verbally gay-bashed on vanderbuilt and prospect pl

Old Time Brooklyn wrote: Homophobic? Buy a dictionary.

pinkmuppet -- i'm sorry this happened to you. a description of the guy in question would be perhaps more useful than just the location.

today, at the corner of classon and prospect, a man who often hangs out there was standing with a baseball bat. he hadn't previously struck me as the sporting type. just after i passed him, a man stepped out of the door next to the yemen bodega there. mr baseball raised the bat and yelled something to him about getting back inside, including calling him "a little perv".

obviously, i don't know the context. maybe mr baseball is totally in the right on this one, but the bat was still pretty freaky.

mr baseball is dark-skinned, looks to be in his 40s or so, has a paunch. he is usually drunk when i see him, and hangs out with the mostly younger group of men who are often on the corner there.

fwiw.

describe this a-hole. it might help others to be on the lookout

black guy, hispanic guy? age range? height?

pinkmuppet I'm sorry this happened to you, glad it didn't come to blows and hope you'll call the cops in the future. I advocate reporting this to AVP for sure. This really sucks.

pinkmuppet wrote: Probably shouldn't have said anything in the first place, but sometimes it just comes over you.

I understand. It's hard not to shoot back sometimes. Be careful though. Yelling back at jerks can be deadly.

It sounds like there are some bully beasts on the street that should be eliminated.

If more people spoke up when clearly bad things happen perhaps a general consciousness would lead to less bad things happening. Confrontation is always a risk. However, confrontation while calm and collected can work wonders.

Old Time Brooklyn wrote: [quote=pinkmuppet]
black guy, dreads, 30s, 5'10 to 6'1, maybe around 180-220lbs. not buff, but not really overweight.

That's a pretty good description of the dude that works at Dr. Parkin's office right up the block. I doubt it's him though. This is Brooklyn so I'm sure that 20 guys around here fit that description.

Old Time Brooklyn wrote: Just goes to show that it's a shitty, vague description and probably shouldn't have been posted if it was so shitty and vague because basically the poster is saying Be wary of everyone.

The whole post is saying Be wary on the corner! Be wary of whom? The whole thing --- even if it is true --- is just another post on this board that creates fear and paranoia in this neighborhood. Along with promoting being a vigilante. It's silly. Turn the other cheek and go on with your life.

Can we get back on topic, please, folks?

BoogieKnight wrote: "Turn the other cheek..." - really? What if some white guy in this hood loudly exclaimed, either in general or directed at a passing Black person - "there are too many niggers in this neighborhood" - would that really have passed without comment by the passerby? If the passerby responded as the OP did - would they really be told to have turn the cheek and let it go?

To me the question isn't really _would_ they, the question is _should_ they. For everyone, everything. Do you stick your head in sand and rush home and not come out for awhile, as suggested, or do you hold your head high and stand up for what is right? There is something to be said for turning the other cheek at times, but there is also something to be said for the good people standing up for what is right and to try and stop the hate and puzzle out a coexistence.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Guvna wrote: I get what OTB is saying. Some others seem to get it too, except they only caution that arguing with jerks can get you punched and beaten. This is Brooklyn, folks. I've seen people get shot for less. There are tons of jerks all over Brooklyn. You'd be surprised how many of them have guns(by the sound of it). If you are impulsive and cannot control your response, you're rolling your dice when you're dealing with jerks in NY. I catch myself all the time when road rage gets the better of me. Why? People get shot arguing about getting cut off. Is it really worth it?

I do get your point, but I would call what happened here and getting cut off on the road totally different. One is something that will quickly pass, in terms of traffic moving on. The other is something that won't, namely walking home while gay.

Having said that, discretion is sometimes the better part of valor. On the flip side, I would _never_ come down on someone for standing up for themselves, be it ill advised or not. Right is right, not might. And you may get smacked down or even shot, but if it is important enough, then that is what has to happen sometimes to make a change. Is getting cut off in traffic enough to take that risk? Probably not for hardly anyone. Is being able to walk home safely without being harrassed enough to take that risk? Perhaps.

daver wrote: [quote=Guvna]I get what OTB is saying. Some others seem to get it too, except they only caution that arguing with jerks can get you punched and beaten. This is Brooklyn, folks. I've seen people get shot for less. There are tons of jerks all over Brooklyn. You'd be surprised how many of them have guns(by the sound of it). If you are impulsive and cannot control your response, you're rolling your dice when you're dealing with jerks in NY. I catch myself all the time when road rage gets the better of me. Why? People get shot arguing about getting cut off. Is it really worth it?

I do get your point, but I would call what happened here and getting cut off on the road totally different. One is something that will quickly pass, in terms of traffic moving on. The other is something that won't, namely walking home while gay.

Having said that, discretion is sometimes the better part of valor. On the flip side, I would _never_ come down on someone for standing up for themselves, be it ill advised or not. Right is right, not might. And you may get smacked down or even shot, but if it is important enough, then that is what has to happen sometimes to make a change. Is getting cut off in traffic enough to take that risk? Probably not for hardly anyone. Is being able to walk home safely without being harrassed enough to take that risk? Perhaps.

My point was more to the fact that having a rush of blood to the head in response to ANYTHING when dealing with jerks in NY is not without significant risk. I dont know how many of the "you did the right thing" brigade has ever seen someone get shot, but it is something very real to consider when you're talking about getting into something intense on the streets in NY. If the issue is something worth taking that sort of risk, then by all means do what you have to do. Each of us has at least one issue we feel strongly about. I just think folks should understand the very real risk here goes beyond a mere beat down. PH may have changed in recent years, but in many ways it has not.

react how ever you want, but be ready to back it up. Hope your kickboxing lessions r going well. Remember this neighborhood was a war zone not to long ago. Alot of these "soldiers" still live in the hood and are waiting for to opportunity to beat up an urban pioneer.