Philadelphia: Vicious, Black-on-White Gang Attack + Racial Epithets = No Hate Crime

 

Ivy League weenie/SWPLer, Brian Goldman
 

By Nicholas Stix

White Ivy League weenie Brian Goldman rides in a cab, leaving windows wide open, blithely unaware of his surroundings, and gets sucker-punched by a member of a black lynch mob that is spewing racial epithets at Goldman. The white working-stiff cabbie driving him then risks his life to protect Goldman from the black racist mob, while hundreds of people watch. Goldman runs away, while the cabbie takes a beating, and Goldman cannot be bothered to call 911. (Unbeknownst to Goldman, the cabbie did call 911, and reported everything to the police.)

Goldman goes to his scheduled date, where he uses the story as an “icebreaker”—"It was a good icebreaker. The date went very well."—and then quickly writes a column about it in his school paper at the University of Pennsylvania (“Penn”), being careful to misrepresent just about everything that happened. He leaves out the racial epithets, the fact that the attackers were all black and the victims both white, instead speaking abstractly of “flash mobs” and “the bystander effect,” condemning “bystanders” who failed to call 911, even though one bystander, the cabbie, did intervene, and did call 911, while Goldman did not.

“Flash mobs” are harmless, sudden gatherings of predominantly white people who engage in collective performance art. Goldman used the MSM’s euphemism for a racist black lynch mob attack against whites and/or Asians.

As for the “bystander effect,” he misused that, too, to the degree that it has any validity to begin with. “The bystander effect” was formulated as a credulous response by social scientists to a journalism hoax that they swallowed whole: The New York Times’ misrepresentation of the Kitty Genovese murder-rape in Kew Gardens, Queens. (By the way, Goldman is from Queens.)

In 1964, racist black serial killer-necrophiliac Winston Moseley stalked, stabbed, murdered and raped Kitty Genovese, but New York Times “reporter” Martin Gansberg lied, writing that 38 of Genovese’s neighbors had heard her screams, but did nothing. The truth is, Moseley had stabbed and punctured Genovese’s lung, making it impossible for her to scream, had initially fled when a neighbor shouted at him, and later returned to the back of the building, where he found the disabled Genovese, whom no one else could see or hear, where he finished her off and raped her.

The other reason Goldman’s invocation of “the bystander effect” is dishonest, is because the people watching the attack were likely black, thus that they were not “bystanders” at all, but spectators enjoying the show.

Goldman also surely lies about the duration of the attack, claiming that he had to fight off the mob for “five minutes.” Having been in such situations many times—most of which I was able to bluff my way out of (this was during the 1990s), after having protected myself from getting sucker-punched, in the first place, and also having taken some horrific but very brief beatings, I can state with certainty that had the mob beaten Goldman for 5 minutes that he would not have lived to tell the tale, let alone sloughed it off, and headed off to a fun date. The entire attack was probably over in one minute or less, thanks entirely to the heroism of the taxi driver, whom Goldman apparently never paid.

After Goldman’s column ran, the Philly newspapers approached him, and he lied about the character of the attack; when the authorities refused to prosecute it as a hate crime, he lauded that.

As I see it, there are three problems with what happened: A spoiled, worthless, SWPL phony [hereafter: The Weenie] permitted a preventable incident to arise through his mindlessness; a righteous white working stiff risked his life for The Weenie (who even quoted the father of SWPL, David Brooks!); and the mob didn’t hit The Weenie hard enough.

At the end of this entire item, I have copied and pasted all of the comments to Goldman’s column, many of which ripped him a new one for his cowardice and hypocrisy. I was especially influenced by the second of the following three.

Christine
February 2, 2012, 2:00 pm
“The police cannot be everywhere all the time and I did not call 911 to alert them to the situation.”

Brian, please write a follow-up to clarify. As a native Philadelphian, I’m ashamed that you were victimized in such a way, and hope you are recovering well. A question: did you call the police after you fled the scene of the crime? How can you, in good faith, write an opinion piece lamenting the lack of good citizenship and common decency in Philly, as it appears when given the chance to call 911 yourself (when for all you knew, the cab driver was gravely injured), you chose to run away and write a strongly worded piece for the DP? I see from Philly.com that you came forward on Monday… a full 24 hours at least, and after your words were published here. Unless you can explain otherwise, your piece smacks of hypocrisy.

Greg
February 2, 2012, 4:44 pm
I agree completely with Christine’s comment above. Brian took the initiative to write the intial article which has now become news in itself, and should write a follow-up to explain his logic. He probably won’t, so I will speculate what happened:
1. Brian ran from the scene, met his friend for dinner, used the story as an “ice-breaker” as philly.com reported, then went home.
2. Next day, Brian wrote this article perhaps without realizing that some one with a brain (i.e. the cab driver) alerted the police with as to what happened.
3. Brian paniced and called his parents
4. Media outlets began to call asking questions.
5. Brian gave what can only be described as a sad interview to the media, telling them that he “looked back to make sure the cab driver was ok” then went on his date.
6. Brian began to realize that he has to manage this thing in some way because he did something extremely stupid by not calling the police.
7. Brian’s parents advised him that it is best to talk to the police and to stop writing about this.
8. Brian is beginning to realize that he is part of the story in a way that could effect his future because google searches of his name will lead to a series of unflattering stories and articles about his inactions following the event.
9. Brian will not be writing a follow-up piece and will wait for this to die down.

You forgot to add
February 2, 2012, 6:08 pm
10. Is going out of his way to avoid acknowledging that race played a part, for fear of being accused of racism. He is happy, however to have the cab driver take that risk by saying things like “Well, gee if the cab driver said they were yelling racist things then I guess they were [so don’t call me racist – if anyone it’s that cab driver]”

By the way, although the racist black Philadelphia DA Seth Williams admitted that the mob spewed racial epithets while beating the two whites, the attack still didn’t count as hate crime.

“‘We have to be able to prove that race was the motivator for the crime,’ said Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office. ‘Just because epithets were said during the crime doesn't mean it was the reason for the crime.’”

 
[The WEJB/NSU Philly File:

“The Philadelphia Story: When the Cops are Crooks;

“Solving Philly Crime with an Eraser: The “Good Irishman” and the Race Man”;

“Sadism and Race”;

“Whistleblowing, Former DOJ Civil Rights Division Lawyer, J. Christian Adams, Fights Continuing Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice in AG Eric Holder’s DOJ in 2008 New Black Panther Party Philadelphia Voter Intimidation Case”;

“Powerline Blog's Republican Writers Finally ‘Report’ on New Black Panthers' White Disenfranchisement Campaign—Over One Year Later than NSU!”;

“More on the Justice Department Civil Rights Division's Conspiracy to Disenfranchise Whites, Violate Their Civil Rights, and to Obstruct Justice”;

“Diversity is Strength: It’s also a Black Serial Killer Raping and Strangling Raceless Women in Philadelphia’s Kensington Section”;

“Philly's Kensington Serial Killer Suspect Caught”;

“‘I Really Miss My Mom,’ Says 16-Year-Old Killadelphian Who Murdered His Mother”;

“Forty Raceless Philly Teenagers Organized ‘Flash Mob’ Ransacking of Upper Darby, PA, Sears Store via Social Media, Took El Train to Target”;

“In Story on Raceless, 40-Strong, Teenaged Philly Robbery Mob That Hit the Upper Darby PA Sears on June 23, Philly Daily News Killed … Even the Word, ‘Comments’!”;

“Hey, That’s Not Funny! In Yet Another Philly Mob Attack, 350 Raceless Youths Riot, and ‘30 to 40 Men’ Break Onion Editor's Leg; Police Cover-Up Aids and Abets Attackers”;

“Philadelphia: Don’t Mess with Penny Chapman! Ridin’ the Bus in Killy”;

“Before Troy Davis, There was (and Unfortunately, Still is!) Racist Black Cop-Killer Wesley Cook, Better Known as ‘Mumia Abu-Jamal’”;

“In Killy, a Game of ‘Get the Old Geezer,’ or ‘Get the Old White Geezer”?;

“Philly: Illegal Alien Held on $1 Million in Kensington Rape Spree”;

“Philadelphia: Black Racist Attack on White Man at Center City PATCO Station”;

“Two Arrested in Philly PATCO Racial Attack; Black Facebook Commenters Variously Celebrate Attack, and Deny Attackers are Black”; and

“Philadelphia Hate Crime: Mob of 5 Black, 1 Poss Hispanic 15-18 Year-Olds Suckerpunch White, 64-Year-Old, Disabled Vietnam Vet, Almost to Death; One Suspect Arrested.”

