i was mugged today

brooklynleather

hi all.

i just want to preface this with i am okay. but while waiting for the B65, in broad daylight with lots of folks around today, i was mugged by one youth and his two accomplices at the corner of bergen and brooklyn ave.

when i refused to let go of my phone, in the scuffle the one kid pushed me into traffic. the kids ran down the street.

i was definitely shaken up but some bystanders were really helpful. we flagged down a police car and canvassed, though sadly to no avail.

i just feel extra bummed because i feel generally safe and welcome in my neighborhood but this goes to show you you really can't stop paying attention for even a minute....

idfc

ah, that sucks. I'm glad you are ok. Letting go of the phone v. getting pushed into traffic = screw the phone....but I am sure that instincts kick in ...or anger.....and you don't want to let it go.

also glad that some people stuck around to help you out.

homeowner

Wow! So sorry to hear about this. The sense I get is that the kids are getting a little bolder with the swiping of phones. This is the third such story I've heard in about a week. Glad that you are safe.

brooklynleather

thanks all.

yeah in retrospect i shouldn't have risked it and should have let go but it looks like my insurance is paying for it (minus a hefty deductible). at least i walked away unscathed.

i suppose the lesson learned is even with people around in the afternoon kids have no concept of right and wrong and are going to just go for it. so be careful!

anne444

^what type of insurance is covering the phone? do you have a phone protection insurance or some other type of insurance?

brooklynleather

I have phone insurance through Asurion (www.claimphone.com) but also Renter's Insurance. I wonder if they will cover anything?

whynot_31

...your renters ins premiums may go up if you make a claim.

P.S. Glad you are ok.

....please realize that CH is not a safe place to display electronic gadgets.

secretfortmusic

brooklynleather wrote: I have phone insurance through Asurion (www.claimphone.com) but also Renter's Insurance. I wonder if they will cover anything?

I used to have Asurion and had to file a claim. I'd do that over renter's insurance because they can't raise your premium

brooklynleather

Good to know. Was Asurion fast at replacing your item? I am so lost without my cell phone....

art

brooklynleather wrote: Good to know. Was Asurion fast at replacing your item? I am so lost without my cell phone....

Yes, pretty fast from what I remember. Some little bitches stole it out of my coat and I filed a claim. They wanted a police report #. Do you have it? I was also tipped off that you can make up a number if you don't know what it is. Not really surprising because I went down to the 72nd precinct to report it and it was being done on a typewriter and pretty disorganized.

brooklynleather

Wow! My precinct was pretty together...but t was all on paper. I was there for at least three hours with them. I felt like they took my complaint seriously and were thorough.

Anyway, I am calling tomorrow for the report #.

pittiecity

20 minutes ago, a young guy coming back from presumably the supermarket with a bunch of bags was shot right outside my window on the corner of Brooklyn and Dean.

Whoever he is, he is okay. Bullet seemed to have grazed his leg because (and I hate to say this), there was not that much blood.

Whoever put this original post up- maybe the same kids who tried to mug you earlier were also responsible for this? Given that there was only one shot--- and one in the leg. I was RIGHT at my window and in the two seconds it took to look out, whoever took the shot was gone.

brooklynleather

Hi PittieCity,

I also live at that corner and I thought I heard a pan drop upstairs because usually I think everything is a gunshot...but this time, I didn't think it was. Anyway, about 15-20 minutes ago someone rang my bell and it was the cops.

They said it was because of an "argument" and the victim survived. I am totally freaked out now.

The cop didn't seem to make any connection between the two crimes at that moment...he did say he was sorry to have to see my twic ein one day.

domino

So sorry to hear that you were in this situation - but I am happy you are OK.

You are absolutely right about your anger overriding your common sense - I did the same exact thing! Coming out of a client meeting in midtown (heels, suit, laptop, etc.) some derelict shoved me and grabbed a twenty I was putting into the metrocard machine. My anger thought it was a good idea to chase him for 4 blocks through rush hour traffic - surprisingly only one bike messenger guy came to help. As the cops said, how did you know he wasn't armed or wouldn't turn around and beat the crap out of you? And for what? I must say the cops were very responsive (could be because of all the tourists in midtown) and some DTs came over to follow up.

I am not sure what as a community we can do - sounds like better vigilance (on our individual part as well as a whole). But short of "big brother" cameras - what are the options?

brokechick

^^ i think that unless you're trained for that kind of situation or you're a buddhist monk or something, you will foolishly put up a fight. i fought a guy twice my size on a dark empty street at 1:00 in the morning because i didn't want to lose my day planner. after ten minutes he finally got away with my bag, and someone pulled up and jumped out of his car to stop me from running after him. the cops were like, "seriously? are you daft?" and i was like, "but my copy of slaughterhouse-five!" :roll:

i'm very glad that you're o.k., brooklynleather. once it's over you realize that you're pretty lucky to be in one piece, and that little bit of help from people around can make such a huge difference.

