Men in Gray.

[Calipro]

I was still in Bogota with my wife on the 17th of Jan., after having gone to the embassy on the 15th.  We were staying at the La Bohéme hotel located right in the middle of the zona rosa. I don’t know what happen to my toothbrush but I could not find it on the morning of the 17th, so I told my wife I was going out to buy one at about 10:30 am. I should have taken my little bodyguard with me but I didn’t.

I walked all over zona rosa and I couldn’t find a shop that sold a tooth brush and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t find one in Andino’s or Atlantis either. So I started walking straight down the street from my hotel until I hit a main street about two blocks away. Around the corner on the left, I found a drug store one of those one’s with the red and yellow striped signs.

After I bought my toothbrush and I was leaving, I was approached by a woman in her mid fifties. She asked me if I knew where the Avianca Postal was and told me that she was from Mexico and didn’t know her way around. I told her that I was from the U.S. and that I couldn’t be of much help. Anyway she just keeps talking bla, bla .bla.

After a few minutes, a tall clean-cut guy in a gray suite approaches and introduces himself to us. She asks him if he knows where the Avianca Postal is and he tells her it is just down the street. She also tells him that she is a foreigner and then he asks me where I am from and I say the U.S. He also asks how long I have been in town and how long I will be staying. I told him that I arrived in Bogota on the 14th and that I’ll be leaving on the 19th.

This gut is very congenial and personable, stands about six feet tall but his demeanor is not the least bit intimidating to me anyway. He tells me and the old lady that he is an under cover policeman that works this stretch of the street catching drug dealers and people buying arms. He wimps out his wallet and shows us an official looking ID. Then he tells us that if we have any problems what so ever or if we witness a crime we should not hesitate to call him as he writes down his name and number for each of us on a blank piece of white paper from his wallet.

Oh and by the way he would have to take both of us to the police station so he could record the serial numbers off our money along with our passport numbers.  He says this was just a routine procedure and it would take much time. There are a lot of foreigners buying drugs on the street and he would need the serial numbers off our bills and our passport numbers so that if any drug dealers were caught with these bills they would know where the money had come from.

Bells start going off in my head. This guy is a thief and a con artist. This is a textbook example of what is on the state department’s web site for travel warnings for Colombia.

So I ask him we both have to go the police station and he says correct, we will have to follow him. It is about a block away on the other side of the street.

So he and the old lady start across this very busy street but I don’t. After they get across the street they look back at me. There is a lot of traffic on the street and at the moment nobody could get across. So I’m thinking I’m just going to start heading back to the hotel a forget this every happened. But, the old lady is just staring at me and I’m thinking she has absolutely no idea she is about to get robbed. So, I crossed the street and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The guy starts walking well ahead of the old lady and me so I have no problem having a conversation with her without him hearing what I am saying. I start asking her doesn’t she think this guy is a crook and she says no; he has a police ID and I’m just going to do what he says. I tell her that I have read but this type of a con in Bogota on the Internet. She is listening to me but she keeps following this guy.

Then we come to a break in the buildings and we cut through to a smaller side street and we stop under a tree. It’s about 11:30 am and there are still a lot of people even on this small street with a mix of both houses and small businesses.

The guy tells the old women that he needs her money and her passport and she gives it to him. He says the police station is just about a half a block away and that he is going to record the numbers and be right back. The guy starts walking away and takes a right out of sight and I’m telling this lady she just got ripped off.
Then a guy in a gray suit crosses the street right in front of us and she asks him mister is there a police station just down there. He says yes there is. And is it a common practice for police around here to check the serial numbers on the money to see if it ends up in the hands of criminals. He says they do it all the time just stand here and the police officer will be back in a few minutes.

Sure enough I look up and this guy is walking back. He walks right up to the lady and hands her the money and her passport back and tells her everything is fine. My head is spinning as it hits me like a freight train that this old woman is working with him.

He turns around and tells me that I will have to give him my passport and money so he can record the numbers. I told him that I wasn’t going to give him my money and I thinking I’m sure as hell not going to give him my passport.

I turn around to walk away and there are two guys standing right behind me. Both of them are wearing gray suites. One is the guy who crossed the street in front of us and the other guy I have no idea were he came from and I have eyes in the back of my head.

