In Case of Emergency…

…do not call the Ugandan Police. 

That’s right.  Do not bother calling because chances are after 22 minutes and 17 seconds no one will pick up. 

Today I experienced just this.

Now Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, you can breathe.  I am okay.  Just shaken up from an inexplicable and isolated event that happened at In Movement today.

Around midday two men showed up on a boda and were just hanging out the place.  Now, we share our space with 32° East, an arts trust fund.  Due to this, there are people always coming and going.  Combine this with In Movement’s new vision to be a drop-in community center and we have new faces around all the time.

They walked around the space, reading about our programs and looking at our long to do lists.  We did not think anything of this as they bought sodas and kept to themselves.  I mean us at In Movement want for the community to view our space as being safe and secure.

Although this is quite the contrary to the mission these guys were on.

It was around 2:50p and my Burt’s Bees, computer, money, and rain jacket were stowed away inside my backpack.  I left it sitting in the garage, also known as my office, with our Program Manager Tush while I went to the bathroom. 

Side note.  I do this all the time.

As I was coming out of the bathroom, I saw Tush packing away some things from her office.  I decided to take the long way back to the garage so I could greet the 32° East staff and also to find out from Betty, the cook, how much I owed her for the piece of carrot cake she baked earlier.

Another side note.  That carrot cake made me forget about all delicious American cuisine for a minute.

As I am walking to get my 1,000 Shillings I hear Oscar, our Facilities Manager, yelling, “Thief!  Thief!”  Then in what seemed to be a flash I see two guys running out of the gate with a boda turned over on its side.  I then see blood streaming down from Oscar’s left hand.

The crime scene

It took me a minute to put everything together but I realized that those guys were not at In Movement using our space as a safe escape but rather a place to plot how to take our stuff.

Oscar explained that they were trying to take Tush’s laptop, which was laying out on one of the tables in the garage.  He told me to check my bag in case they took anything but everything was snug inside in its place.

One of the men apparently started the boda while the other one took the computer in his hands.  They began driving away but Oscar came to the rescue and pushed the boda over, causing them to loose balance and fall.  The laptop remained lying on the grass while the two fled the scene, leaving their beloved mode of transport behind.

Idiots.

Once we could account for everyone’s safety, Tush and I called the police, which was essentially an automated voice saying, “Welcome to Uganda Police.  Please hold.”  After 10 minutes of this nonsense, Tush and I decided to go to the police station to file a report.  This was after the car got stuck in a drainage ditch and we were required to sign a guest book.

Oh Uganda.

We finally made it inside, with the message still playing.  After making a scene about this emergency 999 number no longer functioning, we were able to speak with the officer, who eventually lead us to the detectives who eventually came to In Movement to take statements and pictures of the “simple robbery” crime scene.

You want to know what the officer’s response to my question about informing the public about this new emergency number. 

Of course you do.

“Madame.  It is on a need to know basis.”

We took the officers back to In Movement to take statements and take pictures of the scene.  I am betting that the camera the detectives used once belonged to a teenager, as it was purple and sparkly.  Probably stolen from Owino Market.

Tush inquired what the future would hold and whether or not we would be informed.  One of the detectives explained that they would take the boda back and communicate to us when any advancement was made on the investigation. 

My guess is that they will wait at the station with the boda until someone inquires about its presence.  They will then most likely take a hefty bribe from the individual to get the boda back since nothing was actually taken. 

Not surprised.

In the end, everyone at 32° East and In Movement was okay, including the Toshiba laptop.  We were just shaken up that a space that we have opened up to so many could be seized in an instant.

This won’t stop In Movement from opening its gate to the community and the youth. 

This is the work we do.

This is the space we work to create.

But watch out thieves, we will not tolerate that.