A Postmodern Crime at TED2009
I have so many things to say about this week at TED2009. So many stories. So very many images. And, of course, what it was like to be a photographer at such a grand event. But, to start, I want to share a very unique story. One that has no photographs to adequately illustrate it. One that will leave a permanent impression on me.
It happened after working the first full day of the conference on Wednesday night. After shooting the block party. After finishing handing off the last images of the day to the rest of the photo crew. I was walking back to my hotel, the Hilton, down Ocean Boulevard. It's a 3/4 mile walk. Not a big deal, even with a backpack full of camera gear on my back. It wasn’t pleasant on feet that were sore from the day, but not bad. Mostly, I thought of if as a good way to unwind after a very full day.
As I walked under the trees by the civic center, I was grabbed from behind. Both of my arms were pulled back alongside my backpack effectively pinning my upper body. A man’s voice said, “I need your badge right fucking now!”
In a state of disbelief, and thinking this must be a very poor joke on the part of some drunk asshole, I started turning around to see who it was.
“Don’t look at my face,” my assailant said tightening his grip on my upper arms. “I need to get into the event. I need your badge. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”
Realizing that this wasn’t quite the drunken prank I first made it out to be, I suddenly found myself sizing up the situation I was in. I remember looking around to evaluate my surroundings. I was in dark shade under the trees. There were some people ahead of me on the sidewalk. The street was lit and a few cars were going by. My badge was hanging around my neck and inside the badge holder was my hotel key, a WhiBal, some filter gels, and some business cards. The detail of what I remember thinking about are interestingly vivid.
My attacker wasn’t what you might expect. Yes, Long Beach has a reputation and this isn’t the greatest area. But, he didn’t fit any of those stereotypes. He was white. My height, maybe a tad taller. Decently dressed in clean clothes. Neutral smelling. Close cropped hair, light I think. A bit of stubble on his cheek. And light eyes, maybe blue. Spoke neutral english. The kind of guy that would fit right in at the event without attracting attention. Of course, my description of hair and eye color are suspect because of the low light conditions and the rapidity of the event—not to mention I only got a look at the side of his face.
There were questions in my head as well. Questions like why didn’t he want my wallet? Or the camera gear on my back? Who the hell tries to mug somebody for a badge to a conference? Of course, it wasn’t just any conference. It was TED. A place where all sorts of people connect and network. People like Bill Gates, who I had photographed earlier that day. A photo that ran on NBC television and many other news outlets including newspapers around the world.
I thought about the fact that my badge was an all-access pass to the show and to its attendees. Sure, it has my name and my photo on it, but even if I reported it stolen, it could possibly be modified with a different photo or be used to slip past a distracted security guard at the venue or any of the parties. As all of this went through my head, I said, “You can’t have my badge. That’s just not going to happen.”
That wasn’t the answer my assailant wanted. “Look. You see those people coming towards us? They’re with me and they are going to help me fuck you up if you don’t give me that badge right now!” His pull on my arms around my backpack was tightened even more as I tried to pull away.
Realizing that I couldn’t use my upper body at all—my left arm was screaming in pain at that point and my right wasn’t far behind—but stubbornly determined not to acquiesce to his demands, I started fighting my way to the curb. To the light. To where other people could see what was going on. It wasn’t easy. I tweeked my knee in the process. And I did try to break one of my arms free so that I could put an elbow into him.
As I made progress to the curb, yelling at the top of my lungs, my attacker suddenly let me go and fled, running into the night.
I walked out into the middle of the street—literally the dead center of the road—and called 911. The phone rang and rang and rang. After what seemed like an eternity, well over a minute in real time, I was finally connected and then transferred to the Long Beach Police Department. Right as I started talking to the dispatch agent, a police cruiser drove by and I flagged it down.
The Long Beach police officers I talked to were great. They took my report—yes, I filed a formal report including agreeing to come back to Long Beach to testify if needed—and then drove me around for a while to look for the guy who attacked me. Other police cars were involved as well. But, even with all the information I could give, we didn't find the guy. Nor have the police contacted me since. My attacker will most likely remain unknown and unpunished.
After the fact, in the hours and days since it happened, I’ve asked myself so many questions. Not just to the nature of the attack, as bizarre as it was, but also my reactions. Why didn’t I give up the badge? What if my assailant had carried out his threats? What if he were armed with a knife or worse? In retrospect, I can remember so many details of what happened. But at the time, it was happening so fast that rational thought wasn’t part of the agenda.