This guy pushes me with both hands to the chest and says NO! This is the first time physical contact is made and I freak. I bolt right past the guy so that I am not in the middle of them and then I turn around and face off.

I have never done this before in my life. But, I started screaming POLICIA! as load as I could. They started streaming that they are the police and to shut up. But, I just kept yelling POLICIA! People started coming out of their houses and businesses. Not that they of they were going to give me a hand, I guess they just wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

Finally the ring leader says all right shut up we’re leaving and they just turned around and walked away like nothing had happened. WOW! I was surprised this tactic worked so well. Three guys and a 50 plus year old women with a handbag against one unarmed American, I thought they would have put up more of a fight.

As I was walking back to the hotel, I ran into four police officers and I told them what happened. They showed me their ID’s and asked me if his ID looked like theirs and I said no. Their ID’s have a yellowish green back ground with emblems that are kind of the emblems on a VISA card that change colors when you look at it from different angles. The emblems say polica nacional in a circle and all official police ID’s have a picture the police officer on them.

Also, for anybody that is wondering the trip to the embassy to turn in my wife’s paper work was uneventful.

[Frank O]

... in response to Men in Gray., posted by Calipro on Jan 21, 2003

Me & a friend have gotten robbed (well he has) twice in the last 6 months by the MExican POLICE. So I guess you did pretty good. We decided next time we were going to have a code "word" to say if we thought we could take em out. If we did then we would say another word & explode on them & ROB THEM to teach em a lessonl

[Texman]

... in response to In MExico the REAL POLICE are the thiefs..., posted by Frank O on Jan 24, 2003

Please don't do this.  Remember, they have more friends in Mexico then you do!  And assaulting a cop ANYWHERE is never a good idea.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Men in Gray., posted by Calipro on Jan 21, 2003

A number of guide books state that the best policy is to just not come to a stop if someone accosts you on the street, man or woman in any Colombian city. You can answer but keep moving. If it's a begger asking for a coin in the Candalaria give him/her one but keep moving. Less a danger these days than in the past but still a signifcant risk is escalopalamine which in addition to making you defenceless can cause permanent blindness if not treated. My fiance told me never open the door to a stranger. Ask them what they want through the window. That way they can't throw the drug at you then walk in and rob you. Your storey is a good lesson for of us. "!Hay que estar pilas!" and keep walking!

[Celt]

... in response to Re: Men in Gray., posted by Cali vet on Jan 21, 2003

In Cali, my family-in-law lives in a two-story house. When
someone rings the door bell and requests something, they
lower a basket on a line to either give or receive parcels.
There is no interaction involved. This is pretty common in
Cali for the locals. I wonder how people handle things in a
one-story house?

In the expensive (comparatively) W. side of Cali, alot of
houses had night-guards in front.

[mudd]

... in response to Men in Gray., posted by Calipro on Jan 21, 2003

boy, this story sounds fimilar, except we were robbed in a taxi by two men with a gun, but it was in cali. since then, i have learned a lesson, unless you are with a local, never talk to strangers, and just ignore everybody, unless they are in a police uniform or military uniform,and then still be weary.

[Pete E]

... in response to Men in Gray., posted by Calipro on Jan 21, 2003

I understand your hesitation.In a strange country you don't want to p--s off a guy who might be a policeman.It doesn't help that the cops themselves have such a bad reputation.Plus if you say no they may just decide to rob you.
Colombia needs to take care of its tourists if they ever expect to have many.Guys like this need a few years in the  local prison system.
Someone was bragging up Bogota crime rastes recently.Do they consider shakedown artists like this?
A Geologist I knew ,on a job for the government of Peru,was the victim of a attempted shakedown by real cops.He told them to go to hell,they finally decided they had the wrong guy.(this was many years ago)
What a bunch of Frito Banditos.How do they think they are ever going to join the first world tolerating this type of BS?

Pete

[Wasp]

... in response to Re: Men in Gray., posted by Pete E on Jan 21, 2003

How can Colombia join the First World tolerating this stuff?

Well, I remember in Florida a few years ago they didn't even bother with the elaborate scam set-up. They just killed the tourists and took the money.