“White Man Beaten to Death in Philly on MLK Weekend—‘by 3 Middle-Eastern Men’?”;

“Update on Philly MLK Weekend Beating Murder of Kevin Kless: It Looks Like the Killers were Hispanics; $15,000 in Reward Money on the Table”;

“Philadelphia: 2 Hispanics, 1 Black Arrested for Racist, MLK Weekend Murder of White Kevin Kless; Cops’ Cover Story Collapses;” and

“Philadelphia: Preliminary Hearing Set for Kevin Kless Hate Crime Murder Suspects.”]
 
* * *

Thugs attack cabbie, passenger
January 30, 2012
By Stephanie Farr, farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225
Philadelphia Daily News

IN A HORRIFIC assault in Center City on Saturday night, three teenagers who were spouting racial slurs pulled a man out of a cab to beat him. And when the cabdriver intervened to stop the assault, the teens turned their rage on him, police said yesterday.
About 8:25 p.m., a cab was stopped at a red light at 15th and Chestnut streets when two 17-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy approached and started calling the male passenger in the back seat racially derogatory names, police said.
The boys then threw an unknown liquid at the cab before they opened the door, pulled the passenger out and started to pummel him, police said.
When the cabbie got out of the car to see what was going on, the passenger ran away and the teens turned on the cabbie. They punched him in the face, kicked him and threw a liquid on him, police said.
Despite being outnumbered, the cabbie grabbed a tire iron from his trunk, at which time the teens ran away. The driver flagged down a police officer, and the three boys were arrested. They were charged as juveniles with aggravated assault and related offenses.
The cabbie suffered an injury to his right eye and had abdominal and side pain, police said. The passenger remains unidentified.
Police said the three teens were black and the cabbie and passenger were white. Police did not immediately know whether the teens would or could face hate-crime charges.
According to police records, the cabbie worked for Liberty Taxi Co., but a dispatcher working there yesterday was surprised none of the drivers he'd spoken with were aware of the assault. Police declined to provide the name of the driver, so the dispatcher could not confirm whether he was an employee.
"This would be something that would be big news," the dispatcher said. "It would have been a highly charged moment that drivers would be talking about."
* * *
Cab victim: Dozens watched attack and didn't help
January 31, 2012
By Stephanie Farr, farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225
Philadelphia Daily News



Brian Goldman, a student at Penn. (Justin Cohen/The Daily…
UNIVERSITY of Pennsylvania senior Brian Goldman was in a cab on his way to a date Saturday night when he and his cabbie became victims of a random, violent attack by a group of teens at a Center City intersection - and he says dozens of people stood by and did nothing.
In fear for his life, Goldman fled the attack and remained unidentified until yesterday, when he penned a column about his experience in Penn's school newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian.
In an interview with the Daily News last night, Goldman, 21, of Queens, N.Y., said that when he wrote the column, he was unaware that the attack had been reported to police, let alone that it had become a news story.
According to police - who said their version had come from the 53-year-old Liberty Cab driver - about 8:30 p.m., the cab was at a light at 15th and Chestnut streets when three black teens - two of whom were 17 and one 15 - pulled a white passenger out and beat him while shouting racial slurs.
When the cabdriver tried to stop the attack, the teens turned on him, police said. Goldman fled, and the cabbie grabbed a tire iron from his car and chased the kids away, police said. The cabbie flagged down a cop, and the three teens were arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
Goldman estimated that eight to 10 teens had been in the group. He said he wasn't pulled from the cab, but instead was punched through the open window.
"I felt threatened sitting in the cab; I thought they could jump in from both sides, so the first thing I did was jump out," he said.
The driver did the same, Goldman said, and that's when he was punched in the head a second time. After that second punch, he said, the cabbie grabbed the tire iron from his trunk and scared some of the teens away, but the cabbie then got punched from behind by another kid.
Goldman said that dozens of bystanders watched the attack and that none of them did a thing.
"At that point, I couldn't fight back, nor did I want to," he said. "I was convinced these kids had a knife on them, or some weapon, so I jogged up the block."
Goldman said that when he got halfway up the street, he turned to make sure the cabbie was all right and saw him driving away.
"He was a very brave man," Goldman said.
The cabdriver was not available for comment yesterday, but his son said he was doing well and was back at work.
Police said the cabdriver told authorities that the teens had used racially derogatory language against the passenger.
"That's not something I recall," Goldman said, "but I was punched pretty immediately at the outset of the incident."
He said the teens did ask him what kind of phone he had.
He said he didn't call police because he wasn't bleeding and he knew that the cabbie had gotten away.
"I felt very lucky immediately afterward," he said. "I know it's been a lot worse for other people."
Unaware that the story had become news, Goldman said, he wrote his column to draw attention to "flash mobs" and the "bystander effect." He didn't mention race in his column.
"This is my very personal opinion, but I think in general race is a very easy culprit for a lot of issues and a lot of violence," he said. "Sometimes, it is the culprit behind it; however in this case I feel that it was pure, unmitigated violence.
"In my column, I didn't want race to overshadow the greater issues of mobs and violence."
Goldman met with police yesterday. Whether the teens will face hate-crime charges remains to be seen, said Philadelphia District Attorney spokeswoman Tasha Jamerson.
"The investigation is still ongoing," she said.
Jamerson said that to charge a hate crime, prosecutors must show that a crime was motivated by hatred toward a person's race, color, religion or national origin.
As for Goldman, he didn't let the attack stop him from that date he was looking forward to Saturday night.
"It was a good icebreaker," he said. "The date went very well."
* * *
Teens held in attack on cabbie and passenger won't face hate-crime charges
February 3, 2012
By Allison Steele
Philadelphia Inquirer

The teenagers arrested after an attack on a cabdriver and his 21-year-old passenger in Center City last weekend, during which racial epithets were shouted, will not be charged with committing hate crimes, the District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

"We have to be able to prove that race was the motivator for the crime," said Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office. "Just because epithets were said during the crime doesn't mean it was the reason for the crime."

The three teenagers charged in the assault, who are black, allegedly spewed racial slurs as they reached through the window and punched passenger Brian Goldman, who is white.

Racial epithets can be used as evidence of ethnic intimidation, Jamerson said, but cannot be the sole indicator. To allege racial intimidation, she said, authorities would need additional proof that the teenagers committed the assault due to hatred of Goldman's race.

The three teenagers, who have not been identified because they are juveniles, have been charged with assault, conspiracy, and related charges.

The cab was stopped at a red light at 15th and Chestnut Streets around 8:30 p.m. Saturday when Goldman, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, felt a blow from a punch through the open window. Goldman got out and saw up to 10 teenagers swarming the cab.

