Apparently another attack took place in the SEPTA terminal near where a man was beaten to death last week. This woman was lucky, and survived her attack. The SEPTA police was able to catch 5 of the 10 thugs by stopping the subway train at the next stop and capturing them there where the woman identified her attackers.
This is ridiculous. On top of this the DA has charged the five with robbery and assault charges; here’s my idea - in light of what happened last week, these idiots should be charged with attempted murder. If you want to send a message this is the best way.
Another thing - for years, crime has plagued other parts of Philadelphia, leaving the Center City relatively safe. Murders in the city, while not non-existent, still are rare. But it couldn’t stay confined for too long. Allowing
crime to run rampant (yes I said allowing) only allowed crime to overflow. Maybe now the city will care just a little bit more. When it was in the poor and working class neighborhoods, it was important, but now that it’s in the tourist and business areas, I guarantee the city will squash this.
Ostensibly A Rubber Door is about anything that's on my mind. Mostly that seems to be about politics, music, sports, and arguing with others about all of the above. I took the name of this blog from a Michael Penn song called Me Around. Check out Michael - he's about the best singer/songwriter there is.
joey
April 4th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Its pretty amazing. I saw this in the paper, this morning.
The perps in the first attack are being held without bail. Someone close to one of those boys said that the victim of the first attack (who died from an acute asthma attack) didn’t necessarily die from the beating. She said, “That asthma attack could have been caused by anything.”
Everyone also added that one of the young men in the first attack was 10 to 15 feet away and that he didnt participate. Ok, fine. If he didnt, that’s fine. But, dont tell me about what a super guy he is. Someone is always ready to tell you/everyone what a great kid someone is when they do something fucked up. Most kids are pretty cool one on one. When they get together in groups, its a totally different story.
Trust me. I see it everyday.
This is fucking shameful.
I agree with your point. Make an example out of all of these CHILDREN. They are all just kids. I dont think a single one of them, in either attack, was twenty years old.
Disgusting.
Sean
April 4th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Pretty brutal story…I’d like to know why nobody that saw this
attack going on didn’t call 911 or do something…surely there
must have been someone there with a cellphone? Doesn’t anyone CARE anymore? Kitty Genovese must be rolling in her grave.
On a related note, Spencer…last night I was at the opening night of the American Cinematheque’s 10th Annual Film Noir
Fest in Hollywood. It was a Lizabeth Scott double-bill, “Desert
Fury” and “Dead Reckoning”, both from 1947. Anyway, there’s
a scene in “Dead Reckoning”, where the train Humphrey Bogart
is on stops in Philadelphia, and some members of the press try
to get some pictures of him and his friend, who are on their
way to Washington DC to get awarded some WWII military
honour. Now, I’m doing this from memory, so it may not be
the exact dialog, but Bogart says to the guy, “Philadelphia,
the city of brotherly love”, and the reporter snaps back, “You
from New York?” Bogart says “Yeah”, and the reporter says
to him, “Thought so…nobody who lives in Philadelphia calls
it that.”
Spencer
April 4th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Joey - I think the parents need to be made an example out of also. Of course bad apples grow from bad trees - their parents probably don’t give a shit - are dead, in jail, or dealing with the 5 other siblings (from 5 different fathers) - to worry about these kids. Sigh. So very sad. We have such a bad system - these kids were doomed from birth.
Spencer
April 4th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Sean - because people don’t give a shit. They were probably laughing, or video taping it for YouTube.
BTW - that is an awesome line Sean - that reporter is right.
cats
April 6th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I work for SEPTA as a bus driver and the TEENAGERS are out of control and so are the parents of them. SEPTA use to make the school kids use school tokens so they had to go straight home. Now SEPTA gives them an unlimted pass to use all day so the kids can troll the city streets causing trouble all day instead of going straight home like they use to.
j davis
April 7th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Concealed carry-concealed carry!! Give these feral beasts something to think about the next time they consider attacking a decent citizens.
JM
April 11th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I agree with J Davis…concealed carry is what these punks need to face. I’m not saying a gun is in everyone’s comfort zone but things like knives, pepper spray and blunt objects are. Either that or just brute force of their ‘victim’ beating the crap out of them might teach them a lesson. I carry a knife whenever I travel on Septa subways and platforms which is ashame because it is total garbage that these punks are ruining public transportation.
And what the hell is with people NOT getting involved if they see this happening? I’m swinging on the next punk I see beating up on an innocent person :)
Spencer
April 12th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Except that means that some day some one will get shot because their iPod is too loud, or they bumped into someone, or looked at someone the wrong way.
The reason why people didn’t get involved is that they just don’t care - and those are the wrong people to be armed.