I guess we're gonna have to kill him.

[swimboy]

This is what I heard yesterday evening while on my knees on the sidewalk as two young men went through my wallet.

I was mugged on the way home last night as I walked the two blocks from my bus stop to my house. Right off, let me tell you I'm all right, other than fairly sore from rough handling and lack of cooperation on my part. I was not a well-behaved victim and fortunately they weren't too good at what they do either. Oh, yeah--I'm a little hoarse from yelling for help and my very serviceable dress coat has a big rip in it. They had finally wrestled me to a dark area between a car and the solid brick wall of a house and were going through my pockets and my wallet and were getting angry that I didn't have more to offer them. They had made a grab for my shoulder bag as well, separating the shoulder strap at one end and I held onto it like death. They had handed me my wallet back so I could show them where the rest of the money was (?) when they said they guessed they would have to kill me and I was hoping they were just talking shit. Several cars had passed without seeing us and finally one slowed as they noticed what was going on. My guys then thought they had better get out of there and took off down the alley.

A neighbor showed up right then and when I told him what happened he handed me his cell phone and ran after them. I called 911 and in no time several cars and a motorcycle had brought officers and detectives to the corner. They questioned both of us for a ten minutes or so and then got a report that they had a suspect. Minutes later they reported they had a second suspect. The detective put me in the car to take me by to see if I could make an ID. They took them in to custody and the detective later called to say they had confessed to robbing me and to an identical incident the night before.

I still haven't got my head around how I'm feeling about it. I have ruled out joy, by the way, but I feel really different now and I'm not sure what's going to last and what is going to get better. I think I did a lot of things right, but a situation like that can go in any number of directions in an instant for no good reason at all, so I understand I was damn lucky for something with that kind of potential to have turned out as well as it did.

[bicentennial_baby]

1. OMG!! Sweetie!

:o

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

I love you...I'm glad you're "ok".

:(

[swimboy]

7. Thanks so much.

I'm smiling.

[bicentennial_baby]

8. You let the Mr take care of you, and

try to enjoy your holiday. You're so important to me, I'd just die if something worse had happened to you! :hug:

[swimboy]

10. Now I feel good enough to use a smiley

:hug: :loveya:

[bicentennial_baby]

12. It's mutual

:loveya: One of these days we'll get down to your place.

:hug:

[Inchworm]

2. Sad it happened - REAL Glad I'm reading this

Humans suck sometimes. I am glad you are ok.

:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

3. Damn, I am sorry that happened to you. Glad you are okay.

Really glad they caught the culprits.

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

4. WOW!

glad you are okay

damned punks :grr:

I imagine you feel violated and even though they've been caught, the experience was not something that revenge will cure.

Like I said, I'm glad you are okay and that they caught the punks.

:hug:

take care of yourself, be gentle to yourself and just listen to your body and what you need right now.

[swimboy]

6. It freaks me that it happened so close to home.

Thanks for the good advice.

[Parche]

5. Dear Gawd

Glad you are safe.........

:hug:
:hug:
:hug:


I have been robbed twice in my life.....delivering Pizza's in 1985-87
big guy with meat cleaver....(very scary)
and another one guy with gun, (this one i almost laughed, he was so timid looking)

:hug:
:hug:

again....glad you are safe...:hi:

[swimboy]

9. I talked my way out of one nearly twenty years ago.

Then was fine until I got back to my apartment and had a little freakout there.

I'm sorry you were robbed and I'm glad you were all right both times.

[swag]

11. That's awful. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

I'm glad you're relatively okay.

Stay well. Heal up!

xo,

s

[swimboy]

16. Thanks, man.

[swag]

26. edited just to say,

Take good care, hombre.

[swimboy]

45. I wanted you to know

I did see it and really appreciate it. I had been trying to play it down but I am going to treat it with the gravitas it's calling for. Thanks, friend.

[sniffa]

13. i'm glad you're ok

and more glad they got caught.

:hug:

i really hate humanity sometimes.

[swimboy]

17. That hating humanity stuff?

That happens to me too sometimes. And oddly enough, more frequently around Christmas.

Thanks, guy. :hug:

[auntAgonist]

14. I think you might still be in shock at what happened so ...

Please look after yourself. I'm so glad you're 'ok'.

take care.

aA

[JackBeck]

15. What. The. Fuck.

I'm so sorry, buddy. I wish I was there to give you hug. This is just too much.


:cry:

:hug:

[swimboy]

21. Very much appreciated.

You know, that was on a very short list of things I did not want to have in common with you.