The 53-year-old cabdriver, who could not be reached for comment, also climbed out and threatened the teenagers with a tire iron. Though some ran away, one hit the driver from behind, Goldman said.

The driver later told police he heard the teenagers using racial slurs toward Goldman. Goldman, who said he never heard them, fled the scene after a minute.

"Initially I was really shocked and angered by this," he said Thursday. "But now I just feel fortunate that the driver and I made it out with minimal injuries."

Goldman said the incident had not made him fearful of spending time downtown.

"I love Philly," he said. "Nothing will change that."
________________________________________
Contact staff writer Allison Steele at 215-854-2641 or asteele@phillynews.com.

* * *
No hate charges in Center City cab attack
February 3, 2012
By Stephanie Farr, farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225
Philadelphia Daily News




THREE JUVENILES accused of assaulting a cabdriver and his passenger in Center City Saturday night while shouting racial slurs will not be charged with a hate crime, the District Attorney's Office said yesterday.

The teens, who are black, were not charged with hate crimes because there was no evidence that the assault had been motivated by the race of the victims, who are white, said Tasha Jamerson, D.A. spokeswoman. Just shouting racial epithets during the commission of a crime doesn't rise to the level of ethnic intimidation, she said.

"They just didn't have that in this case," she said. "If they had somebody who, two blocks before, heard them say, 'We're going to beat somebody up because they're white, brown or purple,' it might be different."

However, the three teens - two of whom are 17 and one who is 15 - have all been hit with additional counts of aggravated assault, since the passenger in the cab, Brian Goldman, came forward Monday.

About 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Goldman was in a cab that was stopped at a red light at 15th and Chestnut streets when he and his 53-year-old cabdriver were assaulted at random.

Goldman escaped. The cabbie, whom police have not identified, was able to flag down officers who nabbed the attackers. Goldman said that he hadn't heard any of the attackers make racial comments, but police said that the cabbie heard them.

* * *
Brian Goldman | Flashback to a flashmob
The Gold Standard | I learned the true nature of the Bystander Effect this Saturday
By Brian Goldman • January 30, 2012, 1:09 a.m.
• 40
•

Brian Goldman
The Gold Standard
Director Martin Scorsese could not have scripted this.
This past Saturday night started out fairly mundane. I stood by 38th and Spruce streets and hailed a cab that would take me downtown to meet a friend for dinner.
As we approached the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets we stopped at a red light. To my immediate right, a group of 15 or so teenagers were waiting at a bus stop.
I was in the backseat, looking out of my window which was rolled down and then — bam! A strong punch came barreling through the window and hit me squarely in the jaw.
The driver and I got out of the cab to confront the teenagers. As the driver walked by the trunk of the car, he was sucker punched from the back. I turned my head in disbelief, wanting to go to the driver’s assistance when I felt a second, harder punch strike me across the face.
The driver popped open his trunk and pulled out a crowbar. We were in the heart of Philadelphia, a major metropolis, yet the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets resembled the closest thing I could imagine to a war zone.
I watched as the driver chased some of the perpetrators away with his crowbar, until he was hit and knocked down again. I looked around the block: brainwashed to believe that the police would show up to protect us, that someone had called 911.
There was not an officer in sight and all the traffic behind us had stopped. People got out of their cars to watch. The Wendy’s right across from us was filled with spectators eager to catch the bloody battle.
When I realized we were not going to receive help from the passersby, I did the only thing that seemed reasonable. I heeded the old Forrest Gump adage and ran — towards 16th Street. When I looked back, I saw that the driver had gotten back into his cab and sped away.
These mobs, call them whatever you may — flash mobs, violent teen mobs or just unruly mobs — are a serious problem. They are an indictment of the entire City of Philadelphia. While I always try to judge something based on its best qualities rather than its worst, the irony of this incident stemmed from the fact that it occurred in Philadelphia’s hallmark Rittenhouse area. For 10 minutes — which felt like 10 hours — the cabdriver and I were left to fend for ourselves as we were attacked by a group of teenagers with nothing but violence in mind.
But you know what? This is not what confounds me most. The police cannot be everywhere all the time and I did not call 911 to alert them to the situation.
What continually irks me is that all those people who stood behind us, in traffic, across from us, in Wendy’s, both up and down the block — simply watched the proceedings like it was a scene from Gladiator.
I looked them all in the eyes after the first punch, when we confronted the group and after the second punch, when the cabdriver was hit from behind. They saw us — the victims — and did nothing. I especially remember looking into Wendy’s and seeing dozens of eyes peering at me through the glass windows, as if to say “you’re on your own, young man. We’re just here to watch.”
I have never felt such discomfort, having people around witness violence and not come to your defense, or in this case, simply dial 911. And there were dozens and dozens, of these clones — eyes attuned but morality scathed.
When the Penn State Jerry Sandusky scandal broke, I remember reading David Brooks’ column in The New York Times, in which he argued that our view of morality is skewed.
“So many people do nothing while witnessing ongoing crimes, psychologists have a name for it: the Bystander Effect. The more people are around to witness the crime, the less likely they are to intervene,” he wrote.
Luckily, my encounter on Saturday left me with minimal injury, but I learned one thing — that the Bystander Effect is very much alive.
Perhaps I’m an idealist, but I still cling to the old adage that the triumph of evil is when good men do nothing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you have to learn these lessons the hard way.
Brian Goldman is a College senior from Queens, N.Y. His email address is briangol@sas.upenn.edu. The Gold Standard appears every Monday.
Last updated February 2, 2012, 11:36 pm
Filed under:Opinion Columns, Opinion
Permanent link: http://thedp.com/r/488227a8
* * *
Center City assault not charged as hate crime
College senior Brian Goldman and his cab driver was attacked by teens last Saturday
By Julie Xie • February 3, 2012, 12:26 a.m.
The Daily Pennsylvanian

College senior Brian Goldman and his cab driver were allegedly assaulted by three juveniles last Saturday. The three teens will not be charged with a hate crime, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.

The three black teens allegedly shouted racial slurs when they punched Goldman and his cab driver at 15th and Chestnut streets around 8:30 p.m.

However, there was no evidence that the race of the victims was a factor in the assault, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

“I fully support the DA’s decision, 100 percent,” Goldman, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said.

The juveniles are being charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, conspiracy and recklessly endangering another person.

Goldman, who was travelling to Center City to meet a friend for dinner, wrote about his experience in his column on Jan. 30.

“I was in the backseat, looking out of my window which was rolled down and then — bam! A strong punch came barreling through the window and hit me squarely in the jaw,” he wrote.

The cab driver grabbed a crowbar from his trunk and defended himself against the perpetrators. Spectators looked on but did not act, according to Goldman.

“We were in the heart of Philadelphia, a major metropolis, yet the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets resembled the closest thing I could imagine to a war zone,” he wrote.

Goldman fled from the scene, and the police later caught the three teens.

Goldman did not suffer serious injury from the incident, and he is now looking to put the incident behind him.

“I have a full plate for my last semester of college,” he said. “I’m not going to let this stop me from accomplishing any goals.”

As for advice for Penn students in the future — “be wary of your surroundings, keep your head out.”

Brian Goldman | Flashback to a flashmob
Last updated February 5, 2012, 10:10 pm

Permanent link: http://thedp.com/r/79953804
Comments (1)

Bob
February 4, 2012, 8:18 pm

“However, there was no evidence that the race of the victims was a factor in the assault”

Precisely what kind of evidence is needed? Membership in anti-some-race gang? Prior conviction of hate crimes? Or maybe a sign like Bruce Willis had in Die Hard, but with the races reversed? Does beating someone while wearing such a sign constitute evidence?

