I was Robbed

I can't imagine what you are thinking reading the title of this blog so I'll just repeat myself.  I was robbed.  It happened yesterday evening on the green line.  I was riding home and planning to switch over to the brown line.  I was contemplating my next scrabble move with Jaime and texting someone I was supposed to meet up for a date.  When out of no where I see these dark hands cover my hand and iPhone and then they start pulling.  My first thought was What is happening?  Well I start pulling back and this angers this 13yr old creep so he punches me center in the chest.  Looking back I wish I could say I kicked him in the knees or something, but I was totally shocked.  I spent all day thinking of what I should give up for lent and now all I could think was that I wish that kid had given up stealing for lent. 

I decided to grab my stuff (laptop bag, cracker barrel bag, and purse) and run after him.  I was abruptly blocked by another man who had two huge diamond earrings which I'm sure were probably subsidized by illegal iPhone sales.  He then says to me "He's gone girl...ain't no point."  So I shoved him and started running and screaming "SOMEONE GET THAT KID!  CALL THE POLICE!"  The kid turned back but he was pretty far down the platform.  A CTA manager jumped off the train and ran after him also.  I got to the bottom of the tracks but no doubt my yellow rain boots and ridiculous baggage probably didn't allow me to be lightning fast.  He was in fact "gone girl."  So now my mind is flipping out.  What the heck did I have on there?!  How am I going to call my date?! 

The CTA employee catches up to me since I was planning on just leaving and going home to change and get ready.  She was incredibly nice and called the CTA Police to do a camera scan and send the image of the kid over to the Chicago P.D.  We waited for 20min and finally the police showed up.  While we were standing there these group of kids walked by and it looked exactly like grey jacket with the huge diamond earrings.  If there is one thing I remember it's clothing.  They stopped the green line train and I had to board the train and ID this kid.  I felt awful because what if it wasn't him and he just so happened to be wearing the same gray jacket with eagle pendant on the side and jeans down to his knees.  The police took him off the train and searched him asked him where he was coming from etc.  He got really pissed and started saying I was racist and that I just picked the first black man I saw.  Ummm seriously?!  There were no white people on that platform at all. 

His friends get really upset and they get off the train and start screaming at me to which the 2nd police officer asked them if they wanted to get arrested.  Then he said "Look, if it was your sister you'd be saying 'is this the guy?!  I'm going to get him!"  Which I can totally picture the men in my family doing especially after they find out someone has punched me just to take something.  They get his information and we go downstairs.  It's now 5:55pm.  My date is at 6:30 I NEED to go home.  And yes I was terrified of being late, I figured my iPhone and chances of bruising were lost causes.  I need to get the smell of traveling on the 'el' off me.  We go downstairs and I give my statement and report and am classified as a Strong Arm Robbery w/No Weapon.  Awesome.  They also keep radioing in that the "victim needs to make it home for a date."  Apparently dispatch loved this so they said "Really?  With who?  Does she have his drivers license number?  We can find out about his priors."  This kind of softens me up and we end up talking for the next 20min about these police officers lives.  Officer Powell has been on the force 30yrs and recently had to bring her step son in because she found out he robbed someone.  I asked her if that was tough and she said "Girl it was one less mouth to feed for a week.  We did not bail his a-- out."  I immediately like her for that statement. 

Officer McGreedy (I am probably not spelling his name right) was really nice and he said "Lets take you home."  While the thought of going home in a police car was not exactly appealing I needed to get home ASAP.  They even let me ride in the front.  I think they could tell I was stressing out (about the date not the phone) and they asked if I wanted to turn on the sirens.  How could I pass that up?!  We only passed through 2 lights and I did feel guilty about making other people slow down but I figured I just cashed in on the ridiculous taxes I owe to the state of IL this year.  I got home and they both got out and gave me a hug said I was a funny girl despite what happened and that if I needed to call them back after they date they would be glad to since they were on overtime. 

You might be asking why the heck are you in Chicago?  I am asking myself the same thing.  Since I have been here I have witnessed a stabbing on my way to Rob W's Bronzville party, I had a stalker that my doorman at PT had to take down, I was attacked by a homeless man on my way to French class, a guy robbing a Walgreen's ran right into me and knocked me out, I have been hit by two cars downtown, I was attacked while running at night, I was assaulted at the Merchandise Mart stop on St. Paddy's day last year, and now I have been robbed.  I honestly have to be the worst statistic in Chicago at this point.  And if anyone has a job in Texas or really any other place in the world let me know.  At least you know why I started this blog.