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Police hunt woman they say pushed toddler to the ground after cursing at her in the Public Garden

Boston Police have released photos of somebody they say needs to pick on somebody her own size.

Police say they are investigating the alleged attack around 4:50 p.m. back on April 17:

According to the child's parent, her daughter was playing by the Make-Way-for-Ducklings Statue inside the Public Garden when an unknown female approached her daughter, swore at her and then pushed her to the ground causing a minor abrasion on her ankle. The suspect fled the area on foot.

If she looks familiar, contact detectives at 617-343-4248 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or by texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

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Comments

What is she doing in those pics and who took the pics of her

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Or is she the subject of someone's photos (from right after she shouted "G$& d#@*$&! What f$&^@ part of 'Make Way' was unclear, you f#&*@# stupid little brat?!" and drop-kicked the child all the way to the Swan Boats)?

Or is this coming from a security camera?

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One who didn't want any children in her pictures of the ducklings, which were put there for children.

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However, it would be nice if some parents showed more control over their children in public places. It's pretty common to be walking around Boston (not in a kiddy part like the ducklings statues) and have someone's kid run into me or cause me to stop short. There seems to be a growing attitude that having your kid put their sticky hands on stranger's legs or belongings is "cute" or that by being a parent you have the right to do whatever you want, irrespective of how it inconveniences others. (I'm looking at you, big stroller blocking the exit.)

/rant

In the case of this story I'd like some confirmation that the woman did what she's accused of. It's possible the kid ran into her, fell over, and the parents blamed it on the woman while making up the line about the cursing.

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I'll make sure I have the kids well dosed next time so they don't interfere with the world you control.

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I don't see why it's unreasonable to ask that parents not to let their kids run wild in public places that aren't specifically for children. Many, if not most parents do a good job of teaching their children that public streets and public transit isn't a playground. It's the others I'm referencing.

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some are well behaved, some are not and others listen when dad he tells them to wipe their sticky hands on annoying strangers.

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A child playing around a statue that attracts many children who like to play around the statue is not a child "running wild" and even so there is no indication that a child was running wild in this case.

Whether the child was running wild or not, an adult should not be knocking said child over.

Gosh, I truly hope you do not have kids.

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It's like you didn't even read his posts. He specifically said he was not defending her actions and was not talking about places made for kids like the little ducklings area.

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If his comment had nothing to do with Adam's post about a woman in the park shoving a two year old who was playing near statues made for children, then why is he commenting on this particular story? Clearly he is commenting on this story and he's commented on it several times since his initial comment.

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are you serious? They're children. They run around. We need children to continue society.

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What kind of confirmation do you need?

The fact that we are looking for her and have asked for the public's help isn't enough?

- a Boston cop

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Some of them need you to call out Batman and activate the National Guard.

-- a Boston Reporter

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If the only thing the police have to go on is the word of the parent and the cell phone photos they took, it's wrong to plaster the news with this woman's photo. It's entirely possible the child ran into the woman and fell over without any her doing anything malicious whatsoever.

And with all do respect, "Trust me, I'm a cop" doesn't hold much weight.

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go back to bed and wake up less grumpy. And, you kids, get off my lawn.

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So in your world, if there is only one witness to a potential crime, then the person should not even be sought? Can you think a bit deeper and see how that would lead to lots of problems......

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Can you confirm there are no witnesses? I read the police report. Did you?

I'm baffled by your complete lack of empathy for this mother and the child.

- a Boston cop

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and they've been spoken to? Is it just mom making the accusation?

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Is the police report posted someplace were we can all read it?

The BPD press release says nothing about witnesses or were the photos of the woman came from.

Could you please update us on the investigation into the drag racers down Beacon St? I'm baffled by the lack of concerned by BPD in that far more serious case.

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Could you please update us on the investigation into the drag racers down Beacon St? I'm baffled by the lack of concerned by BPD in that far more serious case.

Perhaps that case hasn't been receiving much attention lately because BPD already has identified the suspects.

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If so I apologize. All I remember hearing was that they had the plate numbers and nothing else.

Have these people been found and arrested/charged? That would seem worthy of a BPD public plea for assistance.

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It's not wrong at all, you trolly little dog! If I called the police because some dudes attacked me, and a local security camera had a picture of the guys, I would expect them to go looking for them using that picture. They are not convicting this shovely lady, they just are looking for her so they can sort it out. A lot of things are entirely possible, and that's why the cops are paid to get to the bottom of these things.

Although it would be faster to find the one person who bought yellow socks.

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So....you think because someone claims an assault occurred, but has no independent witnesses, video,etc., your or anyone else's word is sufficient for police to go out and track the alleged perp down, post their pic/video online,etc.?