* * *
Comments to Brian Goldman’s Column (67)

Chris (the Original)
January 30, 2012, 5:30 am
Why the hell would you get in the middle of a stranger’s street fight that may be the result of a personal dispute? Unless its obviously unprovoked and towards a much weaker (e.g. single woman or single old man; not armed with crowbars) victim? The most likely results are being badly injured, being raked in on assault and disturbance charges (think the police always care about who did what first?), or adding to the violence as more people join the fight (in this case probably among racial divides)- turning it into a lethal riot. Can you really expect a stranger to do this for you? Get real.
Instead of urging citizens to pursue violent case-by-case responses (which won’t work anyway), the smart play is (1) dissecting the source of the problem and (2) finding a preventitive solution. Though those are MUCH more difficult topics to tackle. Our current local gov. response: an uncoordinated curfew where police hassle random kids after dusk and are more free to stop and frisk black kids on the street at any time. I don’t have to be a psychologist to know that this may be more harmful than helpful.

coach
January 30, 2012, 6:54 am
Most people enjoy someone else getting the shit knocked out of each other. As long as it’s not them. Just be objective and get into the root cause of violence. This nation loves a good fight: ie Iraq, Afghanistan….

Concerned Penn Student
January 30, 2012, 7:21 am
Heart bleeding liberals will blame the society, village (Elizabeth Warren style), or the bankers, but no one will blame these young thugs. United States, the greatest country on earth, provides ample opportunities for everyone, to move up the social ladder. There is a generous safety net to protect you if things are bad. However if a section of population repeatedly misuses these freedoms and indulges in thuggery, then the other 90% law abiding decent people will have to take up arms to protect themselves. Guns are not a solution to anything, but given the sorry state of affairs in the city, the law abiding citizens should be encouraged to carry weapons. Also asking these men to study and work and not depend on welfare may be a good step towards stopping this mess.

Jim Steele
January 30, 2012, 8:08 am
Here’s a link the Inquirer’s report of the incident: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20120130_Thugs_whup_up_on_cabbie__passenger.html

A culture of bystanders
January 30, 2012, 8:46 am
Ivan Illich (an education theorist) some time ago predicted that we were becoming a nation of helpless bystanders who wait for “experts” to solve everything for us, from our weight, to massive unemployment and corrupt politicians, to pollution, a lousy education system and, as here, crime: waiting for someone to save us while we stand on the sidelines complaining or slapping ourselves on the back for not being this week’s victim. We’d all better wake up and help each other out. As Ben Franklin long ago warned, if we don’t hang together, we will most certainly hang separately. And that’s exactly what has happened to us. We need to share our resources and our strength and our ideas, and not accept any such nonsense any more. I’m a mother of teen-aged boys, and whenever I see a fight I break it up. It’s not rocket science. Step up.

Jesse Hasty
January 30, 2012, 11:22 am
I once lived in the city and was attacked for no reason 4 times. I found the best response was to injure the attacker as gravely as possible. Reacting that way ended the attack and left the attacker with an easily identifiable injury so he could be caught seeking medical help. I live in a very nice section outside of the city now. There have been no robberies or assaults anywhere near my house in more than 20 years. Twice while I have lived here would be criminals have entered the township and have pulled guns on law enforcement personnel. Both times the police have shot them dead. It is simple and thorough law enforcement and I applaud them for what they have done.
I am armed now, and on the rare occasions when I must enter the city I am prepared to dispatch those who threaten my life with two shots in the chest and one in the head.
If more people reacted the way I will react word would get out and the flash mobs would stop. It’s worked in my township and it would work in Philadelphia. Flash mobsters are cowards and they will quickly find less dangerous ways to express their idiotic misanthropy.

lISA
January 30, 2012, 12:07 pm
The daily news article tells a slightly different story. The cab driver was injured and the police did end up coming to the scene of the crime.

Naveen
January 30, 2012, 2:09 pm
Looks like you’re lucky the cabbie knew how to handle himself.

barryg
January 30, 2012, 2:12 pm
The Inquirer reports that the teens yelled racial slurs at you. Did they?

Janette
January 30, 2012, 2:24 pm
How terrible of you to run away and leave the cab driver to fend for himself. The way this article reads you left and didn’t call for help.

Cleanup Philly
January 30, 2012, 2:35 pm
I’ve intervened and been charged with a crime. The charges were dropped, but I had to go through the process of hiring a lawyer to defend myself. The police in Philly may not see things your way.

Bearing witness to that fact is that these kids should be tried as adults for a serious felony or with a hate crime, and likely won’t be by DA Seth Williams in an election year. One of the little darlings might have push with the Philly Democrats.
Until we are having frank conversations about race and crime, expect this to be spun into nothingness, the perpetrators into the real victims, with a call to the larger community to “just do more.”

Cleanup Philly
January 30, 2012, 2:48 pm
I second Jesse’s comment. Put a mighty hurt on somebody, and that’s the lesson they learn. Be prepared to fight, secure yourself, and get out.
Tasers and pepper spray are not technically legal in Philly in the sense that if you use them, you can be charged with a crime, possession of a weapon, and if you only have a bruise, and the guy you Tase is on the ground flopping around like a fish, the force might seem excessive on your part.
Don’t stick around if you defend yourself in Philly and wait for police. Get out of there. Hit and run. Then contact police using an anonymous online tip to police. After an incident, contact an attorney. He may advise you to not report the crime to Philly police. We have a Castle Doctrine in PA, but you have to be a certain distance from your house. If you are not covered under the Castle Doctrine, you have a “duty to flee,” to leave before defending yourself. That is interpreted in a variety of impractical ways in the heat of the moment.
Recognize that police looking for approval from a minority Captain are going to be hesitant to not charge you because you did not flee first before fighting back. Philly police arrest and charge everyone, and let the judge sort it out. That is a costly, risky business.
Be aware that juveniles in Philly are all let out when they are 21. If you hurt someone, they need to know nothing about you.
That is why people did not come to your aid. Too many people who do that, Good Samaritans, are charged with crimes in Philly. You’re lucky you didn’t hurt one of those kids, or the police would certainly have arrested you.


KRA (Ken)
January 30, 2012, 3:02 pm

January has not been a good month for the supposed “City of Brotherly Love”. The murder rate from January alone is over 1 a day, and not all of these are occuring in the “war zones”. Thankfully the incident with Mr. Goldman did not add to that statistic.
Yet the sum total of these events, in particular the ones that have happened in Center City over the past several years cost all of us in economic dollars. Some wonder why key Center City retail sites (Strawbridge building’s lower floors, Disney Hole, etc) remain vacant of suitable occupants, or why Sears decided to close it’s Upper Darby location.
As for people who turn a blind eye when confronted with urban violence, I am reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King.
“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy during this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people”
. Ken

CSM
January 30, 2012, 3:07 pm
I totally feel your frustration, Brian.
If I had seen this I would have begun to call the police not jump into stop it. I am scared of the youth in volume. I don’t want to get hurt, perhaps others felt the same?

Julie
January 30, 2012, 3:15 pm
Wait, let me get this straight. You run away and your ticked off because no one else got involved? You left that poor cab driver to fend for himself when he came to your aid! You really need to grow up kiddo.

Dave Shelly
January 30, 2012, 3:21 pm

What shocks me is that people can stand there and just watch!?

dougherty
January 30, 2012, 3:22 pm
Just run and leave the cab driver who tried to help you alone. Smooth move. Did you run to get away and make a call to the police or just run to save your own yellow belly? Wht not go to Wendy’s and ask the gawkers to call 911?

