The initial 911 call was made by me at around 5:30 on Thursday, June 17th, 2003.  It was precipitated by the inebriated father of a 5 year old threatened to kill me while I was sitting on my front steps reading the latest issue of the Smithsonian Magazine - public reading done intentionally to provide 'positive' role modeling to the dozens of children always out and about on the sidewalks of our block.

      The father and the mother of the little girl had noticed her sitting on my leg when they drove by after returning from a trip to buy more beer.  They figured that instead of a caring adult looking after their abandoned child, I was a child molester out to take advantage of her.  (The father didn't live with the mother and child on our block.  This was only the second time I'd noticed him around in the month since the mother, her sister and the 5 year old had moved onto our block.)

Their daughter had come down to me from her own house three homes south of mine after her parents had left her alone to make a car trip for more beer.  She may also have been a little scared at the increasing state of inebriation of her parents and figured it might have been safer with me than with them.  There were a couple dozen other children playing in the immediate area - as well as a half-dozen or so other adults sitting on their front porches.

Two teenagers were sitting with me on the steps while I was reading.  The 5 year old came up and slipped under my magazine reading, extended arms to sit on my left leg.  She'd never done that before but was drawn to me as a caring, responsible adult from the first day she moved onto our block a month earlier - she wandered the entire block at will, without parental supervision, from her first day on the block.  (My organizational actions in the previous 5 years had made the block one safe enough for any child to do so, although not many children were brave enough to wander around on their own when first moving onto the block - those that were reminding me of myself as a pre-schooler in Riverside, California from 1946 to 1950.

- - - - beginning of message machine transcript - - -
Ben!  ............  Hello
(beep)

Hello, Ben?  This is xxxxxxx.  Callin' to see if you're okay.  Hello?!  ...
(beep)

(The attack began and was finished before the first Police Department call-back - it probably lasted no more than 10 minutes.  It started when the always sharply dressed brother of the daughter's mother drove up to their house three duplexes south of mine, parked and immediately proceeded up the sidewalk to me.  I figured he'd come to find out why his 5 year old niece, who was also always very sharply dressed when sent out to play, had been sitting on my leg.
    Instead, as soon as he got close enough, he hit me with a sucker punch to the left side of my face while I sat on my front concrete steps waiting for him to say something.  His punch was with a ringed fist that threw my eyeglasses onto the lawn and started bleeding which began blurring my vision.  His second punch with that same ringed right fist was straight to just under my left eye.  It caused another one inch crecent shaped wound that brought more bleeding - the puncher/brother was very proficient with his fists.  (I don't remember any of the other punches he may have landed on my face or body.)
    I never hit the attacker but just attempted to keep him and his fists away from my body.  His sister and her husband joined in on the attack while I was in the middle of the street - they hitting me in the back of my head while I concentrated on the more proficient attacker in front of me.  The last punches thrown were by the sister and husband while I was kneeling on the sidewalk in front of my neighbor's house with my arms up around and protecting my head and blood dripping from my head onto his front lawn/dirt.)

Hello, police calling back.  Squad'll be there ... when .. they can.  If you don't need the police, call us please.
(beep)

Hello, Ben, this is xxxxx.  Ben?  You pick up?!  Could you pick up if you're there.  Well, I'm just callin' to see if you're okay.  I'll talk to you another time. Goodby.
(beep)

The following calls must have been made while I was at St. Joseph's Hospital being x-rayed and stitched up after having given my statement to a couple uniformed MPD officers who came by before I was treated.  I didn't blame the attacker as much as the mother and father of the abandoned daughter who were too drunk or stupid to consider the fact that their daughter was safe with me IN PUBLIC AMONG NUMEROUS OTHER CHILDREN while they left her alone to get more alcohol.

Yeah, Ben, this is Officer xxxxx calling; xxxxx Police Department, x District, xxx-xxxx.  ..., we have an individual in custody for the incident ... concerning ... or that occurred at . on your porch today.

    We need you to contact us at ... that number ... for an appearance that you'll be required to make tomorrow morning in the District Attorney's office at 10:00 A.M.  Please call us as soon as you receive this message. We're sqaud x.  Officer xxxxxx and Officer xxx xxx.  Thank you.
(beep)

    Mr. xxx, this is Officer xxx with the xxxx Police Department.  Regarding that arrest we made.  In case I don't get a hold of you, you'll need to appear in the District Attorney's office tomorrow morning, that's Friday morning, at 10 A.M.  The address is xxx x. xxx Street, Room xxx.  That's in the safety building downtown ... and, if you do not appear then ... the charges are dropped against the party and they release her.

    This is against the woman.  We were able to arrest her.  We were able to identify ... one of the two other actors.  It's a matter of time before we arrest him.  Witnesses there, at ... her little daughter had said that ... she hit you once in the back, and ... you were able ... to see that ... from the corner of your eye that she hit you, so that'll be battery, party to a crime, there.  And, ..., you need to appear for those charges.  And, then it's important down the road that the other charges against the other guy; when we do arrest him; we'll be seekin' a warrant.  Thank you.  Bye.
(beep)