Moment vicious mob beats firefighter walking his dog in Queens amid rising violent crime

[Devil Child]

Moment vicious mob beats firefighter walking his dog in Queens amid rising violent crime in the Big Apple

The moment a mob of violent teens attacked an off-duty FDNY firefighter walking his dog in New York City was caught on video.

The firefighter, 44, was walking his Labradoodle Dylan, 3, in Juniper Valley Park in the Middle Village neighborhood of Queens around 9:55 p.m. on Friday.

Suddenly, the father-of-three was swarmed by 'at least 100 kids,' he told the New York Post - while one called out that it was 'Fight Night.'

snip...

Cops told the New York Post that the man was hit in the head with a glass bottle, and that no arrests have been made. His dog was saved by a Good Samaritan and not hurt during the attack.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9822259/Moment-vicious-mob-beats-man-walking-dog-Queens-amid-rising-violent-crime-Big-Apple.html

Reading this I think of ways to advocate for much needed reformation of policing in this country while avoiding and preventing rising lawlessness. Outside my paygrade, but business as usual and "defund the police" don't strike me as the sensible way forward.

[jalan48]

1. We're primed for another authoritarian leader who will make America safe again. The slide into

Fascism is happening in slow motion right before our eyes.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. It's easy to read this and come away with the impression that he and his dog were severely beaten.

Both the Post and the Daily Mail specialize in such approaches.

[Devil Child]

4. Correct, always smart to apply critical thinking when reading any article

The tabloid rags will do what they do. I am thankful the injuries were minor and none to the dog, I found the rapid mob-formation and escalation more troubling than the outcome.

[lapucelle]

10. Here's coverage from local TV station WPIX and all news radio station 1010 WINS.

Both are reliable sources for straight up local news.

Attack by Queens teenagers draws condemnation from mayoral candidates

https://pix11.com/news/local-news/queens/man-attacked-by-queens-teens-to-hold-event-with-mayoral-candidate-sliwa/

VIDEO: Group of teens attacks off-duty firefighter walking dog at Queens park

https://www.audacy.com/1010wins/news/local/video-group-of-teens-attacks-man-walking-dog-at-queens-park

The WPIX video shows the victim, and they report:

A 44-year-old man was walking his dog in the area when the teens attacked him, hitting him over the head with a bottle. The man received cuts to the top of his head and lip.

Here's a composite still from WPIX; mayoral candidates Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa are on either side with a photo of the victim in the middle.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While both the Daily Mail and the New York Post are known for sensationalism, I'm reluctant to quibble about whether the victim was "severely beaten" or simply beaten up by a bunch of kids while he was walking his dog in a park in his middle class, residential neighborhood in one of the boroughs.

Could this have been more horrible? Yes.

Was this horrible enough? Yes.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. Not quibbling at all. But with the current discourse around crime and policing, it's important to

read news critically. There's a huge difference in tone between the NYPost and Daily Mail stories, and the links you posted. And in the end, they say the same thing: Some young people menaced a man and then hit him with a bottle, knocking him to the ground. But an uncritical reading can give very different impressions about what the issue is.

[lapucelle]

14. The issue concerns an increase in casual, seemingly random attacks on ordinary people all over NYC.

https://abc7ny.com/subway-assault-crime-tourist-punched-random-attack/10820203/

https://abc7ny.com/sucker-punch-bronx-university-heights-man-punched/10473298/

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/suspect-randomly-knocks-out-woman-in-chinatown-in-broad-daylight/3083194/

https://pix11.com/news/local-news/manhattan/video-grand-central-woman-punched-unprovoked-attack/

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. Not a ton of evidence from those links that there is an increase in random attacks in NYC.

I mean, sure, the cops are definitely going to say they see an increase in an environment when people are talking about ways we don't need them. And when we echo their language around "ordinary people" and "middle class, residential neighborhoods" being targeted, we do their work for them.

[lapucelle]

19. What are you talking about? People all over the city are being attacked,

some in what are considered hate crime attacks, others in random attacks in their own neighborhoods.

These are real attacks with real victims. What makes anyone think this is just "something cops are saying"? What nefarious work are local news reporters "doing for them" by reporting the news? Why is reporting that these are ordinary people in their own neighborhoods (rather than high crime areas or specific people who are being targeted by someone who knows them, or those who are assaulted during the commission of another crime, like a robbery) problematic? Do you think the NYPD is cooking the books?

I live in the metro area and my work brings me to the boroughs and the city itself. When it comes to the ways that people "don't need cops", this isn't one of them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (WABC) --As crime continues to surge in New York City, local leaders are looking to fund programs and services to help reduce crime.

Violent crime is up by 22%, according to the latest statistics from the NYPD. Just this past Memorial Day, there were several shootings - and one left an innocent 15-year-old dead.

"Our kids are dying at a rapid rate, we need your help," said Khayan Reed. Reed has lived on the tough streets and he's a success story. Now he is an outreach worker with Jacobi Medical Center's Stand Up to Violence (SUV) program.

snip==================================================================

On Thursday [June 3], [Senator Chuck] Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backed $400,000 in federal funds to add mental health services to SUV.