Mark Caplan
January 30, 2012, 3:22 pm
It’s not clear how Goldman knows none of the onlookers called 911.
A few years ago I watched a pack of young males at 40th and Chestnut badly beat up another young male in broad daylight. They were all of the same race. It looked like the hoodlums intended to kill the motionless youth on the sidewalk as they kicked him repeated. After a minute or so, the hoodlums took off. Figuring the hoodlums had knives and guns, I decided not to jump into the fray and attempt a citizen’s arrest. I didn’t have a cell phone so didn’t call 911 either. I turned around and went about my business.

Greg
January 30, 2012, 3:25 pm
You, Mr. Goldman, are one spineless coward! Not only did you run aware like a little girl, but you never bothered to report the crime to police. That cabdriver could have been beaten to death. Oh, but as long as you got away, who cares, right?

Cleanup Philly
January 30, 2012, 3:42 pm
Don’t bash Goldman; he was blindsided. But now let’s make this right, and contact police, with your attorney, to request that they prosecute this as a hate crime.
May I give a tip? Have your attorney with you because the police may try to wrangle out of any extra charges that the DA might not like. Having an attorney right there the whole time will make sure they can’t do that.
It’s worth the money. Here’s your chance to help that cabbie, and to make Philly a better place.

mike
January 30, 2012, 3:51 pm
“The driver and I got out of the cab to confront the teenagers.”
..like idiots. I hope you at least learned a few lessons so this sort of thing doesn’t happen again: – someone who just punched you for no reason can’t be reasoned with, so don’t try – the police can’t magically protect you at a moment’s notice – bystanders aren’t going to get involved – a gun on your person is about the only thing that gives you any say over your own safety
Sorry to say, but I probably wouldn’t have helped you either. The laws are such that it’s inviting liability. I could face criminal or civil charges if one of these choir boys got hurt (or didn’t, or even pretended to). Philly isn’t a safe place to defend yourself, much less defend a stranger. Until that changes, you’re on your own, buddy.

Patrick M. Coady
January 30, 2012, 4:00 pm
The Chutzpah of this dude, complaining about the uninvolved humanity, cleverly quoting Forrest Gump and mentioning the movie “Gladiator” and how Scorcese could not have scripted this (Taxi Driver anyone?)Interestingly enough, Mr. Goldman fancies himself a kinder gentler Travis Bickle, cravenly running away (instead of taking a stand) not bothering to call for help for the real Taxi Driver who came to his defense, nor calling the police all the while complaining about the people “simply watching the proceedings”. Please! I’m out, before I vomit.

Liam Meagher
January 30, 2012, 5:19 pm

Kids are a bunch of cowards these days. Philly youth want to prove they are tough so they target weak victims whom they outnumber 5:1. Of the various high profile assaults, I recall one victim being a 70-year-old Viet Nam Vet, a female, and now a Penn student that probably hasn’t lifted anything heavier than a calculator in years (no offense). Maybe this is why none of the good boxers come from the USA these days—kids are a bunch of wusses. I don’t condone violence, but if you want to prove you are tough, pick a one-on-one fight with someone your own size.

Erica M.
January 30, 2012, 5:28 pm
Why are so many people condemning Brian? He was the victim. Any of those Wendy’s witnesses could have easily called 911 without repercussion. So what if Brian didn’t call 911. I’d like to see how you would have reacted if you had been in his shoes. Stop putting down the victim.

Richard
January 30, 2012, 8:06 pm
Hey all you brain-dead Penn snots condemning the victim. The problem here is not the people in the cab. Its the mob of vermin attacking them. Any of YOU could have been the victim. How would you react, brave ones? What the flash mob needs is a public, humiliating, corporal punishment. And forced restitution.

Tim
January 30, 2012, 8:12 pm
I think people are condemning Brian for a couple of reasons.
1) He ran away and left the cabbie to fend for himself.
and
2) He is condemning the bystanders, not the actual thugs who attacked him. I’m assuming he is a naive liberal kid who feels as if he got jumped by “disadvantaged youth”. (I apologize if this assumption is incorrect.
My best advice is: stay out of the city after dark, and during daylight hours, cross the street when you see a “pack” of “youths” coming towards you or from behind you.

Stever
January 30, 2012, 8:41 pm
To those condeming him for runing what could he have done against 15 black youths that started the fight with a sucker punch? Even if he was armed he would run out of ammo before he was no longer outnumbered. A sucker punch can knock someone out by itself. PA has the castle law, and is shall issue for Concealed Carry, so you might want to bring a spare clip if you go downtown. A 65yo in Reading blew 2 youths to hell this week one was on probation with an ankle bracelet.

Andrew
January 30, 2012, 9:00 pm
Philadelphia needs to go back to the days when Frank Rizzo was in charge. We need beat cops on the street – Center City and the neighborhoods – to send a message that crime will not be tolerated here. The flash mob mentality is a direct result of 30 years of “gangsta rap” culture where violence is glorified and criminals are looked upon as role models. It is also the result of 40 years of the feminist agenda where fatherhood is demonized and ignorant, poor women are led to believe that the government will step in and be the daddy. Children deserve to grow up with a married mother and a father who practice tough love. Mayor Nutter: it’s time to get a new police commissioner (bring back John Timony). It’s time to ignore hate groups like the ACLU and the NAACP. If these changes don’t happen, Philadelphia will turn into Detroit and if that happens, there is no recovery. Act now Mayor Nutter!

Markman
January 30, 2012, 9:50 pm

Love reading those comments by those 2 tough guys, Dougherty & Coady.
Probably have a lot of experience dealing with violence while playing Mortal Combat on their Playstations…

joe schmoe
January 30, 2012, 9:58 pm
I’m wondering whether this guy who ran away paid his cab fare first?
If not I hope if you are reading this that you contact the cab co. or the police and pay this driver along with an extra large tip.
I’m disgusted but not surprised about what is going on my birthplace. My parents had the good sense to move to the suburbs when I was 4 but I moved to U City in my early twenties when I knew so much more than all those “racist” suburbanites.
I took a similar unprovoked beatdown in broad daylight and also was robbed in the City Hall subway station, in both cases targeted due to my white skin color. Too bad the hoodlums did not know that I was an enlightened liberal, I’m sure they would behaved differently!
Chalk it up as a valuable part of your college education. God knows you won’t learn the truth about the black race at Penn.

Wow
January 30, 2012, 11:11 pm
Why did you fail to mention the fact that your black attackers yelled anti-white racist slurs at you while they were attacking you?

Wow
January 30, 2012, 11:29 pm
Thugs attack cabbie, passenger
BY STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News
farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225
IN A HORRIFIC assault in Center City on Saturday night, three teenagers who were spouting racial slurs pulled a man out of a cab to beat him. And when the cabdriver intervened to stop the assault, the teens turned their rage on him, police said yesterday.
About 8:25 p.m., a cab was stopped at a red light at 15th and Chestnut streets when two 17-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy approached and started calling the male passenger in the back seat racially derogatory names, police said.
[snip]
Police said the three teens were black and the cabbie and passenger were white. Police did not immediately know whether the teens would or could face hate-crime charges.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120130_Thugs_whup_up_on_cabbie__passenger.html?c=r