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They're not going to just post something without having investigated it first. Not saying we know what really happened, but, no, BPD is not in the habit of exposing itself to a law suit just because.

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Put your dog on a leash and pick up its poop. While we are at it, it OK for my kid to take a leak on a tree or place he/she chooses just as your little lap rat does?

Center of the universe.

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First, as someone else said, maybe this woman didn't actually do this. Maybe the kid did run into her & fall and then the parents blamed this woman. Because natch their kids would never, ever run into someone or bike over their foot, or hit them with their scooter. I hate to break it to you but many parents these days DO think it's OK for their kids to do what they want, where they want and when they want. Do I blame the kids? Nope; I blame the parents that think their kids are the center of the universe and that everyone should bow down to them.

Second, if she did do this then she is most likely either unstable or she is just perhaps a complete douche. Either way more facts are needed.

Third, if your kid needs to pee on a tree then by all means let them. When you gotta go, you gotta go! Teach them to pee outside early b/c if you don't they will have a fear of doing it later in life.

Fourth, my dog might pee on trees but I seem to pick up more garbage from kids and their parents than I pick up from dogs and their owners. Let's see I've picked up dirty diapers with my poop bags, juice boxes, empty water bottles, empty coffee cups, empty cans of tonic...shall I go on?

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Yes, kids do things they shouldn't.

Sorry, but a two-year-old is not going to harm somebody, even if they hit you as fast as their tiny stubby little legs can carry them. And they're certainly not going to run over your feet on their bicycles. They don't ride bicycles, for starters.

People who are worried about being rammed or annoyed by a two-year-old should probably stay away from the Make Way for Ducklings statue. Don't worry: There are plenty of other parts of the Public Garden for you to enjoy.

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I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened, but I appreciate the people pointing out that the parent's perceptions may in fact not be accurate. I've distanced myself from a number of friends who let their children do absolutely anything they want and rant on and on and on about how it's not developmentally appropriate to teach them any respect for others or set any limits. These people love to say "I believe in letting kids be kids" when it's pointed out that their children are destroying property, disobeying posted signs, or disturbing others.

And yes, the second someone doesn't dive out of the way of their out-of-control child and they collide, or the other person acts slightly annoyed that the child isn't being parented and has just smashed into their 47th person in the past five minutes, the parents scream assault. I haven't known anyone who's gone to the cops, though the likeminded people commenting on their facebook rants usually suggest that they should have called the cops when someone stepped on their child, instead of asking why their child seems to get "assaulted" every day and the rest of ours don't.

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When parents were PARENTS and locked their kids out in the summer save for mealtimes and did their GOOD OLD FASHIONED PARENT THINGS like chainsmoking and drinking while watching soaps.

Ah yes - kids were so much better supervised in those days ... yep!

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my parents saying "you can't come back in the house until mealtime" during summer vacation. On the contrary, my friends and I actually wanted to stay outside and play together.

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They do ride tricycles though and my feet have been run over by them. But again; I don't blame the kid - they are just having fun. I blame the parents for not teaching them about watching out for others. .

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But the same way, it doesn't take much for a 2-year old to fall over. Gently nudging a toddler can topple them.

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Animals pee. Usually outside. Frequently on trees.

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How you took a case of assault and morphed it into one of parenting.

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Of course it's the toddlers fault. You'd think two years out of the womb would be plenty of time to learn how to stay out of the way of people who want to take crappy cell phone pictures of a statue put there for children.

And just why weren't the child's parents properly "controlling" that child to the satisfaction of that woman?

I am in agreement with you. Whenever a person is assaulted, I need proof that they didn't deserve it.

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.

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Where are you walking in the city if you this often have to stop short for toddlers and have small children wiping their stickcy hands on your pants?
Sure, in a park I've had to walk around, stop short, or what have you for small children, however it does not bother me in the slightest. Who cares! Let it go! Is it really that much of an annoyance to you? And, I can honestly say that I have never had a child in a public park wipe their sticky hands on me let alone touch me. And if they did, I would probably laugh! There are so many other things in the world to be bothered by. Seriously! These are children in parks, not fine dining restaurants!

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I work at a facility that has a lot of kids.

Overwhelmingly, interactions with families go like this:
(Kid does something unsafe)
Staff: "Sweetie, please don't X you'll get hurt, thank you!
Parent: That staff person is being rude and unfriendly to my child! Fire them!

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I work at one of those places too, and I agree with you 100%

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The police have a hard job but they are compensated accordingly (in currently salary and pension). Waiting nearly two months to release photos in connection with a crime is completely unacceptable. What happened was someone searching for the suspect at every detail job they could find?

