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Men in hats harass kids at Cambridge school
By adamg on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 11:58am
Cambridge Police wish to have a word with the white guy in "a big straw hat" who keeps asking kids at the Haggerty Elementary School for their phone numbers and if they want to see his dog and the black guy in "a white turban with a cap over it" who keeps staring at the kids.
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Comments
Well, at least we can rule out...
...the guys who brought the world "The Safety Dance" in 1982.
Arrggh!
Good thing I saw that one before I posted - you beat me to it!
Perhaps Men Without Hats can drive off the Men With Hats by teaching kids The Safety Dance?
Thanks, thanks a lot
I obviously wrote the headline with the group in mind, but the thing is, I'd forgotten what they sang and now I can't get that frickin' song out of my head, and I'm thinking it must've been the inspiration for "Hamster Dance," and just, arrgh.
But I suppose that's better than what was originally going through my head, which is what happens if a guy wearing a large yellow hat shows up at the school with a monkey?
It depends ...
If he asks the children "do you want to touch my monkey" in a German accent, they will shut down T and Logan airport to look for him?
Staring at kids = accosting? WTF?
Two Suspects Accosting Haggerty School Students
Additionally, the there is a second suspect, a tall black male, that wears a white turban with a cap over it, white T-shirt, jeans, and brown oversized shoes, that always sits on the wall by the school and stares at the children.
Okay, now seriously, what the duck? Since when does "watch kids play" = "accosting them? It's not really even worthy of note, except to a hysterical parent who spends a little too much time watching the Lifetime channel.
Maybe the dude is unemployed, stressed out, needs some fresh air, and watching kids play is relaxing. Or interesting from a curiosity standpoint, as playground dynamics and social interaction between kids is pretty complex. Maybe he's a father living away from his family, or who lost a child- and watching them play brings fond memories.
But you know what? It doesn't MATTER, because he's not doing anything illegal, and we're (supposedly) living in a country where the police cannot engage in speculation and preemption- and arrest you for what you MIGHT do.
Brown oversized shoes?
Maybe he's in clown college, doing some homework.
brett
i dont know if you have any kids( i just got one last month!) but if you did would you be comfortable knowing these guys were in the park staring at your them? do you ever sit and just stare at strangers? its weird.it doesnt mean these guys are going to hurt or molest anyone but why risk it? i think the internet has bred a whole slew of creepy perverts and you can never be too careful. back in my old neighborhood these guys would be escorted away from the children by the older kids or younger parents.that was sometimes follwed by an ass whupping.today you dont know who people are or their intentions.if the guys are innocent then whats the harm in answering a few questions from the authorities? nothing to hide nothing to worry about.
idiot
i dont know if you have any kids( i just got one last month!) but if you did would you be comfortable knowing these guys were in the park staring at your them?
I was referring only to the guy who was doing nothing other than just sitting nearby. And while I might not be "comfortable" with it, the law is not about making me (or you, or anyone else) feel "comfortable." Otherwise, we'd have laws against smelly people riding on public transit. You see, the law is not designed to make you feel like your and your child are living in a comfortable little cocoon.
do you ever sit and just stare at strangers?
It's called People Watching. It's a competitive sport on the bus and subway.
i think the internet has bred a whole slew of creepy perverts and you can never be too careful.
I don't even know where to begin on this one.
today you dont know who people are or their intentions.
You're right! Yesterday, I was going to make a left turn to head to Meffa and I got the premonition that the cabbie barreling at me was named Jimmy TwoTone, grew up in Somerville, has 2 brothers, stole a kid's lunch money in 5th grade...and that he wasn't going to stop for me. Thank god I knew who he was, and his intention.
Today, I was at the same intersection and didn't know what on earth I should do! Cars just kept whizzing by, stranger after stranger, and I had no idea what they planned to do.
if the guys are innocent then whats the harm in answering a few questions from the authorities? nothing to hide nothing to worry about.
If the guy (singular, note we're not talking about the dude harassing kids for their phone numbers and trying to show them his "puppy") is innocent, there is no legal justification for anybody in a position of authority bothering him.
And besides, what do you think the dude would say? "Oh, hi officer. What am I doing here? Well, I was thinking of raping that little girl right over there. No, the one on the see-saw. Yep, with the ponytails." Of course not.
Newsflash: a completely overwhelming percentage of the population a)like kids and b)would be horrified by the thought of harming them. Stop running around thinking every person you see is out to rape/slaughter your spawn.
Public Parks
Staring is rude, but it isn't criminal.
I've seen some "adults" who hang out and stare at kids playing ... and I've tried to engage them in conversation rather than freak out about it. I've found that they tend be of similar developmental stage or "mental age" to the monkeys on the monkey bars. They may have adult bodies, but they are kids at mind and the playground appeals.
I have also seen such people begin yelling when a kid takes a header, alerting the otherwise cellphone addled coffee klatches to the casualty.
brett
you are a dick.please break that down for me.
Surprisingly, I gotta agree with Bostnkid here
I take it the other way in terms of "the times" though. I think things used to be much worse, and are now getting better. At least more people are aware now.
My entire childhood and adolescence, I was perhaps prematurely aware of weird adult behavior around me, such as staring at kids, asking inappropriate questions, etc. Sometimes you mention it but usually not. You hear back the same crap: Staring's not a crime, That's just his sense of humor, etc etc.
Fast forward 10-20 years, and YEAH, you f'ing DO find out that that teacher, that parent, that religious leader, that camp counselor WERE PEDOPHILES. And it's your friends' families hurt by it.
I'm f'ing sick of it. Believe it or not, there's a f'ing level-3 sex offender for MULTIPLE CHILD RAPE who lives a block from me. One block in the other way is an elementary school. Guess where the bus stop is? Exactly: there are kids walking past the child molester's house twice a day, every school day. Nothing the cops can do, since he owned the house before sex offender zoning laws.
So yeah I'm a serious believer in freedom and civil liberties - but if I make a habit of stopping to stare at kids playing for extended periods of time, I hope another adult will at the very least come over to check out WTF my deal is.