Danielle
January 31, 2012, 8:28 am
Firstly, I am really sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to be walked up on an punched in the face just because.
But, I would like to make a few points: you have no idea if anyone who saw what was happening called police. If anyone did, it would be smart of them not to announce it and risk the mob turning on them.
Secondly, how can you say no one came to your aid? Your cab driver did! And he got a beat down for it, and you took off and didn’t call police yourself. So, really how can you be mad at the people out on the street for not jumping in when you took off on the one person who did? It may have been smarter of the cabbie to just blow the red light and get you both out of there rather than exit the vehicle and try to square up with the mob you were so greatly outnumbered by.
Also, I would like to explain to you (since you aren’t from Philly, maybe you really don’t know) why our “rules” here are different. I see you are from Queens. I can’t immagine it is that much different where you live, but maybe it is…
Once upon a time, maybe we had a working justice system here. We don’t now. In the extreme cases such as murder, even when a murderer is caught and brought in, they post bail for 10% and are right back out the revolving door, usually hunting for whoever they think is going to be cooporating with police on the case against them. Not only are they not held accountable to pay the remainder of the bail, no one goes looking to haul them in when they fail to pay it or fail to appear for their hearing. In the rare instance the case makes it to trial and the defendant does show up, they make sure that the witnesses won’t show up. And then after a few reschedulings, without all parties in attendance the court dismisses the case and murderer is back out on the street to do it again. And that is how the justice system goes here. So for a crime like the one you experienced, a simple assault—that you didn’t even report—if you had reported it, can you imagine how much of a joke it would have been to the justice system , if they treat murder so lightly.
So that is the reason why us wussy citizens here, live by a different set a rules, like—its great to help your fellow man in need, BUT you have to keep yourself alive most importantly. So here, you never saw anything, you keep your mouth shut about things, and you don’t get involved with anything that doesn’t have to do with you. And that is how you live to see tomorrow. You may think its cowardice but all Philadelphians know that you don’t try to be a hero, like your cabbie, or Johnny Boyscout and be a witness because its the “right thing to do” because, once you insert youself there are no cops or justice system there to have your back and you just made yourself and your family a target. And the criminals won’t pay and be put behind bars, they’ll be back out on the street looking for the snitch or his mom if they can’t find him.

Steve Chervenka
January 31, 2012, 9:05 am
It is not reported in the story that the cab driver is not covered by workers compensation, and that he still is responsible for paying the owner of the cab a lease payment, plus all expenses, even if he is recovering in the hospital. And if the taxi was damaged he would be responsible for that too. If this incident left him disabled, then he be left in the cold. Chances are the stress from incidents like these will lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Philly is Violent
January 31, 2012, 11:04 am
A similar incident happened to me a few years back. I was walking on Walnut Street near 16th when a random crazy guy started yelling racial slurs and death threats at me unprovoked. This continued for over a whole city block. There were many people on the street but no one came to my aid. In the end, I turned around and confronted the guy and punched him, knocking him down. It was only then that someone intervened by telling us to break it up and walk away, which I did.
The crazy guy, however, kept on yelling his racial slurs and death threats.

After the incident, I wrote about it on a local website and 80% of the comments were people accusing me of making it all up and saying stuff like “This doesn’t happen in Philly” and “I don’t believe that upstanding Philly citizens didn’t come to your aid. You must be some outsider trying to trash our city!” Well, it happened just like your incident happened.

What confounds me is how so many people in Philly are living in a state of denial. Philly is a violent city. I’ve live in many big cities across the U.S. and Philly is easily the most violent and lawless place I’ve lived in. It goes well beyond drug related crimes and robbery. What we’re seeing in Philly – with flash mobs and people getting beaten up for the pure joy of beating people up – is nothing less than a break down in civilization. At the same time, the local citizens deny that it is happening and say ridiculous things like “it’s like this everywhere”. It is??? NO, IT IS NOT like this everywhere. The situation in Philly has gotten so bad that people are not only writing incidents like this off as being normal everyday matters but also comforting themselves with the false notion that the city is not worse than any other. Sometimes it does take an outside like yourself to hold up a mirror so that the city can see just how bad things are.
As for why there were no cops, they seem to be too busy harassing buskers in Rittenhouse Square to bother with fighting the criminals that seem to lurk all around it. Speaking of the Square, I’m not surprised that this incident happened only a few blocks away. Rittenhouse Square is nothing more than a slightly more expensive enclave of a city that is really nothing more than one huge violent ghetto.
Since Philly’s own citizens seem unwilling to recognize that the city has gone off the deep end – much less do anything about it – and the cops are unreliable, I hope you wind up in a much better place after graduation. And Philly wonders why it is suffering a brain drain…

Neighbor
January 31, 2012, 11:32 am
I agree that attempting to pay the cab fare (with a generous tip) would be a good idea. Plus a heartfelt thank-you. Kindly let us know that you did that, Brian.

Andrew
January 31, 2012, 12:00 pm
There are several angles that can be considered here:
1) If something like this happens and the people get out of the car: to me, that looks like a fight, not an attack. I don’t get involved in a fight unless someone is being beaten senseless or has obviously been wronged.
2) As a referee I know that it is rare when the first offense seen. It is likely that no one noticed anything until all parties were in the street fighting.
3) What was the time lapse from start to finish? a) Any reasonable person has to expect others to evaluate the situation before intervention. b) If a narrative version of this takes 120 seconds to read, the altercation probably took all of 15-20 seconds to happen. No one can process that information and act that quickly. c) Just because you are losing a fight, doesn’t mean you didn’t somehow incite the situation so people will be less likely to help. d) Police have a response time even if called. They would not have made it there unless they were standing there at the start.

4) The most pressing question is: What kind of coward and hypocrite runs away from the only person that stepped up to help him just so he can go and write his narrative on the accounts, while calling out a city for standing by and not helping him? Someone did step up. It isn’t a cab drivers job to get out and fight people attacking a customer, but he DID. Then, once he was knocked down by an attacker, Brian turned tail and ran. Leaving the cabbie to fend for himself. For all he knew, until he looked back, that man could have been beaten to death for defending his passenger.
From the opposite standpoint there are non-violent ways to stop a violent encounter. Make your presence known. Be loud and nearby enough so they know they might have to worry about you and anyone near you. Most of the time witnesses and potential help will give someone pause and hopefully stop them. Getting close enough to the action can be enough to help without putting yourself in harms way.

jack ryan
January 31, 2012, 12:18 pm
It’s just reality that Phily now has a lot of criminal thugs that happen to be Black and these thugs are committing lots and lots of brutal attacks on White people they see as easier targets – usually Whites that are alone, or older like the 65 year old Vietnam Vet beaten nearly to death in Olney.
Racism cuts two ways and decent citizens should strongly oppose these racially motivated attacks. If it was gangs of White thugs targeting single Black residents or elderly Blacks, I hope citizens would work to take down the White thugs. Now we have to take down these Black thugs and end these horrible racist attacks in Phily that are giving Philadelphia a terrible reputation as the thug capital of the USA.

JWR
January 31, 2012, 2:40 pm
@Those of you who are condemning Brian for running, what fantasy world do you live in? If you are sucker-punched and set upon someone violent, you have two options. You can either counter with lethal or overwhelming force; or you can GTFO and save yourself. Clearly, based on the numbers involved (and my guess that Brian does not carry a concealed firearm), Brian’s only option was to run. I don’t think any less of him for putting self preservation first. What was he going to do? Go down swinging with the taxi driver? 2 vs mob isn’t good odds. This isn’t the land of knights in shining armor and brotherly love. Philadelphia is a violent ghetto. For 4 years I’ve watched it get worse and worse as the Penn bubble slowly thins around us. I can’t wait to leave.

face reality
January 31, 2012, 4:30 pm
face it, many blacks are uncivilized

call the police yourself
January 31, 2012, 4:35 pm
Brian,
Running is not the problem. It is running and not calling the police—going on a date instead and then telling the local newspaper the the incident made for a good ice-breaker. It was unethical for you to leave the scene without reporting the incident, and you should be ashamed. This article highlights your immaturity. If I were you I would be embarrassed.