"Let's figure out what led to the precipitation of that event, does that person have housing, are they adequately employed, are things OK at home," Ocasio-Cortez said.

In its seven years, it's been a success. "This year our SUV team has successfully decreased community shootings by 45% in our SUV target areas," said Dr. Noe Romo, with SUV-Jacobi Medical Center.

Progress has been made but there is so much more to be done to make others strong enough to get on the right path."If we come together as a community, I can assure you this can end," Reed said.

https://abc7ny.com/nyc-crime-suv-outreach-mental-health/10739751/

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. What I'm saying is that when cops realize they're under scrutiny and might have to justify their

budgets, the best way to deflect is to send out releases to friendly reporters that say things like

Violent crime is up by 22%, according to the latest statistics from the NYPD

22% is certainly dire -- and I say again, I'm not saying crime doesn't happen -- but information such as compared to what would be helpful.

What makes anyone think this is just "something cops are saying"?

Cop stats vary are a tough nut to crack. They vary widely by jurisdiction, and are counted in different ways. They certainly don't count wage theft or the violence they themselves inflict on the population.

What nefarious work are local news reporters "doing for them" by reporting the news?

It's not nefarious; it's sometimes lazy, sometimes "access journalism."

Why is reporting that these are ordinary people in their own neighborhoods (rather than high crime areas or specific people who are being targeted by someone who knows them, or those who are assaulted during the commission of another crime, like a robbery) problematic?

Because people who live in high crime areas and specific people who are being targeted by someone who knows them (which is the majority of violent crime), or those who are assaulted during the commission of another crime, are also ordinary people. Random crime evokes a strong emotional reaction, and is a go-to for people who want to increase cop budgets.

To be clear: Reporting about random crimes is not necessarily a "bad" thing. But the only response I ever see to it is MOAR COPS AND COP FUNDS, not responses about what we can do to prevent it, and that is objectively bad.

Do you think the NYPD is cooking the books?

Yes.

[lapucelle]

21. This is New York City.

Here is the NYT reporting on the recently passed police budget:

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Council speaker, Corey Johnson, had agreed in principle to cut $1 billion from the Police Department’s $6 billion operating budget, but doing so successfully — especially when crime and shootings are rising — would be a tricky “balancing act,” the mayor said on Tuesday. Sure enough, the details seemed to please no one, and the budget passed the City Council early Wednesday with more noes than usual, in a 32-to-17 vote.

The city decided to cancel the planned hiring of roughly 1,160 officers, and to shift monitoring of illegal vending, homeless people on the streets and school safety away from the police.

Advocates of overhauling the Police Department argued that the cuts did not go far enough. City Council members were divided; some agreed, while others contended that police funding should not be reduced when crime is rising.

“Black folks want to be safe like everyone else, we just want to be respected,” said Councilman I. Daneek Miller, co-chairman of the Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, who opposed reducing the size of the Police Department. “We can’t allow folks from outside our community to lecture us about Black lives and what we need in our communities.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/nyregion/nypd-budget.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the crime statistics page at the NYC.gov website maintained by the Office of the Mayor.

The department provides up-to-date crime-related statistics in the seven major crime categories on the citywide, borough, and precinct levels, as well as historical crime data. The public can also access this data through the department's CompStat 2.0 portal.
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/stats/crime-statistics/crime-statistics-landing.page

This is a link to the NYPD CompStat portal.
https://compstat.nypdonline.org/2e5c3f4b-85c1-4635-83c6-22b27fe7c75c/view/89

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a list of the local news and national news outlets that are reporting on the increase in crime, possibly because they are "lazy", or engaged in "access journalism", or unwitting victims of the NYPD "cooking the books". Or possibly because it is actually happening.

WINS
WPIX
WABC
WNCBC
WCBS
NPR
CNN
Newsweek
Gothamist
PBS
AP
AMNY
NYT
NYDN
Newsday

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a June video of Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Representative Ocasio-Cortez with community leaders (all either concerned about the rise in crime or duped by the NYPD into doing their work for them) announcing their proposal for new federal funding to address the problem through broadening a successful community outreach program.

Community leaders demand action as violent crime surges 22% in New York City

https://abc7ny.com/nyc-crime-suv-outreach-mental-health/10739751/

[Devil Child]

22. Thanks for the detailed response and links lapucelle n/t

[WhiskeyGrinder]

27. And we come back again to information that comes directly from the NYPD.

We know cops lie. We also know people are experiencing crime. We also know that cops benefit hugely from a public perception of out-of-control crime ("superpredators," "wilding" and the story in the OP, "Fight Night&quot . We can work to prevent crime without being led by cops. That's all.

[Treefrog]

3. These "kids" are without moral compass.

[LuvLoogie]

5. Confiscate the cellphones of those taking videos

and posting them. It would be part of the investigation. Check texts for communications between the instigators.

Get ping information from cell towers near by.

Same as they are doing with the Capitol insurgent investigation. Use the tech.

These mobs use their cell phones to coordinate meetups.