:hug: Thanks so much.

[JackBeck]

41. This country is completely out of control.

With so much desperation, which in turn leads to these types of violent encounters.

Knowing that you survived relatively intact beats any Christmas present I may get this year.

I still have problems with grabbing things with my left hand, and the scrapes have almost healed a month later, but it's the invasion of my personal space that still sits with me. And playing out in my mind all the different possible outcomes totally sucks.

I hope you know if you need anything...I'm all ears.

xoxo
Jack

[TK421]

18. I'm glad you're safe, but I hope those fuckers die a horrible death...

fucking human waste; no one should ever have to go through something like that

[terrya]

19. That's horrible!

I'm sorry you went through that...but I'm glad you're ok.

:hug:

[JackBeck]

51. He's one of the buddies.

This shouldn't have happend to him.

:cry:

[Critters2]

20. Wow. Sorry this happened. Glad you're okay.

I used to do victim-offender mediations, and it was amazing to watch victims feel empowered to say how they felt about events like this. Sometimes the offenders "got it" once they heard from the victims. Sometimes they didn't. But it relieved victims of their sense of powerlessness. Hope you can find a good way to recover from this awful experience. :hug:

[RainDog]

22. so glad you're safe!

I was mugged a while ago when living in the big city (cue green acres soundtrack here). I was locked out of a bldg and called my friends to get in and they listened to me get mugged on the phone...

it happens so fast.

But these two guys just came up to me and started to take my pocketbook off my shoulder. I had my money in there to buy textbooks later in the day so I (actually I don't know if this is why I reacted like I did) anyway, I kicked the shit out of one of them because I just so happened to have on a nice pair of boots b/c of rain. and I don't know how long that went on because the minute I started to actually think they pushed me over some bricks and took my purse. they found my purse later- the guys had thrown it on top of a school roof. I had to go to the hospital b/c one of them wrenched my elbow whacky when I was not thinking at first. So I had to go to the hospital but it was no big deal.

but afterward, I felt like I was different, like something had happened to me that I knew wasn't everyone's every day experience. then this woman told me to basically get over myself b/c she'd been mugged plenty of times or something like that...

...it took me a while and I had some anxiety that wasn't there before, but eventually I felt safe again.

isn't it a good thing that this happened at a holiday so that you have good diversions to take your mind off the mugging?

[swimboy]

24. What your describing sounds like what I'm feeling.

Running errands today I found myself thinking, "Look at all the people out and about not even worried about getting mugged." That's not like me and that's going to have to pass. I'm not going to beat myself up about it (there are other people to take care of that) if I need some time to work through it.

[RainDog]

28. yep

but I felt that same way when Seymour Hersch's article about the torture at Abu Ghraib ran in the New Yorker. I was walking home from work that day and I looked around at all these people and thought - why are they acting like everything is normal? A man was standing on a box with electrodes attacked to his body.

I just felt like the world had changed at that moment. That was one out of many such or near moments in Bush America, however.

[flvegan]

23. Jeez, I'm so glad you're safe!

I'm also glad that it appears they've got them, and won't be back to bother you soon.

Crazy.

[Call Me Wesley]

25. Glad to hear you're OK.

And glad to hear they're in custody. Take your time to heal from it. :hug:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

27. Glad you're ok.

My mom has been mugged a few times walking from her store to the car when her store closed. I'm sorry it happened to you.
Hope you feel better soon.
Duckie

[ThomCat]

29. I am very, very glad you're okay and not not seriously hurt.

:hug:

I've got a lot of other thoughts and feelings swirling around my head after reading this, but I guess I don't know what else to say. I'm just very glad you're not hurt.

Please be well.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

30. My dear swimboy...

Wow, sweetie...

I cannot express how glad I am that you got through this!

You will recover, and be OK, but it will take time...

You have suffered a loss here, and grieving always follows that...

Be good to yourself!

:hug:

:loveya:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

31. Wow.

I'm so glad to hear you're okay, swimboy. :hug: :hug:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

32. Glad to hear you are OK, and you're right...

...you were damn lucky. That doesn't make what happened any better, and it probably will be a while before you sort it all out, but luck was with you last night.

[1gobluedem]

33. So glad you are okay

And kudos to your neighbor for what he did. I hope those punks get what they deserve.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

34. Hope they get locked up for a long time

Jerks.

[hippywife]

35. >>>>

:hug:

[RetroLounge]

36. Glad you're okay...

Damn, that pisses me off that they said that. I hope it ups their jail time.