As much as I remember observing in the situation, I didn’t have enough mental bandwidth to do much logical or critical thinking. My instinct said not to give up unless I had more proof that bodily harm was imminent. I didn’t want to give into the threat and do what would have been easy and expedient. As it turned out, my instinct was right. But it could have worked out differently. I dwell a bit on my actions every time I think of it. Logic says that I should have given him my badge, alerted the TED folks, and had the security folks be on the lookout for the bastard. After all, they could more closely inspect staff badges for tampering knowing that there are only just so many of them to look at. Too bad I didn’t think of that at the time.
I do wonder about the motives of my attacker. I can only think of a few possibilities. Maybe the guy was a paparazzi wanting to get photos of the celbs walking about. Maybe he wanted access to the various rich and influential people that were at the conference so that he could pitch them on his hot new idea. Or maybe he meant somebody else harm. I’ll probably never know. All I know is that he didn’t want money. He wanted access.
Cash isn’t always the most important currency.
Three days later, the bruises have cycled through a few different ugly colors but are hopefully soon to fade. My knee is getting towards fine. Most of all, this moment of time—so postmodern feeling in nature—is now part of my story at TED. A place where great thinkers and optimists gather. A place that feels like a world apart but is still intrinsically part of the world that we all live in day to day. A place still subject to the lesser qualities of man even as it inspires its attendees to listen to their better angels. An event important enough that people are willing to commit crimes to gain access.
62 Comments
Wow, crazy story! Glad you're alright. Looking forward to seeing more pics & videos from TED.
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James,
What an incredible, sad and weird event to have occur to you. I think we were all so caught up in the bliss of the TED environment that even the thought that this could occur seems like something out of a prank television show.
I'm so glad you are ok. Unfortunately it does seem like someone pushing for some sort of access to the party.
It was great to have you at the event, and I hope that this weird incident didn't reduce your enjoyment of the rest of the conference.
Best,
-Austin Hill
Akoha & TED Balloon video guy :)
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Well, if he was using both his arms, one to hold each of yours, he couldn't have grabbed a weapon without giving you a chance to run or fight. And you're a reasonably healthy well-built not-too-old guy. So I wouldn't call your actions entirely irrational.
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One thing you definitely gained from the experience is knowing that even when controlled thought isn't an option, your automatic response still had your back to not just hand everything over. Very strong. I'm sure we're all glad you're okay.
> But at the time, it was happening so fast that rational thought wasn’t part of the agenda.
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Austin, as much as I'll remember that night, no, it didn't reduce my enjoyment of the conference at all. In fact, I think it gave me even more of an appreciation for the value of the event. In an odd sort of way...
I love the balloon video. So amazing that you caught that thing taking flight! :)
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Tim, you're absolutely right. Thanks for that vote of confidence. I know that I shouldn't over think the what if's too much, but I can't help a bit of it.
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That is a very troubling story and one that reflects on the dangers that the realtime exposure (via Twitter etc.) TED had over the past week. You were lucky. Stay well.
Sincerely,
Steven
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Forget this 'Logic says that I should have given him my badge . . .' crap.
You were brave, you stood up to him, you didn't let this guy win. Yes, you were scared; yes, you were worried, and alone. That's what bravery is, doing what's right even when you're scared, and worried, and alone.
All this modern politically-correct garbage about how we should just hand over our wallets, our cameras, our badges, is just that - garbage. You didn't risk serious injury or death over a badge - you risked it to protect others. You knew that this guy was a criminal or a lunatic, and that either way, once he had the badge, there's no telling what might've happend. He might well've passed it off to an accomplice who looked nothing like him at all, and we have no idea what kind of harm might've resulted from that.
One lesson to be learned is to stow away access credentials when not on premises which require their display. I learned that lesson many years ago in D.C., and it's served me well, ever since. Credentials can make you a target.
The bottom line here is that you did the right thing, you put yourself on the line for the sake of others, and should be proud for having done so. And you did it without even thinking.
You did good, guy.
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Hey Duncan, glad you're ok. In the beginning of the story it didn't look all that good.
You're a hero ;-) Not the smartest hero, but nevertheless ;-)
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Wow Duncan...I always knew you had heroic instincts, and I agree with Tim that your reactions weren't unreasonable given who you are. I grew up very near Long Beach and I'm just glad it wasn't a typical mugger you ran into...one who thought he had more to lose than you. Good on you for having the presence of mind to act.