[colman]

... in response to Re: Men in Gray., posted by Pete E on Jan 21, 2003

Notorious for local, county and state police stopping people just because of the color of thier skin. Please, if anyone is going to complain about this FACT--kiss my hairy Colombian-American butt! I hear in conversations how non-minority people saying--"well they might stop you but they wont beat you up like before"--you know the same logic some idiots justified the enslavement of human beings--"well at least in here, they dont starve themselves to death like in their native Africa"--I mean c'mon please!!!! --Colman

[burbuja2]

... in response to Yeah it sucks but the U.S. is.............., posted by colman on Jan 21, 2003

Do you constantly find it necessary to try to show "that's its equally bad here" every time someone posts a negative experience in Colombia?  I'm not sure that the purpose of this board is to discuss the relative merits between Colombia and the U.S..  Your position is quite clear; you don't need to beat us over the head with it.  You are a parody of an immigrant who lauds his home country while disparaging the one he is in.  All this leads to the obvious question which others have asked you:  Don't you know the way to the airport?  Please skip the lenghty reply.  The question calls for a si o no answer.

[colman]

... in response to Why Colman why..., posted by burbuja2 on Jan 21, 2003

--Well whether you believe it or not people from this forum have e-mailed me concerning question about Colombian customs, idiosyncrancies, and traditions of which I was happy to answer them to the best of my ability coming from a Colombian-American point of view. The answer to the first question of your paragraph is "because its true!" and if you dont like it well you have the right to skip over my comments but you also have a right to comment on them just as you did and just as I am doing--;0---and to answer the latter half of your paragraph--you amuse me--you seem very intelligent to use the old "if you dont like it here then get out" excuse for someone whom is a "true American"--A true American asserts his/her right of spreading "awareness" to try to improve the social status quo of the United States of America--and please save me the "complaining" title added to me because not only do I BIT&*H like a "true American" but I also "do". Yes I talk the talk and I walk the walk--yes I live in Chicago and do complain about the gang-bangers and drugs but I also volunteer at Chicago CAPS meetings (community alternative police) I do volunteer at The Boys Club--so spare me the usual rhetoric cr@p thrown at people--who are a little "out of line"--God bless you- P.S. What is an American?

[burbuja2]

... in response to I'll be happy to tell you why..., posted by colman on Jan 22, 2003

But your disjointed stream-of-consciousness drivel really bores me.  As much as I "enjoy" your never-ending complaints, I have Fox, CNN and a myriad of other sources of information so that I might draw my own conclusions as to what's wrong with the U.S.  Most of your ridiculous posts laud Colombia and criticize the U.S.. I am simply asking a valid question;  A seemingly simple solution to an obvious problem you yourself have posed. If you feel so strongly that the U.S. is such a bad place and Colombia is such a good place, why do you elect to stay here?

[colman]

... in response to Yo Colman,  You Didn't Tell Me A Thing....., posted by burbuja2 on Jan 22, 2003

I see you cant stop getting enough of me-I am flatterd--anyway I never said that Colombia is paradise--all I have stressed is ALL COUNTRIES are not paradise. My points have been the same all the time U.S. has its POSITIVES and NEGATIVES like any other country. Lastly, I will soon have the priviledge of living in Colombia without losing my United States citizenship (dual citizenship) being born and raised here like most likely you are. You know I understand that people get frustrated when immigrants (including Europeans) cant understand a lick of english but on the other side of the coin I truely believe their are native born Americans whom sub-consciously are a little bitter or envious that there are people whom can speak 2 languages thus, knowing twice the knowledge (enjoying books, movies, music, talking to different people in 2 distictive languages and unique experiences)--KNOWLEDGE = POWER. Finally your last sentence seems to insinuate my lack of  allegience to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA--PLEASE......................I know you have used up all your smokescreens and you are getting desperate but this is ridiculous?!?!?!?! Once and for all a true American is one who is not afraid to question AND do something about the status quo of the negative things THAT CAN be changed through awareness, education and understanding, and last but not least--look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what is an American--God bless you--Colman

[burbuja2]

... in response to Re: Yo Colman,  You Didn't Tell Me A Thi..., posted by colman on Jan 23, 2003

