Eric Appel - Director

thejulydiaz:

My Perspective (UPDATE)       

I’m stuck asking myself why would this even happen. My friends and I went to UCB last night to get standby tickets for the midnight show. We arrived around 10 pm and couldn’t find parking so we decided to park on Foothill Drive. Not a very well lit street but we have parked here before without any problems. I put our names on the list for the show and browsed the bookstore next door until it closed at 11pm. A line had formed by this time for those who had reservations to the show. Once everyone with the reservations were inside, those on the standby list were being called. It was a big group of people waiting and only about 6 people on standby got in. The time was already past 12 am. As we walked to the parked car toward Foothill Drive there were people behind us that didn’t get in the show but they turned a street. We made it to the car and got in. My friend had put the keys into the ignition but didn’t start the car. Maybe it was a few seconds or a minute when my door opened (I was sitting passenger side). I thought nothing of it at first. “I guess I closed it wrong,” I thought. In a matter of a blink I had the barrel of a cold, dark handgun in my face, pushing up against my glasses and chest. I then heard the back door open. Hearing their voices saddened me. It was a female who opened the back door and punched my friend in the face. It happened so quick yet it felt like forever. I had given up my phone and slightly turned to my left and saw the driver side door open and the keys being taken out of the ignition. The 3 of them were Latino/Hispanic (whatever the fuck you want to call it). After the keys were taken out, I then had two guns pointed at my face, one from my left and one from my right. Afraid to make any quick movements or look into their faces I only looked forward and noticed something else that really put things in perspective for me. It was a couple. A man and woman, casually walking across the street as if nothing was happening right next to them. This couple had walked from the same direction as we came and crossed the street in front of us. No help. No calling the cops. Nothing. After hearing to empty out my pockets about a hundred times through the heavy drunk slurs and thick accents, the female simply said, “GUYS! YOU ARE TOO DRUNK!” Before fleeing a few seconds after, the female playfully said, “See you guys!” All of the car doors were closed except for mine which was  wide open. A good minute or so passed and we rushed for any house with lights to ask to call the cops. We turned right on Foothill and noticed a couple females and a male pulling up to their home and coming out of their car. Adrenaline still hitting us hard we slowly tried to explain that we were robbed at gunpoint  and if they could please call the cops. This was one of the females response verbatim, “Really? Oh my! Why do you still have your backpack on? I’m sorry but there is a market down the street they can help you. Sorry.” My friend had a backpack on which was in the trunk of the car, he had retrieved it before we left the car. These people didn’t believe us. This scared me the most. Knowing that I wouldn’t be living anymore as I had guns to my face and chest didn’t scare me as much as knowing that NO ONE GIVES A FUCK ABOUT ANYONE OTHER THAN THERE SELF. Running down the street to the Gelson’s market only to see it was closed wasn’t reassuring but would took the cake was what happened next. In the Gelson’s parking lot, there were a group of limo drivers taking a break and playing with their smart phones. We approached them and told them what happened. This was one of their responses verbatim, “Oh yeah? Go knock on the door of the market. They have a pay phone.” He said this with a devilishly smirk that can only be described as Lucifer himself had just sucked someone off and said all this as he played with his phone. Quickly seeing the truth in people made me want to vomit. Since no one would help us, we rushed across the street towards UCB and told them what happened. They couldn’t be more helpful. We called the cops and they arrived in a couple of minutes. We were taken back to the scene of the crime and stood there until 4 am until a tow truck arrived. During the process of filing a report, the young male officer nervously chuckled as we told him that we were robbed by a couple Hispanics. Irony at its best or worst? I wouldn’t ever discriminate or support a stereotype but growing up around the familiar way that the suspects talked and how certain words popped, I knew they were Hispanic. Hey, if no one reads this, I don’t care. I’m writing this for myself and for those who DO care. Judging by how no one was willing to help another HUMAN regardless of race or ethnicity, I would say a very small percent cares about others. I mean REALLY CARES. Well. I hope those people really needed those few dollars out my pocket and as for those who wouldn’t help me and my friends, I hope you enjoy having a finger up your ass for the rest of your life. Don’t get me wrong. I AM angered that they wouldn’t help but I wouldn’t wish the same to happen to them. I really believe ANYONE is NEVER prepared to handle a situation like that, mostly because the motives of those with the power to take a life are unknown. I don’t know why us and not you. All I know is that these “people” who robbed my friends and I don’t like eating candy. I had a full bag of them that they took out of my pocket and threw in my face before leaving.