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Wow.. This has me baffled! What could have been the motive to mug someone for an access pass? Especially when TED fans can watch it free online. Anyone who wants to truly take anything away from the conference wouldn't resort to mugging. So I think I will put my mind to rest with the conclusion that this was most likely a celebrity chasing journalist. :)
While I am at it, are the TED delegates some elite list of people, or can someone who wants to attend find a way to make the list?
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Man, Michael Arrington really must be desperate about getting into TED. The whining was bad, but mugging?!
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Glad to hear that you are okay.
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Absolutely uncanny. But don't overthink it, James – who wouldn't fight to the death to save their TED badge? Ha.
(And if they don't, they simply don't deserve it – because it's a "badge" in the literal sense of a pass, sure, but also in the broader metaphorical sense of a cultural badge that captures your brightest aspirations, your deepest beliefs, your most profound ideals.)
I think you hit the nail on the head by saying, "Cash isn’t always the most important currency." The access to "ideas worth spreading" is – and that's more than worth fighting for.
- Maria Popova
@brainpicker
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Glad you are alright Duncan.
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Duncan:
That's is a crazy story. Weird how in the midst of the action, the brain makes us do and acts in special way to protect ourself.
Glad you came out without physical harm and ok.
Love your work.
L8er - Martin
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Wow. What a post. Glad to read you are ok.
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I'm glad that everything turns out well for you.
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Duncan-
Glad you came out of this incident whole! I've been thinking a bit on the threat model for conference attendees (I'm a security geek), and this attempt to steal an all-access conference pass is pretty worrisome. :-(
http://bobmah.wordpress.com/2009/02/08/conference-crime/
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This man was a terrible mugger. You saw his face? He held both of your arms with both of his arms?
Then again, never having mugged anyone I'm not in a position to judge. Any muggers out there want to grade this one for us?
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Wow. It just makes me ill that someone would stoop so low as to try to do something like this. I'm so glad that you are okay.
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Wow, glad you're okay. Crazy story.
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christ, I'm glad you're okay. My mind's running wild with all sorts of theories and I'm not sure I want to know why he needed to get into the event. You may just have averted a terrorist attack. :)
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Possibilities:
>he may be the local guy who want to get the pass for the showoff.
>he may have some kind of bet with his friends.
>he doesn't seems to be criminal as he don't want the money, so possible he may be a savvy under recession who have a uncompleted desire to attend the TED.
I must say its your disparate desire of not giving up until and unless trying something but best thing is that you are absolutely safe.
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What a story!
I had a similar experience in Istanbul where I was threatened with a knife, but simply refused to give up my stuff. During the next few days it dawned on me that the events of that night could have turned out very differently, but they didn't. My instinct, like yours, was right.
If you want to read my story and share your thoughts, check it out here:
http://www.basbasbas.com/blog/2009/01/12/how-i-got-robbed-in-istanbul/
It's great to see someone go through exactly the same mental process and also blogging about it. Although your attempted robbery is a lot more surreal than mine.
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Did he offer you any gold bars as payment for the past injustices done against you? Kidding aside, glad you're okay, and that the perp ran. The mystery remains to be embellished in the retelling to great-grandchildren of tomorrow.
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Wow, that's quite a story. I'm glad that it turned out well and sorry that it happened to you.
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Wow - I'm just amazed to hear of this happening at TED, glad you are okay and didn't get hurt.
Something similar happened to a fellow volunteer SXSW crew chief during the music festival when someone ran up and yanked his platinum badge/all access badge off its lanyard. You would think that we'd never see the guy again due to the number of venues and it being Friday night, but he was apprehended within two hours - wearing the badge.
Not a good idea to steal from a crew chief from Special Venues, considering we provided crowd control and line management support at every venue. Club security and cashiers knew our faces very well!
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Duncan,
I'm glad you're recovering nicely. Don't beat yourself up about it. No matter your options, you did what seemed right at the time. And you came out of it stronger and more aware.
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Great story, but most importantly, it's good to hear that you escaped relatively unharmed.
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That's so insane. I was thinking..if you let him have the badge, wouldn't it be possible to report this to TED's security "quietly" and then ""grab" him when he attempted to access any area of the conference with your unique badge ID? I mean, surely there is a system that is able to tell security exactly who has accessed a particular talk.
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Dear Duncan,
On behalf of the TED staff, we want to thank you for your courage and heroism, putting the needs of the community (a possible future security breach with your all-access pass) ahead of your personal safety. You are a true TED Hero!
We are extremely distressed by what happened to you, and so thankful that you were not seriously injured. We certainly understand why you were shaken up. We are very disturbed by the nature of the assault. We will make sure that the police do indeed follow up.
I'm personally impressed by your grace under fire, and your quick thinking.
