Got attacked tonight

[Tobias March]

I was walking home from a party with a girl I'm friends with and this Swedish guy, who I just met tonight for the first time. We were walking along a canal and a bunch of teenagers asked us for skins for joints. We said we hadn't any and they pushed my friend. I stepped in once the guy threatened to punch her. So of course he punched me instead. Then the Swedish lad jumped to my defence and for his troubles was beaten to the ground and kicked in the head.

I called the cops. The teenagers wandered off and jumped into a taxi. The Swede seemed concussed but my friend insisted on bringing him to her place and refused to speak to the police. So when they arrived I had no witnesses and no confirming reports. They couldn't do anything, I can't do anything and I'm basically hoping I don't wake up tomorrow with a split lip.

Crap.

[Jeff Brady]

I was walking home from a party with a girl I'm friends with and this Swedish guy, who I just met tonight for the first time. We were walking along a canal and a bunch of teenagers asked us for skins for joints. We said we hadn't any and they pushed my friend. I stepped in once the guy threatened to punch her. So of course he punched me instead. Then the Swedish lad jumped to my defence and for his troubles was beaten to the ground and kicked in the head.

I called the cops. The teenagers wandered off and jumped into a taxi. The Swede seemed concussed but my friend insisted on bringing him to her place and refused to speak to the police. So when they arrived I had no witnesses and no confirming reports. They couldn't do anything, I can't do anything and I'm basically hoping I don't wake up tomorrow with a split lip.

Crap.

Damn, that's terrible; I hope you and your new friend recover soon. Why wouldn't your friend talk to the police?

[Tobias March]

Damn, that's terrible; I hope you and your new friend recover soon. Why wouldn't your friend talk to the police?

I don't know. I'll talk to her in the morning maybe, but she basically seemed to think since no one was seriously injured it was grand. I spoke to her, phoned her, just before the cops arrived to interview me. The Swede seems to have recovered. He seemed concussed to me immediately afterward. I mean there's nothing I can do if they don't agree to give a statement.

Of course now I've got all this rage bubbling inside me and no way to express it. Ugh.

[Paul McEnery]

Hell, in my experience it's never worthwhile speaking to the cops. Just one more waste of time in the middle of something horrible.

Sorry to hear about it, Tobias. I know all about that frustrated rage.

The solution is beer.

[drunkentiger]

Maybe if she got punched in the face or
kicked in the head it would be a big deal.
Sorry to hear about your troubles though.

[Donald M.]

Well, at least you're okay, that's the important thing.

As far as your friend talking to the cops, I agree with Paul that it just would have been a waste of time and that even calling them in the first place was a waste of your time.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of situations where you're gonna want to call the cops, but in a situation like yours there's really nothing the cops can do. No one was seriously hurt, nothing was stolen and they were kids.

Just be thankful things didn't turn out worse. You gotta love kids like that, all tough and in your face because there's a whole bunch of them to back each other up, but probably a bunch of pussies on their own.

[Shady Jack]

Of course now I've got all this rage bubbling inside me and no way to express it. Ugh.

Just chill out and relax. It sucks, but you can't take it out on the pricks who started it and it's likely you'll never see them again anyway.

Besides, events could have been MUCH, MUCH worse. No one ended up with bullets in them at least.

Sorry your night sucked.:(

[Donald M.]

Oh yeah, I don't know if this is a recent phenomenon or if it's only just recently that I've experienced it, but what's up with seemingly affluent or at least visibly comfortable teenagers asking you for shit and then getting all aggressive when you don't give them anything?

When I was that age I would've walked before begging some random stranger for change, but then a bus ride only cost fifty cents in those days

[Tobias March]

Oh yeah, I don't know if this is a recent phenomenon or if it's only just recently that I've experienced it, but what's up with seemingly affluent or at least visibly comfortable teenagers asking you for shit and then getting all aggressive when you don't give them anything?

When I was that age I would've walked before begging some random stranger for change, but then a bus ride only cost fifty cents in those days

It's kinda funny actually. The fat kid - there was a fat one - started making karate sounds at me. Course his stance was all fucked, but I didn't feel the need to point that out at the time :)

[Donald M.]

It's kinda funny actually. The fat kid - there was a fat one - started making karate sounds at me. Course his stance was all fucked, but I didn't feel the need to point that out at the time :)

Wow, that's sad.

I bet his "friends" beat him up when there's nobody else to kick around.

[Jack Zodiac]

Fat kid doing faux karate, eh? Hell, even if they didn't attack you guys, why didn't you kick that twat in the fuckin' balls?

Ah well, live in the moment, right? Shame about your friend the Swede, Tobias. Next time a pack of stupid fuckhead teenagers act like douchebags (and they don't even have to attack you, just act like douchebags), kick the first one you can in the balls. Then find a newspaper and smack the rest of them in the face.