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Maybe the victim didn't come forward until just now? That can happen.

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it's called Assault. even the the other person was 20 or 60 it would still be Assault.

you are not allowed to Assault people because they might interfere with your sashaying through public spaces because they are, you know, unseemly toddlers.

what kind of adult human being gets physical with a 2 year old in such a situation?

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The fact that she is possibly someone visiting from out of state for the marathon will make id'ing her more challenging.

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(CORRECTION:Green Space), I avoid that area by the ducklings like the plague. Most people just don't know how to behave in public, seem to lack basic socialization (children and adults alike), are sidewalk hogs (especially groups walking together), and who are with children do indeed act entitled. All someone has to do is say you got too close to a child, etc., and make some accusation and before you know it police are looking for you. I'm an adult male and do my best to keep a wide berth between myself and women/children to avoid and misunderstandings or malicious intent. It's a crazy world.

And yes, I have kids of my own, all now young adults, and don't hate children. I don't know what happened in this instance, she may be an unbalanced person. I would hope police would have more than than another person's claim that this incident occurred as described before putting their picture on the internet and making claims.

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This happened way back on Patriots Day weekend. The person might've traveled to Boston for the marathon, and is long gone. Why bother looking at this point, the baby wasn't stabbed or anything malicious.

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on the local news last night, nothing about the individual on the tracks at Haymarket. Too far from the Channel 7 studios, I guess.

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I was parked in a marked cruiser on a side parking lot in Franklin Park. DCR had a truck crew cleaning up leaves and picking up trash. This woman on a bike rides up to my cruiser and demands that I tell the DCR crew that no vehicles are allowed on the path and that they are blocking bikes. I tell her the crew is allowed to be there and they work for the parks. This woman was irate, and just couldn't comprehend the concept I was explaining to her. She rode off pissed, and I swear this looks like the same woman. I never got her name but the actions seem similar as well. Just a self absorbed knucklehead.

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and Recreation are allowed to drive such large vehicles on sidewalks and paths not intended for vehicle travel in the first place. I run into this very issue at least twice a week crossing Boston Common.

And you really don't need a 2 1/2 ton truck to pick up trash or leaves.

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Some people just love to complain. You'd more than likely be the first person claiming outrage that the path wasn't clean and your precious bike tire had to drive over a leaf and/or pebble.

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First off - Pete, I trust you're not seriously wondering if this could be the same woman you saw 15 years ago - in the pics she looks like maybe late 20s/early30s - which would have made her a young teen back then, at best.

Second - Roadman, are you really claiming that the paths in the Common were not built with the foreknowledge that they would be occasionally transversed by utility vehicles? Were you born in the 1850s? Also, do you honestly think that instead of using standard sized general purpose vehicles, the parks folks should have a huge fleet of specialized vehicles for each separate job they need to do? Did I miss a story about a gold mine being discovered under Beacon Hill?

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those large utility vehicles - which totally block the full width of the walkways - during times when the walkways and paths are being used by many pedestrians, like at 8:30 in the morning. Leaf and trash removal is hardly a 'priority' or 'emergency' situation that HAS to be done during times of heavy pedestrian activity.

And a 1/2 ton truck, which is hardly a specialized vehicle, is sufficient for the task of removing full bags from trash buckets and carrying them away.

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Most people in the city: The parks take a lot of work to maintain. They're not always perfect, but I'm glad City of Boston (and DCR) try to maintain things and pick up the trash.

Roadman: The crews cleaning up the parks are blocking my way! They should work only from 10am-11am and 2pm-3pm to avoid peak usage times, and only work from golf carts.

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completely blocking a walkway on Boston Common during times of peak pedestrian usage so they can change out garbage cans or remove leaves. And why is restricting the times they can do such non-emergency work like trash and leaf pickup such a bad idea?

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As a person who works in a similar situation, I would bet that they are going to other places after they take care of the maintenance of the grounds at the Common. Many of these places are far away from the center of town and require a larger truck to drive safely to. They also need the larger storage space in the back to haul all the refuse.

Not sure why you have such a vendetta against DCR for this, but I'm thinking maybe its a bit misplaced.

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But if she was early 20s then and late 30s now it could be. It just reminded me of that other experience and popped into my head for some reason.

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Easier said than done but I have to guess she's was in town to run the marathon, so,... assuming she finished, there should be a photo w/bib number to identify her.

Any volunteers to go blind reviewing the photos? Just skim looking for that headband.....
Or bust out the facial recognition software!

If BPD doesn't catch her maybe the Fashion Police will.