Our number one job is the safety of TEDsters at all times. We are in the process of taking concrete steps with city and the police department to make sure an incident like this doesn't happen again at future TEDs.
Please let us know if there are any other ways we can help.
Once again thank you for your courage and your heroism.
Sincerely,
Tom Rielly
TED Community Director
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Duncan! Whoah! What a heroic act! I took that same route many times during the day and night and remember feeling creeped out everytime I passed that treed area. You ARE a TED hero. So nice of Tom to point that out. You sacrificed yourself for the safety and integrity of the conference. So glad you escaped relatively unscathed.
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Next time just give up your badge. Get out of the situation and then call 911.
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You deserve a TED talk next year.
Great story, thank you.
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Next time just give up your badge. Get out of the situation and then call 911. Your life and health is way more important than any job or conference.
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I've been blessed in my photographic endeavors to have been spared any harm. I'm reminded that bad things can happen. While I can get lost in what I'm shooting, it's a good idea to be aware of what's going on around me, even if I'm looking through the view finder. Thinking ahead, about how I'd use a mono or tripod as a weapon, if needed.
Duncan, thanks for sharing the experience. You acted brilliantly. More importantly, it's great to hear you're OK. On a brighter note, I'm looking forward to hearing more about the positive aspects of photographing TED.
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Thank you for keeping us safe!
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"my left arm was literally screaming in pain at that point..."
It probably wasn't.
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Shocking story! In my experience desperate criminals employ very little logic indeed!
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Holy moly, that's some seriously bad stuff. Thank God you came out in one piece.
I'm quite impressed by your cool and bravery in these circumstances. Safe recovery for the bruises !
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Someone tried to mug me like this once. For my bicycle.
I was amazed at how quickly screaming for help at the top of my lungs defused the situation. Apparently over 11 people called the police, and the mugger was apprehended by police a block away.
I distinctly remember the mugger saying "whoa, no need to get upset over this" once my cries for help started.
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I'm not sure you understand the meaning of "literally"
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It's funny when a pedantic comment is left by a user named "Pedant". It's a nice touch considering so many editorial comments come across as condescending. I'm not sure why that is, but after years of doing this, and making similar setences that could benefit from a kind edit, it's a pattern I've noticed. Anyway, just wanted to point out that I appreciate the self awareness of the commenter.
The dictionary on Mac OS X points out: In recent years, an extended use of literally (and also literal) has become very common, where literally (or literal) is used deliberately in nonliteral contexts, for added effect: : they bought the car and literally ran it into the ground. This use can lead to unintentional humorous effects ( : we were literally killing ourselves laughing) and is not acceptable in formal English. My usage definitely falls into this case...
In any case, Point taken. I took out the word.
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What a crazy story, Duncan. I am so glad to hear that you are alright and see that TED Community organizers have posted a response themselves.
I often discover after leaving a conference or exclusive event that I have forgotten to remove my "Hi my name is..." tag or access pass, and when I do discover it I wonder about the risks of broadcasting to strangers on the street my name/location and career.
Yes, had you let him take the pass the event security could have looked for him at the event, but you removed the risk of him being at the event with your bravery - if willing to physically assault you to get your access pass, I could only imagine what level of violence he would resort to once inside the event.
Perhaps instead of an old-fashioned access pass around your neck with a picture, next year they'll go hi-tech with an SMS cell phone pass (at least its not advertising to people that you're attending TED) or a key fob?
Thank you for sharing the story and your insights.
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I am with Roland Dobbins on this part - Forget this 'Logic says that I should have given him my badge . . .' crap.
James, in considering your reaction in the moment this happened, you might want to check out the book, The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker. I expect you assessed the situation faster than your "logical thinking" could keep up with. And that's okay.
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Wow. I'm just glad you're alright Duncan. Seriously.
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Glad you're OK. Sorry to be a Monday-morning quarterback, but your life is worth more than a badge, a blog post, or a conference. If that idiot had stuck a knife in you, your obituary would have read:
"He gave his life for a ...WTF!!!"
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Hey man I can't believe that!!
My friend and I met you on Monday before the TED conference, we were the ones setting up the wheelchair ramp and trying to hustle you for tickets! I just found this article from reddit. I can't believe that happened to you! We were thinking of doing the same thing!??!?!! Glad to hear you weren't taken in the back of a van and thrown in the ocean. You really got to wonder, what the guy wanted out of access to the thing..
Pretty cool how life works, that I met you and now find this crazy story by you off reddit!
