Guy threw a damn rock at me!
Hello everyone,
Well at about 12:45am I was sitting on a bench on Eastern between Washington and Classon with my dog at my feet and talking with a friend.
The whole time we were there(about 25 min)there was a homeless guy on the bench across from us adjusting his belongings in his bag and doing his thing. I have seen this guy before-he wears a scarf around his face, sunglasses all the time, a cap and always seems strange and off.
So we get up to leave and all of a sudden-whack! I get hit in the back of the leg with a rock! I turn around and he is scurrying away and across the street into the small park. I called the police and they came to my apartment to ask questions and said that they would go out and look for him because they know exactly who I'm talking about. They also said that they never can catch him...Well, I know that he is obviously disturbed but no matter how you slice it, the @#$@%@! assaulted me right?! Maybe if he were identified and "caught", he could get the medical help that he obviously needs.
Let's see what happens-the police said they would get back to me if they found him.. Ugh...Has anyone else experienced something like this, or know the unfortunate soul that I'm talking about?
Well at about 12:45am I was sitting on a bench on Eastern between Washington and Classon with my dog at my feet and talking with a friend.
The whole time we were there(about 25 min)there was a homeless guy on the bench across from us adjusting his belongings in his bag and doing his thing. I have seen this guy before-he wears a scarf around his face, sunglasses all the time, a cap and always seems strange and off.
So we get up to leave and all of a sudden-whack! I get hit in the back of the leg with a rock! I turn around and he is scurrying away and across the street into the small park. I called the police and they came to my apartment to ask questions and said that they would go out and look for him because they know exactly who I'm talking about. They also said that they never can catch him...Well, I know that he is obviously disturbed but no matter how you slice it, the @#$@%@! assaulted me right?! Maybe if he were identified and "caught", he could get the medical help that he obviously needs.
Let's see what happens-the police said they would get back to me if they found him.. Ugh...Has anyone else experienced something like this, or know the unfortunate soul that I'm talking about?
Comments
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Subject: Hit by a rock
Look on the Prospect Heights board under "Stoned on St Marks" heading. Sounds way too similar.
So sorry this happened, and no one should have to worry about being hit by stones, water buckets or any other things propelled by people. -
Subject: Re: Hit by a rock
dakotas way wrote: Look on the Prospect Heights board under "Stoned on St Marks" heading. Sounds way too similar.
I disagree that this is anything like the Stoned on St Marks situation. That one is teenage delinquents, this is clearly a disturbed homeless person. I agree, however, that, uh, people shouldn't get rocks and stuff thrown at them.
So sorry this happened, and no one should have to worry about being hit by stones, water buckets or any other things propelled by people.
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Subject: Rock throwing
I guess what I meant was it was happening elsewhere. It's not just an isolated incident that occured only where Christina was when they were hit. -
Subject: Re: Rock throwing
dakotas way wrote: I guess what I meant was it was happening elsewhere. It's not just an isolated incident that occured only where Christina was when they were hit.
You are absolutely correct. Christina is not the only person ever in the history of humanity to have a rock thrown at her. :roll: -
As a child in Pennsylvania, I was hit by a rock that was launched by a spinning car tire. I just wanted everyone to know that the rock throwing epidemic has spanned multiple decades, crossed state lines, and broken the animal/mineral barrier. Perhaps someone from NASA reads these boards and can let us know whether or not this is a purely terrestrial problem.
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ricorn wrote: Perhaps someone from NASA reads these boards and can let us know whether or not this is a purely terrestrial problem.
Clearly not... -
Are you serious? You want to call the cops because some wacked-out homeless guy threw a rock at you? Unless he did some serious damage, I'd blow it off. Do you really think it's an effective use of police resources to have the cops chase down and arrest a crazy homeless guy because he threw a rock at you?? Get serious.
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Ok, here we go...That rock hit the back of my thick leather boot with a hard smack ok? If that thing hit me in the head I would have been undoubtedly injured. Do you(guest..) mean to tell me that you don't think mentally ill people need to be held responsible for that kind of shit or more importantly taken to a place where they can get some help to lessen the likelihood of really hurting someone else or themselves? The one who needs to get serious is you-I'm not some frail little ninny calling the police for no reason. I grew up in Brooklyn and know when to call the police and when not to.
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Ahh, the testicular fortitude of anonmyous posters, always a delight...
All the off-topic stuff in this thread aside, this had to be unsettling, Christina. I'm glad that it just hit your boot. Is this the guy who tends to hang out around the 2/3 stop across from the museum? Did the police say why they've tried to catch him before? If it's the same guy, up until now I'd always heard he was mentally ill but pretty much harmless to others, so it's troubling if he's started escalating into throwing things at people. -
Hi Apollonia,
Thanks for recognizing...I think "guest" has a hair up his ass cause around the same time that he thought he was giving me a good lesson, he(or she)got on another post and acted out...Anyway....No, it is not our guy that pontificates at the subway entrance and across from the museum. We actually say hello to eachother..He stops his rant to smile and ask me how I am...????
