Wild Teens Trash Court Street B&N, Assault Manager
A reader sent in a disturbing account of a visit yesterday afternoon to the Court Street Barnes & Noble. While she was on the second floor, she noticed a large number of teens she believes were from one of the nearby public schools. In addition to being loud and disorderly, they were also purposefully knocking…
A reader sent in a disturbing account of a visit yesterday afternoon to the Court Street Barnes & Noble. While she was on the second floor, she noticed a large number of teens she believes were from one of the nearby public schools. In addition to being loud and disorderly, they were also purposefully knocking books off shelves. A few minutes later, as she headed down to the first floor, she witnessed an altercation between the manager and one of the teenagers. The manager had asked him to leave the store. “You disrespectin’ me?” the teen shouted back. No, that’s why I’m asking you nicely to leave, but you need to leave, reiterated the manager. Then, wham, the teen wound up and socked the manager in the face, bloodying him and knocking him over, and took off down the street. Rather than stick around to help i.d. the assailant, whom our tipster overheard some of the kids saying they knew where he lived, the rest of them took off as well. No word on whether the cops caught the guy. Update: Turns out that someone did call the cops and they came very quickly, but the assailant had already fled.
Photo by joearchitect
Are there no video cameras in the store?
This does happen all the time, it’s true, teenagers are often thoughtless and make stupid decisions, blame it on hormones or teen angst, they can be destructive and their energy needs to be channeled, and they do need to be directed and disciplined sometimes. But they are just kids, and how they can be called animals is shocking. (actually, that may not be an insult to humans in general, animals can be much more civilized) Did the folks who made those references here skip those years of life? As for all the negative racist comments, cut it out people! This is 2008 and a black man may be in office in a few weeks. Let the ignorance go – grow up or shut up.
Dizzy: I totally agree! Kids are kids!
And if i see some kids “disrespectin'” (Gawd, they have no clue, do they?) an adult like that, they are getting a helluva whuppin’ from me. Better they learn now that people can defend themselves, rather than assuming they can get away with it.
First of all as pointed there is a security guard in the store at all times. security guards like old fashion night watch people merely call the police when there are problems. they aren’t trained as the police and they are not armed and we wouldn’t want them to shoot a kid for this even if they were armed. There is generally a cop or two in the immediate area. In fact on Saturday around three there were separate police on the corner of Atlantic and Clinton, Clinton and state, and court and state(inside the movie theater). But of course this isn’t a day when kids are in school. I am not sure why there was such a visible police presence.
I don’t think this happens in B and N “all the time”, but it does happen occasionally. There have been more incidents of people both at the movie theater and in the area from kids leaving the theater. There were less incidents when the movie theater was a porno house but there was someone killed in that theater years ago.
I go to the movie theater and b & N all the time and have had no problems. I have had more problem at a Boston Pops concert…..in Boston..
Do any of you actually live in Brooklyn? Really. This happens in that B&N all the time. I’m sorry the manager got attacked but next time have security do their job. There are two of them in there.
Anyone who call those kids animals should get mugged tomorrow by a bunch of New Millennium High school kids on Wall Street. Then you’ll realize kids are kids.
ScoyyLee wrote:
“the basic behavioral characteristics of human beings: rational thought, foresight, understanding of the consequences of one’s actions, ability to delay gratification for a greater good, etc.”
Driving an SUV in full knowledge of the short and long term economic and environmental consequences; buying shit one doesn’t need and in the process plundering our natural resources and running up huge personal debt; borrowing or facilitating the borrowing of money against property that can’t be afforded in the belief that prices have increased and will thus always do so in the future; – I guess there’s a pretty substantial proportion of “animals” in American society at large then, certainly way beyond the confines of B & N or the generational limits of teen-dom.
there’s something inviting and pleasant about those big B&N stores (I admit this reluctantly). the fact is, those kids just don’t have anywhere to go after school. there’a a much broader problem here…
“animals”
seriously, some of you deserve to get mugged…
sam -it could be pointed out no one ever accused you of having a rapier-like wit. Are the two of you married? Carville and Matalin? S and M?
I digress. the thread was about a serious matter (still loved the Islamic circumcision line, Biff!). I’d be curious to know the answer to east river’s question of whether or not there has been more crime reported since the theater and B & N opened?