An Armed Robbery, Psychological Trauma, and My Daughter: Part I

It was Father's Day morning. I was sitting on the couch and surfing beBee on my laptop. My daughter, Meghan, wished me a happy Father's Day as she left for work. She works at the local cellphone store, which is only a few blocks from our home. Within half an hour,  the new smartphone she recently gifted me began to ring. I glanced at it, assuming it was my son, Patrick, who lives 30 miles away in another city. I expected to hear another "Happy Father's Day, dad." I was wrong.

The screen displayed my daughter's name. I thought it was odd. She always texts me. I answered it, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. She was crying uncontrollably, taking deep breaths, trying to make herself understood.

"We've been robbed," she cried. "They had guns. Can you please come over here?" I could hear the sheer terror in her voice.I hopped into my car and raced down the street. I was holding her in my arms within three minutes. Two minutes later, she was pushing me away, bending over, and vomiting on the sidewalk. She was frantic, distraught, and physically ill.

The scene was surreal. As the city editor of a daily newspaper, I had directed the coverage of numerous violent crimes, including half a dozen murders. In fact, I had interviewed our babysitter the morning after her husband had been brutally murdered the night before. None of it had prepared me for this. This was my daughter.

I had passed a squad car that was slowly patrolling the neighborhood on my way to the store. When I arrived, there were three more squad cars in front of the store. They were  parked liked they'd barely stopped before the officers had jumped out, doors left swung open. One officer was searching the area around the store. Another was was trying to talk to my daughter and her boss, another young women. They had been the only ones in the store during the armed robbery, which occurred in broad daylight. It was 11 a.m. The third officer was inspecting the inside of the store.

We live in a city that ranks fifth in the nation for violent crime in cities of 100,000+. One particular neighborhood ranks third. I grew up in this city. I worked at the grocery store at the intersection they use to identify the third most dangerous neighborhood in the nation. But, those were different times. The city I recall was lauded as one of the best places to live and raise a family. That was 40 years ago. Times have changed.

The perpetrators were three black males, each wielding a handgun. My daughter told me she had been coming out of the restroom when one of them approached her, carrying something she assumed he was going to throw into the trash. As he grew closer, she realized it was a handgun. He grabbed her by the throat, grasped her by the hair, pressed the gun to her forehead, and forced her behind the counter. Her boss was receiving the same treatment. 

Her boss told them to take anything they wanted, but they demanded that they open the safe. With the gun still pressed firmly against her head, she nervously told them there were two safes next to each other. She could open one, but the other was on a time-release. With her hands shaking, she opened the one and they took $1,200, which was the previous day's deposit. It hadn't been deposited because it was from Saturday night. Without access to the other safe, the brazen robbers threw the frightened women to the floor, while the guns remained pressed to their heads. The now-enraged robbers began to argue, trying to determine what to do with the terror-stricken women. That would have to wait. They weren't finished, yet.

They decided to take as many cellphones and tablets as they could carry. One yanked my daughter up off the floor by her hair and gave her a plastic garbage bag, still holding the gun to her head.  He told her to hold it open while he threw various cellphones and tablets into the bag. Her boss, also yanked from the floor by her hair, was told to unlock and open the backdoor .A gun was still pressed against her head, as well. She opened the door and they threw the bag of stolen goods into a redish-colored van with shaded windows and no license plates.

The physically and emotionally beaten women were thrown to the floor, again, and told to remain there until the robbers had safely made their getaway. They would live. They waited a few minutes, got up, ran to the front door, locked it, and called the police. My daughter then called me. Her boss called her finance, who arrived shortly after I did. The officers took the visibly shaken women's descriptions of the savage robbers, who didn't even bother to cover their faces. They wore "boonie" hats, which are floppy, wide-brimmed hats often worn by members of the military and fisherman. As a result, their faces were hidden from the store's security cameras. Nonetheless, my daughter and her boss say they can easily identify them because two of them had very distinguishable facial features, including crooked teeth.

