Back in the last week of April 2008, I witnessed a mugging of two well-dressed elder Argentine gentlemen at 13:00hrs, on a Saturday, on the corner of Esmeralda y Arenales in Retiro. The two muggers on foot that accosted these two well-dressed residents of Retiro were in their 30s, husky in stature, and about 5'9" tall. The perps approached the victims from behind, wrapped their arms around them, reached into their pockets, and took their cash, wallets, and keys (note to self: don't keep ID with your home address on you because if they steal your ID and your keys, guess what?) Then one of the perps punched the older of the two gentlemen in the face causing the man to fall down into the street of Arenales. While the other gentleman went to assist his friend, the two perps ran into the street of Arenales, jumped onto the back of a waiting motorcycle, and all three fled the scene. All this happened in broad daylight and was over in a matter of 30 seconds. There was nothing that I, or anyone else for that matter, could have done to stop this crime from taking place.
Witnessing this event first hand certainly has made me a little more observant than usual. Looking back, I recall seeing a pattern of events that led to this daytime mugging and hopefully this will enlighten some of you of what to be aware of when "En La Calle".
First off, this event happened on a Saturday afternoon in perhaps one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the city. During the week, this area is bustling with people and to pull off a stunt like this would be difficult if not impossible, but on the weekend, typically only the residents of the area are walking around. Apparently, this is a common hit and run tactic that can occur anywhere. You don't have to be paranoid, but it is advisable to be aware of your surrounding at all times, especially in less crowded environments.
Now in Retiro, there are usually police standing idle between each corner seven days a week. It was no surprise to my girlfriend that when this robbery took place, there wasn't a cop on beat anywhere near the event. There should have been at least 4 cops near the corner where this event took place, but not that day at that time. Take note of where the police usually stand in your neighborhood and be especially careful when you notice they aren't there. This is not to say that something will happen, but better to be safe than sorry. Now if you live in an area where there are no cops on the streets, take note of when something is out of the ordinary and don't discount yourself when you get a weird feeling in your stomach. I believe in intuition, and this could be your greatest savior.
Prior to the mugging, the two victims must have been standing on that corner and talking to one another long enough for the police to have noticed them, tip someone off, and walk away. According to my girlfriend, this seems to be a usual scenario in the city. My girlfriend and her girlfriend were robbed at gun point about 6 months back after they left a movie theater at night. I don't remember exactly where it was, but it was a well populated avenue. As they were walking they stopped and chatted on the street for about 10-15 minutes. During that time, my gf initially noticed a cop standing on guard across the street and that is why they thought it was safe enough to stop and chat for awhile. According to her, right before they were robbed, she noticed that the cop was no longer anywhere to be seen. Luckily the only thing that happed to them was that their purses were taken. So when on the streets, either alone or with someone else, keep walking and get to where to need to go. Also, tuck away your bling-bling, or don’t wear it all, and keep some money in other parts of your clothing, including a 50 or 100p in your shoe just so you have some money to get you back home.
Now onto the three perps that committed the assault. The two who were walking on the sidewalk knew exactly who they were going to attack and I couldn’t differentiate them from any other group of guys walking on the street except maybe for the fact that they looked stocky. They both had unshaven faces, but who doesn’t on the weekends? Did they look like they didn’t belong in the neighborhood? I couldn’t tell. As a matter of fact, I was dressed similar to the perps, and at times I don’t look like I belong in my neighborhood. But that’s just how I roll in the daytime. No one seems to bother me too much when I have my game face on and dress like a thug. But that’s just me.
I didn’t really see the perp on the motorcycle until the other two jumped on and that being said, I only saw the back of his helmet and jacket. I did however recall noticing him driving up the street slowly and parallel to the two perps on the sidewalk. I paid no attention to this before, but mind you me that I am much more aware of this now and in the future when walking the streets in any the city.
As for my intuition during this event, well, it wasn’t even switched on because at this particular moment I honestly wasn’t paying attention and my guard was down. I was caught by surprise and completely helpless to render any assistance when this event occurred. In fact, I initially thought that the two perps knew the other men and were just joking around on the street. It wasn’t until I heard the perps yelling something vulgar in Spanish when it finally clicked that I was witnessing a daytime mugging. Later my gf tried to comfort me by saying that I did the right thing by not getting involved, because I wasn’t aware of the guy on the motorcycle and they were most likely packing a gun. She said it is better for the victims to have lost their wallets rather then their lives, or my life. It still doesn’t make me feel any better, but she is right and I am happy to be alive and moving to that beautiful city in August.
There are many things you can learn from this, and I certainly have. Anyone can be a victim anywhere in the world and no individual can stop these things from happening, but we can control what we do when we are outside. As a final word of advice, live your life with your eyes open to the opportunities that life has to offer, and to the potential risks. But please don't live your life in fear. Life is always sweeter after difficulties.