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Easier said than done but I have to guess she's was in town to run the marathon, so,... assuming she finished, there should be a photo w/bib number to identify her.
Any volunteers to go blind reviewing the photos? Just skim looking for that headband.....
Or bust out the facial recognition software!

Because this IS the crime of the century.

Not to excuse what these three cellphone photos appear to show, but was the kid injured? All that is said is that she was "pushed to the ground": not pleasant, but I think if some kind of lasting or even not-so-lasting harm had been done, there would be some kind of indication of it.

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I'm not one to victim-blame, but we really have no evidence a crime occurred. The child wasn't hurt and there aren't any claims that the person came completely out of nowhere and pushed a child. It sounds like some people collided in a busy city, and the child is the age to most likely have parents of the "nothing is my fault" generation. I'm someone who participates in quite a bit of anti-violent hippie shit, and I can see myself swearing if some kid was tearing around smashing into people and their adult wasn't doing anything about it. Do we know whether someone actually laid into the kid and actually cursed them out, which would of course be inappropriate under any circumstances, or was this a "Jesus Christ!" type of thing from someone who didn't appreciate parents laughing and doing nothing while their child ran around tripping people?

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but we really have no evidence a crime occurred

Why would the police be putting this out if there were no evidence?

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The anonymous trolls are out in force in this thread.

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There's evidence that something happened to the kidlet (the abraded ankle).

But, either the story BPD released has some big chunks left out, or it's just, well, odd-- why would the parent alert the police weeks after the fact, especially given that she took pics? If the mother told the police at the time, why wasn't the woman in the pic pursued then-- after all, being Marathon week, there was a good chance that the alleged culprit would leave town shortly, making it harder to find.

The reasons for the delay may be totally innocent. But it is weird

Certainly, the poor kid was injured. Fortunately, it sounds like the injury was minor.

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yet BPD is just releasing this now? And I thought the Transit Police were bad in lag time for asking the public for help in finding suspects.

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They are still "investigating" the truck that killed the bicyclist and drove off on Mass Ave and they have not been cooperative with the victims family. She was killed 10 months ago. Also nothing has been done about the drag racers who hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk on Beacon Street.

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Search #makewayforducklings on Instagram or Facebook and try find the picture she took about 6-8 weeks back. It looks like she was trying to snap a good pic of the ducks, so undoubtedly the offender must have posted this on some type of social media platform. You might be able to ID her that way.

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If the time stamp matches, check for selfies?

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Obviously nobody should EVER, I mean EVER assault a child. EVER. It goes without saying. However, given that the child was essentially unharmed, and that the incident took place weeks ago and life goes on, why is such a fuss being kicked up now? I saw the mother on the news this morning and she was crying, practically in hysterics. I have to question the motive. Either that or the mother is one of the most delicate, unprepared for life snowflakes ever.

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Woman is attempting to get a picture of Mother Duck in her feather hat.
Kid stands in way.
Woman says excuse me to mother.
Kid still in way.
Woman says will someone please move this kid out of my fucking way?
Kid still in way.
Woman picks kid up and moves her 5 feet to the right. Kid is 2 and loses footing on the cobblestones falling on her side.
Mother wants charges brought against woman.
Cops don't care.
Mother knows someone at BPD HQ.
Cops put out pictures.

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You physically pick up my toddler and move him or her because you want a picture? Not because the kid is or is about to be in a dangerous situation, but because you want a picture? Yeah, there's going to be a problem.

You're not able to put the kid down without the kid falling? Yeah, there's going to be a big problem.

The park belongs to all of us. You don't get to move people out of the way just because you want them somewhere else. That's not how public spaces work.

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It was a specific place and the girl wanted a picture, it's not as if the kid was in the middle of an open field. if you stood in front of the Mona Lisa and someone asked you to move to take a picture, you'd say "That's not how public places work"?

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The park belongs to all of us. You don't get to move people out of the way just because you want them somewhere else. That's not how public spaces work.

By the same token, you really do need to move and let other people use the space unless you've got a damn good reason to stay there. Stubborn spitefulness is not a damn good reason, FYI. If you are unwilling to let others use the space, then you yourself are in need of a lesson on "how public spaces work".

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so I can get a totally unobstructed photo of a bronze duckling. Nope, let's swear at the parent for no good reason (a sure way to get respect - not) and push the kid out of the way instead. Seems to me that the parent and the kid weren't the ones being spiteful here.

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Seems to me that the parent and the kid weren't the ones being spiteful here.