[Devil Child]

7. Good point LuvLoogie, the tech is there to aid an investigation n/t

[Scrivener7]

6. Bah. They were just tourists.

[Rebl2]

8. I think

A lot of these random shootings and violence against people are done by trump people. They want crime to go up so they can blame Biden for it. Maybe you think I have lost it, but I would not put it past these trump supporters. They will do anything to make Biden and Democrats lose elections next year.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Lol no.

The incidents are certainly hyped by "Trump people," though, and some Democrats will fall for it and agree that making crime and increased cop budgets into central election issues will be the way to win.

[marybourg]

9. This British newspaper is not a reliable source

for U.S. events.

[lapucelle]

30. The incident was also reported by local, reliable news outlets.

Police are investigating and and details are developing.

1010 WINS (all news radio)
https://www.audacy.com/1010wins/news/local/video-group-of-teens-attacks-man-walking-dog-at-queens-park

WPIX (Channel 11 News)
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/queens/man-attacked-by-queens-teens-to-hold-event-with-mayoral-candidate-sliwa/

WABC NY (Channel 7 Eyewitness News)
https://abc7ny.com/new-york-city-queens-attack-middle-village/10908165/

New York Daily News
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-fireworks-queens-beatdown-dog-walker-20210725-dtzi44bnpfe6ldxsffct6dd4za-story.html

[marybourg]

36. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but that British tabloid regularly

slants U.S. news in a negative way, leaves out salient facts and generally delights in tweaking the U.S. then moving on, never to tell the full, more rounded story.

[Kingofalldems]

13. Democrats aren't calling for defunding the police.

Why did you post that statement?

[Devil Child]

16. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is an elected Democratic official who makes statements in support of defund PD

Why do you choose to ignore this?

[Kingofalldems]

17. And who else?

Joe Biden and 99% of Democrats are not for defunding.


I see what's going on.

[Devil Child]

18. Congratulations.

[LanternWaste]

24. It ain't hard....consistency of a particular narrative is hard to ignore.

Regardless of whether we admit to that narrative or pretend it's something other than what it is.

[Devil Child]

25. The sun must be shining because my shadow has appeared

I've missed you, wishing you well this Sunday. Always consistent in this most important narrative.

[Elessar Zappa]

23. So a few elected Dems out of hundreds

call for defunding and you broadbrush the party. We see you.

[Devil Child]

26. A few elected Dems that are quite vocal on this particular stance

I much prefer Biden's stance at the moment rather than Rep. Tlaib's.

Thanks for noticing.

[JI7]

34. Biden and Tlaib are not equal in representing democrats . Biden is the national leader

and Biden got more votes than Tlaib in her own district.

[Kingofalldems]

35. Oh yeah we see.

[Caliman73]

28. You can't "defund" the police without finding programs that address issues which require police.

Anyone who thinks that we can solve problems by simply taking money away from police is delusional. Money needs to be put into evidence based strategies and programs that address poverty, homelessness, drug use, and other societal problems that facilitate crime.

Root cause mitigation is possible, but it is complicated and expensive.

[Devil Child]

29. +1 Caliman73

I agree on all counts. A minimal police force would be most effective with everything you describe funded, in place, and functioning. Long term success on a broad range of police and prison-systems issues will take action, time, and money.

[Hortensis]

31. One report said he approached the group about illegal fireworks

and that that lead to several attacking him. Police patrols are being stepped up. Apparently residents report other problems with fireworks in their neighborhood.

[JI7]

32. This must be why Eric Adams won .

[lapucelle]

37. Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams is a former cop, but

his history with the NYPD is interesting.

He was an active duty police officer when, in 1995, he helped to found an internal advocacy group called 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.

100 Blacks In Law Enforcement Who Care (or 100 Blacks) is an American New York City-based advocacy group which focuses on fighting injustices between the African American community and their interactions with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). This internal relations advocacy group speaks out against police brutality, racial profiling and police misconduct. They are composed of active duty and retired employees from within the department. They also support the black community with financial, educational and legal support.

Based in New York City and founded by two black police officers Eric Adams and Noel Leader in 1995, this organization was created to address relations between the NYPD and the African American community. The NYPD administration has yet to acknowledge or authorize this group yet as of 2018 it remains active. In 2013, Adams stepped down as executive director to become the first African American borough president of Brooklyn. Most members are retired from their law enforcement agencies while remaining members of 100 Blacks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Blacks_in_Law_Enforcement_Who_Care

The group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement is known here for making "good trouble" with the NYPD brass from within the ranks and for community advocacy and outreach.

Here's a circa 2000 article from New York magazine about Eric Adams and his organization.
https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/crimelaw/features/3634/

[rockfordfile]

33. lazy cops. 100 pos and no arrest

[greenjar_01]

38. Oh Lawd!

"He said the park has become a hangout spot for rowdy teens and noted that he found three knives in the park on Saturday."

Let me tell you from (sometimes fun, sometimes bitter) experience that Juniper Park has been a hangout for rowdy teens for fucking decades. It's hosted much more vicious fights than this one, I can assure you.

[ripcord]

39. Failed parenting

[Devil Child]

40. Agreed n/t