OT: Watching A Beating In Progress

[Ash]

Last night (8-28-05) I had the displeasure of witnessing a disturbing incident.
I stopped at Quiktrip to buy a pack of Blackstone cherry cigars and a gallon of milk.

First, you must know that this particular Quiktrip is known here in my town as "The Ghetto Quiktrip" because it is adjacent to the "bad neighborhood" of town.
All kinds of riff-raff and scumbags love to hang out in front of it.  
Why the QT managers let this happen is beyond me.  
If it were it my store, they'd all be arrested or cited for trespassing and/or loitering.

I don't much like going there anymore because YOU WILL get panhandled 9 out of 10 times.  Brotha's and White Trash alike will approach you almost every time you step out of your car and beg for money or for a ride somewhere.
Crime of all types has run rampant in that area within the last few years.
It never used to be this bad...until failed, wannabe gangstas from Chicago (which is only 4 hours away) who couldn't cut it there started showing up here and flexing their muscle.
I used to live a block away from this QT from 1998 to last summer 2004 when I eventually said, "f**k this, I ain't living here anymore." and moved out.

In 2002, the maintenence guy Ed, who worked for my former landlord fixing up houses (including the one I lived in) was robbed in the alley right behind QT.  After the guy took his money, Ed made some smartass comment and the guy pulled out a pistol and shot him through the leg.  He showed me the scars.  It went clean through his right leg and exited out the back.  He's lucky he didn't get killed.
That incident made the evening news.  I remember it clearly.

Anyway, I pulled up to QT and saw that there were at least 10-15 brotha's hanging out in front of it. (I'm not racist...I have several black friends who are all good, honorable men)
I walked right through their group, even brushing up against one of them as I passed and gave them a nod and asked, "How's it goin' guys?"  
I did that to let them know that I'm "cool" and that I recognized their presence and respected it.  (I actually don't respect them...I just did it so they wouldn't f**k with me)
They all were staring at me and a few guys returned the nod...one said. "Sup?"

I went inside QT and the first thing I noticed was a white guy at the counter with his head shaved.  At first I thought, "Neo Nazi Skinhead" but upon closer examination I saw that this was a "preppy guy".  He wore nice clothing, sported no tattoos and appeared to have money...he just happened to have his head shaved down to the skin.
Now, as a guy who also has his head shaved, I know better than to even go near that store without my cover on.
I walked in wearing my Red Sox baseball hat.
I was next in line behind him and overheard him talking to the cashier.  He was very friendly and seemed to know the cashier....an actual nice guy.

He exited the store and I then paid for my two items.  
While paying for them, the cashier and I overheard loud shouting coming from outside.  We both looked out the front windows as he was handing me my change but couldn't really distinguish what was going on outside.

My transaction took about 30 seconds...not even that.
I walked out of the store to see all of those brotha's literally beating the hell out of the guy with the shaved head.
They had him down on the ground in the fetal position.  He was doing his best to cover up.  
All of those guys were kicking the living s**t out of him.
He was being attacked by at least ten men, all of whom were bigger than him.
I stood there totally flabbergasted...watching.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Two younger black boys around 15 or 16 years old rode up on bicycles from across the street.  They dumped their rides on the ground and immediately jumped in the fray.
A few seconds later I saw one big guy grab one of the mountain bikes belonging to the two kids that had just rode up.  He picked it up, raised it over his head and heaved it as hard as he could down onto the white guy being beaten.

The white guy's girlfriend, a thin white girl with long blonde hair was out of her car, trying to pick him up & stop these guys from pummeling her boyfriend yelling, "STOP!  PLEASE STOP!  PLEASE DON'T" when the biggest black guy in the group threw a right hook, blasted her in the face and literally dropped her to the ground.  I heard the smacking sound loudly.
All the spectators yelled, "OOOHH!!!" when that happened.
I then decided it was time to get the f**k outta Dodge as I was the only other white person in the vicinity.
I got into my car and kept looking to my right where the fight was still going on and was surprised to see the white guy get up and slug the man who'd thrown the bike onto him.  I don't know how he found the strength to get up after the beating he'd just taken.
The guy he hit stumbled back into my car with a thud and the white guy lunged at him...against my car!

By this time I had my vehicle in reverse and was contemplating yelling, "If ya'll don't get the f**k back I'm running you over!" but I didn't.
After a couple seconds they stumbled away and I backed the hell outta there and drove off.