Teenagers are like dogs, but stupider.

[Shady Jack]

Teenagers are like dogs, but stupider.

Also, dogs tend to smell better and slobber less.

[Iangould]

Of course now I've got all this rage bubbling inside me and no way to express it. Ugh.

Welcome to my world.

Seriously, I'm glad you and your friends are okay.

[berk]

Sorry you and everyone else had to go through that, Tobias. Don't be too hard on your friend, though. It's different for girls, as Joe Jackson once said in a completely different context.

[kmeyers]

If they don't have a gun... Knuckles to the throat, foot to the groin....Thumbs to the eyes. The end, and thanks for playing.

[Gavin Higginbotham, BotF]

About a year and a half ago, me and my mate Steve were in a club. We were both horribly drunk and Steve made a bit of a nuisance of himself. This massive guy started punching the crap out of him so, in my drunken state, I stepped up to try and help my friend. I got punched once and fell on my arse. By the time I'd picked myself up, the bouncers had come over and got me and Steve away to the medical room for treatment.

I got away with a split lip that needed some stitches but Steve was far worse off. His right eye was pummeled and a bit of the bone in his eye socket was dislodged behind his cheek. He's had a bunch of surgeries to correct his vision but still isn't right yet.

When we went to the police, they did nothing. I didn't even get interviewed! The CCTV footage in the club was conveniently "lost" and none of the bouncers apparently saw who attacked us. Since that time, we've found out who the guy was (Steve's ex's ex) and we've... resolved the situation but yeah, sad as it is, going to the police doesn't seem to get much done.

Sorry to hear about your story, Tobias. It seems to be a far often heard story nowadays.

[Drew Van T.]

We were both horribly drunk and Steve made a bit of a nuisance of himself. This massive guy started punching the crap out of him so, in my drunken state, I stepped up to try and help my friend. I got punched once and fell on my arse. By the time I'd picked myself up, the bouncers had come over and got me and Steve away to the medical room for treatment.

Ah, the first rule of bar- and streetfighting: the inebriated always lose (or are the ones to get hurt).

[Valmore]

Of course now I've got all this rage bubbling inside me and no way to express it. Ugh.

Well, you are expressing it by telling the people here that you have rage.

Now an outlet for it, on the other hand... well there's always a punching bag.

[mgs]

Hell, in my experience it's never worthwhile speaking to the cops. Just one more waste of time in the middle of something horrible.

</p>
not sure how it is in other countries. but in the U.S. it's always worthwhile to speak to the cops who come to a situation. you never know, people you encounter might be wanted for something else more serious, or they might need help. either way, to not get help from the authorities is stupid. (including not cheking out any injuries)

but sorry for your shitty night Tobias.

[rick]

I once got jumped by two guys when I was living in Berkley.

Busted my lip, broke a tooth and generally got the hell beat out of me by a skateboard.

Another time, I stuck my nose into a situation where a guy was attacking a woman and got stabbed in the chest for that one and ended up in intensive care with a punctured lung.

Street violence is never fun.

And Paul is right, the cops are mostly useless in this kind of situation.

Still, I'm glad that you weren't badly hurt.

[mgs]

I don't know where you people live, but it's not like cops are batman. they can't just go off on a vigilante spree and terrorize people. the most you can do is report the situation, and make sure they write it down or take you seriously. and let it go from there. suggesting doing nothing is the dumbest advice i ever heard.

[rick]

If they don't have a gun... Knuckles to the throat, foot to the groin....Thumbs to the eyes. The end, and thanks for playing.


Nothing personal but that statement just kind of irks me.

I know lots of tough guys who know how to fight.

Hell, I am a tough guy who knows how to fight.

But every once in awhile, the ol' groin kick, eye gouge doesn't work and a person ends up down or dead because they thought that real life was like the movies and that it is actually easy to take out a group of assholes.

As much as you've fought you know that's the truth and you also should know that you really shouldn't be encouraging someone who doesn't have any real experience with violence to go get himself killed.

[rick]

I don't know where you people live, but it's not like cops are batman. they can't just go off on a vigilante spree and terrorize people. the most you can do is report the situation, and make sure they write it down or take you seriously. and let it go from there. suggesting doing nothing is the dumbest advice i ever heard.


I somehow find it kind of comforting that someone in New York of all places actually has faith in the police.

As for myself, I have never had a positive response from the police to any situation I have ever been in, including while I was laying on the floor of a stinking garage inhaling whatever blood I had that wasn’t running all over the ground, while a cop turned me over and cuffed me, while at the same time the lady who was being attacked in the first place, kept yelling to them that I had helped her and that the real thug was getting away.

In the end the creep was caught by a couple of civilians on bicycles.

To say the least the situation didn’t fill me up with a huge amount of confidence in the police.