Ciaran
January 31, 2012, 9:23 pm
Goldman – why can’t you tell the truth? You and the poor cabby were attacked by feral racist BLACKS. Blacks have been attacking Whites all over the country, simply to attack Whites. It’s RACIAL attacks. They get away with it because they know it’s Open Season on Whites, with Obama and Holder in office. It’s it’s “society’s fault” – it’s because Blacks have been to grow increasingly hostile, violent, and demanding – and Whites have been too conned and cowed into caving and grovelling before any Non-white, because they’ve been systematically demonized with the slur “racist”. So let’s discuss how this all happened, and start talking about the consitent, and outrageous levels of Black crime rates. Shall we? Mayor Nutter has – although it’s all lip service. Come on Goldman – let’s get REAL.

Vince
February 1, 2012, 6:53 am
“I’d like to see how you would have reacted if you had been in his shoes.”
The teens would have ended up like the ones in Reading who attacked that older man on his bike.
Dead.
Incidents like this can happen anywhere at anytime. Stop being complacent just because you are in a nicer area of the city or its the middle of the day. Situational awareness is key…If you dont know whats going on around you then thats your fault.
You and you alone are responsible for your own safety. The police cant be there 24/7 and you cant depend on your fellow “citizens” to come to your rescue should the need arise.
Vince

Jesse Hasty
February 1, 2012, 8:07 am
Wow! I came back here to look at what comments have been made and am amazed at what I see. While this crime apparently has some racist overtones, some of the comments imply that black on white racially motivated crime is a common occurrence. It most definitely is not. The fraternity of criminals is large and diverse enough to contain people of all races and backgrounds. If you think you are safe because no blacks are nearby you are sadly deluded and leaving yourself vulnerable to criminal attack.

Blacks make up about 43% of the population of Philadelphia, including north Philadelphia. Doubtless the percentage of blacks residing near Rittenhouse is higher. Compared to the general population, a higher percentage of this black population suffers from the pathologies associated with higher crime rates. Among others, these pathologies are poverty, single parent homes, and low educational attainment. In addition, a larger portion of this black population is of the age group typical of criminals. For these reasons one would expect a high percentage of crimes suffered by whites to be perpetrated by blacks without any consideration of racial hatred.
It is probable that this wilding event was racially motivated, but perpetrators of such crimes often stoke up their courage and try to intimidate their victims by the use of such language. It certainly does not reflect any general truth about the black race.
I have been victimized by criminals in Philadelphia 6 times. Two times the perpetrators were black, once puerto rican, and three times white. If I had witnessed this event I would have called 911 and stood and witnessed what happened and given a statement to the police. I would not intervene unless it appeared someone was in mortal danger. I’m guessing a least a few calls were made to 911.
I am, frankly, shocked at the comments I see here. Perhaps these perpetrators deserve to be prosecuted under the hate crime statutes, but that does not give anyone leave to characterize blacks as uncivilized animals. Shame!

mike
February 1, 2012, 9:04 am
Jesse Hasty, instead of apologizing for black criminals, why don’t you open your eyes to the problem – blacks commit more violent crime. If everyone spends all of their time pretending it isn’t a problem, we aren’t spending ANY time trying to solve it. As you pointed out, blacks make up about 43% of the population of Philadelphia. Yet they make up 90% of Philly PD’s Violent Felon Digest:
http://phillypolice.com/assets/2012/ViolentFelonDigest-01-06-2012.pdf
And I suppose the media is suppressing all the stories of gangs of white kids going out and attacking black (or even white) people? This website tracks such stories:
http://violentflashmobs.com/
I guess they’re in on it too? Pretending a problem doesn’t exist only prevents it from being addressed.

Observer
February 1, 2012, 10:25 am
Brian doesn’t seem to realize that he was targeted because of his race, and is the victim of a hate crime.
Hey Brian, how about the anti-white racial slurs that the cab driver reported hearing?
No, none of that comports with Brian’s bleeding heart, white guilt-infused, liberal worldview. It’s just some wayward youths, and it’s “an indictment on the city of Philadelphia.” As if society created these thugs. As a previous poster mentioned, it’s sad how Brian blames the bystanders more than the thugs themselves.
This crime is actually an indictment of the state of black youth, and a culture that glorifies pack violence, thuggery, and anti-white hatred. But white apologists like Brian never issue such indictments.
Isn’t there some adage about how a Democrat is actually a Republican who hasn’t been mugged yet? Here’s hoping Brian wakes up.

Jesse Hasty
February 1, 2012, 11:55 am
@ mike,
I think you missed the point of what I said. I don’t think the problem is that there are too many blacks in Philadelphia, rather I think the problem is that there is too much legitimacy which leads to broken homes, poor academic performance, poverty, and antisocial and criminal behavior. Although these pathologies are prevalent in the black community they are by no means unique to it. Exacerbating this is the fact that, compared to non blacks, a larger percentage of blacks are in the age group with a higher propensity to commit crimes.

A small percentage of non blacks commit this sort of crime. A slightly larger but still small percentage of blacks also commit this sort of crime. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that the difference between these small percentages is not evidence that blacks are uncivilized, and those who draw such a conclusion need to look closely at what motivates them to do so.

Jesse Hasty
February 1, 2012, 12:15 pm
Sorry, I meant to say too much illegitimacy above.

mike
February 1, 2012, 12:22 pm
Jesse Hasty, I never said blacks are uncivilized, and agree that people who draw such conclusions need to look inward. HOWEVER, you’re still trying to blame the problems in the black community on things other than .. the black community. Yeah, sure, illegitimacy doesn’t help. But that’s not the problem. In fact, I’d say that people like you who try to look for excuses are a bigger part of the problem than illegitimacy is.
So while you’re blaming poverty, illegitimacy, or whatever the new excuse of the day is, nobody dares to try to solve the problem for fear of being accused of racism by you and your ilk. Perhaps you are well-intentioned, but preventing anyone from finding a solution does more harm to blacks than good. Yes, you are part of the problem.

Jesse Hasty
February 1, 2012, 1:17 pm
@ mike,
My solution is to work to reduce those pathologies in the black community which can be reduced, formost among them by reducing the high illegitimacy rate. We’ll just have to wait out the age issue.
What is your solution?

mike
February 1, 2012, 2:56 pm
Jesse Hasty, I’m not arrogant enough to suggest that I have a solution. But I think if people are freed to actually acknowledge the problem without being called racists by well-intentioned, but hugely misguided people, they can work toward solutions.
Right now, the very hint that black culture (or whatever) plays a part in the problem of black violence is met with charges of racism. So well-intentioned people like you are actively working to prevent solutions from ever being found. All the while, you’re convinced you’re sticking up for blacks – when in fact you have blood on your hands for preventing people from even discussing the topic.

mike
February 1, 2012, 3:01 pm
To be clear – I’m not suggesting that black culture is (or isn’t) the problem. I’m not suggesting any specific cause. I’m just saying that we can’t even DISCUSS the issue and ask the question because everyone is concerned about folks like you calling them racist for doing so. So while you’re happy to just go around and call people racist, people who genuinely want to work towards a solution are muzzled. Good job.

Penn 09
February 1, 2012, 5:38 pm

I love how the DP has completely buried this story on the front page of the website. A story involving one of their own writers that made national news no less!!! The only link to be found is from the “Most Commented” widget box — thank goodness for machines!

