Enough With the Marauding Teenagers!
A couple of months ago as we were walking East on Greene Avenue between Waverly and Washington we noticed in our peripheral vision someone approaching fast from behind. When we spun around, it was a teenage boy, probably about 15 years old, who had crept up and was hovering inches from the back of our…
A couple of months ago as we were walking East on Greene Avenue between Waverly and Washington we noticed in our peripheral vision someone approaching fast from behind. When we spun around, it was a teenage boy, probably about 15 years old, who had crept up and was hovering inches from the back of our head mocking us provocatively to the clear delight of his jeering friends. Ever risk-averse, we quickly walked out into the middle of the street and starting dialing on our cell phone. With a few shouts, the pack continued down the block. We jogged back to a police car we had noticed parked back on Vanderbilt, told the cops what had happened and went home. The next day we heard that a woman had been mugged half an hour later a few blocks from there by a bunch of teenagers. We’ve heard of several similar instances in the area in recent weeks. And it’s not just Clinton Hill. A post on Brooklynian describes how a trio of teenage girls (19, 17 and 12) mugged five different people in Prospect Heights on Saturday night (and how only one of them decided to press charges) and an email we received yesterday told of a violent mugging of a twenty-something male by a group of boys at around 8:15 Monday night at Dekalb and South Oxford Street in Fort Greene (above). What can the community do to combat this activity? Obviously greater police presence would help, but given the paltry resources the NYPD devotes to this part of town, it’s going to take a lot of vigilance on the part of residents in terms of reporting even small incidents of harassment and pressing charges. And everyone should be aware that a lot of these muggings are happening during daylight hours, often between the end of school and dinner time, so it’s a good idea to minimize iPod and cell phone usage during those times. Please use this comment thread to document other similar incidents that you know about in recent months as well as to suggest ways to address the problem.
4:41 you really dont give a crap, your sole purpose was to spread hate.
Sell off NYCHA property and use the money to install more police cameras. A lot more.
I am so sorry to hear that about you 4:15…really upsets me.
I want all the black people who read this to realize that we all know without even a second thought that black american teenagers did this .
In fact all of the so called “teenagers” above are black.
Think about that. Think about how F’ed up that is that some how it is socially acceptable to walk up to strangers and beat them for their stuff.
Truly outragous and it condemns you all in my eyes – because you make excuses for it. and this is the result. I am angry
Looks like I was forwarded this post a day too late: last night at about 10:15pm while walking down Clermont from Lafayette to Dekalb (and talking on my cell phone to my mom), suddenly and from behind someone ripped my crappy 4yr old phone out of my hand and as i turned around a second teenager punched me twice in the face.
I was literally 25 ft from Dekalb, so someone heard me as I yelled falling back into a pile of garbage bags on the sidewalk. We called 911 and several patrol cars were there on Lafayette in about a minute. We thought they had caught the kids, but no such luck and so we rode around to canvas the neighborhood. Two or three other calls came in over the radio nearly identical to mine, if not as violent. One lady i met at the precinct had her iPhone stolen by a group of 5 teenagers who pushed her over while walking her dog in front of her apartment. The cops in the car implored me to tell my friends not to talk on the phone while walking down a dark street, even if that close to such a well-traveled corner, and also to call 911 about these packs of marauding teenagers – on their whereabouts and movements even if they havent done anything yet.
It all happened very fast, i had no time to react or catch sight of any salient details of the assailants, only their general build, height and clothing — no facial recognition whatsoever and thus no positive id on the kids they had arrested shortly thereafter. The worst part for me personally was that I had been talking to my mom and she heard the attack, obviously without any idea what happened or ability to do anything. Luckily i had my work cell phone, so i called back shortly after i got up and the kind stranger had called 911. There were some humorous moments in the course of last night’s event as well, recounted below on my online scapbook, where the thugs were replying to text messages on my stolen phone, but the texts were actually tweets and broadcast online to my friends and family via Twitter.
So I thought I’d share and that’s most of it. Thanks to the good cops, detectives, friends and family and everyone who helped. Life, it confers lessons.
