"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)

"Hood" Part 2 of 3

"They Called Him 'Hood'"
By Mitch Harris

Lewis sat quietly for a minute. He appears to smile and pokes at what is left of his food before continuing. Since we started talking I can tell you that “Hood” is an actual sweet guy. I know that’s not a good word to use for a guy who uses swords, knives, and arrows against criminals. He doesn’t look threatening at all. He looks like the guy who’d let you cut ahead in line or hold a door open for your mother. Maybe that’s why he was so good at what he did.

LR: How did I start? I was being robbed.

MH: What?

LR: Robbed. Some guy pulled a gun on me.

MH: And you thought to yourself “I’m gonna fight crime”?

LR: No. I thought “I’m about to die on my own street!”

MH: So what did you do? I have been robbed before and the last thing I thought about was fighting back.

LR: Neither did I. He put a gun in my face and I just reacted. He asked for my wallet and I could feel myself smiling. This isn’t the first time I’ve been robbed. Even if I had been shot the look on his face when I kicked his kneecap lose was worth it.

MH: Wow.

LR: Yeah. He started dropping and I kicked him in the face.

MH: That’s incredible. Then what happened?

LR: I stole his money.

That’s right. Lewis Roberts robbed from the “rich” and gave to the poor. This is how he got the name “Hood.” After five successful “missions” Lewis began handing the money he took from various criminals to the lower income families in his neighborhood. “It seems to make sense to me” he says. “Been the other way ‘round for too long.”

MH: You seemed to get the attention of local law enforcement pretty quickly. And the public. How did that make you feel?

LR: Good. It felt real good, you know? I have a day job like everybody else. It don’t pay much but it’s a job. I know the police have a job too. “Protect and serve.” They weren’t protecting us that much but they sure as (censored) were serving us. I saw good people in my neighborhood getting beat, robbed, and killed. The least I could do was hand out some money.

MH: Did you ever keep any of the money?

LR: No.

MH: Honestly?

LR: Not a dime, man. It wasn’t for me to keep.

MH: Just take?

LR: Now you’re getting it. I already know that later tonight while you in bed I’ll be out in the streets doing for free what thousands of other (censored) are supposed to be doing.

MH: Are you worried about people copying you?

LR: The more the merrier. I wish more people would get off their asses and make a difference. I’m not talking about running a marathon for cancer or some (censored) or sending five dollars to some kid in Africa. Do something here. Do something where you live. See some trash, pick it up. Its not hard.

MH: What do you say to those who believe your methods are “harsh”?

LR: I would say if they know of a better way to take five dudes with guns down high on crack then please tell me. I would love to know. The same people that don’t like the way I do things are the same ones that live where (censored) like me aren’t needed. They don’t need bars on their windows. Their kids don’t even know anyone that has been shot. My ways are what it takes to get things done properly.

MH: Statistics show that crime within five miles of where you are active has dropped 73% over the last two weeks. Does that make you feel accomplished?

LR: Not at all, man. That just means that there are 27% of (censored) that don’t know the danger they are in when they cross me.

MH: Besides the public and law enforcements attention you’ve gotten some from local gangs.

LR: And?

MH: It would be silly for me to ask if you’re worried about being in danger. What about your friends and family?

LR: Believe me. The last thing they’d want to do is (censored) with someone I know.

(editors note: two days after this article was published Lewis Roberts mother was assaulted and his cousins house was burned; no arrests have been made)

"Hood" Part 1 of 3

"They Called Him 'Hood'"
By Mitch Harris

For three weeks solid it was all the media could talk about. A man who decided that he had seen enough and decided to do something about it. The public was on his side. The media was on his side. The online community was on his side. According to polls 70% of law enforcement was on his side. Depending on who you ask he started when he was a child. There are a few that believe it was more than one person. Some believe he does not even exist.

But he did.

And thank God that he did.

I had the opportunity to interview Lewis Roberts, better known to the public as “Hood”, two weeks into his campaign against crime. After placing ads in this very paper requesting a sit-down discussing who he was and why he began doing what many had considered but never attempted.

(editors note: writer Mitch Harris will be represented by “MH” and Lewis Roberts aka Hood will be LR)

I could barely contain my excitement the night before the meeting. My wife told me that she had not seen me this excited since the birth of our twin boys. My inner geek felt as if I were meeting Batman in the flesh. At 8am (odd crime fighting time if you ask me) a medium built but in shape Black male walks in. Short cut hair, a goatee, and a small diamond earring in his ear. Wearing a gray sweater and dark blue jeans with white sneakers he did not look like a man who instilled fear in the hearts of evil doers. He sat down and shook my hand as we ordered bacon and eggs with coffee for me and orange juice for him.

“Coffee makes me feel nervous” he told me. “Yeah, I know” he laughed. “Fighting some of the most dangerous people in the city doesn’t bug me at all but coffee makes me jittery. The irony isn’t lost on me.”

We both get our meals, eat, and begin talking. Most of the time he cast his eyes away from me and looked out of the window. I assumed it was for crime. Maybe he didn’t like my tie.

MH: Thank you very much for meeting with me. I have to say this is a very strange choice of locations.

LR: Were you expecting a cave or something?

MH: (laughs) Maybe.

LR: I’m just as normal as you.

MH: I’d beg to differ.

LR: I’m for real. I do everything you do. Maybe not as fancy but I’m just a normal guy.

MH: No super powers?

LR: No super powers. I’m no Johnny Panic.

(editors note: Walter Toner better known to the world as Johnny Panic the world’s only superhero)

MH: Have you been hurt? I mean, in your line of work injuries have to be a part of the job.

LR: I wouldn’t call it a “job.” I don’t get paid for this (censored). I just suit up and do what needs to be done. I think more people would do this if they…I don’t know. I would like to think that more people would do this but I haven’t met any of them yet. But, yeah, I’ve been hurt. (rolls up sweater sleeve exposing a large scar on his forearm) Happened when I was starting out. I didn’t know what the (censored) I was doing. Fun trying to explain this to my girlfriend.

MH: You have a girlfriend?

LR: “Behind every great man…” (laughs) I’m kidding.

MH: You are nothing like what I expected. I thought you’d be…

LR: Taller? Bigger? Darker?

MH: No. Meaner. When I heard about you I figured you were an ex-con that had enough. Or madman that needed to be stopped as soon as possible lest you inspire more likeminded sociopaths. No offense.

LR: None taken. I mean, on paper it does sound pretty crazy. Hell, out loud it sounds crazy.

MH: Are you crazy?

LR: If I were I wouldn’t know, right?

MH: Touché. So how did you begin a life of crime fighting?