Do you understand the difference between a hypothetical statement and a baseless conjecture? I made a hypothetical statement: IF you refuse a reasonable request to move so that others may also use a public space, THEN you're being unreasonable. You made a baseless conjecture: the parent and the kid did nothing wrong. You know nothing of the sort, and your comment is devoid of value; it's just an absurdly constructed strawman rant. Try again.

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We don't know the exact circumstances here. However, based on what's been reported so far, I'm inclined to put more stock in the parent and the kid than in somebody who apparently made a request by stating expletives.

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These pictures weren't taken by BPD who then waited 2 months to say anything.

They're from someone else who was there taking pictures or from the offended mother herself. The only version of that day's events you have are from that mother. OF COURSE that version of the events is going to be sympathetic to the mother and her kid's actions. How do you even know that the woman cursed at the kid, mother, or anyone else? How do you even know this is the right woman that ended up tangled up in all of this or that whomever was there even touched the 2-year old and she didn't fall down on the cobblestones in that area on her own?

Now, is the whole thing some kind of prevarication or vindictiveness by some angry mother? Probably not. This woman probably handled things poorly when the kid got in the way...but we don't have her side at all. Maybe she'd waited nicely for 30 minutes while kids were crawling all over the ducks and she finally got 30s to take a nice shot and the 2-year old ran over and pulled the hat off the duck right as the woman was trying to get her picture and she snapped after having been really nicely waiting until that point. Who knows. It was 2 months ago and the most we're talking about is a stupid ankle abrasion.

I get that BPD can chew gum and walk at the same time, but this event isn't dead-gorilla attention worthy. Why are they requesting info on this woman 2 months later? What ever happened to "you expect us to do what with these pictures, ma'am? Please move on with your life. We're not arresting a woman for knocking a toddler down from 60 days ago"?

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Kid is doing a kid thing in a kid space and some impatient and infantile "adult" intent on completing her tourist hajj shoves the kid aside.

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The alleged perpetrator should be arrested for the outfit alone.

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Semi-Pro II. Shoe in.

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they went through the photos of all the Marathon runners?

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I'm only just noticing now that this happened on April 17--I was wondering what was up with the outfit. Ten to one this woman was in town for the Marathon and is now back in Estonia or Italy or wherever--I know runners have some pretty kooky looks but her ensemble screams foreigner to me. Why on earth (if they're seriously looking for this person) wait six weeks to release these? Personally I'd tell the parents to move on. No harm, no foul.

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She is almost certainly from out of town and likely out of the country. Why else would she so feverishly be taking a picture of those silly ducks? I never got the big deal about those.

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Nothing wrong with not liking the statues, but just because you don't like them doesn't mean there aren't lots of locals who do like them and like taking pictures of them).

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So she might need some help too.

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http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/top-boston-attractions.html

Scroll down to Number 9, and tell us what you see

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Some folks don't like being told that. Some people believe they are entitled to a full investigation, no matter how trivial the "crime". Because after all, them other pays the detective's salary. I think Kaz hit the nail on the head. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. Honestly if someone knocked down my child the police would not be called.

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If I had a 2yr. old daugter and a stranger smacked her to the ground, I would most certainly call the police. The 2yr. old cannot defend herself against a grown adult. That's YOUR JOB as a parent. Sheesh.

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I hope you wouldn't be far enough away from your 2 year old daughter that an adult could put their hands on her without you being there to intercede. I know there is a ton of speculation going on here, but I just feel like that if it was a big enough deal to call police, I would have made sure she was there when the police showed up. She doesn't appear as she just assaulted a child or is in fear of being arrested.

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I don't have children, but I have watched my niece and nephews when they were younger and I most certainly kept a watchful eye on them. Are there parents who are reading this thread who would NOT call the police if a stranger smacked their 2 year old to the ground?

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I agree. Under these circumstances, if my child was "hogging" the duckling for herself, I'd have told her to share and made sure she moved away after appropriate time. I also would've asked my child to move if I noticed someone trying to take a photo. Once the photo's taken, the kid can go right back.

If someone did push my kid down I probably would never even think to call the police (considering there weren't serious injuries). But, it could be a good lesson for a child that even grown ups can be jerks sometimes and we all have to learn how to deal with this stuff. It's called growing up.

No, I wouldn't have made the case out of this as this mother has.

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I've seen plenty of people dressed like her in places like Utah and Idaho (or getting out of cars with those plates). Ditto for Western Canada.

This is the Intermountain Doofus Look. I'm surprised that she isn't wearing a T-shirt with a dated meme on it.

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She looks like 1/2 the woman on the esplanade before 9am every single morning when it's nice out.

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And the head band. Total speculation obv--she just looks very Euro to me

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Sprockets dance...

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