Gang of thugs harassing, attacking people in Davis Square
By adamg - Fri, 08/15/2008 - 7:31am.
In front of the Tedeschi's and on the bike path between Willow and the T stop.
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Everyone assumes Somerville
Everyone assumes Somerville and Cambridge are safe because of the recent gentrification of the areas but you still have to be vigilent because their are still very rough areas within easy walking/biking distances of these areas and Ive noticed an uptick in problems like this recently. I think some of these thugs have realized that Davis/Harvard/Porter squares have become student and young urban professional hang outs, specificly among those from out of state. I dont want to offend anyone, but unfortunatly that makes you an easy target because they know their will be no reciprocation.
If I hadnt heard so many other stories like this recently I would have said it was unfathomable in that area.
Davis Square?
Believe me, this won't go on too long. I suspect that all the usual people who might use various means to assemble themselves into coherent groups and do some interesting interventions must be on vacation.
In other words, they hassle one of those young self-righteous, looking for a fight fixiots after they come back from their Euro vacation courtesy of mom and dad, the kryptonite is going to fly. Ditto if they come near one of my kids, if the card shop guys don't get them first.
Perhaps the "in three cities at once" situation is adding to the problem?
I think we should start taking pictures of them. All of them. From all angles. In a group. Not illegal, but then we have a nice library of faces to choose from.
thugs are stupid
but are they so stupid that they didn't realize Harvard/Porter/Davis Sqs are within walking distance of internationally recognized colleges, particulary one that has been around since the 1600's???
This statement made me laugh:
"I think some of these thugs have realized that Davis/Harvard/Porter squares have become student and young urban professional hang outs, specificly among those from out of state."
I think in 300 years, people would have noticed a college that attracts people world-wide.
lol
If you know anything about
If you know anything about real estate history in greater Boston you would also know that in the past the first thing people would do when they could afford to was leave the immediate area and then communte back in, specificly mid century. It wasnt until the 90's that these areas actually saw a substantial increase in young urban professional enclaves sproating up in the middle of the blue collar commnunities.
Thanks for your attempt at being snarky.
Failed
I don't understand why he wasn't arrested
Just because it was a he said/she said situation, as the cop described it? This wasn't just a simple assault, the guy got whacked pretty good.
He said/she said
Sounds more like "regular guy" said/"drunk a-hole" said. Seems like a big gap in credibility. The police would have a problem figuring out who to believe? Swell.
Indeed, and this is what bothers me most
Why doesn't a Somerville cop know the difference between simple assault, simple battery (incidental contact not clearly intended to cause harm) and criminal battery?
And what he-said/he-said? The victim of this attack had his girlfriend nearby. She needn't have seen the whole thing to be credible enough to justify a more thorough investigation.
blame the law
In massachusetts, a "criminal assault and battery" not arrestable unless it involves some other factors (dating relationship, elderly, handicapped). So I imagine a Somerville cop does in fact know the difference between what he can arrest for and what he cannot. Since it is his job. As for a thorough investigation, the post does say that the officer gave him the name and address of the guy he pointed out. That allows him to go to court and seek a complaint. In court, we have a judge who sorts through the he-said, she-said bs.
What do I always say?
Give everybody a gun. Again, who's going to fight somebody who has a gun?
Someone with a bigger gun
Someone with a bigger gun
007 says
It's not the size of the gun that matters, it's whether or not you're over the Cambridge town line when you have to use it.
Then give everybody a big
Then give everybody a big gun.
In Massachusetts?
If you defend yourself by drawing a gun, the cops will arrest you and the mugger will sue you for emotional trauma.
Which is precisely why
Boston is a disgusting place to live. Class it up with all the colleges and yuppies you want, many of the people still fundamentally suck.
As opposed to anywhere else?
Tell me where many people fundamentally don't suck.
I know
The people in the Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing commercials all seem really friendly. Can we go there?
good idea
go there. take Will with you. his grousing is tiresome.
Tiresome?
Did you respond?
fundamental suck
There is a fundamental suck that eminates from many of your posts.
That's interesting
I'm usually the one who receives the sucking.
You got me
...but there are places where it doesn't snow. They're better.
Don't know about you, Will, but, being a lifelong New Englander,
as much as I'm not pleased when we get hit with excessive amounts of snow, I like it when we get just enough to make things look pretty, plus, I think I'd get bored without having the four seasons.
Back in the Bad Old Days in
Back in the Bad Old Days in Boston - pre-organic restaurants - this would happen on street corners around the city. There was a squad of guys from different precincts who would be called in for duty. They'd pile into a paddy wagon, drive to the corner, rush out of the back and beat the living crap out of the kids/guys. Back in the wagon, and off they'd go. No arrests, no criminal records, no jail time. Just a black eye, a busted tooth, and happy residents.
Things are so much better now.
LJ post gets Somerville Journal's attention
The Somerville Journal published an article about these assaults and about the subsequent discussion at LJ and UHub. I made a new LJ post about the article, in case people want to discuss it further.
Citizen reporting at its finest
Always cool to see Universal Hub in print (well, in print online in this case), although I would've concentrated more on the LJ discussion, which is where the real action took place - not just the post about the attack, but all the "oh, yeah, I saw those thugs, too" followups, where everybody suddenly realized these guys had been attacking people for a long time.
Somerville News notices, too
Here is the Somerville News article on the assaults, with somewhat more detail than the Journal's version.