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Keytar Bear needs a posse: He's attacked (again) and robbed

Keytar Bear about to be attacked

UPDATE: Attackers were New Hampshire teens who could face civil-rights charges.

Welcome to Dot reports Keytar Bear was attacked outside 60 State St. this afternoon by a bunch of alleged douches who tackled him, destroyed his amp and took his tip money.

Jessica Baldwin, who took the above photo seconds before the guy with his arm around Keytar Bear slammed him into the sidewalk outside the Bank of America at State and Congress streets this afternoon, reports the men then "ripped his [bear] head off," punched him and pulled the cords out of his keytar and amplifier.

Then, she said, they took his tips and sauntered across the street, where they stood for awhile taunting the Bear, daring him to come over.

"He's a grown man wearing a bear suit; It just seems un-American and inhumane [to attack him]," Baldwin, up from Nashville on a business trip, said. "Good God!"

Baldwin, who was standing in front of the Old State House with her 10-year-old son, Thompson, rushed across the street to help Keytar Bear, while her mother, a Boston native who now lives in Atlanta, began looking for a cop.

Keytar Bear had a good-sized knot above one eye, Baldwin said. But he told her, "I clocked one of them really good."

As the police arrived and Keytar Bear went to talk to them, Baldwin, her son and mother guarded his equipment and remaining tips. She said Thompson felt bad when he learned about the stolen tips and gave Keytar Bear $4. She added that police officers gave Thompson stickers and declared him an honorary Boston cop for the day.

Thompson said tons of Boston cops showed up - including cops on motorcycles and a K-9 unit. Three ambulances also arrived.

Later, one of the cops told the family they had managed to capture three of the attackers, whom Baldwin described as 20-something guys who seemed either drunk or on some other mood-altering substance.

Keytar Bear, who has been playing Boston streets and T stops in his Ted getup since at least 2013, was attacked in spring, 2014, suffering a broken nose, and again that fall. The next year, an angry hurdy-gurdy man shoved him.

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Comments

Even if caught, very little, legal-wise, would be done to them. Maybe if their names were published and the crime was reported on by media outlets and blogs like Uhub, it could negatively affect them when background checks are done.

Bear is a LITTLE dude, i hope he's OK. Maybe bring a dog with him when he plays in public. Dunno.

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What do you mean? A&B + robbery are not prosecutable now?

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Thats horrible. I was right there at 3pm and did not see him, this must have happened closer to 5 when there were less people around.

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Set up a gofundme account for him yet?

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C'Mon people. Let's get him two.

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Keytar Bear is one of my favorite things about Boston. It honestly makes my day when I walk from work to get on the T at Downtown Crossing and he's playing outside Park Street, or better yet, serenading commuters on the platform while we wait to pile onto the orange line. I love seeing the smile he puts on everyone's face.

I'm so sorry this happened to Keytar Bear. What a bunch of dillweeds. What goes around comes around.

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I talked to the woman who took the photo and ran over to help Keytar Bear (with her son and mother).

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"She added that police officers gave him stickers and declared him an honorary Boston cop for the day."

Im mean this is an adult wear talking about!

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The 10-year-old who rushed over to help and tried to replace some of his tips. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

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at least two of the assailants are wearing LA Dodger hats.

Is beating up Keytar Bear a gang initiation thing now?

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wearing LA Dodger gear means theyre gang members? o my blanket statement

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Actually, there is a culture of appropriating major league sport team merch, especially hats, as gang apparel among youth at both local and national levels (source: I work with gang-involved teens). Often times the first letter of the team name corresponds to the first letter of the gang's name, or there is some color or other reason that they are chosen. The theory is that the hats are less likely to be questioned by the greater public/police, and can be purchased easily. But "wearing the colors" can be very subtle as well - MS13 likes a very specific Nike shoe in blue and white. Calvin Klein = Crip Killer (and you'll never find a Crip wearing Calvin). The Dodgers hats are most popularly associated with The Crips and the Surenos.

At some recent point I was given a chart of the current known hat affiliations for the local gangs. It takes up two pages, and the images are fairly small.

Now, who's to say these clowns are actually gang-involved, want to put on the appearance of being gang-involved, or simply like the Dodgers, but apparel in youth crime is actually a factor to consider.

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This douchebros should be ashamed, as should their parents.

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All we need is names! Someone knows their names and it should be made public!!!!

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