Witnessed A Robbery...

[Canick]

I was in a taxi going towards Belgrano on thursday at 3pm as I saw my first real robbery go down.

A woman in her 50-60's was walking alone down Libertador at Maure. (The opposite side of the street from the restaurant Kansas in Palermo).

A motorcycle with two riders pulled up just behind her. one man jumped off and stuck a gun in her face and grabbed her purse and jumped on the back of the bike and they sped off.

Besides being terrified, the woman was unharmed, and within seconds the porteros of the building were with her to comfort her etc. they had been witnesses to the whole thing, as were literally 5 or six other cars.

what amazes me in talking to the cab driver and a few other people afterwards is how "normal" this has become for them. not even an inclining of shock or sadness or even sympathy for the woman. it was as casual as watching two cars lightly bang into each other.

I have been in BA for years now and know that there is a bit of a "defeatist" attitude here, whether it's politics, economics or especially crime. "well what can you do...","this always happens", "i would never report it-just a waste of your time"..., "police are in on it" etc.

no idea how this will ever change, or if this is just a fact living here. again, i'm not talking about the level of crime itself, but the indifference everyone seems to have towards it.

it's very sad.

 

[Alicia karr]

Very very sad. This may be a stupid question, but can they trace the culprits by the plates on the moto, like you can in other countries?

 

[JaymeB325]

I went to change money on Florida yesterday and got my iPhone pick pocketed from inside my zipped-up purse while it was on my body. It was quite impressive, I don't even know how they did it, I felt nothing. I suppose I much prefer that to a hold up, but I'm still pretty peeved.

 

[Lulu-Kyoko]

This happened to me as well-- my iPhone was also stolen from my zipped up purse.

And one thing I've noticed is that people keep stealing my subte cards! Like, one every two weeks. Granted, I sometimes stupidly put them in pocket after using them (instead of in my zipped up purse, lol) so I suppose they are relatively easy to steal. But it makes me wonder. How many times per day are people reaching into my pockets without me being aware of it? Sometimes they might find a subte card or a little bit of money, other times probably nothing.

Granted, this is a far cry from being robbed at gunpoint.

 

[internationalguy]

Personal space is a foreign concept in Buenos Aires. That fact alone is enough to make pickpockets' jobs much easier.

 

[Alicia karr]

Phones stolen from zipped, UNSLASHED,? Purses? I've heard of bags so quickly and cleverly slashed that the owners were unaware till a half hour or more had passed after the crime! So sorry this has happened to you . I wonder how many men have had their Subte cards pick pocketed as well...
I can't even find my own phone in my bag when I want to, so how do they know where to grab the phone from, when I don't even know where it's gone in the depths of my bag? (An argument for big bags that you don't clean out too regularly)
Hmmmmm. That's really scary! But leads to some good revenge fantasies, like chile oil in fake phone case or Subte cards that have some sticky or oily substance on them causing the robber to have very sticky fingers...then look for the annoyed looking person desperately wiping their hands...gotcha! WD4? Cayenne pepper oil? Extract of poison ivy?......or an iPhone case filled with dog excrement. In a zip lock bag of course....would they then be caught "holding the bag"......?

 

[mulderfox]

I went to change money on Florida yesterday and got my iPhone pick pocketed from inside my zipped-up purse while it was on my body. It was quite impressive, I don't even know how they did it, I felt nothing. I suppose I much prefer that to a hold up, but I'm still pretty peeved.

by the way i think i should tell you that you are now probably pregnant they work so fast is hard to believe

 

[notebook.fix]

Crow bar in hand I chased two would be muggers down Pueyrredon a few months ago. They unsuccessfully tried to mug my G/friends 15yr old son. Couldn't catch them. On the Subte I stopped a pick pocket just before he put his hand inside a girls purse. For me it's just so obvious when something's about to go down, I have successfully interfered & stopped five attempted muggings. Often I witness robberies or I see them just before they occur. A week ago I was out for my evening walk going down Santa Fe, passing Ayacucho towards 9 de Julio when I witnessed a group of young thieves make off with an elderly ladies hand bag, it makes my blood boil & I hate that people just don't seem to care. I hope no one ever tries to mug me cause I swear I'm not going to go down without a fight. When possible, I'll very politely & gently try to warn tourists not to walk with their backpacks on their backs, especially in crowded places.

No I'm not here to be a hero, I do it out of sheer anger & a feeling that if everyone tried to do their small bit, life could be a lot harder for these parasites.

So far after 5 years of being back here I have never been pick pocketed, touch wood.

 

[Alicia karr]

Careful notebook...we need you to keep posting! Don't go getting yourself hurt. But on the other hand if you can........

 

[Davidglen77]

I live right on Avenida de Mayo almost at the corner of 9 de Julio. I'm sure that every tourist that comes to Buenos Aires, comes by my corner at least once during their stay. This is petty crime central. I've seen purse / cell phone / neck chain / earring / camera snatching / mustard squirtings / pick pocketing more often than I would like to. One thing I tell people is DON'T WALK AROUND ON THE STREET WHILE LISTENING TO MUSIC WITH HEADPHONES. Probably every single time I've seen the aftermath of a snatching the person was wearing headphones or distracted in some other way. I am not blaming the victim here, but if you are visibly distracted you become the prey of theives and increase your chances of becoming a victim by 1000%. Also if you carry a camera by all means stop and take a picture then PUT IT AWAY, don't walk around with $3000 U$D around your neck. Texting and walking at the same time is another invitation for snatching, stop, lean against a building or go inside of a store entrance, send / read your message then resume walking once you put your cell phone away. This is today's reality in all big cities, you can't prevent everything but keep yourself safe as best you can.