No, this guy has got a sinister vibe. He is all wrapped up with a scarf on his face, big dark sunglasses, a heavy, what looks like tan corduroy jacket and totes bags..He moves kind of slow and sometimes sounds like he is hissing or growling....I know that I'm making him sound like Sasquatch with clothes but he kind of has that air...I usually see him on the Eastern Pkwy. median closer to Underhill. The police just told me that they are always trying to find him because he calls 911 and the police station to file false complaints and stuff... It IS concerning when a mentally ill person gets violent. They are totally unpredictable. -
There was a women who had her face slashed to bits in Manhattan about a year ago
That was also a deranged homeless guy who was already known in the neighborhood and to the police and never before hurt anyone.
But then one day BAMM!! -
I totally agree with you for calling the cops. Not a matter of a harmless rock being thrown, if he is homeless and mentally ill, he needs some kind of help or we will be reading about him in the Post someday. People always say mentally ill people are harmless till they snap like the young guy who snapped in Manhattan and repeatedly stabbed the older woman walking her dog.Rock throwing tonite, stabbing someone tomorrow. Cant take it lightly.
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Subject: Re: Guy threw a damn rock at me!
ChristinafromBklyn wrote: I grew up in Brooklyn and...
Ok Why Fi, this is your chance to tell another one of us snobby natives what's who.
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There's a crazy homeless guy who hangs out at the Penn Station 7th Avenue subway platforms. He's definitely dangerous. One time, completely out of the blue, he came up to me and hit me really hard on the shoulder. For me, personally, it wasn't that big of a deal. I was wearing a thick leather jacket so he didn't even hurt me, but the fact that he could show that level of violence to a total stranger was disturbing.
I reported him to the MTA and the cops, and the response was, well, underwhelming. This I found very disturbing because he clearly presented a danger to himself and others. It's only a matter of time before he pushes someone onto the tracks, someone who is a lot frailer and weaker than myself. The MTA couldn't care less.
I still see him from time to time and I give him a wide berth. I just wish the cops and/or MTA took that sort of thing more seriously. We've already had one tragedy too many of a mentally unstable person pushing someone onto the tracks. -
I have to be honest, when I first read the original post, I laughed. I guess calling the cops is a good idea and all, but c'mon... Everyone has a story about a random homeless person being crazy, it's just something you kind of have to deal with. But good luck with the cops. I think they should set up a sting operation to catch the guy. You know, have some undercover's sitting around some homeless people, noting how nice the rocks look... Then once the guy makes his move - they snatch him up! Perfect!
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I'm the guest from yesterday. I'm not registering a name because I'm not interested in doing that. I have a right NOT to register a name. At the risk of being accused of acting out, I'm sticking to my original position: in a neighborhood (MY neighborhood) that has unfortunately dealt with gunfire, murders (several unsolved) and other significant crimes, a homeless guy throwing a rock (even one thrown hard at the back of your leather boot with a smack) does not require a police response, especially since no one was seriously hurt. That's common sense. I agree that if this guy was arrested and booked, he might not attack anyone else during that time period. Then again, maybe he would (in jail). Who's to say? Hey, he could instantly reform after being booked and arrested and provided with counseling. And then again maybe the counseling wouldn't work and a month from now, he'll throw a rock hard at your leather purse with a hard smack. We'd all hate for that to happen. My point was that there are many, many more significant crimes occurring every day of all types compared with what happened to you. No one wants to get hit with rocks, including me. But if you take a moment to just get over yourself, you'll realize nothing terrible happened, the police have bigger fish to fry, and you should just move on.
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I've seen this guy many times. He's short, speaks spanish --- he doesn't always wear the sunglasses and bandana (bandit style), but he often does. I've seen him do the following: smash glass bottles in front of the bodega on the corner of bergen and underhill. Once he stood atop the electrical-metal box thingy on underhill near the corner of easter parkway -- he stomped and hit the box for near a half-hour -- occasionally attempting to rap and then walking around atop the box as if it were a stage. He asked if I wanted to hang out when I was buying something at the aforementioned bodega--very bizzare. Anyway, he really could use some psychological help -- i've never seen him be aggressive (towards a person), but he walks as if pretending to be a much larger man. As was just said, he is not the Brooklyn museum 2/3 stop guy.
Crime, crime, crime, crime, crime, neighborhood watch? I'm sure this has been discussed before---what was the reaction? I imagine it might be awkward---especially if the majority of neighborhood watchers were white newcomers who don't really know the neighborhood well-----but if long-time residents led the way, I think it would be a great idea---especially considering all the muggings that go on.
