Along w several of my own personal experiences of being targeted by roving bands of ignorant brats roaming around looking for trouble in as many places as they could find it, attacks on the homeless by kids and young adults have always been in the top five of problems mentioned to me by folks I've encountered and assisted on the streets.
Many readers will remember the post about Ray Ray and the punk kid who threw a rock through his tent behind a Nashville Waffle House, hitting him in the head while the child's parents laughed uproariously. My dear friend and street-brother Bones, who many readers will remember from posts long past, went out of his way to find places to hide at night because he was so terrified of being attacked - again - by punks who get their jollies by attacking defenseless peopleMany Nashvillians will also remember what happened to Tara Cole, (see "Tara's Story/listen to the song written about her death here) thanks to a couple of young thugs looking for kicks one night along the riverbank of the Cumberland river. If any good came from her senseless and tragic death, it is that it brought a city together - for a moment - and raised awareness of the dangers those experiencing homelessness face on the street every single night of the year.
Many have long argued that attacks against the homeless should be considered hate crimes and progress has been made in getting them listed as such, but we've still got a long way to go. If you're still on the fence about this issue, consider this:
"Over the past decade, there have been more than 2 1/2 times more unprovoked killings of homeless people than homicides based on race, religion, national origin, disability and sexual orientation combined" (CJ Professor Brian Levin).
(Image courtesy ABC news)
2 Philly kids face charges in random-attack game
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA -- Two preteens assaulted a woman walking home through a playground as part of a violent game called "Catch and Wreck," in which children identify targets they think are homeless and then beat and rob them for fun, police said Tuesday.
An 11-year-old boy was arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and robbery, Philadelphia police Lt. John Walker said.
A 12-year-old girl was charged shortly after the Friday night attack in southwest Philadelphia. The victim was surrounded by children, then punched and hit with sticks, police said. She suffered minor injuries to her knee and head and delayed seeking medical attention to help police with the investigation.
Police also plan to charge the boy in an attack on a 73-year-old man who was beaten and robbed in the same area on March 13, Walker said. The victim in that assault, Vincent Poppa, suffered a heart attack and remains hospitalized.
A spokeswoman for District Attorney Seth Williams said both children were being charged as juveniles. Their names have not been released.
Investigators believe the assaults are part of a game called "Catch and Wreck," which children in the neighborhood described to them after Friday's attack.
Children told police the game involves pinpointing passers-by they think are homeless and then beating and robbing them for fun, Walker said. The woman who was attacked, however, said she is not homeless.
"We're just hoping it's isolated and that (these arrests) will quickly bring it to a halt," he said.
Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, who oversees all field operations for the department, said the recent reports of "Catch and Wreck" were the first the department had gotten.
An 11-year-old boy was arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and robbery, Philadelphia police Lt. John Walker said.
A 12-year-old girl was charged shortly after the Friday night attack in southwest Philadelphia. The victim was surrounded by children, then punched and hit with sticks, police said. She suffered minor injuries to her knee and head and delayed seeking medical attention to help police with the investigation.
Police also plan to charge the boy in an attack on a 73-year-old man who was beaten and robbed in the same area on March 13, Walker said. The victim in that assault, Vincent Poppa, suffered a heart attack and remains hospitalized.
A spokeswoman for District Attorney Seth Williams said both children were being charged as juveniles. Their names have not been released.
Investigators believe the assaults are part of a game called "Catch and Wreck," which children in the neighborhood described to them after Friday's attack.
Children told police the game involves pinpointing passers-by they think are homeless and then beating and robbing them for fun, Walker said. The woman who was attacked, however, said she is not homeless.
"We're just hoping it's isolated and that (these arrests) will quickly bring it to a halt," he said.
Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, who oversees all field operations for the department, said the recent reports of "Catch and Wreck" were the first the department had gotten.
