Khan, Zahid and Unnamed Oral History Interview

Noah Geraci: We don’t want, like, specific names of the cops, just because sometimes people can get in trouble with that.  The cops get mad… Yeah, so, it’s recording now.

Unnamed: So we had—there was a situation one day, these three young ladies in the store that had big bags.  You know, they previously was in here on a Saturday, this happened on a Sunday.  They actually stole on a Saturday, but we didn’t, actually couldn’t catch them, ‘cause by the time we figured it out they were gone.   So they came back in Sunday and they had bags, and they were trying to steal but we seen them. 

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Unnamed: So he locked the door, because every time we call the police, they never come, or by the time they come, they’re gone, so we lock the door so they wouldn’t be able to, you know, get out until the police came, or until she put the shoes back.  So… basically what happened was, she actually put the shoes back, and the police actually came, and they were talking to them, with the girls, saying, “Oh, we’re getting Popeye’s, I can buy you some chicken,” or something like that, right?  So, you know, I just felt like, ‘cause they stole the day before, and—it was—we had proof they stole the day before, because they were on the camera, you know what I mean, and they left out.  So he told us, since we didn’t do nothing that day, we couldn’t really do nothing to—they couldn’t do nothing today, and then she put the shoes back, so basically was saying we should let them go.

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Unnamed: So, he told them that…

Zahid Khan: Yeah, when I met the police…

Unnamed: …he wanted to press charges, and he wanted to make them [pay?] for it.

Zahid Khan: Plus, when he was here, I said I want to put the charges, he said, “Oh, we cannot, because it’s less than a hundred dollars,” and I said, “You know what? If it’s–less than a hundred dollars, I can go to the next store, and take the [?] or something, you aren’t gonna put no charges on me, so it seems like I should do that, too.” And then he said, “No, you have to come to the police station.”  So when I went to the police station, and they said, told me the same thing.  But they said, “No, we’re about to issue the warrant for them, and that’s how they’re gonna get it.” But my question was, or my problem was, when those people was here, he should’ve done something.

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Zahid Khan: I mean, we already give him proof, even the boxes I give it to him.  Plus he was trying to make excuses, “How do you know which boxes?”  I say, “You don’t have to worry, I will provide my proof.”

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Zahid Khan: And I said, “I got a video, I got the boxes,” he said, “How much it was?” and I said, “Like twenty dollar a piece, so it’s like three, so probably like 60 bucks,” he said, “No, you cannot, because less than a hundred dollars, that’s a petty theft,” and I explained to him the same thing.  I said, “Okay, I can go next door and steal—same thing.”  They’re gonna do every day, like, three pairs, which you add up, it’s like, a lot of money. 

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Zahid Khan: And after that, nothing happened.  He came here to give me a police report, nothing happened.  And one time when we went out, what happened?

Unnamed: Even when they left out, the girls that left out, they walked down this way, we looked out, the [?] was down there talking to them after they left out! You know what I mean? So who knows… [Start of second clip] like he knew her, or—it was just…

Noah Geraci: Yeah, well, I guess, at least, like, nothing really bad happened.

Zahid Khan: And one time we went out on a, what’s the place we went?  It’s, uh…

Unnamed: To the [?]

Zahid Khan: Right, and the police was inside, and they broke into my car, and this was the reason I told him this whole situation.  They—my personal gun—they took my personal gun that was just under my name.

Noah Geraci: Yeah.

Zahid Khan: And we… so the police came, even they didn’t came, ‘cause we have—it was 2AM in the morning.

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Zahid Khan: And [?] for 3 o’clock, but it was never [?].  I explained that hey, you know, they took all the stuff. Plus—I’m not worried about the stuff, but the gun was in my name. 

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm. 

Zahid Khan: So nobody came then.  We went to the police station and make the police report.

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Zahid Khan: And that’s… that’s what happened.  And… [to Unnamed] what other stuff that you have for the police?

Unnamed: They’re just not good.  They’re not sufficient.  They never come on time when you ask them to.

Noah Geraci: Yeah.

Zahid Khan: Never, never at all. But one day, I was—it was a fight, there, going on.

Noah Geraci: Mmm hmm.

Zahid Khan: So the dude was beating this woman real hard—like, he put her on the ground.  And even, they call the police, the police never came on time.  I remember, it was almost thirty—thirty, forty-five minutes.  And he, after he left, maybe he all the way in Akron, that’s the time the police came. 

Unnamed: Especially over here, it’s not good, ‘cause we get a lot of people that steal out of here, and it’s kind of like, we just don’t even care no more, because they don’t come, so what can we do?

Noah Geraci: Yeah.

Unnamed: I mean, we can’t put our hands on them, we can’t do nothing to them.  You know what I mean?  So it’s kind of like, all we can do is hope they give us the shoes back.

Noah Geraci: Right. (Laughs)

Unnamed: And then when they get there, they still don’t do nothing. 

Noah Geraci: Yeah.

Unnamed: You know, they just kinda like…  They think, some of the girls are, “Oh, I have a baby,” which you should’ve thought about that before you were stealing out of the store, you know?

Noah Geraci: Yeah. (Laughs) Yeah.

Unnamed: Me, I just don’t think they’re… they’re… they’re trying to help.

Zahid Khan: They don’t do a good job.

Unnamed: They do petty stuff like, oh, they speeding.

Noah Geraci: Yeah.

Unnamed: That really doesn’t matter, you know what I mean?  Versus thieves and… and… murderers, and stuff like that.  Some stuff could be prevented if they were actually efficient, more sufficient. 

Noah Geraci: Yeah.  Have you had any experiences with the police being violent?  Or is it more just them not doing anything?  (Laughs)

Unnamed: I never had the experience with the police being violent.  Not—I hope I don’t have that experience.

Noah Geraci: Yeah, definitely. 

Unnamed: I see a lot of this happening right now. 

Noah Geraci: Yeah, definitely.  All right, is there anything else you want to talk about?

Zahid Khan: (to Unnamed) You have something? No…

Noah Geraci: All right.  Thanks.