Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Black Revolutionary Theater Weekly, the
podcast for the revolutionary writing that centers Black people, identities
and experiences in the vital examinations of our Zeitgeist.
Speaker 2: Murder he Tote by Mia Kogavia read by Mia Kogavia
as Charlie Whitburn, Heather Harvey as Renee, Timothy Craig as Man,
and Kevin Green as commercial Guide.
Speaker 3: Violence, homicide, burglary, murder. These are all things that we
rightfully fear and why we regularly rely on law enforcement
to protect us. But what happens when they don't come
in time? What happens when you're alone and scared and
are forced to defend yourself with only your wits and intuition. Hi,
I'm Charlie Whitburn, and this is murder he Tote Deadly Baggage.
Tonight's story, Twenty five year old Renee Miller recounts her
harrowing encounter.
Speaker 4: It was a pretty hot day in July and I
was walking home from brunch. My friends asked if I
wanted to catch a cab with them, But I lived
in Williamsburg and they lived in the West Village, so
I told them it didn't really make sense. I should
have listened to them, I should have listened to myself.
I was almost home when it started raining pretty heavy,
so I ran the last few blocks to my apartment
and went inside to dry off.
Speaker 1: There was this.
Speaker 4: Man in the door room. He was.
Speaker 5: Darker complexed, you know, like.
Speaker 4: Black, and he didn't look familiar, and he didn't look
like you had anywhere to be. And I was just
really nervous. So I went upstairs to my apartment and
looked out my window, and there he was, just standing there.
It was kind of hard to see him because it
was still raining out, but I sat there and I
watched him for like fifteen minutes, and my heart was pounding,
you know. So I got up my courage and I
went downstairs.
Speaker 5: Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?
Speaker 1: Me?
Speaker 6: Oh, you're just waiting on the bus.
Speaker 5: Well, the bus stop is over there.
Speaker 6: So yeah, but it's raining.
Speaker 5: The stoop is not a bus stop.
Speaker 6: It's not much protection from the rain, but it's.
Speaker 5: Not a bus stop. It's private property. My apartment is
not an umbrella.
Speaker 6: Well to the rain.
Speaker 4: Clear is up.
Speaker 6: I'm not leaving.
Speaker 3: We'll return with a thrilling conclusion after this commercial break. Hey, you.
Speaker 6: Yes, you the scared person sitting in the dark on
your couch. Are you sure you locked the door? Are
you sure there could be a burglar steaking through the
back of your door or climbing through your window to
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you check?
Speaker 4: Well?
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Speaker 3: Welcome back to Murder. He tote deadly baggage. When we
last left Renee Miller, she was in a fight for
her life against a mysterious intruder.
Speaker 5: My apartment is not an umbrella. Well, and to the
rain lets up, I'm not leaving.
Speaker 4: I had never been so scared in my life. I
didn't know what to do, so I pulled out my
phone to call the police. And then the black man
pulled out his phone and started recording me and calling
me rainy stoop sally and yelling at me and calling
me racist. And I was so scared that I and
maybe kind of sort of raised my voice at the police.
Speaker 5: Listen, you motherfuckers. This necro is on my perch, looking
shitty as fuck, and I want him off my property
right fucking now.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm gonna go.
Speaker 5: Wait, where are you going?
Speaker 6: Helen a cab?
Speaker 5: You can't get a cab.
Speaker 6: You're calling the police. I'd rather not get shot, so
guess what I'm leaving.
Speaker 2: He turns his back and puts out his hand for
a cab.
Speaker 4: At that point, my fear ratcheted, like really ramped up.
Speaker 5: I couldn't let him get away. I mean I couldn't
get away from him.
Speaker 4: He had his hand raised and I didn't know if
he was going to hit me. So I did the
only thing I could huh ah, I hit him with
my tote. So anyway, when the police found his body
a week later, they concluded that the tote bab taped
to his hand was his and could have been used
to attack me. It was so heavy it could have
been used to crush my skull.
Speaker 1: If I hadn't crushed his first.
Speaker 4: I saved my own life with luck and intuition. The
police failed me. I don't know what could have happened
if I wasn't so quick. There's still nights when I
wake up in a cold sweat, dreaming of NPR tote
bags and an attacker who winds up at the bottom
of the Hudson. But I have Instagram and my friends
and brush, and that makes me grateful for every day.
It makes me grateful I survived.
Speaker 3: Thank you for joining us tonight on Murder Heatte, Deadly Baggage.
Stay tuned for the season premiere of Procedure and Justice
UFO until next Time Crime fans, Sweet Dreams.
Speaker 1: You've been listening to Black Revolutionary Theater Weekly, produced by
a Black Revolutionary Theater Workshop. You can support BRTW by
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