[mgs]

Nothing personal but that statement just kind of irks me.

I know lots of tough guys who know how to fight.

Hell, I am a tough guy who knows how to fight.

But every once in awhile, the ol' groin kick, eye gouge doesn't work and a person ends up down or dead because they thought that real life was like the movies and that it is actually easy to take out a group of assholes.

As much as you've fought you know that's the truth and you also should know that you really shouldn't be encouraging someone who doesn't have any real experience with violence to go get himself killed.

I am in complete agreeance with this statement. It's good to know how to defend yourself....if you have to, but not recommended. Best ways to avoid fights, avoid situations, like walking in dimly lit places at night and running away.

[howyadoin]

As for myself, I have never had a positive response from the police to any situation I have ever been in...Closest thing I've ever seen to a positive response was shoulder-shrugging.

[mgs]

I somehow find it kind of comforting that someone in New York of all places actually has faith in the police.

</p>
well, it all depends on the how and where. lots of foot (the beat) patrolmen are younger guys with little to no experience. the guys directing traffic and whatnot are usually in trouble for something to get assigned such crap duty.

the bicycle guys, horse and sometimes car cops are the better ones to get help from. if you are in a high crime area, lots of them don't want to deal with little tiddly things (as important as they may be to you) as they may simply be trying not to be targets themselves and they are not allowed or know if they are allowed to follow random civilians into some situations, etc.

but also, just like any other person, they may be having a shitty day ot just want to go home or something and not have to deal with shit they see every day. typically, if they look disinterested, they probably are. maybe they are on the tail end of a double shift 15 hour work day, maybe they really need lunch. they don't exactly get paid that much, at least city cops. Long Island is totally different.

But make the report anyways, if it's important enough to you. Try to act respectful and like a good citizen, even if you're not. If you look like a criminal, it will be harder to get their respect/trust. Just because they are civil servants, doesn't mean they have to do whatever you say. They are trained to control a situation, not act independently and act without thinking (of course, this doesn't always happen).

if you need immediate help, sometimes you'll get a better response from firemen or ambulance emt's or whatever, but you'll still have to make a report with the police, so you might as well take the chance that you can find one willing to listen to you right away.

[Paul McEnery]

</p>
If you look like a criminal, it will be harder to get their respect/trust.

Way to lose every last piece of your credibility.

[mgs]

Way to lose every last piece of your credibility.

why? it's a fact of life. where I work, if you act/look like a stoner, you will not get as much respect as a person who walks in like a 'normal' person. unfair, but a fact of life.

[Rallura]

It's true, sometimes the cops aren't much help, but they aren't all bad. Pretty much every day at the hospital I see cops, there's usually an inmate getting treated for something, or a cop following up on an accident or assault with the victims, and those ones are interested in catching the bad guys, or at least making sure the victim is ok. That could just be though that the investigators are different then the beat cops. And also that is definitely matters who you are and where you are when dealing with the cops, ven if you're a victim.

[Nikita]

Sorry to hear about the attack. Glad you are ok.

[Athena Bast]

When I got mugged by a gang of kids a couple years ago. There was about 15 of them that came out of the "pubs" (public housing). About 4-5 of them jumped me from behind. I was shoved to the ground. Knocked unconscious at that point but my body reacted to go over to the bush kneel down and cover my head and neck with my hands and arms. I was wearing a backpack at the time that was carrying my work uniform which one of them took.

I called 911 and the cops were there in minutes. I was the first of about 6 swarmings that night by the gang.

Just a couple months ago I was witness to another swarming involving a knife and a gun. This was just outside my new job. We called the cops and they showed up almost immediately but since it was dark and all the kids had gotten on the bus with their back facing the windows I couldn't identify the assailants.

The second assault was on 2 white kids by a black group of kids. The white kid was waaaaay on the other side of the parking lot walking to the movie theatre when the group ran after to beat the snot of him and chase him with knife and gun in hand. What pissed me off most about that was the black adults LAUGHING at what was going on. LAUGHING.

Talk to the cops anyway because it helps you get over the situation. The less incidents like this get reported, the less effective the police force is. If they don't know what's going on, how the hell are they supposed to stop anything?

[Donald M.]

What pissed me off most about that was the black adults LAUGHING at what was going on. LAUGHING.


Those weren't adults, those were overgrown children. Far too many of those in this world.

[Paul McEnery]

My best ever cop story, and I got a few:

I lived across the street from the police station. On a street where junkies openly shot up under the streetlight. Heard a scuffle outside the house, and it's two guys beating another guy to death with a saw horse. Girlfriend gets on the phone. I know better, and lean out the window and yell at them in the hope that they come to their senses. They do.

Half an hour later, the cops call us back.

That's a police station right opposite my house.

[mgs]

Talk to the cops anyway because it helps you get over the situation. The less incidents like this get reported, the less effective the police force is. If they don't know what's going on, how the hell are they supposed to stop anything?