:hug:

RL

[FloridaJudy]

37. Oh no!

I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I've been attacked, and it really leaves you feeling weird and shaken for what feels like forever.

I'm so glad they caught the creeps, and that you weren't badly hurt. Thank goodness for good neighbors and decent cops.

Take good care of yourself. You're probably going to feel a little fragile for a while.

:hug: I wish I could do this in person.

[Blue Diadem]

38. OMG, how awful. I'm so glad you're ok.

Glad they caught the guys too.

:hug:

[Stuart G]

39. I am sorry this happened to you

Lets have as much support for swim as possible here..:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: We are all with you...

[Mad_Dem_X]

40. Wow! I'm glad you're okay!

That must have been some scary shit to go through. I'm glad they caught the muggers.

Edit: spelling

[Flaxbee]

42. I'm glad you're OK!

That must have been horrible, hearing that line. Would have terrified me. I do think you're not supposed to fight for your things, but I have no idea what I'd do in that situation, either.

Yikes.

[EstimatedProphet]

43. Oh man! Glad you're OK!

[SalmonChantedEvening]

44. Relieved you're ok swimboy

And that the perps are under arrest.

Try and get some rest, rest of any kind. Let your body catch up and heal, and (hubboy when did I become mudder hen) get some comfort food in ya.

Feel better please :hug: :pals:

[swimboy]

46. Thank you all very much for the encouragement and support

You've given me some great advice I'm taking very much to heart.

:grouphug:

[zingaro]

47. Coming in late but

I wanted to stick in a plug for Victim's Services. I'm sure your local PD has such a department. Go and talk, even if you don't think you need to. Sometimes it helps in ways you never expect.

I wish you dreamless restful sleep and peace of mind.

[graywarrior]

48. Holy crap!

Make sure you talk this out with a pro. Glad you are alive and ok.

[JackBeck]

49. A kick for a buddy,n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

50. Thank goodness you weren't hurt!

:hug::hug::hug:
I'm so sorry this happened to you!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

52. I am sorry to read this happened to you. I am glad that you were

not more seriously injured. I hope that you can still go on to enjoy your holidays. :hug:

[SeattleGirl]

53. OMG! I'm glad you came out of that awful experience pretty much

intact, and VERY GLAD that they caught the assholes who did that to you!

:hug:

[Midlodemocrat]

54. This makes me sick to my stomach. I'm so, so sorry, my friend.

So glad you're okay, but wow. That is terrifying.

[derby378]

55. Oh, no...I am so sorry to hear about this, swimboy

I'm just glad you're still with us. :hug:

[NewWaveChick1981]

56. I"m so glad you're OK, swimboy.

:hug: :pals: I'm glad the idiots that did that to you are in jail now. But you can't help but feel violated and victimized. My mother and my stepfather, both elderly, were mugged in broad daylight as they went to Christmas Eve service at their church (this was about ten years ago), and it was terrible but could have been much worse.

You were very lucky. And I'm very glad. :hug:

[Guava Jelly]

57. holy hell

I am glad those jerks were captured.
Try to focus on what "is" and not what could have been.
I will echo the glad you are ok sentiment from others.

[lost-in-nj]

58. OMG

WOW.... you were lucky
so happy you are here to tell us about it....

I am SSOOOOO sorry you HAVE to post about it......

Hope you feel better.... maybe take a hot bath or shower.....

:hug:


lost

[xchrom]

59. i'm thankful you're ok swimboy.

that was very scary.

wow -- all i can say is i'm glad you're ok -- and i hope your hoarseness and soreness disapears soon.

you must feel somewhat satisfied they busted the little pricks so soon.

please take care of yourself.

[Beausoir]

60. Good god! That is terrifying.

Wow. What an awful thing to have to go through.

Fucking punks.

[Phentex]

61. I'm glad you're okay!

How scary for you. I'm so sorry.

[BreweryYardRat]

62. Jeez, glad you're okay! Good to hear the cops caught them

You might want to start carrying a knife or something, though.

[GreenPartyVoter]

63. OMG! How freaking scary! I dunno how you had the strength of will and body to

pull that off. I try imagining myself in your shoes and it does not end well at all.

But I am so glad that you are alive and well and here to tell us the story. :hug:

[Lil Missy]

64. OMG! I am so glad you are okay!

Watch out for some PTSD in the future. I am glad you are talking about it because that helps a lot.

:hug: