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That's called a "mugger roll." Usually it's something like 2 fives and 10 ones to look like more money than it actually is.

When I lived in Chicago and took public transportation—and of course could not legally carry any weapon—I did exactly that.

However, there is a species of thug who will not be satisfied with $20 in small bills, and will do whatever he thinks might make you give up "the good stuff."

This was not so much a problem in the 1970s, when $20 was a decent day's pay, credit cards were not so widespread, and ATMs had not been invented. Robbers pretty much took the cash and jewelry that they could get. Now they are more likely to force you to withdraw money from a bank or to steal your entire wallet with a view to some kind of identity theft.

- Jim

kjolly wrote:In a lot of instances I feel it might be best to part with a little cash than to have to hire a lawyer but you never know where a encounter like this will end.

If I could be certain that robbers just wanted "a little cash," I probably would shrug and give it to them to avoid all the paperwork and other hassles. I rarely have as much as $100 on me.

However, you are correct that you do not know where it will end.

An armed robber, or even a powerful strong-arm robber, can force the victim to drive to an ATM and withdraw money, force the victim into his or her home and ransack the home, commit rape, and burn the house down with the victim tied up in it.

Even if robbers do not commit this kind of ultimate atrocity, they can do quite a bit of damage with your wallet, keys, and cell phone.

- Jim

I won't argue about the percentages, because I have no data. I doubt anyone has reliable data.

I think offenders should be given opportunities to turn their life around. Aside from the moral aspect, it's better to have a productive member of society than a prisoner kept like an animal at taxpayer expense for decades.

There's also quite a bit of difference between a teenager who steals for a thrill or deals drugs versus someone who commits forcible rape or full-blown intentional murder.

- Jim

I've come to believe that by the time a man is old enough to be put in prison (age 17 or older) his character is very unlikely to change. Actually, I would put the deadline more about age 7.

Certainly there are exceptions, but they are rare.

Back in the day when thieves were hanged for the theft of a shilling and flogged and pressed into military service for "lesser" crimes, these punishments were no deterrent at all.

- Jim

He could get out in 20 years with good behavior.

However, according to reports, he served all of his previous 12-year term. You can only guess why. Also note that it is possible to commit a crime while in prison, be found guilty, and sentenced to additional time.

There also are releases based on overcrowding (which is a synonym for underfunding).

The bottom line is, who knows?

- Jim

Today's Daily News says the offender in this case was sentenced to 40 years after he turned down a 25-year plea bargain.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/208530" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know what happened to the earlier plea bargain.

- Jim

Perp pled and is subject to 15 years to life in prison. Sentencing next week.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/202870" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

ddurkof wrote:On top of all of this the Galveston City Manager wants to decrease the size of the police and fire department.

As little as I like it, there is no alternative. The real-estate tax base has decreased. Many abandoned properties are no longer generating revenue. Sales tax is down, and most of that is dedicated to specific uses by statute. The recession is going to continue until further notice, and the city does not have reserves to cover a deficit.

Police officers driving around in cars do little to prevent crime, anyway. They mainly write traffic tickets, arrest drunks, and respond to calls about accomplished crimes.

The you-know-what is going to hit the you-know what when some resident of Cedar Lawn or Adler Circle gets his door kicked in, and the response time is 30 minutes.

We simply have to be responsible for ourselves here.

- Jim

The suspect in this case was denied bail.

After spending 12 years in the slammer, he was out on bail after being charged with armed robbery in May, when he was charged with two more armed robberies.

http://www.galvnews.com/story/161270" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Slow learner.

- Jim

If a strong, determined man lays hands on you, he pretty much owns you. We can see this in the case of police officers who are assaulted and lose their weapon to the assailant.

In this case, the "alleged suspect" was a felon with a dozen years in prison where he probably learned to take care of himself bare-handed.

My number one goal is be somewhere else when the fight is scheduled to start, and number two, to avoid being grabbed. Personally, I would rather take my chances on evading a guy with a knife or handgun who didn't really know how to use it.

- Jim

In terms of strategy and tactics, I try to avoid situations where a stranger could turn a "friendly handshake" into an assault within a second, which it sounds like happened to you.

When you back away from someone and he positively advances on you, you know he is up to no good. Even if you are not justified in the use of force at that point, you can verbally warn him to disengage. If he keeps coming, ....

I have backed away from and warned off men who then acted offended. Maybe they just wanted to be friendly. Maybe they wanted to sell me insurance. Maybe they wanted to invite me to Bible study. I don't know. But I haven't been mugged since the 1970s.

I am not a lawyer, Massad Ayoob, or Col. Cooper.

- Jim

mrcharlie wrote:Jim, Can't say I see the relevance of your comment about crack dealers.

I did not mean to imply that you were involved in anything nefarious. I apologize for any such implication.

I should have kept my mouth shut, so to speak.

This is a relatively high-crime area. The corner of 35th and N was notorious from the 1990s until maybe 2008, though it has been cleaned up. We had two crack houses operating within 1,000 feet of our home, which the police seemed powerless to do anything about when everyone else knew what they were (they eventually were shut down).

Illegal drug activity attracts other criminal activity. Criminals tend to work close to home, as this particular robber did.

- Jim

In all fairness, you can't treat everyone you meet in a densely populated city as a hostile. You can easily pass three or four people per minute walking in Galveston. In New York, make that three or four hundred.

Some of these sociopathic criminals are quite good at seeming friendly and putting an honest person off his guard.

I would rather have a stranger scowl at me and keep walking than try to act friendly, but that's just me.

- Jim

dubya wrote:Looks like you tangled with a serious criminal.
I don't think it's drifting off topic since the crime is the topic here; I am not sure I remember the consensus on deadly force for this type of attack.

It was AGGRAVATED ROBBERY!



I don't want to step on anyone's toes here, but if someone wanted to buy crack, the location where that crime occurred would be a good place to start looking for a dealer.

- Jim

Welcome to the forum, neighbor.

http://www.galvnews.com/story/160090" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Please check your private messages.

- Jim