Great post man, how was the conference besides the mugging? Did you tell Bill Gates to save the world?
- Pat
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Hey James, this is John, the other guy building the wheelchair ramp, and I also found this story on Reddit and also think that that is fucking insane that we saw you and tried to hustle you for tickets and then you got mugged and then we saw the story on Reddit.
Fucking nuts!
Glad you're alright and I hope everything went okay at the conference besides the would-be-mugging. Did you tell Seth Godin to buy Rogain?
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Its better to trust your own instinct than to blindly follow the mantras society is always handing us.
Your brain assessed the situation, determined the guy was not the threat he pretended to be and you took the action that only you could have seen was appropriate.
In the future, bring your remotely detonated plastique explosive badge holder for TED. Not only will you be ending the threat to the peaceloving conference goers, you will undoubtedly be helping many people dispose of one of the assholes they have to deal with.
Just kidding about all that, but we are definitely not filtering the pond scum as well as we should be.
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A weird and, I think, rather amateurish (yet no less serious) crime: how could anyone possibly be that desperate to get into TED? If it ever happens again, letting your legs go limp will break the hold; as someone else pointed out already, having both the attacker's arms in use pinning yours was a tactical mistake. It sounds to me as if someone had offered a significant amount of cash for a stolen TED badge, which is rather a worrying thing for them.
Somehow, I doubt the little conference I'm helping run in April will be the target of such things - but then, I'd have said the same about TED until reading this! There will be a pair of Mac-using photographers covering it as well, albeit as a second hat to our IT roles (me with a D300 with 18-200 and the 50mm f/1.8, my colleague with a Canon and assorted prime lenses: full-frame is a bit beyond our budgets). I'm reminded of one review which noted that the Nikon body in question (the D300, I think) was eye-wateringly expensive, but built solidly enough to be used to beat any mugger to death...
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I'm glad you're okay. But I'd urge other readers here not to reduce their odds in the same way:
1) Pay attention. Walking, alone, at night in a strange town, with valuables, tired, and with a tourist tag... then not seeing that someone was waiting in a dark spot? That behavior leads to being wormfood. Keep your eyes open.
2) If someone goes aggro on you, figure he may have a blade, and was trained in prison how to use it. You won't see it. It's not worth getting cut.
3) If you're grabbed, give him the damn card, your wallet, your camera. (Particularly when he's got friends coming!) Train yourself so your priorities are instinctive.
4) Learn your local police number, and when travelling, the local emergency number. 911 gets pumped with spam. Local police/fire numbers work faster.
5) Consider carrying a pocket tactical flashlight with finger strap, like the Surefire Stylus Pro.
6) And for readers here, for gosh sakes get your eyes up off the iPhone and looking around when you're on the street. Pedestrians with "device blindness" are an A#1 target for street wolves.
No blame on you, Duncan... in an emergency it's hard to think. But your reflexes raised the risk unnecessarily. If someone's got their arms on you, you can't take the chance they've got a blade.
Glad you're still here with us!
jd
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Crazy story! Glad you're okay.
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Is it just me or do Patrick Mckee and John Brzezicki seem a little suspicious?
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Sri, TED attracts a pretty elite crowd, but anybody can apply to attend. The TED website has information on how to submit an application. It's not cheap, however, to attend. If you are accepted, a pass costs $6000.
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Bas, wow! That’s a hell of a story you have. Reading it, I can so imagine myself in your position now. Just the shear WTF aspect of the early moments of realizing things are very different than you expect is a very strange place to be.
I'm glad that it turned out OK for you in the end. Whew!
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Pedro, the passes weren't being scanned for RFID or barcodes. They were just visually inspected by security as you went through the checkpoints. That was one of the reasons I was very loath to hand over the pass. Even if I reported it as stolen, a clever practitioner of social engineering could have put it to good use, especially in the first few hours at the off-site events that were then currently going on.
Even so, after the report of the incident, security measures were tightened up.
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Tom, I have to say that you and the rest of the TED staff have been awesome through and through dealing with this incident. I love you guys!
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Mary, thanks for the book recommendation. I'll have to check it out.
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Debbie, I'm sure that from now on, I'll be much more aware of tucking away credentials like this. I usually am at so many other events. For some reason, TED was different—at least until this night.
The TED organizers have been fantastic in their responses to what happened. I can't say enough fantastic things on their behalf.
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Good thing that you're fine.
Btw, for future references the best word to scream for help is 'FIRE'.
Studies apparently showed that people don't respond when people yell 'help' but 'fire' gets more attention. If it happens again I'd yell both.
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