"Hood" Part 3 of 3

"They Called Him 'Hood'"
By Mitch Harris

Lewis and I decide to go for a walk through a neighborhood nearby. He does not say whether or not its his neighborhood and I do not press the issue. He takes me through every back alley and dead end street. I feel safe with him. There is absolutely not an ounce of fear radiating from him. Me on the other hand…lets just say I’d feel a little safer if I had a weapon on me. “Have you ever fired a gun?” he asks me. I tell him that I have not. “Good” he replies. “Guns are for (censored) who are too afraid to get dirty.”

We sit down at a park where there are a few groups of men talking in hushed tones and obviously up to no good. Lewis is watching all of them like a hawk stalking its prey. “See that one in the blue sweater?” he asks me. “Watch how he walks.” The man he pointed out walks towards another group with a limp that causes him to grimace in pain with each step. “I broke his ankle a week and a half ago. Guess I didn’t hurt him enough.”

MH: How long do you expect to do this? I mean, the life span of someone who goes looking for trouble can not be that high.

LR: The life span of a Black man isn’t that high. I’ll do this until I cant do it anymore. Or until they don’t need me anymore.

MH: And when will you know that they don’t need you anymore?

LR: When my mama can walk down the street and feel safe. That’s when I’ll know.

Lewis and I eventually make our way to the end of the park. There are three men smoking marijuana and laughing. Lewis pulls me behind a tree and tells me “Don’t move no matter what happens. I don’t care if the have (censored) rocket launchers. Don’t move.” I tell him that he does not need to worry. I peek from behind the tree and watch as he manages to walk up to these men without making a sound. They do not notice him until he is three feet away.

(editors note: we at Angelenos Time do not endorse the use of violence by citizens nor do we intend to glorify violence with this article)

What happens next is a thing of beauty.

I do not know what Lewis said to them but one of them pulls a knife and one pulls a gun. The other steps back. Lewis, or “Hood”, grabs the one with a knife by the wrist and twists until he screams. He then slams his palm into his mouth and nose knocking him unconscious. Removing the knife from his hand he throws it at the man who is unarmed hitting him high in the thigh. The one with the gun puts his hands up. Lewis kicks him in the knee and as he drops his elbow to the back of his neck. I hear a snap and he drops.

Lewis then goes through their pockets scattering all of their marijuana to the wind and taking all of their money. The one with the knife in his thigh is shaking his head as Lewis takes the knife and wipes the blade clean before placing it in his pocket. He walks over to me smiling.

MH: That was…amazing.

LR: Thanks. Not used to people watching me. Its like taking a piss. (laughs) I don’t like those guys. Been around for a while.

MH: Why didn’t you take out the one with the gun first?

LR: Because he had a gun. (laughs) The one with a gun is usually the one that’s the most scared.

MH: But what if he had fired? 

LR: But he didn’t fire. If I stopped for a moment while I was doing what I was doing, that would’ve been my ass. 

MH: It all happened so fast. How could you think about anything with all of that happening?

LR: It doesn’t feel fast for me. Ever. 

We end up near the end of a run down street and Lewis stops. “This is the end of the interview” he tells me. I ask him if there’s anything he wants to say to the public. “Yeah. Take care of each other.” And with that Lewis walked away and turned around and bowed as if he were a knight. I laughed and he smiled.

That was the last time I saw Lewis Roberts alive. His body was found three blocks from his home with three bullet wounds in his chest and one in his face. His brother was arrested for his murder. He is survived by his mother, three brothers, and two sisters.

(editors note: we at Angelenos Time send our condolences to the Roberts family; writer Mitch Harris has started a fund in the name of the Roberts family to help with the cost of damage done to their home and for Lewis Roberts funeral)