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.
crack babies all grown up…
They should arrest and trial these dumb little monkeys like adults.
Don’t forget to whip your your bottle of turpentine, spray it on them and then set them ablaze, 10:18. That REALLY sends a message to wayward youth.
10:07 – actually we should not get a clue – if a clue means turning our backs on the public sphere, driving in cars from gated communities to private clubs to segregated malls. Despite this lamentable (and seasonal) uptick in teenagers being a–holes, committing crimes of opportunity, over-all NYC continues to be much safer than it was 20 years ago. The advice Jon gives is good advice, and to the extent we reduce the opportunity for teenagers to act criminally, we take responsibility for ourselves. The various “I’d beat a group of seven 17 year olds in a fight” comments are absurd and come close to blaming the victim. In court I am often standing next to young men who are accused of doing exactly these kind of robberies, and when asked to explain they can’t. Because stealing a sell phone worth 200 bucks and risking 5 years in state prison makes no sense at all. Does that mean they are evil or incorigable? No – it means that those teenage brains are still developing and often two of them are worse than one. Toss in preceived invisibility (“white folks can’t tell us apart, so I’ll never be caught”), class and racial alienation (“she can always get another i-pod no problem, and she’s not my sister”), and you get a series of stupid decisions. So don’t leave yourself vulnerable, and retreat from the situation as soon as you see it coming.
Of course I am leaving myself vulnerable to accusations of racism on side (urging white people to cross the street when they see a group of young balck men walk down the street) and coddling criminals on the other. All I can say is that we each choose how to navigate the rocky shoals of urban living, avoiding cluelessness and panic-mongering as best we can.
“I’ve lived in Brooklyn over 17 years and never been mugged. Maybe I’ve been lucky. I prefer to think its because I pay attention, and I dont look scared. Those are the two biggest targets, the oblivious and the scared.”
So the solution is to walk around in a paranoid state, suspecting every teenager you see, while making sure you don’t use your cell phone or ipod? What a great way to live…
Oh and check this out “A couple of months ago as we were walking East on Greene Avenue ” A couple of month ago… Hmmm A slow day Brownstoner huh? Ok, keep building up your Karma…. LMMFAO
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
10:09, you make a good point. I’ll put up with those risks and inconveniences if I’m paying 250-500K. No f**king way would I put up with this if it’s going to cost me 1 million bucks or more. Clueless.
Skinny white guys with glasses are a favorite target.
Like other posters have said punching one will only result in a beatdown.
Throwing a single punch and then stepping back will always do that.
However if you continue to pummel, gouge, stomp, pull their head up and punch one kid’s head against the concrete nonstop the other kids will run.