Picture of my face last night plus remembrances of things past are on my tumbleblog today:
http://hud.tumblr.com
teenagers will be teenagers – no matter the neighborhood or borough. and when they’re pumped full of bubbling hormones, they’re going to need a release. unfortunately, some of them do so aggressively, violently (remember the alabama kids who burned down the churches?).
ft. greene always has felt safe to me. it has a strong sense of community, and neighbors do watch out for one another (something i never experienced when living in manhattan). but, like all burgeoning neighborhoods, it’s still finding stable footing.
i once caught a teenage boy fumbling with the handles of car doors (to see if they were unlocked) on Lafayette. another time, a screaming child was being dragged down the street by an adult – at midnight (again, on lafayette). both times i reported the incidents. it’s important to watch out for your neighbors because existing in isolation isn’t going to do anything but put others (as well as yourself) in danger.
i find it helpful to have relationships with local shop owners, etc. so, if something bad happens, there’s a safe place in which to duck or call for help. those who live in ft greene want to improve the neighborhood – they want to help one another and strengthen the community. like most places, it’s only as strong as the people within it. people only will know what’s taking place if we communicate honestly with one another (yes, word-of-mouth news has a tendancy to metasticize; hence the importance of sticking to the facts and keeping adjectives to a minimum); and, when that happens, we’ll be more prepared and watchful.
Ironically its the whites who didn’t flee to some suburb or car-oriented city who have to deal with this shit.
When is thier community going to realize that it is to their benefit to stop acting like animals. Behind closed doors and among themselves they need to communicate to the younger ones that this behavior will only come back to haunt them in spades.
I can’t believe that any of you are still naive enough to insist that the problem is that people ACTED like victims. The suggestion that if you would have come at them or hit one of them they’d all scatter is a total fairy tale. Sorry. Not even remotely true. Saving face is more important to teenagers than just about anything in the world. I’ve been harassed twice by large groups of very young black teenagers. Both times my husband and I stood our ground and did not project any real nervousness, or fear. Newsflash: the kids didn’t give a f#*k what our attitude was. The second time, two little bitty guys jumped my husband with no provocation, luckily I quickly stopped a passing cab and we both jumped in (My husband still smoking his cig – so obviously they hadn’t hurt him) but if we would have stayed the others would have piled on. They were just wandering around with nothing to do trying to make something happen. If it makes you feel better to tell yourself that if you project a street-enough attitude nothing will happen to you – then rock on. But it’s pure fantasy.
Just realized I forgot one thing: if a police officer won’t take a report, go to your community board and raise hell.
I just moved to what brokers call Prospect Heights, but seems to me to be the edge of Crown Heights (near Eastern Parkway and Bedford). I’ve lived in the city 10 years this fall, living most of it in Washington Heights near the GWB. I’ve had a few close calls, but really my most eventful crime-related story has to do with serving on a jury for a pathetic $20 crack charge. I digress.
I take precautions, but I take precautions everywhere, here or visiting family and friends in all kinds of places all over the country. The fact that I’ve never been the victim of a crime is pure luck, nothing more. That said, I always:
– Act like I know exactly where I’m going, even when I don’t.
– Act like I belong wherever I am.
– Have no qualms crossing the street anywhere if I feel uncomfortable (I’m a small woman). When I cross, I act like I’m purposely jaywalking.
– Avoid eye contact if someone is giving me the creeps (it invites confrontation), but look someone directly in the face with purpose if I need to.
– Act like a total asshole if I need to.
– Give people around me respect as a default, and at the very minimum act aware of their existence.
– Treat teenagers like adults, and if they act like assholes, I am proactive and assertive with them. (As a woman, I avoid groups of teenage boys at night no matter where I am.) It’s ok to let teenagers have the last word; it’s often a way of justifying the fact that they’ve backed down. They got the message – teenagers aren’t stupid.
I’m probably missing a few things, but if I ever feel in danger I look for (1) the nearest escape route and (2) people around me who seem legit.
And I ALWAYS follow through. If someone seems in danger (like a girl screaming outside my window), I ask to see if she’s ok. If someone is committing a crime, I call the police. You can’t be passive if you expect other people to help you.
But most importantly: get to know your neighbors. You could make all kinds of ignorant assumptions about my new neighbor next door, but I’ve found out that (1) she got a law degree (2) her mom had a doctorate (3) she loves farmers markets and is well-versed in sustainability issues (4) immediately talks about her and her children’s education. Sound like something to fear? Or unfamiliar and strange? Please!
And lastly, if there are issues GO TO YOUR COMMUNITY BOARD. They are ambassadors to city agencies. Believe me, they are on a first name basis with the precinct commander, even if relations are chilly.