teenage girls attacked my daughter on Downing Fulton

kevin_on_putnam

At about 7:30 tonight my daughter and her boyfriend were walking down Fulton at Downing Street when they were attacked by a 3 teenaged girls, all younger than 16, she believes. The girls held my daughter in a headlock and hit her repeatedly, while a teenaged boy came up and socked her boyfriend in the back of the head. My daughter hung onto her purse tightly and screamed. The group then ran off, and my daughter kept her purse, but she lost her glasses somehow in the scuff. She and her boyfriend were not badly hurt, and they filed a report with the police they found on Grand Street shortly afterwards.

Don't know if anyone saw this happen or knows who the kids might be; probably not from the neighborhood we think. Nevertheless, quite upsetting!

ltjbukem

yep i know of some other youngish-looking woman, who has been harassed by a group of teen girls also, including getting smacked in her head and verbally abused. this was on hanson place in fort greene.

alafairnadia

oh my gosh! I'm glad your daughter and her bf are not badly hurt, but that is so scary!!

pitu

that's AWFUL
hope your daughter and her bf are okay

If your daughter needs some peer support, there's a teen girl self defense class in Park Slope, at The Center For Anti-Violence Education.
(I know the teachers - it's a good group of kids.)
They meet every Thursday afternoon, program is called P.A.C.T.
718.788.1775
http://www.cae-bklyn.org/contact.html
http://www.cae-bklyn.org/tsd.html

leffertsgirl

i ordered sushi last night around 8 and when the delivery guy arrived (after calling me a couple of times sounding dazed and confused) he informed me that he had just been attacked by six guys who started beating him up but ultimately left without any money. apparently the calls i got were while he was running up the street away from his attackers and then when he had found a hiding place. i believe he was somewhere around fulton and grand.

i'm so glad to hear your daughter and her boyfriend were not badly hurt.

bifteck

Geez, what is going on? I hope it doesn't get any worse.

leffertsgirl

seems like there's something in the spring air. what a terrible way to bring in this lovely weather!

boygabriel

Damn man, glad they're alright

anonymous

A friend of mine who's in her 20s was attacked by a group of girls that fit the same description. Luckily she was walking her dog who managed to scare them off.

My experience has forced me to be very wary of kids more than anyone else in the neighborhood. It's sad, but I think these kids just don't realize the consequences of their actions. One day it's going to go too far.

I'm glad your daughter and her BF are okay and I hope the police find some resolution to this.

lila

F.F., did that also happen yesterday?

Kevin, I'm so sorry that your daughter and boyfriend had to experience that. Best wishes to you and them.

le toukouleur

geez kevin that s sad my besh wishes to your daughter and boyfriend

isla

That is horrible. I am glad they were ok. Senseless crime never fails to mystify me.

I have been egged aggressively on Halloween, but never, as a woman, had anything else like that happen to me.

kevin_on_putnam

Thanks so much for all your support. From the report of LeffertsGirl and F.F., it sounds like there was a larger gang of teenagers hanging around last night. I don't usually see too many teenagers around here and very seldom in big groups on a weeknight. I know it's hard to believe, but my daughter is already 30 and lives close by in Bed Stuy. She was most upset that this happened so close to our house. I went out this morning to look for her glasses. No luck. I wondered if Outpost was open when it happened, as it's practically at their front door.

leffertsgirl

And Fulton is such a large street. At 7:30p there surely must have been people around. Hopefully someone saw something and will contact the police to help you identify the girls that did this.

juliagrand

This is very frightening. I'm sorry about your daughter and her bf.
Please follow up with us an let us know if the police were able to find anything. Thanks.

the changeling

This is horrible news. I'm relieved to hear that your daughter and her boyfriend are OK. I'm not surprised that this happened around Fulton, and if there were several witnesses, don't be surprised if no one contacts the police or offers any help. Ironically, the presence of several bystanders during an emergency often inhibits helping behavior.

anonymous

I am sorry to hear that happened to your daughter.

I have a friend who averted an attempted mugging coming home from the Clinton Washington stop of the G to her place on St. James and Fulton this past fall. They were also teenagers.

I was mugged a few years back, and it was a group of boys who attacked me pretty badly...I had chipped teeth, a concussion, a broken nose, and two large contusions on my head. I'm not sure what to conclude from all this, its not exactly a safe neighborhood, but where in New York is?

It took me a couple of years to stop crossing the street when a group of teens were walking my way. I can only speculate since I walk in my own shoes only, but there seems to be an undercurrent of hostility towards white people ...when I go running in Fort Greene park, I have had people block me, throw water balloons at me, and call out to me. And of course, I'm often called faggot for no apparent reason.

