The Whole Foods Violent Robbery

The Headlines: you can find the original stories at these links.

Woman Attacked in Whole Foods Parking Lot

Woman robbed, beaten in East Memphis parking lot

Brutal Purse Snatching at Popular East Memphis Store

Mayor Herenton Responds About Crime

Cliff's Comments: Well, this really stinks, but it doesn't stink any more than any of the other crime I read about daily in Memphis. I think because it is so close to home it registers more- it is part of my everyday reality. A lot of us in Normal Station shop at Whole Foods (formerly Wild Oats, formerly Squash Blossom) at Poplar and Mendenhall. If you don't shop there, you probably shop at another store in the immediate area- Kroger, Home Depot, Office Depot, and a lot of smaller specialty shops and restaurants.

According to Channel 24, there have been 318 reported robberies at this point in 2009- that is an 11% increase over the same time period in 2008.

Legalese Terminology note: A robbery is theft from a person through force or intimidation; burglary is a theft from a residence or business usually when no legal property resident is present. This report is about a violent robbery. When someone steals your lawnmower out of your tool shed, in legal terms you have been burglarized.

This violent robbery was perpetrated against Marla Brown, 61, a Cordova resident, but it could have happened to any of us: you, a family member, friends, or a loved one. I shop there. My wife and daughter shop there. For awhile, at least, I imagine that we will be a little more wary when we shop there.

My wife is a professor at U of M. Last summer one of her colleagues, a professor in the Sociology Department, had her purse stolen in broad daylight while she was enjoying an ice cream cone from Ben & Jerry's across the parking lot from Whole Foods.

How would it feel if this were to happen to you or a loved one?

Here's what occurred : (Mostly from News Channel 3 and the Commercial Appeal)

Around 10 am Marva was loading groceries into her car in the parking lot outside of Whole Foods near Poplar and Mendenhall. According to Marva, "I reached over to put my purse on the other side of the console, with that Thud! On the back of my head, just a big hard smack, and my arms were trapped underneath me," she said.

Again and again, she says the man hit her.

"He was mumbling something, I couldn't understand him, but later I realized he was saying 'Give me your purse, give me your purse!'"

"I thought to myself, its over, I'm not going to make it through this," she said.

She passed out. When she regained consciousness, she discovered her purse was missing. Blood was everywhere.

"There was just blood all over from my nose and all down my shirt and coat, it was just pouring down," she said.

"I would tell other women," says the victim, "they shouldn't run errands alone and to watch what you carry. Don't take your purse with you if you don't have to and be aware of your surroundings."

After a moment of silence she looks up and says, "I've tried to be careful. But careful or not, it can happen to you."

(From Channel 24) Marva Brown is a member of a group called Mid-South Moms. When the head of Mid-South Moms, Ann Sharpsteen, found out about the attack on Marva, she sent an email to Mayor Willie Herenton. About a half hour later, she says she received a phone call from Mayor Herenton.

"I didn't expect to ever get a meeting or a phone call." She says even more surprising than the phone call was the conversation that followed. "The most troubling part of the conversation was that he said it's going to get worse. It was a very troubling thing to hear." Troubling to hear, but Memphians like Vickey Lowe say sometimes the truth hurts. "it tells me he's in touch with what's going on in Memphis because when they say everything is okay... no, it's not. we're out here living this so we know it's getting worse."

Cliff's Comments below:

2 major points:

1. It can happen to anyone anywhere.
   
2. The mayor said he thinks crime is going to get worse.

Thus, some questions: What are you personally going to do to deal with this? How are we as a community going to respond to an increase in violent crime? What actions are we really willing to take?

I'll write more in my next post about solutions individuals and families can take to decrease the likelihood of being victimized during routine shopping trips.