In closing, if you have any other personal experiences and thoughts you can contribute to this thread, I will certainly appreciate it. Please keep the Buenos Aires bashing down to a minimum since crime doesn’t only exist in Argentina. Every little piece of information that can be contributed helps to eventually see the big picture or at least a pattern. Lastly, in God we trust, and all else we observe. Be safe and viva Buenos Aires!
Witnessing this event first hand certainly has made me a little more observant than usual. Looking back, I recall seeing a pattern of events that led to this daytime mugging and hopefully this will enlighten some of you of what to be aware of when "En La Calle".
First off, this event happened on a Saturday afternoon in perhaps one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the city. During the week, this area is bustling with people and to pull off a stunt like this would be difficult if not impossible, but on the weekend, typically only the residents of the area are walking around. Apparently, this is a common hit and run tactic that can occur anywhere. You don't have to be paranoid, but it is advisable to be aware of your surrounding at all times, especially in less crowded environments.
Now in Retiro, there are usually police standing idle between each corner seven days a week. It was no surprise to my girlfriend that when this robbery took place, there wasn't a cop on beat anywhere near the event. There should have been at least 4 cops near the corner where this event took place, but not that day at that time. Take note of where the police usually stand in your neighborhood and be especially careful when you notice they aren't there. This is not to say that something will happen, but better to be safe than sorry. Now if you live in an area where there are no cops on the streets, take note of when something is out of the ordinary and don't discount yourself when you get a weird feeling in your stomach. I believe in intuition, and this could be your greatest savior.
Prior to the mugging, the two victims must have been standing on that corner and talking to one another long enough for the police to have noticed them, tip someone off, and walk away. According to my girlfriend, this seems to be a usual scenario in the city. My girlfriend and her girlfriend were robbed at gun point about 6 months back after they left a movie theater at night. I don't remember exactly where it was, but it was a well populated avenue. As they were walking they stopped and chatted on the street for about 10-15 minutes. During that time, my gf initially noticed a cop standing on guard across the street and that is why they thought it was safe enough to stop and chat for awhile. According to her, right before they were robbed, she noticed that the cop was no longer anywhere to be seen. Luckily the only thing that happed to them was that their purses were taken. So when on the streets, either alone or with someone else, keep walking and get to where to need to go. Also, tuck away your bling-bling, or don’t wear it all, and keep some money in other parts of your clothing, including a 50 or 100p in your shoe just so you have some money to get you back home.
Now onto the three perps that committed the assault. The two who were walking on the sidewalk knew exactly who they were going to attack and I couldn’t differentiate them from any other group of guys walking on the street except maybe for the fact that they looked stocky. They both had unshaven faces, but who doesn’t on the weekends? Did they look like they didn’t belong in the neighborhood? I couldn’t tell. As a matter of fact, I was dressed similar to the perps, and at times I don’t look like I belong in my neighborhood. But that’s just how I roll in the daytime. No one seems to bother me too much when I have my game face on and dress like a thug. But that’s just me.
I didn’t really see the perp on the motorcycle until the other two jumped on and that being said, I only saw the back of his helmet and jacket. I did however recall noticing him driving up the street slowly and parallel to the two perps on the sidewalk. I paid no attention to this before, but mind you me that I am much more aware of this now and in the future when walking the streets in any the city.
As for my intuition during this event, well, it wasn’t even switched on because at this particular moment I honestly wasn’t paying attention and my guard was down. I was caught by surprise and completely helpless to render any assistance when this event occurred. In fact, I initially thought that the two perps knew the other men and were just joking around on the street. It wasn’t until I heard the perps yelling something vulgar in Spanish when it finally clicked that I was witnessing a daytime mugging. Later my gf tried to comfort me by saying that I did the right thing by not getting involved, because I wasn’t aware of the guy on the motorcycle and they were most likely packing a gun. She said it is better for the victims to have lost their wallets rather then their lives, or my life. It still doesn’t make me feel any better, but she is right and I am happy to be alive and moving to that beautiful city in August.
There are many things you can learn from this, and I certainly have. Anyone can be a victim anywhere in the world and no individual can stop these things from happening, but we can control what we do when we are outside. As a final word of advice, live your life with your eyes open to the opportunities that life has to offer, and to the potential risks. But please don't live your life in fear. Life is always sweeter after difficulties.
In closing, if you have any other personal experiences and thoughts you can contribute to this thread, I will certainly appreciate it. Please keep the Buenos Aires bashing down to a minimum since crime doesn’t only exist in Argentina. Every little piece of information that can be contributed helps to eventually see the big picture or at least a pattern. Lastly, in God we trust, and all else we observe. Be safe and viva Buenos Aires!