Although these things weigh on me, I do love it here, I'm close to the school where I work, and the vast majority of people are friendly.

Violence can be just random and explosive....I stepped outside once and saw a group of about 20 teenage boys running down the street with bats chasing a latino-appearing man. They beat him up, but not too badly, and the victim didn't want to talk to police. Another day, I saw a group of boys run down the street, beat up a 14 or so year old (latino) in front of a woman who appeared to be his mother. It was lightning fast, and shocking. But 99% of the trips outside and down the street are uneventful.
So when asked if I feel safe, or if its a safe neighborhood....well mostly I do.

anonymous

Kevin, I can't figure out whether they were trying to rob your daughter and her bf, or were they simply attacking them. The most troubling thing about these stories is that they not only seem random, but not even based on a need/want for money. That's particularly troubling. We should begin to put pressure on our local precinct from now, lettting them know that we hope not to have a summer like this.

anonymous

Anonymous wrote: Kevin, I can't figure out whether they were trying to rob your daughter and her bf, or were they simply attacking them. The most troubling thing about these stories is that they not only seem random, but not even based on a need/want for money. That's particularly troubling. We should begin to put pressure on our local precinct from now, lettting them know that we hope not to have a summer like this.

BK, I think there is a bubbling in the streets. People are "hungry," especially the youngins. I was talking to my 16 year old nephew and he said something that struck me. ---- "There's too many different people moving around here, changing stuff, they got money and we don't- where we gonna go, what we gonna do?"

It made me wonder what the youth in the 'hood are really going through. We definitley need to talk more about options for them before the summer gets here. I don't want to hear gunshots every night.

anonymous

Anonymous wrote: [quote=Anonymous]Kevin, I can't figure out whether they were trying to rob your daughter and her bf, or were they simply attacking them. The most troubling thing about these stories is that they not only seem random, but not even based on a need/want for money. That's particularly troubling. We should begin to put pressure on our local precinct from now, lettting them know that we hope not to have a summer like this.

BK, I think there is a bubbling in the streets. People are "hungry," especially the youngins. I was talking to my 16 year old nephew and he said something that struck me. ---- "There's too many different people moving around here, changing stuff, they got money and we don't- where we gonna go, what we gonna do?"

It made me wonder what the youth in the 'hood are really going through. We definitley need to talk more about options for them before the summer gets here. I don't want to hear gunshots every night.I don't mean to sound willfully ignorant here, but what do you mean by "options for them before the summer gets here"? School programs, jobs?

anonymous

GentrifyThis wrote: [quote=Anonymous]Kevin, I can't figure out whether they were trying to rob your daughter and her bf, or were they simply attacking them. The most troubling thing about these stories is that they not only seem random, but not even based on a need/want for money. That's particularly troubling. We should begin to put pressure on our local precinct from now, lettting them know that we hope not to have a summer like this.

BK, I think there is a bubbling in the streets. People are "hungry," especially the youngins. I was talking to my 16 year old nephew and he said something that struck me. ---- "There's too many different people moving around here, changing stuff, they got money and we don't- where we gonna go, what we gonna do?"

It's so interesting that you wrote about what your nephew said. I was speaking to an older man, a handyman...and he made a similar comment which caused me to think for days as well. A part of the community definitely has a sense that they are being pushed out. Meanwhile, new residents in the neighborhood are buzzing about and not even greeting their neighbors. Something has to pop. The handyman I spoke to probably has enough self-control, but what about the kids? Disenfranchised kids (whether they be skinheads; Hitler youth; etc.) can be major problems.

nicolamj

I remember last summer there were a few reports of gangs of young kids attacking people in Prospect Park in the middle of the day and stealing their iPods. Frankly, I don't think its about money - it's about being bored and wanting to rebel.

Obviously, I don't want to be alarmist. I definitely think that all the energy these kids have should be funneled into positive action that helps the community rather than harms it. On the flip side, I won't apologize for being white and having an iPod. The former I can't do anything about, and the latter I got because I worked my ass off for it. It wasn't free, I don't have a rich uncle or anything. If these kids look at newer members of the community and want some of material possessions they have, they should remember that most of us work for what we have, and that's an avenue that's open to them too. This is America, after all.

Frankly, sometimes I'm amazed that the thirst for social justice in America seems to be totally extinguished in the hearts young, black Americans. They seem to care more about bling and xboxes now.

anonymous

nicolamj wrote: Frankly, sometimes I'm amazed that the thirst for social justice in America seems to be totally extinguished in the hearts young, black Americans. They seem to care more about bling and xboxes now.