The heartless robbers also took the women's purses, containing their identification, house and car keys, which means they could strike, again. They're apparently brazen enough, which has left both women nervous wrecks. The police have increased their presence in the neighborhood, but at the moment, they have no leads.

The brutal attack was captured on video.To  my daughter, it seemed like an eternity. In reality, it took a little more than 5 minutes. They had just completed an inventory, so they quickly took another at an officer's request. There were 34 cellphones and tablets missing, totaling around $38,000 retail. They're useless until activated and all the serial numbers are recorded. Nonetheless, there are hackers out there who can bypass the system. 

The terror continued. The store was burglarized the following Sunday morning. A rock was thrown through the front door, which is made of glass, at about 4:30 a.m. At least the store was closed and no one was working. Only a few things were taken in the short time it took police to respond to the alarm. Again, no leads. 

Then, at around 9 p.m. last Thursday, a silver Chevy Malibu pulled up behind my daughter with its lights off as she parked in our driveway. She tapped the brakes to show she was still in the car. Our house is in the middle of a cul-de-sac and there's a street light at the end of our driveway. They fled, with the lights still off. She reported it to the police and, again, they increased patrols in the neighborhood. Now, she won't sleep at our house. Her and her 10-year-old son have been spending the night at a friend's house on the other side of town. 

Events like these have been occurring all over the city. In fact, two more cellphone stores have since been robbed in the same fashion, all during daylight hours. Police suspect it is the same three men. Local police are finding it difficult to patrol the streets, having to continually respond to shootings, robberies, and home invasions. One homeowner shot one of three intruders dead just last week. The criminal element consists mainly of young, black males. It is an indisputable fact. A dozen have been caught after high-speed chases, which were recently approved in response to the rash of violent crimes. They had been banned due to the possible endangerment of innocent bystanders. No objections have been lodged by the community.

The perpetrators range in age from 14 to 22 and represent at least three known gangs. They have become fearless. Nearly half of the vehicles being pulled over for suspicious activity contain individuals who are already convicted felons and possess weapons, drugs, or both. The biggest drug bust in recent history was the result of a driver being pulled over for talking on a cellphone. Law enforcement is doing the best it can. A new police chief was sworn in less than a month ago and violent crime has increased. A recent news story reported that kids as young as 8-years-old are being recruited by local gangs. 

T,he police department is in the process of establishing three new precincts and begin geographical policing. Until now, there has only been one central station, located in the center of downtown. It was recently condemned. Yes. The only police station in the second-largest city in the state has been condemned. It was built in the early 1970s. It's scheduled for demolition within the next year. That's another story. However, a new, federal courthouse and a jail have been built. They were opened two years ago. So, judges, lawyers, and criminals, have been afforded better facilities than law enforcement. 

As the result of the recent controversies surrounding law enforcement's use of excessive force, local officers have been trained and issued tasers. In addition, a multiple-agency task force has been created, including the FBI. It has conducted numerous raids and taken dozens of new and known offenders off the street. Safe houses have been established in high-crime areas, making members of law enforcement more available to the community. However, very few residents have felt secure enough to provide information regarding criminal activity. Officials say it will take time for residents to trust in the new system. The latest proposal involves somehow enticing local police officers to live within high-crime areas to increase and maintain their presence. As of now, they are only required to live with the city limits.

In light of this recent family tragedy, I have solidified my opinions in regard to gun control, violent crime, and the increase of racial tension. I am going to take advantage of this social media platform to present them in detail in a followup buzz. Perhaps, it will encourage my fellow bees to formulate or better define their own opinions on these important issues, no matter where in the world they live. They touch everyone in one way or another. You can't make a stand if you don't know where you stand.

It's only been a couple of days since the murder of five law enforcement officers in Dallas, Texas, by a black man in response to the recent deaths of two black men at the hands of white law enforcement officers in other communities. As a result, I feel there's no better time than the present to make our voices heard. So, please, find your voice and make it heard. You, or someone you love, could be caught in the crossfire and become the next victim.