After all they're having a fundraiser for feral cats! (http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38564) Is that really a stronger draw?
btw, I love cats---especially toms. -
Look, I'm not for rounding up harmless crazies. Lord knows, there are so many of them, it would probably exceed jail capacity. If they don't offer violence to anyone, whether or not they seek the help they need, God bless 'em and let them go their own way. Most mentally ill people are never violent.
The problem I have is that when clearly mentally ill people start exhibiting symptoms of violence, they are rarely intercepted until someone gets seriously hurt or killed. Most of the time, when mentally ill people turn violent, it doesn't happen out of the blue. It starts with something seemingly benign, like rock throwing, and then escalates. Something really ought to be done before the escalation occurs. It's a good thing the OP wasn't hurt, but it could have been much worse and I wish the police would take that more seriously before the guy hurts someone badly.
And talk about not taking violence seriously: if you read daver's link, the guy who stabbed the woman in the head had already been arrested for a similar offense. What the hell was that guy doing back on the street? -
Wow! Banledesh, what hasn't happened to you? Seriously, it is amazing how many things happen to just one person!
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"I reported him to the MTA and the cops, and the response was, well, underwhelming. This I found very disturbing because he clearly presented a danger to himself and others. It's only a matter of time before he pushes someone onto the tracks, someone who is a lot frailer and weaker than myself. The MTA couldn't care less."
He HIT YOU ON THE SHOULDER! That's it! What were the cops supposed to do, launch a major investigation? There are REAL crimes going on that the cops have to deal with. And just because he's nuts and he hit you doesn't make him a potential mass murderer. Are the cops supposed to question everyone they SUSPECT may be CAPABLE of committing a crime someday? That doesn't even make sense. You're just like Christina! Stop whining. Get over it! Move on!! -
I wasn't interested in pressing charges against the guy. He didn't hurt me.
But he was clearly mentally ill and a danger to other people. THAT was what I was worried about.
You know, if you live in a city for ten years, shit happens. These aren't exactly every day occurrences. I knew someone who would get into a fight every single time he got on the subway. I told him that maybe the problem was HIM because I never got into fights on the subway and I had been taking the subway for years. After I made that suggestion, he stopped getting into fights.
Some people create trouble and some people, like myself, have the occasional incident. I'm willing to bet that I haven't been mugged as often as armchair warrior. -
Me, me, I, I, I, me, me, me. Solution. Me, me, me. Problem solver, me, me, me, I, I. Just finished reading "I'm Okay, I'm Okay."
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Anonymous wrote: Are you serious? You want to call the cops because some wacked-out homeless guy threw a rock at you? Unless he did some serious damage, I'd blow it off. Do you really think it's an effective use of police resources to have the cops chase down and arrest a crazy homeless guy because he threw a rock at you?? Get serious.
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By the way where were you at 12:25am on Oct 22,and can you prove it? -
Apparently LeeHo is just *fine* with crazy people on subway platforms who go around hitting people.
It's not such a stretch to go from hitting people to pushing people OFF platforms, which HAS happened before and really, I was trying to prevent. Had this happened ABOVE ground, I would have shrugged it off.
Since when is physical assault by a total stranger no big deal? -
LeeHo wrote: Me, me, I, I, I, me, me, me. Solution. Me, me, me. Problem solver, me, me, me, I, I. Just finished reading "I'm Okay, I'm Okay."
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was it good ,was it good? -
lilbangladesh wrote: Apparently LeeHo is just *fine* with crazy people on subway platforms who go around hitting people.
Totally agree. Also it's discouraging to go by people like this on a regular basis and see that not only do they not get better by being alone and neglected, they get worse.
It's not such a stretch to go from hitting people to pushing people OFF platforms, which HAS happened before and really, I was trying to prevent. Had this happened ABOVE ground, I would have shrugged it off.
Since when is physical assault by a total stranger no big deal? -
"I'm Okay, I'm Okay" was a truly enlightening book because it focused on me. I can take whatever happens to other people, and just imagine it happened to me, so I can feel like I have first hand knowledge about whatever has happened and turn it around to add my two-cents, because it is really worth a million bucks. It is a really empowering trip!
Pick up a copy of "I'm Okay, I'm Okay" and you will feel so much better about yourself and your point of view on every front. Simply wonderful! -
Anonymous wrote: Are you serious? You want to call the cops because some wacked-out homeless guy threw a rock at you? Unless he did some serious damage, I'd blow it off. Do you really think it's an effective use of police resources to have the cops chase down and arrest a crazy homeless guy because he threw a rock at you?? Get serious.
****************************************The reason he probably threw a rock is he couldn't afford a gun.
As he didn't succeed at first, I guess he will try ,try again. -
Mod note:
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There's no need for it. You know damn well if you're participating in it and you're not accomplishing anything other than souring the tone of the site by doing so. CUT IT OUT.
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