...or perhaps the fight for social justice is being fought in different ways nowadays than what was captured in the dramatic black-and-white footage of the civil rights era. I mean, without restricted water fountains and lunch counters, much less of a need for fire hoses and police dogs. And I think the bling and Xboxes are endemic of a broad spectrum of American youth today...but rap music is pop music...and music sells bling & Xboxes.

kevin_on_putnam

I must admit that I tended to believe the teenagers were not "ours" but from another neighborhood. While the police were informed, I'm not sure what exactly they can do other than patrol more and perhaps build more relationships in the community. Working a full day in Manhattan does make it hard to get involved in the community other than over the internet, and I think more than anything what teenagers need is family and community, friends with some common sense, and something or someone they feel responsible for. I don't particularly like most rap music although I've found humor in some of it, but my daughter has liked it since she was a teenager so I got used to it. The music itself is NOT the problem.

boygabriel

BK Allday wrote: Meanwhile, new residents in the neighborhood are buzzing about and not even greeting their neighbors.

My block is a very eclectic mix of races, socio-economic backgrounds, and gentrifiers/old-schoolers. Everyone on my block says hi to one another. Even other white yuppies say hi to me and in many cases we white yuppies usually ignore one another.

I sit on my stoop smoking a cig and everyone looks me in the eye and I say hi back. I have a lot of other gentrifying white friends in the nabe and they have the same experiences. I don't see this gentrifying anit-social behavior at all. Maybe north CH near Myrtle is just a friendly place to be.

nicolamj wrote: If these kids look at newer members of the community and want some of material possessions they have, they should remember that most of us work for what we have, and that's an avenue that's open to them too.

That's what makes me sad about disenfranchised or disenchanted youths. While not discounting the hardships people face, it's sad when people choose retribution over achievement. They may (rightfully) hold group X responsible for their position. But 10,20,30 years from now what's going to make them a happier person? Getting revenge or doing something contstructive?

kevin wrote: I think more than anything what teenagers need is family and community...

I really think family is the biggest factor in anyone's disposition and attitudes in life. If a kid is born into a family where the parents don't provide a decent education in life, then the kids are raised with no life tools. I have friends that teach in all sorts of public schools and some of these kids are just so angry b/c that's all their parents ever show them. That or indifference. It's so sad b/c kids born into that situation don't even have a fighting chance.

It's all about family.

kevin wrote: ...The music itself is NOT the problem.

Unquestionably.

anonymous

nicolamj wrote: ...but rap music is pop music...and music sells bling & Xboxes.

I didn't think that I had to explain this, but I will. My point is that although many kinds of American kids have a preoccupation with bling, Xboxes and other tokens of a capitalist society, if the companies selling these products are relying on music video placements and musical advertisements (and more often than not, rap forms the musical bed) to sell these products, it could give the public the wrong impression about just who is interested in these products. I wasn't suggesting that music is leading these kids to capitalism &/or screwed up priorities.

I also don't think its fair to suggest that this is about the kids in the neighborhood wanting the material possessions of newcomers to the neighborhood. I mean, these kids knew where to find you and your valuable possessions before you moved to Bed-Stuy. Do you think its that just because you're here now, in their faces, they just can't resist robbing you? I think it would've been smarter and easier for them to jump on the subway and rob someone from outside their neighborhood. GentrifyThis tried to get everyone to focus on a good point but its getting sidestepped & avoided like a bad pierogie on the table. Is it THAT inconceivable that this is about anger. I mean it's not hard to believe that a people will act like this when they feel threatened, is it? When put in the same position, the most upstanding-seeming white americans (many of which are/were full blown adults) have been known to scrawl hate words on peoples' homes and throw molotov cocktails into their windows. I'd MUCH rather face the threat of getting robbed for my ipod.

I regret that this conversation has turned into our thoughts of the black civil rights struggle...like that matters.

boygabriel

BK Allday wrote: I mean it's not hard to believe that a people will act like this when they feel threatened, is it? When put in the same position, the most upstanding-seeming white americans (many of which are/were full blown adults) have been known to scrawl hate words on peoples' homes and throw molotov cocktails into their windows. I'd MUCH rather face the threat of getting robbed for my ipod.

Are the two issues really cut and dry separate? (feeling threatened v. resenting the posessions of others)

They seem very intertwined to me.

