I'm still bothered by it, but I guess that's normal
Yesterday I headed off to meet a friend at the BMA for opening day of the Matisse as Sculptor exhibit. (It's good. You should go.) On my way there, I witnessed a mugging, or a beating or something. I'm not quite clear on the technical term as I don't know the circumstances, but there on Fayette, in the Bradford Bank parking lot, 5 or 6 guys were kicking and punching and pummeling one guy into the brick retaining wall next to the sidewalk. I was driving so I couldn't really see exactly what was happening, only that I couldn't believe it was happening. I didn't know exactly where I was on Fayette to be able to tell anyone at 911, so I turned around.
When I headed back towards the bank, I heard a cop car and then I saw him drive PAST the scene with his lights on. I'm not sure if he saw what happened, I'm guessing he didn't, but he was enough to break it up as the victim walked towards me with blood all over his face. He was walking, so I took that as a good sign... probably got his nose broken, but he's walking. He looked like an average, clean cut white kid, maybe 25, with a backpack and a button-up shirt. When I told Matt about him I said "he looked like he might have been a missionary" but I only meant "clean cut, white, with a backpack" not "he was arguing with them about religion". The attackers had dispersed, of course. I don't know much about them, just that they were male, of multiple races and looked to be in their early 20s too. Neighbors were standing outside their homes but I don't know if they saw anything really either.
I was at a complete loss. Yes, the crime was over, and there really wasn't anything I could do, but I felt that I should do something. Should I have called 911 AFTER everyone had left the scene? Or maybe 311? I called Matt and told him I was freaked out and then I went on to the museum to meet my friend where she tried to help me shake it off enough to enjoy the day.
I think what bothers me most is that this is what ISN'T supposed to happen... In order to convince yourself that it is ok to live in a crime-filled city such as Baltimore, you have to remind yourself that random crime isn't all that common, that it doesn't happen in broad daylight, that it probably won't happen to you. But it can, and sometimes it does. That's part of why the Zach Sowers story is so frightening... it shouldn't have happened, but it did, and it does.
Sure, Matt and I are cautious. We don't walk by ourselves, and we don't walk all that far either. Canton is technically walking distance, but we don't walk there. It's worth the cab fare or the parking hassle to know we're less exposed to the bad people. Not that we couldn't get mugged getting out of the cab, but it's theoretically less likely. We're playing the odds, I suppose, but that's all you really can do. One night last week I got home a little later than usual and had to park around the corner. There was a group of 4 young black guys walking towards me on the other side of the street. I didn't know them, so I stayed in the car until they were about a block past me. Was I profiling? Yes. Am I sorry? No.
I don't really know what the point of my story is, other than that I am still shaken up. And if anybody has suggestions of what I can do about it now, I'd love to hear them. I certainly can't identify any of the people involved though. It was all too quick.
When I headed back towards the bank, I heard a cop car and then I saw him drive PAST the scene with his lights on. I'm not sure if he saw what happened, I'm guessing he didn't, but he was enough to break it up as the victim walked towards me with blood all over his face. He was walking, so I took that as a good sign... probably got his nose broken, but he's walking. He looked like an average, clean cut white kid, maybe 25, with a backpack and a button-up shirt. When I told Matt about him I said "he looked like he might have been a missionary" but I only meant "clean cut, white, with a backpack" not "he was arguing with them about religion". The attackers had dispersed, of course. I don't know much about them, just that they were male, of multiple races and looked to be in their early 20s too. Neighbors were standing outside their homes but I don't know if they saw anything really either.
I was at a complete loss. Yes, the crime was over, and there really wasn't anything I could do, but I felt that I should do something. Should I have called 911 AFTER everyone had left the scene? Or maybe 311? I called Matt and told him I was freaked out and then I went on to the museum to meet my friend where she tried to help me shake it off enough to enjoy the day.
I think what bothers me most is that this is what ISN'T supposed to happen... In order to convince yourself that it is ok to live in a crime-filled city such as Baltimore, you have to remind yourself that random crime isn't all that common, that it doesn't happen in broad daylight, that it probably won't happen to you. But it can, and sometimes it does. That's part of why the Zach Sowers story is so frightening... it shouldn't have happened, but it did, and it does.
Sure, Matt and I are cautious. We don't walk by ourselves, and we don't walk all that far either. Canton is technically walking distance, but we don't walk there. It's worth the cab fare or the parking hassle to know we're less exposed to the bad people. Not that we couldn't get mugged getting out of the cab, but it's theoretically less likely. We're playing the odds, I suppose, but that's all you really can do. One night last week I got home a little later than usual and had to park around the corner. There was a group of 4 young black guys walking towards me on the other side of the street. I didn't know them, so I stayed in the car until they were about a block past me. Was I profiling? Yes. Am I sorry? No.
I don't really know what the point of my story is, other than that I am still shaken up. And if anybody has suggestions of what I can do about it now, I'd love to hear them. I certainly can't identify any of the people involved though. It was all too quick.