Danielle
February 2, 2012, 8:20 am
Jesse and Mike I don’t think the problem lies only within the black community of Phila. Jesse your idea that society needs to look at the black community differently in an attempt to solve the problem would be to discriminate. You may be correct that 43% of Phila population in black. Where they get these numbers though who knows….I mean who in this city is really filling out the census? I doubt most of us. I see the issues you brought up Jesse of the pathologies associated with poverty to be something that isn’t unique to the black community in Philly as you suggest. While maybe on a broad scale, nationally speaking, that may be the case. In Philadelphia it’s almost a citywide issue affecting most of the city’s population. I would say that the majority of the city’s residents are dealing with the pathologies associated with poverty. The white neighborhoods are just as rampant with poverty, fatherless homes, crime and drug issues. It’s no better. Your example of Rittenhouse area as a city neighborhood at all is laughable. The residents of the area are made up of a majority of people from elsewhere—not Philadelphia. And compared to the rest of the city you might as well need a passport to travel there. Its nothing representative of the white community of the city. For that you might want to check out Port Richmond, certain areas in South and Northeast Philly and there you will find the same pathologies of poverty you mentioned. Or check out Kensington, a racially diverse neighborhood. So these pathologies you speak of are more of a unifying theme in the city really, more of an urban issue than a black community issue. And attempting to hold a particular sensitivity to one community because you believe only blacks are poor, or the vast majority of poor in the city are black is really not going to solve anything. I don’t know if I completely agree with Mike there. All people need to be held to the same human standard.

mike
February 2, 2012, 10:21 am
Danielle, I think you either miss the point or are reading things that aren’t being said [by me]. Here are the facts:
http://phillypolice.com/assets/2012/ViolentFelonDigest-01-06-2012.pdf
Now let’s accept them so people are freed to figure out the causes and work on solutions. As it is now, any time folks try to discuss the racial components of this problem, people attack them as racist – virtually guaranteeing that a solution isn’t found. It’s not racist to want to solve the demonstrable problem of higher levels of crime and violence in the black community.
As you said, all people need to be held to the same human standard. Shouldn’t that also mean that if one particular group (be they black, white, albino, Mormon, whatever) has, as a whole, more violence and crime – even after adjusting for things like poverty – then we should recognize the problems in that group? Instead we have well-meaning apologists determined to beat down any discussion of the actual problem with tired accusations of racism. It’s getting old, and it certainly doesn’t solve the problem.
Don’t get so caught up trying to insist that there isn’t a problem that you actually prevent people from working toward a solution.
Sadly, the young man who was attacked seems to be falling over backwards trying to convince himself and others that race didn’t play a part. I suppose the alternative is to be accused of racism, which goes back to my point.

Jesse Hasty
February 2, 2012, 11:59 am
@ Danielle
The demographic statistics are easily available from the 2010 census. These figures are very accurate since they are actual counts. Poverty does not really cause elevated levels of crime, rather elevated levels of crime cause poverty. What does cause both poverty and elevated levels of criminal behavior is the lack of intact two parent families, and more specifically the lack of a father or father figure in the home. The other demographic cause of elevated criminal behavior is the percentage of the population which are males between the ages of 15 and 25. In the black community the percentage of both single parent homes and the percentage of young males is elevated with respect to the general population. It is these elevated percentages which largely explain the elevated levels of criminal behavior among blacks. It is not blackness or whiteness which causes or does not cause higher levels of criminal behavior, but rather it is the brokenness of the homes in both black and non black communities which increases the problem of criminal behavior. I don’t think the observation of this fact argues in favor of discrimination against African Americans in any way, but rather observing the results argues in favor of carefully looking at the wisdom of single parent homes and the raising of young males.
This is getting pretty far afield here since the original discussion of this opinion piece concerned the unwillingness of bystanders to assist crime victims.

Danielle
February 2, 2012, 12:45 pm
@mike
“Don’t get so caught up trying to insist that there isn’t a problem that you actually prevent people from working toward a solution.”
I actually agree with you on this. I am in no way saying there isn’t a problem. In fact I think there is a huge problem with violence in the city as a whole. I guess I just don’t believe that we’re all just so different that we can’t talk about it as just that and have to racialize it. I mean if a particular crime was or is racially motivated then it is what it is, and race would then be a factor. But if this particular one was, it doesn’t say so in this piece written by the victim.

Christine
February 2, 2012, 2:00 pm
“The police cannot be everywhere all the time and I did not call 911 to alert them to the situation.”

Brian, please write a follow-up to clarify. As a native Philadelphian, I’m ashamed that you were victimized in such a way, and hope you are recovering well. A question: did you call the police after you fled the scene of the crime? How can you, in good faith, write an opinion piece lamenting the lack of good citizenship and common decency in Philly, as it appears when given the chance to call 911 yourself (when for all you knew, the cab driver was gravely injured), you chose to run away and write a strongly worded piece for the DP? I see from Philly.com that you came forward on Monday… a full 24 hours at least, and after your words were published here. Unless you can explain otherwise, your piece smacks of hypocrisy.

Greg
February 2, 2012, 4:44 pm
I agree completely with Christine’s comment above. Brian took the initiative to write the intial article which has now become news in itself, and should write a follow-up to explain his logic. He probably won’t, so I will speculate what happened:
1. Brian ran from the scene, met his friend for dinner, used the story as an “ice-breaker” as philly.com reported, then went home.
2. Next day, Brian wrote this article perhaps without realizing that some one with a brain (i.e. the cab driver) alerted the police with as to what happened.
3. Brian paniced and called his parents
4. Media outlets began to call asking questions.
5. Brian gave what can only be described as a sad interview to the media, telling them that he “looked back to make sure the cab driver was ok” then went on his date.
6. Brian began to realize that he has to manage this thing in some way because he did something extremely stupid by not calling the police.
7. Brian’s parents advised him that it is best to talk to the police and to stop writing about this.
8. Brian is beginning to realize that he is part of the story in a way that could effect his future because google searches of his name will lead to a series of unflattering stories and articles about his inactions following the event.
9. Brian will not be writing a follow-up piece and will wait for this to die down.
You forgot to add
February 2, 2012, 6:08 pm

10. Is going out of his way to avoid acknowledging that race played a part, for fear of being accused of racism. He is happy, however to have the cab driver take that risk by saying things like “Well, gee if the cab driver said they were yelling racist things then I guess they were [so don’t call me racist – if anyone it’s that cab driver]”

Penn Student
February 3, 2012, 2:44 am
These youths are re-enforcing certain stereotypes…

bastard
February 3, 2012, 1:26 pm
this story made the drudge report. no hate crimes are filed by the prosecution for lack of evidence. i wonder if the rolls were reversed: mob of white people attack two black people in cab yelling the “n-word”. would this be considered a hate crime?

Bravado
February 3, 2012, 2:08 pm
“The police cannot be everywhere, and I did not call 911 to alert them of the situation”
Your discriminatory comment regarding passing pedestrians cannot be believable if YOU SIR, did not follow you own rant, and called 911. Quoting an irrelevant story about Sandusky is hilarious, and just a filler for an article that holds no merit.

Bravado
February 3, 2012, 2:16 pm
In defense, can anyone make such a decision during a time of distress? I am glad he has escaped with only minor injuries. However, I don’t believe condeming ongoing pedestrians seem to be worth writing about. The people you are referring to have been in worse situations, probably life threatening. You cannot assume everyone lives the same lifestyle as yourself. Blaming others for something you could have done yourself is unreasonable. I apologize for your troubles, but blaming people is not the answer.

Penn Alum
February 3, 2012, 4:04 pm
This leads me to wonder… what if Brian was one of the pedestrians he is condemning? Would he have done anything? I can only speculate, but I would bet that we would have also merely been an “observer” of the crime without “doing anything” to help.