A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.

"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"

"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"

Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"

"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.

The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."

The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."

Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

http://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89164759/a-victim-treats-his-mugger-right

[Danno 1,228]

This is the reality that Liberals exist in. When you read these dreamy tales of -how to reach out to criminals you soon understand why every program,

every institution and every social ill The Left sets out to fix (with your money of course) ..... you understand how they make it worse, how innocent people are harmed and how via their dreams,

they are but one new agency... one new raise in funding and how with just a little more time.... they will get results.

* as a personal observation, the best time to "reach out" to these YOUTH is when they are incarcerated, if they have any chance of changing their life, it's then.

[slim 1,525]

This story is almost three years old. I'd love to see some follow-up to find out if that kid ever got his life on track.

[106206 15]

You try that down here in the ATL he'll take your coat before he drills you full of hollow points. Better offer the shirt too. You run away and if you can't you disable your attacker.

Being less cynical I bet he could read the kid like a book but in this day and age he took a chance. Hope it helps the kid.

[Danno 1,228]

This story is almost three years old. I'd love to see some follow-up to find out if that kid ever got his life on track.

Statistically speaking, not much chance..... best case scenario, he's a peaceful sponge off society.

[slim 1,525]

Statistically speaking, not much chance..... best case scenario, he's a peaceful sponge off society.

Welfare is never a best case scenario because then he can reproduce. If he's not out working a great job now, the best case scenario would've been for Mr. Diaz to put three rounds of .45 JHPs in his chest to remind him why you don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

[웃 910]

This is the reality that Liberals exist in. When you read these dreamy tales of -how to reach out to criminals you soon understand why every program,

every institution and every social ill The Left sets out to fix (with your money of course) ..... you understand how they make it worse, how innocent people are harmed and how via their dreams,

they are but one new agency... one new raise in funding and how with just a little more time.... they will get results.

* as a personal observation, the best time to "reach out" to these YOUTH is when they are incarcerated, if they have any chance of changing their life, it's then.