Have we become so inured to crime that even when we’re confronted with the prospect of being robbed, we just shrug our shoulders and go on with our lives?
As unbelievable as that sounds, it happened in an Atlanta hair salon. A man walked through the door of the Nail First on Piedmont Road on Monday and yelled, “Everybody get down!” Ordinarily, a command like that would have resulted in customers throwing up their hands and scrambling to lie on the floor.
Not this time.
“Witnesses indicated the suspect entered the location wearing a blue hat, sunglasses, and blue jeans. The suspect demanded the patrons get on the ground and surrender their money. The suspect then fled the location in a silver in color sedan,” authorities said.
The man, who had a small crossbody bag covering his hand as if to conceal a weapon, turned to three women sitting by the door and instructed them to empty out their pockets and give him their money, the video shows. Again, no one moved.
The man then strolled over to a male employee and loudly demanded, “Where’s the money?”
“Hello?” the employee said, speaking to someone on the telephone.
The surreal incident continued. One of the women stood up, raised her hands in the air tentatively, and then just walked out the door, telling the man she didn’t have any money. The man failed in a couple of other attempts to get some money and then just gave up.”Everybody give me everything. Where’s the money?” he said before walking out.
Watch the three women at the table enjoying a snack. Did they look a little annoyed at the interruption?
Three women had been sitting at the front of the salon chatting, laughing and enjoying a snack when the man interrupted their conversation. But instead of following his directions, the women stayed put and just looked at him in bewilderment, and possibly even slight annoyance. One never stopped snacking as he got in their faces and again yelled for them to give him all their money.
Admittedly, the guy did not brandish a gun. But why the lack of reaction? Why the complacency? If a guy walks up to a bank teller and hands her a note to hand over all the money, she does so under the assumption that the would-be robber has a gun.
One final demand to get something, anything, out of the victims was answered by more apathy and nearly 10 seconds of silence. Defeated, the man turned to walk away, but not before taking the cellphone of one woman who stepped outside. The whole interaction took less than 50 seconds.
“He evoked not one ounce of fear in them people. He need(s) to find another job,” one person said of the suspect in a comment on a social media post of the video.
Another person said, “He gave up on himself … he wasn’t even convinced.”
Were the nail salon customers desensitized about crime and violence to the point of apathy? Or was the failed criminal not threatening enough? Either way, it’s certainly bizarre.
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