I know two languages as well. Its just that I don't consistently feel the need to put another nationality and a hyphen in front of the word American to describe myself in every post.  In any event, I'm certainly not crticicizing your right to express an opinion, or to maintain an interest in your Colombian heritage.  I say this to you in a friendly manner and I hope you take it as such:  Some times your posts come off as being extreme and inflammatory.  Your subsequent explanations tend to be a little more moderate.  Please understand that I welcome debate, and that only comes from a diversity of opinions.  I also know that there are many things here which need to be improved here and that a society ceases to be dynamic when it becomes complacent.  However, I do get somewhat perplexed  when an individual from another country portrays himself as a victim of American society, constantly references his country of birth in utopian terms, but yet elects remains here. Do you see how that might suggest a not-so-hidden agenda?  Best wishes to you in your community activities y nos vemos.

[colman]

... in response to And To Conclude..., posted by burbuja2 on Jan 23, 2003

I agree 110% agree on your observation of people being born in another country, emigrating to the United States and constantly only talking about the NEGATIVE aspects in this country. When I was in college I saw this 90% of the time with Europeans who were studying here in America. After observing this I laughed to find out these Europeans (mostly British, German, Russian, Yugoslav, Italian, Dutch, and also some Japanese) were talking so much cr@p about the U.S.---some native born Americans would agree with them, others try to give an explaination, others wanted to punch thier lights out but did not have the time. I? Well the reason I laughed was I HAD to go up to these and tell them about the 99% of macarbe they have commited--unlike MOST native born Americans (you cant possibly disagree with me with this one but as a WHOLE we Americans tend to be UN-worldly, not no zilch about other nations-thier customs or traditions) I tend to love geography and different cultures I told them FOR ME it was hard to rationalize thier view on American world affairs when Stalin (Russia) killed over 20 million of his own people-when Hitler (Germany)-caused the deaths of  6 million Jews and countless gypsies, slavs and two world-wars-when Italy under Facists governments killed tens of thousands of Libyans and Ethiopians for land expansion when France had at one time about 12-satellite states (Algeria, Senegal, Haiti, Polynesian islands, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,  where there was constant genocide or Britain with its countless deaths via genocide, imperialism, economic dominance over a minority, apartheid in South Africa or the Dutch with their brutal hunger for money and exploiting children in Sierra Leone and Liberia-exploiting thier dominance over the diamond industry and most recently the "ethnic cleansing" in the Yugoslav region--I mean if a Jamaican or South African "complains" about how thier governments treat the indegenious people--my ears are open--because this is GENUINE!!!!--I try to understand and SPREAD this awareness!!--most people say its a waste of time--but I have listen and am spreading--so it worked for me---And yes I know that the third world and developing nations have much corruption but for some reason when these people complain I give them alot more merit as oppose to the European countries. Finally, um...maybe I think someone misunderstood something and said I-Colman was born in Colombia--well I was not--I was born in July of 1974 in Cook county, Chicago--Norwegian-American hospital--but like I said I have a priviledge of having dual citizenship coming from parents both born in Colombia--and currently I am taking advantage of this. As for the hyphenated terms--maybe it was an experience when I was a kid--I remember the "ethnic jokes"--people making fun of Poles--they would call them Pollocks and dumb--or any type of Asian--calling all them Chinese and chinky eyes--or when people made fun of the banana boat people--I mean no one was immune--well I took heart at this--after observing these daily ostracizing I saw some kids feel "embarrass" about thier last name and totally forget thier customs, languages, culture just to satisfy some ignorant bully--AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF AND PROMISE MYSELF I WILL NEVER ALLOW AN IGNORANT BULLY OBLIGATE ME TO ABANDON THE BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMS I LEARN WITH MY PARENTS--ON THE CONTRARY I WILL HAVE PRIDE AND SHOW THAT BULLY THAT THIER IS NO NEED TO FORGET THE GOOD THINGS BROUGHT ON BY MY PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, FAMILY. This may be a factor on my excessive pride--but I dont think its excessive I am just excercising my right to opinionate--a right guaranteed by this great country's ideals--this is not the first time I say this but God has truely blessed me--he made me be part of the best 2 things in the universe for me--being a COLOMBIAN-AMERICAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11--God Bless--Colman