I don't know what happened after that...I looked in my rear view mirror on the way out and saw that they all were still going at it.

I wonder how it started.
Did the brotha's say something to him about his haircut and he responded with a snide remark?
Did any of the brotha's know him from awhile back, maybe remembered him from a past conflict & confronted him after a lengthy time span?
Or was it just a chance meeting of strangers?
I'll never know.

All I know is that within a time span of less than a minute, this guy went from being happy and paying for what he purchased to literally getting the s**t kicked out of him.
I wanted to help that guy out so bad but if I did, I would've ended up just like him.   Messed up and bleeding.

Have any of you witnessed an incident like this?
Opinions?
(I don't expect this to get many responses....just had to get it off my chest....do feel free to put your 2 cents in though)



Post Edited (08-29-05 19:52)

[Georgie Boy]

I have conflicting views about this as well.  While I think that you have a responsibility to help, there is a limit.  For instance, if I am in an exit row on the airplane, I will open the window and pitch it out of the way.  I will get the hell out of your way so you don't trip on me.  I will allow you to draft me like Earnhart at Talladaga.  I won't jump into the plane and save you.

I think you could easily have yelled, while driving away, that you just called the po-po and they are on the way.  That should have broken the melee.  You weren't under any obligation to get you tail wrung for a stranger, especially at your own peril.

Having said this, nobility and honor are defined by what you do when you have nothing to gain and everything to lose.  The noble thing to do would have been to break up the fight, the human thing to do was what you did, beat feet.

[BeyondTheGrave]

Thats pretty rough Ash, but I think you did what you had to do just get out of their. One thing you could have done if you had a cell phone you could have called the cops but from your post I don't think you brought one. I would have liked to know what sparked it myself. It could have been when he came out with stuff they knew he had money asked for some and he said no or a snide remark or made a remark about his shaved head like you point out but whatever the reason probably something stupid.

What weird is I shave my head with no problems. I live in a ghetto area but I guess you can tell from my hairline why I do it.

-------------------------------------------------
Most of all I hate dancing then work, exercise, people,stupid people

[Dunners]

Peices of s**t is all i have to say.

[Susan]

Maybe when you acknowledged them walking in the store when the other white guy left they mighta said something to him. And if he ignored them it mighta started the whole "What, are you too good to speak to us?" fight. Who knows. It's amazing when you think of how petty the reasons are behind most people wanting to beat or kill people. This desensitization prevents them from seeing the other person is a human being.  Never seen anything like that outside of high school. Life's too short, apparently some people make it their job in the universe to make it even shorter

[Zapranoth]

I still think Miyagi had it right, and straightest:  best way avoid punch, no be there!  :(   Glad you didn't get into it.

[Chopper]

yeah i have a closely shaved head and no one ever messes with me in my neighborhood. but i do have a pretty urban/hip hop style of dressing most of the time.

[laura]

don't u have friends in your real life??

[Menard]

laura wrote:

> don't u have friends in your real life??


This is the third time I have come across a mean remark which you have specifically targeted at ASH. Other than this being the behavior of a troll, it does not speak well for you having friends if the best you can do is spend your time attacking someone on a bulletin board.

[laura]

Well, this is a phorum, with opinions, why cant i give mine?? when you write on the internet you are exposed to recive opinions of others, a feedback, even if you like it or not.

[Menard]

It is not an opinion when you resort to attacking someone. Do you go out and beat someone with a baseball bat, then claim it was just your opinion?

[laura]

beating someone with a baseball bat its a violent reaction, talking about someone who writes on here its an opinion. i ask again, why i cant give mine?

[odinn7]

Yeah Menard...you are "exposed to recive" opinions of others...jeez, I have to tell you everything?

Laura is obviously trolling since she's got nothing constructive to say. I suspect if she continues with it, Andrew will remove her.
Laura, why don't you find something more constructive to do...like perhaps going outside to play with your friends? Go on, be a good little girl...the fresh air will do you good.

[Mr_Vindictive]

Laura,

We try to keep things pretty jovial around here.  If you have a problem with someone, please contact the person via email or some other type of "non forum" way.  Bashing a poster on the board is usually a sign of a troll.

Keep it nice.

[Menard]

Don't you just hate it when these fifth graders get on here, try to pretend they are an adult, and just make an ass out of themselves?