I Have a Gub
Last week one of Hollywood's neighboring towns, Augusta, was victimized by an inept bank robber. A 24-year old woman walked into a bank on the east side of town and handed the teller a note demanding money. (This wasn't a branch of my bank. Here in Hollywood we bank at the local Building and Loan, run by that nice Mr. Bailey.) Apparently, the note was barely legible, because the teller was only able to make out the word "gun"--although the robber was in fact unarmed. The robber got the money and made her getaway--in her own car, whose license plate one of the tellers wrote down. Not that this quick thinking was necessary: one of the tellers recognized the woman as a high school classmate.
To her credit, the robber called the police herself, while they were still at the bank responding to the call. By lunch she was in county jail in Augusta. Not to her credit, she used her one phone call to contact her sister, telling her where to find the stolen money and to bring over $1,000 for bail. Instead of bringing over the loot, the sister called the police.
This is funnier than it is dangerous and sadder than it is funny. This woman is clearly a bad combination of desperate and poor. Augusta has many such people, unfortunately. My experience delivering meals for a soup kitchen brought me into contact with some of the poorest and neediest people in town. Too many Augusta residents are deeply impoverished, living in crummy apartments, suffering from physical disabilities, mental illness, and/or drug addiction. The rate for personal property crimes in Augusta is four times the national average. Median household income is lower than any of the surrounding towns.
The robber is on state assistance and has an 18-month old son. She got away with a paltry $1,400. This is probably less money than she will spend on postage to her lawyer from jail.
These days Augusta is taking a long look at itself, trying to hang on to its vacant downtown, reclaiming historic properties that had fallen into disuse, improving its public spaces and figuring out how to attract new businesses. Before it can truly revitalize itself, the city has to address the human needs that are going unmet here.
To her credit, the robber called the police herself, while they were still at the bank responding to the call. By lunch she was in county jail in Augusta. Not to her credit, she used her one phone call to contact her sister, telling her where to find the stolen money and to bring over $1,000 for bail. Instead of bringing over the loot, the sister called the police.
This is funnier than it is dangerous and sadder than it is funny. This woman is clearly a bad combination of desperate and poor. Augusta has many such people, unfortunately. My experience delivering meals for a soup kitchen brought me into contact with some of the poorest and neediest people in town. Too many Augusta residents are deeply impoverished, living in crummy apartments, suffering from physical disabilities, mental illness, and/or drug addiction. The rate for personal property crimes in Augusta is four times the national average. Median household income is lower than any of the surrounding towns.
The robber is on state assistance and has an 18-month old son. She got away with a paltry $1,400. This is probably less money than she will spend on postage to her lawyer from jail.
These days Augusta is taking a long look at itself, trying to hang on to its vacant downtown, reclaiming historic properties that had fallen into disuse, improving its public spaces and figuring out how to attract new businesses. Before it can truly revitalize itself, the city has to address the human needs that are going unmet here.
Labels: George Bailey, robbery, Take the Money and Run
posted by Hallovian at 5:40 AM
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