Yep, Czech he made a full recovery, and he gets laid off the scars like you wouldn’t believe.
Fisk, I usually take the A or the C to Hoyt and switch for the G. Sometimes I’ll ride the C a few more stops. As a person thats been taking that route home my entire life, I can tell you it’s pretty safe, even if it’s pretty rough in appearance sometimes. You may get a few knuckleheads at hoyt, but this sounds like an isolated incident.
These kids sound like they’ve been causing some trouble, but they’ll get busted sooner then later, they always do, especially now that the cops are keeping their eyes peeled for them.
Well jlzania, a riot with half of the participants being the bad guys doesn’t sound so pleasant to me. If the car was packed, and there was a better ratio of commuters to punks, and my fellow riders weren’t primarily tired moms…but even then, what if they were, as lezlers put it, packing? I know how to stand up for myself, but I don’t want to do anything that could get me (or other innocent people) seriously injured or killed.
I am comfortable in my neighborhood, and I have been pretty comfortable on the trains. I’ve been goosed before and fought back, and I’ve been the object of some creepy ogling on cars, but nothing else so enraging. But World Eater, all it takes is one isolated incident…
Today I will look for the train intercom, so I know where it is for next time. And I will call the transit police from the station to make a report.
That’s why I asked how many people were in the car, what kind of people (could they hold their own) then thought twice about that even, as most likely, the little punks probably did have weapons of some kind. I don’t know of many people who carry guns and knives around with them to work every day, but I know of many gang members who do.
Stand up for yourself, but don’t be stupid. Stupid people can get themselves, or someone else, killed.
I have to say I think in the situation as described pepper spray would not be a good idea
Out in the open against maybe ONE person pepper spray might help but in an enclosed area with no place to run against a pack of punks? Chances are pretty good the pepper spray would be just taken away and used on YOU
Buy a walkman with a set of earphones. If they don’t think they can get your goat, they’ll hopefully leave you alone. This works well for the occasional beggars who walk by hoping to gain your sympathy and money.
If it happens again, write a letter to the mayor. They frown on this sort of thing as it reflects negatively on the city.
I’ve got a funny story about that. You see, one time there was a group of punk - kids - who took a liking to this store and they decided to rob it. Anyway, one of these little shits got inside and the guy behind the counter pressed the button to drop down the screen door at the front so there was just him and the kid. Wasn’t so tough then I can tell you.
Personally, I believe beating the snot out of those kids would be the best thing that could happen in this situation. What’s the fucking deal with them getting off everything like that? They’re little shits, oh, but they’re young? What kind of bloody message is that setting to the kiddies?
I just spoke to my friend on the phone. When I told him this story, he laughed because he knows how I am about these things–smart enough to stay out of trouble, proactive enough to have 'em hunted down, and be prepared should there be a next time.
And he assured me that I’m not a “butterface.” For the record.
I feel silly defending my attractiveness, when I should be focusing on defending my arse, but they can’t take that away from me.
I apologize. I did not notice the “Ms.” Preceding your screen name. As a woman, I DO NOT recommend that you mix it up with street thugs. Instead, please follow the other instructions about getting to the next car’s intercom and reporting an emergency involving people being threatened. Only grown men or people well trained in martial arts should consider taking on hoodlums.
The only other piece of advice I can give you, really, is to use your surroundings. If they do start something, leaning against you, go for the soft tissue. The earlobe is always nice, as are any piercings, for command of the head.
Furthermore, you do have one defense against a knife… your purse or briefcase. I managed to foil being mugged by using my fifty pound bag to bounce a would-be mugger into a car twice.
It’s not great, but it should get you to the door all right if they try to block you. Stay sane, keep command of the situation and remember, people sometimes do care in this city.
Or they might find a new game: knocking the phones off your head. As happened to me once on a bus.
I don’t ride a subway, so I don’t know what options might be available as far as security/police. But I will say that I don’t recommend wasting time trying to outfox people like this. They’re too base; they’re not going to be put off by any subtle deterrent.
As a grown man, strong and fit, who is well trained in two martial arts can I just suggest that it’s still a pretty stupid idea to try to take on a gang of 10 kids.
