’t think there are any “rules” about how you’re supposed to feel.
@ Dylan
Sorry that happened to you; glad you weren’t hurt.
On another subject, good luck with the talk show tonight.
CJ Williams
uh…............... discriptions of the suspects or would that be too incorrect? You were called to ID one of the suspects, other than the jacket what did he look like?
Troutman
It irritates me to know that the officer took your pocketknife and you had to sit in the back of the squad car. This is treating the victim like the criminal. Sorry this happened to you man. I am glad you are ok.
Beem
Oh, come on Troutman. The police can’t have someone sitting behind them with any kind of weapon, even a pocketknife. I’m sure it was given back. I had car problems once and a cop gave me a ride home, but before I got in the back of his car, he told me he had to give me a quick frisk.
URADork_Man
It’s the Department of Human Services.
I am so glad that you are okay. And that two over-represented thugs now have your cash. They are poor and need the drug money.
It is best not to fight, scream, say no or pull a pocket knife on thugs. Better yet to give them what they want, bend over, and get an AIDS test in the morning.
I am glad you carry more than $5 in cash. That way you can provide a receipt for our young, budding thugs from Southeat Urbana. Their daddy never loved them, and circumstances made them rob you. Merry X-Mas.
Please be back in th ‘hood same Bat time next week. A group of South of the Border “hard workers” will work you over. Bring a drivers license this time as they have none.
tjh
As a individual whose office is in downtown Urbana I am curious as to the time of the incident and the day of the week.
Dylan Heath
@tjh It happend on Tuesday around 8:15 p.m.
cjwillliams
Dylan-
since your memory is so poor that you cannot remember for this story, who the suspects are, the NG has it in todays story. 2 Black Males one armed with a silver gun.
David Cubberly
Yikes, that’s a half block from where I live… Kinda scary.
Well, URADork_Man you have established that you don’t care for persons with a surfiet of melanin in the cells of theirr dermal layer, nor from people whose ancestors dwelt south of the Rio Grande. I am a bit surprised that you left out an antipathy for the descendant’s of Abraham whether they stem from Isaac’s line or Ismail’s.
Dylan, I’m glad you did not let this experience diminish the essential decency you learned from your mother and father. You make me proud.
now and then
Your care in sounding off the cuff belays how frightened you were; as does your hope that it was not loaded - which it probably was. The truth is that you were attacked, your life was threatened and you were robbed in a place you used to feel free to walk with your own thoughts unencumbered by fear. It was a big gun and it is now inside of your head. That is the fear.
It is understandable that you did not get a description. It is called shock.
I am very sorry this happened for you. But sometimes things are important to happen.
carol j williams
oh but he DOES have a discription that he gave to the police. It was in yesterdays NG. he just does not want to mention it on this blog for he is embarassed that it was a B/M who did it and he has some guilt that this poor ute has none and he does.
J o'C
The race of the attacker is left out of this article because…
um…
All white people are racist!
Dylan’s article was focused on what it felt like; on his own reactions to the experience. I’m sure that the experience was not made any different by the ethnicity of the assalants and that it would have been the same had the robbers been Asian, Hispanic; Middle Eastern; Micronesian; or any other genotype on the face of the planet. Mr. O’C just what would you have had Dylan include in his article?
Would you have had him express unreasoning fear of his dark skinned cousins? One is a Senior at Yale, the other a Junior at EIU. Would you have him be in terror of his Hispanic cousins, one of the a sophomore at WIU the other a Freshman at San Diego State?
I have known Dylan since he was born. His mother and father have taught him well. They taught him not to live with stereotypes. His mother has taught him not to include gratitiuos detail that detracts from the flow of the story you are trying to tell.
The point of Dylan’s story was his reaction to the experience. The race of the robbers was simply not material.
oh keith keith keith
Oh Keith Keith Keith—-
You are missing the point,. He gave the police a description. It was in the paper. He simply did not want to mention it here. He knows full well what the persons who did this look like.
Local Yocal
The race of the attacker is essential for police publicity departments, the rabid FOP bloggers, and the News-Gazette for reasons to justify the racial profiling, racial patrolling, racial police brutality, and racial prosecuting that goes on in this county. Like the Espresso Royale Robbery Video, it’s important to sell the public that the boogie man is a black male, or as the state police call them, male blacks. That way there will be no public complaining when a new jail is foisted on the taxpayers, no complaining when all the criminal justice numbers from the SRO officers to the demographics in the jails and prisons show law enforcement to be targeting black males from jump street. Rather than that get exposed, it is preferred the public believe that black males just commit more crimes than the rest of the population.
Great story Dylan. It reminds me of the time I was “mugged” by 5-6 guys near a St. Louis bus station for my cash. I too, did not feel like a victim and when it came decision time to fork over my dough or take an ass whooping, all I could think of is all of us having to spend $17,000 a year to house some of these people in prison, or the violence that would erupt if cops came on the scene and somebody getting shot- all because I was too proud to lose a few green pieces of paper. I handed each of them a $20 and when they asked me if I had anymore, I told them I needed it to catch the bus. They assigned one of their members to walk me to the bus station (I was lost) and told me once there to catch the bus, and don’t come outside the station until I do. And that was it.
Q-Tips
Good to see the LY conspiracy theory has expanded.
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hey, if hair ain’t gon’ be over your head, my jokes may as well be.
Okay, almost 24 hours later and I finally got Issac’s Summer joke. I’m an idiot.
Excellent. I am glad sometimes American dreams are encouraged, rather than stifled.
Swap the dog for a fire pit and it sounds like you’re writing about my back yard. Very nice.
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hey, if hair ain’t gon’ be over your head, my jokes may as well be.