catwalkertexasranger

Just to clear, my boss knows I am sitting on a bar stool in the village, and a mother knows where her daughter is really at when she says she is baby sitting and every murderer in the last year has been caught using it and the cops don't tell you to turn on the GPS function on the phone? Littlejohn killed a girl in Soho, and the janitor killed a priest, both caught using GPS/cellphone records. Why can't punks get pinched using the same technology? Have your carrier activate it. Sprint/Nextel can do it within a couple of hours after you order it. I will bet the table your phone is laying on has a gun,crack and some other stolen stuff laying right next to it. Pushing a person in front of traffic is a violent crime. This is only posted because you were lucky enough to not get hit and killed by a truck or car or B65 bus.

chekhovian

catwalker, you make a good point about gps but only after i read your post three times does it make sense. what are the chances a provider could activate gps and locate a stolen phone? is that serious?

as for your last sentence, however, i don't think anyone mugged should be told they are lucky. all things considered, brooklynleather is not lucky for (only) being mugged.

arches

Was it an iPhone?

catwalkertexasranger

Chekhovian wrote: catwalker, you make a good point about gps but only after i read your post three times does it make sense. what are the chances a provider could activate gps and locate a stolen phone? is that serious?

as for your last sentence, however, i don't think anyone mugged should be told they are lucky. all things considered, brooklynleather is not lucky for (only) being mugged.

If the police can't compel the phone company to activate the GPS function for free. The person in control of the account can do it and pay for the option. If owning a highend phone becomes more of an issue the carriers will take action. Imagine thugs following you from the store to nab you phone as you walk to the train or car.

My point which I did not make to well is you are much luckier to be thrown to the ground and punched and kicked than if you were thrown under the wheel of a bus and killed. Both events unlucky yes, one more unlucky than the next. Yes being mugged makes you luckier than being murdered. If somebody throws you in front of a car they are not doing it to help you, unless of course you are a stuntman, then they would be trying to further your career. Said so many times before...It's all fun and games until somebody gets a eye put out.

whynot_31

Or: "There are old ones, and there are bold ones. But there are no old, bold ones"

independent mind

Sorry that this happened to you, it's terrible. Buy yourself a can of pepper spray, it will come in handy next time.

brooklynleather

i do have GPS actve but the police say it takes a long time for the phone company to report the location data to them -- as in, weeks.

catwalkertexasranger

brooklynleather wrote: i do have GPS actve but the police say it takes a long time for the phone company to report the location data to them -- as in, weeks.

That sucks. All the big carriers ATT,T Mobile,Sprint have software so you can see the phones location on google maps. When they get the data it will be stale, the phone will get cleaned and reprogrammed. Glad you are ok. Darwin says if this person gets cash or status for snagging your phone he will do it again. I hope the next person is as fortunate as you.

dakotas way

Subject: mugging

I'm so glad you're OK., It's just not right not only that these kids took your phone, but to have no regard and push you into traffic is above and beyond.

And my daughter is now talking about moving back into Crown Heights. With all of the muggings on incredibly street savvy people, I just think it's not the right move at this particular moment. And by the way, she is also very street savvy. But that doesn't seem to mean a thing.

What in the world can be done that already isn't being done?

I'm very sorry this happened to you.

jeffrey

Wow, that's a lot of moves in a short period of time.

In her quest to save money I'd bet she's now paid out wayyy more in fees, deposits, moving etc. than if she'd paid slightly more 2 years ago for an apartment and neighborhood that made her feel more at home...whatever that means.

(^ and that's an entirely individual, personal matter, different for everyone)

So maybe she might consider changing her criteria and m.o. toward finding a way (room mates?) to pay a bit more in the short run for something that proves to be more stable and affordable in the long-term, wherever that may be (parts of Crown Heights or elsewhere).

But naturally a person is going to do what they are going to do, often in spite of what their parents say.

dakotas way

Subject: mugging

Yes Jeffrey, I agree it would have been cheaper to stay in one place and maybe pay more monthly instead of moving frequently. But you know how the roommate thing can go. Never an issue of not getting along, but more of the roommate moving in with a boyfriend, lease being up on the present sublet, etc.

I'm just so saddened by the events in Crown Heights as of late. Her past roommate just moved in to somewhere around the Crown Heights side of Washington and Park or Dean (not really sure. They're calling it Prospect Heights, but that's not really true) and she felt it was much safer than when they lived on the cornor of St John and Franklin. And told her if you walk down Franklin these days there's a huge difference in the feel of the neighborhood from when they lived there almost 3 years ago. But what does that matter if the muggings and shootings have increased (at least in my opinion.)

First, she's trying to find a job (as are so many of us these days) and then find a new place. She absolutely loved Ft Greene, but just couldn't afford it. I am going to encourage her to read this blog to see what's really happening and then make a decision. And you're right that'll kids will do whatever they chose and as a parent, you can only hope it's a safe choice. Besides she is a woman on her own and I have to respect her choices.

I just think when someone like Brooklynleather gets mugged, things seem pretty out of control since she seems like someone who can more than hold her own on the streets.