Also your post seems to be hinting at some ulterior motive for the comments about 'black youths'. Personally I commented on black or non-white youths b/c they are who's relevant to this neighborhood. I didn't mention them simply because I think it's a problem confined to that socio-economic group.

anonymous

Kevin_on_Putnam wrote: I must admit that I tended to believe the teenagers were not "ours" but from another neighborhood. While the police were informed, I'm not sure what exactly they can do other than patrol more and perhaps build more relationships in the community. Working a full day in Manhattan does make it hard to get involved in the community other than over the internet, and I think more than anything what teenagers need is family and community, friends with some common sense, and something or someone they feel responsible for. I don't particularly like most rap music although I've found humor in some of it, but my daughter has liked it since she was a teenager so I got used to it. The music itself is NOT the problem.

So you are justifying the robbery by saying that the teenagers were not "yours." I've watched postings on this board when people have trouble in the hood say this often. It seems like you are drawing a blind eye to the crime and using the excuse that "oh its some kids from bed-stuy not clinton hill" as a reason to why your daughter got assaulted. I think you should just accept the fact that there is crime n the hood and do more about it.

Im curious to know how many police council meetings you have attended in the 7 years you have been in the neighborhood.

anonymous

BK Allday wrote: [quote=nicolamj]...but rap music is pop music...and music sells bling & Xboxes.

I didn't think that I had to explain this, but I will. My point is that although many kinds of American kids have a preoccupation with bling, Xboxes and other tokens of a capitalist society, if the companies selling these products are relying on music video placements and musical advertisements (and more often than not, rap forms the musical bed) to sell these products, it could give the public the wrong impression about just who is interested in these products. I wasn't suggesting that music is leading these kids to capitalism &/or screwed up priorities.

I also don't think its fair to suggest that this is about the kids in the neighborhood wanting the material possessions of newcomers to the neighborhood. I mean, these kids knew where to find you and your valuable possessions before you moved to Bed-Stuy. Do you think its that just because you're here now, in their faces, they just can't resist robbing you? I think it would've been smarter and easier for them to jump on the subway and rob someone from outside their neighborhood. GentrifyThis tried to get everyone to focus on a good point but its getting sidestepped & avoided like a bad pierogie on the table. Is it THAT inconceivable that this is about anger. I mean it's not hard to believe that a people will act like this when they feel threatened, is it? When put in the same position, the most upstanding-seeming white americans (many of which are/were full blown adults) have been known to scrawl hate words on peoples' homes and throw molotov cocktails into their windows. I'd MUCH rather face the threat of getting robbed for my ipod.

I regret that this conversation has turned into our thoughts of the black civil rights struggle...like that matters.

BK,

Thank you for this post. I always have said, no matter how many gentrifiers move into "new" neighborhoods they still are clueless to the social ills that affect them and reasons why things are the way they tend to be, and that there will never be a real dialect about class and race.

Gentrifiers focus on the "good parts" of the hood and try to black out those "sketchy" blocks. They want to turn neighborhoods into mini-neighborhoods, (North-Stuy, Bedford Heights) stretch boundries, etc. All evident in postings on this board! So when these type of events happen, they try to justify them by saying that these crimes are being commited by people that aren't residents. These are the problems we have to tackle if we are going to all live together. My fear is, that all the newbies to the hood, havent seen when the times are hard, will bail at the first sign of trouble (depression, unemployment, crime, etc) and leave the hoods in the same disrepair before they "discovered" them. And in my opinion, this is why i feel people are so resistant to gentrification. They've seen abandonment before, and sad to say, will see it again.

armchair_warrior

sorry this had happen to your daughter and her bf. this happen to me and my gf once.

the girls and boys came to mug us. we gave them all our money. and when the girls started to punch my gf and the boys started to punch me. i fought back and they all ran away. It was part of their gang/group initiation thing.

kevin_on_putnam

So you are justifying the robbery by saying that the teenagers were not "yours." I've watched postings on this board when people have trouble in the hood say this often. It seems like you are drawing a blind eye to the crime and using the excuse that "oh its some kids from bed-stuy not clinton hill" as a reason to why your daughter got assaulted. I think you should just accept the fact that there is crime n the hood and do more about it.

Not trying to justify the robbery attempt of course, and posting the information on the blog is part of my attempt to do something. I was reporting my first reaction, and how I now see that, well of course the boundaries don't matter. It was just admitting that I found it more comforting to think that these were not people who know us. I think if these youngsters had known my daughter or she had known them as part of the neighborhood, this wouldn't have happened. At the same time I was also expressing a wish to know my neighbors better.