The worst beating I’ve ever received was from an attack from a gang of 10 or so kids in that sort of age range, early to late teens. Having pushed the first couple of kids back, then knocked down the next few, they then thronged around me, and the blades came out. I lost a few pints of blood, and added 50 stitches and 2 broken ribs to my tally. Looking back on it, I was lucky.
If it happens again, try to get the best description that you can, then get somewhere safe and report it to the police.
I don’t know about you, (and I’ve never been on the NYC system) but I’ve never seen a subway/light rail system where it was possible to go from car to car without waiting for a stop, going out the door, and then rushing into another door. Crossing inbetween cars, especially when moving, is not something I’d want to do.
In my thoroughly misguided youth, I often found myself in highly unsavory urban areas and, when harassed, I found that my most effective defense was to act absolutley batshit crazy.
You’re most likely right,Ms Fisk-however, I am unable to sit back quietly and watch people kicked or slapped which is why I’ve elected not to live where people travel in packs and herds.
I have a really really big mouth and it tends to have a mind of it’s own. It’s gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion.
I’m not criticizing your behavior-you acted, as you felt best.
I just find it really sad that decent men and woman feel that they have to tolerate the actions of nasty little punks.
It’s reasonably easily doable in NY, and furthermore, they’re hard to open. One or two people leaning on the next car’s door in can probably keep it closed till the next station.
It’s not a case of tolerating anything. It’s just that there are more effective options than trying to physically confront a gang of kids.
I’m no psychologist, so I’ll spare this board any rambling theories on the predatory instincts of packs of kids. I would imagine though that most of the people here from their own experience would agree that kids may not be too likely to just back down when confronted if they’re in numbers that give them a perceivable advantage.
As such, if you do go batshit, or stand up to them, or bring this to a physical confrontation, then it’s likely to escalate. That’s great if for whatever reason you have an edge, but very bad news if you don’t. If you’re lucky, you’ve walked off with bruises. If you’re unlucky, you don’t walk off. As for the kids, you’ve just encouraged them to think they can push people around, start fights and win. Good work.
So what’s the point in reacting in such a manner? Step off the train, notify the station authorities, let them get the police down to intercept the kids at the next station. If the police become aware of a persistent problem, they can deal with it. A recent prosecution here just went very well because a woman had the foresight to step off the train, wait for the doors to close, then snap off photos of the two guys who’d been threatening people. A 7 dollar disposable camera was the most effective weapon for stripping them of the anonymity they rely on to engage in such behaviour.
When my wife and I lived in Phoenix we had one car and on occasion I would take the bus. We didn’t live in as nice an area as we have a house in now so we always had pepper spray.
I went to a gun show in Mesa one saturday and saw this stuff called Bear Spray nearly 100% pepper spray, and five times the size with a 50 foot range. Apparently, it is used for hiking… It looks like one of those small fire extinguishers. And comes in a handy dandy pouch, making it appear like a thermos or something like it.
Well, who ever thought in less than a month it would be used. My wife was taking the bus from Mesa into tempe. It was late and she was the only person on it. At her second stop a large group of mexican hoodlums got on and immediately started taunting her. She recognized them as a group of 15-20 year olds who hung out down the road from our complex. There were probably a dozen of them. She moved to the front of the buss and one of them grabbed her chest.
She turned around, backed away towards the driver and doused the entire group with the bear spray. The driver immediately stopped the bus and he and my wife got out. Luckily they were right on University next to a Cheeba Hut and there was a cop coming the other way. He pulled into the lane of the bus as the group of hoodlums started falling out of the buss screaming. They were falling al over themselves and unfortunately my wife was having trouble as well. The cop saw immediately what was the problem and took my wife aside and called the ambulance.
Four more cops cars showed up pretty quick and the ambulance showed up. My wife was ok, but they took the remainder of her pepper spray and found that it had an excellerent in it that can cause damage in enough quanties, and this was a full on dousing. All dozen hoodlums were taken to the hospital, my wife made it on the evening news and we never saw the group of guys hanging out again. We also got another car and moved back to Connecticut a few months later.
We later found out that one of the guys who was sprayed had permanent damage to this retina in both eyes. He happened to be the fuckface who grabbed my wifes chest, and the closest to the spray.
Moral of the story, make sure you don’t spray yourself in the process… and don’t use bear spray because the cops say it’s a no no for human use on humans. We still have a canister BTW…
