Richard Butchins's Blog: Angels stand corrected... - Posts Tagged "robbery"

Wow! Every cliche just came true. I was robbed at gunpoint in Oakland California on Sunday afternoon in the park. I was filming an interview with someone who knew the woman I am making art about, when two teenage african american males arrived - waving 9mm handguns - complete with extended capacity magazines - in my face. I mean that literally, one young man of about 16 pushed the nozzle of his manhood (in the form of a firearm) into my face.

They stole all the camera kit and all the footage along with it, which I imagine they sold for $500 in another park to buy drugs - for they were very stoned as they robbed me and my colleagues.

Then someone called the police who turned up and wrote a lot of things down apologised for their countrymen's behaviour and left. The local residents told me that it was a nice safe neighbourhood.

It didn't feel safe...oh and they stole my medication as well - so now I am crazier and poorer than usual.

Sometimes you have to claim small victories out of bigger defeats. After having all the filming kit and the footage stolen of me at gunpoint in Oakland. I received an call from my assistant to say that the camera bag had been discovered in a recycling bin ( environmentally conscious hoodlums - going green....). I got the footage back which was a big thing it has stopped the whole trip from being a very expensive wipe out. Inga my assistant got her i.d. back as well. Camera and money was gone but as I say sometimes you have to celebrate the smaller victories