Durham sewer crew robbed at gunpoint

The three-person crew was unclogging a backed-up line at the intersection of Nation Avenue and Bedford Street at about 7:45 p.m. when three men dressed in black walked past them, circled around their work truck and then reappeared with a gun pointed at the crew members, police said. The robbers demanded money and fled toward James Street with the men's wallets.

Ben Lang, the crew leader, criticized the city's response to the robbery in a news release issued Friday by UE Local 150, the union representing Durham city workers.

After the crew reported the robbery, Lang said, no supervisors from the Department of Water Management went to the scene to check on the crew. Instead, he said, a fourth worker was sent out, and the crew was encouraged to finish the job of clearing the sewer line.

"We are traumatized, and the city has done little to nothing to help us," he said in the news release. "I was very unhinged, and management did not help."

The crew heard a gunshot nearby later that night but stayed on the job, without protection from further incidents, until after midnight, Lang said.

"This incident shows that management in the Water Management department only care about getting the job done, even if that means risking the life and mental health of their workers," Nathanette Mayo, president of Local 150, said in the news release. "This is not the first incident of this nature the city has faced, and they still have no policy in place to protect their workers."

The union demanded the city develop a policy for responding to robberies and violent crimes against city workers on the job and require Durham police to routinely patrol areas where city crews are working after dark. The union also wants Water Management department supervisors to be disciplined for their handling of Monday's robbery and for the three crew members to be compensated for their losses and receive time off for "mental health leave."

Beverly Thompson, a spokeswoman for the city, said Durham officials are concerned whenever the safety of city workers is threatened.

"While the city is grateful that no one was physically harmed, we readily recognize the emotional impact that this incident has caused," Thompson said in an email.

The city is trying to provide the needed support to the three crew members, including counseling and flexibility about their return to work, she said. City officials also are coordinating with the Durham Police Department on responding to such incidents and teaching personal safety skills to employees in the field, she said.

"Despite those efforts, we also recognize an unusual and unsettling event like this gives us an opportunity to reassess and improve our support of our staff, and we are committed to listening to these staff and their coworkers about their needs after an event such as this," Thompson said.