Exactly Athena! I notice this a lot in some poorer areas of Brooklyn as well. Some of the older residents of the area don't seem to do a thing, but it affected some of my roomates enough that calls to the police were made just to make them aware of what was happening in the area. They usually responded right away, sending a black and white in the area within minutes and if you wanted to talk to them you could. Some people are not bothered by the violence in their area, the cops can't do anything if they don't know about it.

[Schornforce]

I don't mean to butt in and I totally understand people's distrust of the police, but to add a few viewpoints:

I was burgled awhile back (3 times!) and the cops who showed up (about 15 min-30 min) weren't the best... except once, I think I got some very nice officers who were sympathetic.

The detective, on the other hand, was VERY nice and helpful to me. She talked me through the initial court hearing and told me what I needed to do and was very kind and patient to me.

The way I see it, it's like any other job-- there's good people and bad people. Yeah, you may end up with the worst of the worst, but there's no reason to assume that's what you'll get when you call.

Also, my father helps the police where he lives (a small town), and has told me that officers have to distance themselves from people while on duty. That's why they can come off as jerkwads sometimes (although some truly are). They can't (ideally) let personal feelings come between them and their job. It's exceedingly high stress, very dangerous, has low pay, and can be quite thankless. It's best to report even things you may not think important.

An officer was teaching a class I took at work and said how this guy walked down the middle of the street in broad daylight with a shotgun, past neighbors on their porches and whatnot. None of the neighbors wanted to get involved. He got to his destination and shot and killed someone.

To make a long story even longer, I think it's good you contacted the police. Even without other witnesses or proper physical evidence, I assume you gave them a description. What may start out as smaller crimes can turn into much more serious things in the future. I'm glad noone was seriously hurt, although the Swedish gentleman should go to the hospital and get checked out just in case.

[Gladiaria_Alata]

I somehow find it kind of comforting that someone in New York of all places actually has faith in the police.

As for myself, I have never had a positive response from the police to any situation I have ever been in, including while I was laying on the floor of a stinking garage inhaling whatever blood I had that wasn’t running all over the ground, while a cop turned me over and cuffed me, while at the same time the lady who was being attacked in the first place, kept yelling to them that I had helped her and that the real thug was getting away.

In the end the creep was caught by a couple of civilians on bicycles.

To say the least the situation didn’t fill me up with a huge amount of confidence in the police.

Fuck. Just.... Fuck! :mad:

Tch'. I bet it didn't. >:/


Just when I though my opinion of humanity couldn't get any lower.....

Those weren't adults, those were overgrown children. Far too many of those in this world.

Too true.

Schornforce: That's a fair enough point too.

[mgs]

I agree with schorn as well.

But I'll stop now. I know I'm coming off like a fascist idiot. ;)

I really hope all is well with Tobias and everything works out.

[Tobias March]

Everything is fine. I checked in with my friends this morning. The Swede is off to take up a new job in the South. Spent the afternoon with the girl. Thanks for the concern folks.

[Iangould]

</p>
not sure how it is in other countries. but in the U.S. it's always worthwhile to speak to the cops who come to a situation. you never know, people you encounter might be wanted for something else more serious, or they might need help. either way, to not get help from the authorities is stupid. (including not cheking out any injuries)

but sorry for your shitty night Tobias.

There's another real good reason to talk to the cops - to get your side of the story on the record in case the other party makes a complaint (or gets pulled in because of a witness report).

[howyadoin]

I was burgled awhile back (3 times!) and the cops who showed up (about 15 min-30 min) weren't the best... except once, I think I got some very nice officers who were sympathetic.My last apartment was burgled in 1998. The cop who came gave me a form to fill out and just sat there while I filled it out. Didn't look around the apartment at all.

On his way out, he told me I should look into a better lock - even though the existing lock wasn't picked or broken. After he was gone I noticed he didn't even take the report with him.

[Ghost]

I was walking home from a party with a girl I'm friends with and this Swedish guy, who I just met tonight for the first time. We were walking along a canal and a bunch of teenagers asked us for skins for joints. We said we hadn't any and they pushed my friend. I stepped in once the guy threatened to punch her. So of course he punched me instead. Then the Swedish lad jumped to my defence and for his troubles was beaten to the ground and kicked in the head.

Well, you're both brave men to stand up against those punks. It's too bad you got beaten, but you really didn't have any alternatives. Try not to feel bad about it.

[Captain_Video]

Glad it all seems to be going smoothly again ( smoother ).

The big downside to a varied and vibrant nightlife, is vibrant and varied morons.

Been there so I know it is a nasty thing to go through, it is cool to see you have picked yourself up and got back on the horse so to speak, you can't be responsible for the actions of a few sad little idiots.

Top man.