Thugs Reign on Gurley Street

An early morning tussle to board a bus on Johnson Street, Monrovia

“Oh my phone! Oh my handbag!” These cries are becoming familiar to ears of residents of Gurley Street in central Monrovia. Nowadays, as a resident of Gurley Street, you dare not dare the criminals, who have invaded the area, and continue to terrorize residents and passers-by, by stepping outside as early as 5:45am to 6am. The Street is one of central Monrovia’s most crime-infested, Carey and Center Streets closely following.

Marauding thugs, bent on terrorizing peaceful and law-abiding citizens, now take pleasure in preying on young girls and older women who aim to reach central Monrovia before 6:00 a.m., in order to beat the tedious traffic an hour later.  Between 5:30 and 6 a.m., Monrovia is just crawling out of bed and the few who make it to town that early can only wish that that last hour (before 7 a.m.) would provide some quiet time for reflection before the day's hustle begins.

It is no joke that Monrovia, a city teeming with over 1.4 million inhabitants, nearly three times its intended capacity of 500,000, is faced with compounding transportation crisis.  There is very little public transport service (National Transport Authority buses) available to residents.  The high demand for private commercial cabs and mini-buses exceeds what is available, causing commuters to battle intensely for seats onboard.

You will normally hear the people chanting, “The strong will survive; the weak will be crushed”, whenever a cab or bus is approaching the ever crowded corner of Broad and Randall Streets or Benson and Johnson Streets. Interestingly, while in that battle for seats, your personal effects are also being intensely battled for by thugs impersonating as “car-loaders”.

So, it is to avoid this routine hassle that some residents, especially young and older women, choose to travel to town from the city’s surrounding suburbs before the sun rises.

But now, the street thugs have seen this “early morning” commuter trend as an opportunity to leave no stone unturned, snatching the purses, handbags, mobile phones, gold chains, among other personal belongings of these women in the middle of dark, empty Monrovia streets before dawn.  There are no crowds or law enforcement officers plying the streets at that time to provide protection -- a perfect opportunity for thugs.

At about 10am on last Sunday, while sitting on the porch of my flat, I saw a young woman being harassed by the thugs. They attempted stealing her handbag placed in the back seat of her jeep when she parallel parked to have a chat with a friend, a resident of Gurley Street.

They began by distracting her. One of the criminals knocked on her window and claim that there was a problem with her vehicle. As she focused on what he was telling her, his collaborators immediately opened the door to the seat. Luckily for her, there were people around to apprehend the thieves.

But then there was another twist in the episode. Those effecting the arrest turned out to be the colleagues of the perpetrators. They claimed that because they helped the young woman retrieved her belongings, she must compensate them to the tune of US$500.00.

The entire argument was becoming a compulsory negotiation between the criminals and the lady. Fortunately, she was able to get away with her bag without having to pay a dime.

However, these and many related happenings have forced residents of Gurley Street into living in intense fear for their lives and properties. The upsurge of criminal activities has compelled some of the residents to live under self-imposed curfews, as it is   increasingly becoming a foolhardy venture to move about in the Gurley Street neighborhood in both the early and late hours of the day.

People's fears have even been heightened by the criminals now marching into the homes of residents at night to rob and harm them.

This should raise some red flags for the Liberia National Police to increase their night patrols and ensure that every community is covered, especially central Monrovia.