Courageous In The Face Of Evil!!!!

Don't be prejudice everybody! When I walk down the street at night, I am very aware of everyone around me, and very frightful. (I'm a wimp) I am precarious of every race, every size, everyone. It doesn't matter what you look like, i'm afraid of you. And you try so hard not to be prejudice when you watch these people walking around and past you, but the fact they copped to what people might think of them for any reason, angers me to were I can't look at anyone without thinking in stereotypes. I am not a racist, nor will I ever be, but come on people.
Though this story tested my very faith in human beings, don't let this affect your opinion. (True story below)



It was 8:30pm or so on this beautiful St. Patrick's Day when I started make my way home from a friend of mines. She had given me a cane to bring to school for tomorrow in which one of her characters has a cane and a limp.
As soon as I left, for some strange reason, I had this urge to become this character. I soon found myself limping with this newly found cane and having my right leg be the weak one. She lives right off Broadway, and I live 4 stops away on the train. She lives on 19th St or something and so I walked to 21st for a bus. Having too much fun and with the combination of impatience, began walking down this long and rough road. It has since to be repaired for a stretch of way.
Making my way down this busy desolate road, in which only the corners of the avenues are busy, I was still enjoying the fact I hadn't yet strayed from this character I had created for myself.
I had made my way to 31rd when I noticed someone leaving the Boys and Girls Club. About 5'6 or 7, maybe a little older than me. He was wearing an dark leather jacket, baggy jeans, and a baseball cap backwards and to the right a little. Walking in front of him, I was still looking for a bus to grab if anything, so I kept turning around and facing him, but in actuality, I was looking past him for a bus.
Another block down, someone turned the corner limping as well, without a cane. I felt like a complete asshole just acting as if I were limping because of a real reason. He was wearing jeans, umm I can't quite remember which way his hat was facing but it was grey, and a grey jacket. Again, possibly my age.
Assuming the two people I just encountered did not know each other, I naturally moved to the right for the grey wearing guy through. He did not pass. After about 2 long blocks, I came to 30th Ave. An avenue that several blocks up, holds a train station.

I had just begun to cross to the other side, reminding you of how excited I was to commit to this character so extensively, when I noticed someone very close to my back. The guy in the grey jacket had come up behind me and put his arm around me. Thinking still it was your friendly neighborhood bum, I tried to brush him off.
I took off my headphones to hear this guy or kid, say, "Can you turn this corner with me buddy?" I said, "Sorry man, I can't." And tried to get under his arm. When I dipped my head from under his arm, with a quick move, he pulled his arm around my head and put me in a headlock.

I had just then realized that this was no drunk, but a kid, and I was in a load of shit. Standing several feet from the corner, in which 4 people stood, and 5 feet from the bus stop, in which held 2 more people, I was against a fence. The kid in the leather jacket was an accomplice and stood at the corner, a good ten feet away, keeping a close watch.
Still in a headlock, the kid asks me, in a calm manner as to not attract the near by people, "What are you listening too?" I answered, thinking it would drive them away, "My CD Player." He said, "Fine, give me your CD player." I screamed back, "Let me get it! I can't reach with your arm around my head!" 1st mistake.
Now against the fence, with this taller kid in front of me, the guard and the oblivious bystanders, I answered, "What do you want?" He responded, "What ever your listening to?" I unplugged my headphones from my Ipod in my pocket and handed him the extension and end of my headphones. Still in the face of evil and fear, I was still a smartass.
He asked again, starting to get aggravated, "What are you listening to then?!" I responded, slowly trying to talk or think of my way out of this terrible and 1st time situation, "Nothing."
"You better give it to me?" "Or what?" "I'll punch you in the face!"
I then began, in an attempt to kill more time, search my pockets, pulling an almost out of nowhere white chocolate Hershey bar. I tried to hand it to him saying that that was the only thing I had. Finally and angrily, he turned to his guard and the guard said, "Just do it already!"
He stuck his hand into the pocket in which my jokebook, a pen, my Ipod, and Hershey bar were located. Thinking to myself that I had just lost my Ipod, I grabbed his hand and threw it out of my pocket. Surprised by this sudden boost of confidence and rebellion against his power that he tried so hard to maintain and show through violence and threats, was lowered down to nothing. He, out of either surprise or "Can you believe this fool?", reacted to this by turning back to his friend and watchman. In this very instant of milliseconds, I made my decision on what to do next. I ran.
I ran like i've never run before. I bolted down the empty streets, turning back every few feet as to not get to comfortable. I got two full blocks ahead when I saw them beginning to run towards me. I ran and ran, deciding whether or not I should turn onto another abandon street or make my way to Astoria Blvd, which is a very busy avenue indeed. I got there, about 3 or 4 blocks later, and turned up it, making my way across the busy intersection without trouble and began to slow down when I hit the sidewalk, still turning around checking the very corner I just crossed, making sure they weren't still following me. They didn't.
I got on the train at Astoria Blvd, only one stop from my house, and sat and breathed in a sigh of relief. Relief, for there were people around me. Sensible and safe people.

After having a few hours to think about it, the reason I was chosen for this attempted robbery, was the fact I was small, and clearly weak. They never saw me out of this character I created, the limping kid who was also very short. They chose me because they didn't think I had enough brawn to defeat them, but I did have the brains.
I realized that because they saw me with a limp, they figured I couldn't run away if I tried. And they were wrong. They assumed I was weak, and I assumed they were just people. We were both wrong.

"Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them."
Edward Burrows