My 1986 RUN-DMC Jacket and how I almost lost it and possibly more... from my Instagram +

My RUN-DMC baseball jacket from circa 1986. I got GLEN E. appropriately embroidered on the front. It was close to 30 years ago to the day or at least season that i got jumped in Westwood for this dope jacket. Here's the story, first know that there were few white kids going to hip hop shows at this point in time, it was about to blow ip, but not just yet, so i was friendly with a lot of the folks out in LA and was known around as one of those kids who was going and knowing most of the groups etc. i had been working with Run-DMC and RUSH and DefJam for a while now and still lived in LA while trying to get through my studies at UCLA. RUN-DMC gave me and less than 10 other people one of these original jackets, it was fly as fuck for that period of time with it's black leather sleeves and fold up collar. I'd wear it around a bit with my name on the front as i said, as was common for that era. So one night i was walking around Westwood (note at this time before the big shooting took place there, Westwood was an incredible packed scene, all the streets packed with students and kids from all around LA cruising, black, white, latino, blasting music out of their cars inching along in traffic checking all the sights to be seen on the scene. It was incredible. I remember bringing Rick and Russell here for the first time and they LOVED it and couldn't believe it. Almost all the cars bumping their music, LL's first album was just hitting when i brought them by for the first time to check out the scene, LL and Run blasting all over the place, it was something. But on another night i was walking around my self with my RUN-DMC jacket on and was gettin props from many people on how cool it was, one group of kids who recognized me from some shows were buggin out on it. It was all good... About an hour later, i start walking home, since I'm enrolled at UCLA at the time i could actually walk home from cruising around Westwood, as i get a couple hundred feet up into the neighborhood away from all the crowds, i see that same group of kids who were sweating my jacket, they are running towards me, like fucking around or something, I didn't know what? (CONTINUED BELOW)

A photo posted by glen E. friedman Ⓥ (@glenefriedman) on Sep 24, 2016 at 3:13pm PDT

Next thing i know i got a fist in the face! And im on the ground in a low lit area and i got six Jheri curled teenagers lookin down at me, and I'm asking WHAT THE FUCK? Next thing i know another fist in the face and the kid says "give us your jacket!" And I'm like what the fuck again, "there's only one jacket like this in LA, it's even got my name sewn in it, it was given to me by the group, what the fuck are you gonna do with this?" BAM! I get hit in the face again, "Shut up and give us the fucking jacket!" Now i'm thinking to myself, damn there's six kids and one jacket, these kids are gonna fuck me up! Then im thinking oh shit my license and credit card are in my small wallet in my inside breast pocket, fuck, I don't wanna have to deal with getting a new license at the DMV and calling up to halt my credit card, FUCK! I get hit again, "Give us the fucking jacket!" " OK, OK, OK, here take the fucking jacket, but as I'm taking it off i reach in to grab my license and wallet... Next thing i know they all run away...

WHAT THE FUCK? Cool, i still got my jacket and my ID, etc and continue walking home... Like a fool i get home and after putting some ice on my face i head out in my car to find these kids (leaving my jacket in the car) to find out what the fuck were they thinking? Lucky for me probably i never found them...

An hour later i head out to a night club called Power Tools, the cool hang at that point in time, half the dust brothers posse DJ'd there before there was such a thing as the dust brothers, i run into my homie ICE-T and tell him the story... He says "Glen you're crazy, you wanted to go back and ask them what they were thinking?? They weren't thinking you fool, thats why they do shit like that!" And as for them running away? "Obviously they thought when you went to get your ID and shit out of your pocket, they thought you were pullin' out a 'gat' and that you were gonna shoot them!" Nooo waaaay... Damn, street knowledge lesson #434... I still got my coat, and thats all the truth.