Comments on: Dear PoPville – Another Disturbing Assault in Logan Circle

By: RW

RW — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:48:12 +0000

Anonymous, I’m glad your injuries didn’t turn out to be any more serious. I can’t think why you said my daughter was heroic; maybe that was a misplaced adjective.

Did the police offer you the option to drive past the park and try to identify the assailants? If not, it sounds to me like they didn’t want to be bothered with arresting anyone. I mean, for crying out loud, the assholes were visible from where we were standing!

A couple of years ago, when a friend was mugged and pretty badly beaten up, he flagged down a cop car and the cop drove him around until he spotted his assailants. First the assailants were arrested, then he went to get medical attention. That’s how to do it right, IMHO, unless the victim is so badly injured as to be unable to make the ID.

By: RW

RW — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:28:40 +0000

I witnessed part of this attack. I would say the perpetrators were more likely 15-18. They looked adult-sized, not bar-mitzvah-guest-sized.

The victim was a small white man in his 20s. I did wonder if it might have been a gay-bashing, but nobody heard the attackers say anything along those lines. The first one to hit him was a girl.

One of the neighbors who came out afterwards immediately voiced his suspicions that the perpetrators were from R Street.

Possibly the most disgusting aspect of the attack was the nonchalance of the attackers as they “fled” the scene. They slowed to a walk by the end of the block, then proceeded to hang out at the skate park in clear view well after the cops arrived. I will say that they arrived quickly, but they seemed to have no interest in taking the victim or witnesses the two blocks to identify the perpetrators. Thus proving them to have been totally right to be nonchalant.

By: hstreetlandlord

hstreetlandlord — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:45:41 +0000

Wow, this one really brought out the racists!

By: ebjdc

ebjdc — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:57:09 +0000

Something very similar (but fortunately with no actual physical wounds) happened to me last year on 12th Street, NW, between U and V. It was about 5:15 p.m. and I had just left the U Street Metro Station, walking to my car. Plenty of people on the street. I was attacked by 5-6 black kids (young teens if that), who punched me in the face, knocking my glasses into the street) and kicking at me randomly, while laughing their little asses off. They attempted to steal nothing, even though I had a brief case and a gym bag on me. When I started swinging at them, they ran off, still laughing. I spoke to a cop who I found nearby and he did take a report, but they were never apprehended.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:38:35 +0000

All – Last night around 11:45PM on Q St. near 15th, another mugging at gunpoint occured. Apparently, a suspect jumped out behind a car and held up two adult males. Luckily one of the men did not have his wallet so the suspect stole his iphone. Before he could take a wallet/iphone from the second guy, he took off running down the street. Fortunately, no one was hurt but this is getting out of hand. We need increase police presence NOW!

By: Park View Drew

Park View Drew — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:37:58 +0000

Not that I have a lot of experience or training in this area, but I think this type of comparison misses the most important factors.

Maybe you could win a boxing match against someone where everyone squares off and agrees on the rules, but that’s not the same thing as a fight that starts with you being sucker-punched from behind.

There’s also the issue of escalation. At what point do you hit someone who may or may not be about to attack you? He knows if he’s going to hit you, but you don’t. If you jump the gun, you could be the one in the wrong. If you wait until you’re certain, your attacked could have established an advantage.

By: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:25:57 +0000

Let’s be honest – you and I and everyone else know that the congregating “teens” that are referred to in these PoP posts are black teens. Let’s not pretend these posts are about teens in general – because they are not.
And when I was 13-14 and hung out with groups of friends I was up to something, but it wasn’t anything illegal. I don’t buy your assumption that a group of teenagers of any race is by definition up to no good or should be presumed as being up to no good. Should there be more police presence in places where teenagers congregate – absolutely. Should teenagers who engage in these kinds of despicable acts be prosecuted and subjected to serious punishment – absolutely. But criminalizing one teenager being in the presence of more than one other teenager is ridiculous, unless it’s a violation of a curfew – which DC used to have as I recall – is ridiculous.

By: D

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:17:23 +0000

I thought that was Freudian!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:46:19 +0000

tip # 1. Do not cross the street, that shows you are afraid of them and gives them the courage to attack you. keep walking and think of them as toddlers.
tip # 2. Always carry a baseball bat.

By: David

David — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:51:30 +0000

I think you wanted to type, “burned to the ground.” It’s ok… I understand and I want to say the same thing… but think what’s next…Where do they go? Do things get better for them? or their kids? We have created a competitive system and they weren’t given the means to compete. The cycle won’t break by making them disappear.