Liz's recent post about pick-pockets in Europe reminded me of my own experience while waiting for a subway train in a tube station on my way home from school in London while I lived there.
It was rush hour, hence a lot of people crammed the platform. I became aware of hovering and sensed that something was wrong. As my arms came down protectively around my body, I yelled, "Get away from my bag," at the top of my voice to the crowd. They immediately acted in unison and moved as if one organism to surround me and push away the two intruders. One man accused one of them of trying to take my purse. The other man had been swarming nearby as if to await the pick-pocket when he was to have grabbed my stuff. The two perps immediately yelled out that they had done nothing wrong, effectively damning themselves, as they moved away and lost themselves in the crowd. The crowd stayed around me protectively while we waited for the next train on the Victoria Line. I caught an eye from several people there and smiled back with faint tears. Then the train arrived and we entered the compartment. Sandra Knight
