Jogger Vs Gang...Jogger wins!

[DJKillaQueen]

I don't know why the Police were slow to respond in that instance Damien. I would have thought that if the burglars were still on the premises it would have been an immediate response. I personally have always found the Police to be very responsive. My community also liaise regularly with the SNT team and have seen a lot of good work and effective policing done by them too (especially regarding teenage crime and issues). You can shape the policing of your local area by getting involved or forming residents associations and working closely with the local Police.

And it's not the law that makes people afraid of tackling anti-social behaviour Louisa (there are in fact many laws and agencies in place designed to tackle it), but a lack of support from passers by, or neighbours etc that makes people feel they are on their own. I can speak from experience when I say that a community approach removes the fear of tackling anti-social behaviour. Mouthy teens are mostly just bullies at the end of they day and like all bullies they single out vulnerable individuals. They almost never try and take on a whole community.

[mynamehere]

I completely agree with this last from DJ. Community is everything and takes nothing away from the individual at home.

[JohnL]

A gang did whack me with a plastic bottle once - was a joke I think.

Just turned round and gave them the sort of laugh that a boxer gives his opponent and went.

exnorthener Wrote:

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> "Of course the gang got all defensive and revealed

> a couple of bottles from there jackets...The

> jogger approached them and got right into there

> face and said, "Come on then?!" "

>

> its safe to say that i would not got in their face

> and said "come on then!" not after they had

> revealed a couple of bottles! i would the second a

> weapon came into view hit them!!

[Otta]

"As things stand all they are guilty of is words on a street corner and that is NOT an offence."

Threatening behaviour too surely?

I get what you're saying here DJKQ, perhaps it wasn't the wisest thing to do, but come on FFS, who hasn't wanted to do exactly what the jogger did, at one time?

Good work that man.

[DJKillaQueen]

Sure, I can understand how frustrating it is and the desire to teach the lippy little monsters a lesson. But that kind of retaliation more often than not is ineffective and can make things worse. Part of what bullies do is to deliberately push buttons - why give them the pleasure they seek by rising to it?

[KidKruger]

The 'pleasure' the bullies get is seeing your intimidation and reluctance to do anything, your hesitancy in addressing them for fear in what they may do since there's so many of them. When you walk off and leave them with the message that it's safe to do it again to someone else - that's how they get their pleasure.

They do not extract pleasure from being confronted because that puts them in the position where they have to do something, which clearly they don't really want to do because if they wanted to attack or fight straight-off why would they hassle and hassle and hassle people, each time msissing out on the opportunity of 'pleasure' because people are generally too polite/ scared to react.

These guys never do this one-on-one, because they've no-one to hide behind.

After intimidating people on the street you can progress to basic robbing because you've figured the general level of reaction and fright you can cause just by blurting nonsense or idle threats at people. Easy targets basically.

[*Bob*]

'Course you've got your standard 'all-talk and no trousers cowardly aggressor who backs down as soon as the noble and righteous stand their ground'- the one your Dad tells you about when you're at school.

But then you've also got your standard 'looking for a fight at the slightest provocation' types - the ones your Dad neglected to mention - and you didn't know about.. until they were jumping up and down on your head, shortly after you realised that fighting wasn't your forte.

(not me, of course - I am blessed with superhuman strength and the skills of a ninja)

[exnorthener]

i am not the sort to go and look for trouble, but at the same time i have come from a area where a this would seem very tame and not worth a second thought (not that i am for one second saying that is a good thing either)also i am educated ish

and am fully aware of the rights and wrongs of the law!

but what i can not stand is the way that people a shocked and stunned and crying for the police over a minor little spat. 9/10 if you stand up for your self nothing ever happens and people walk away from you, its the way of the world darwin came up with it! of course you can get shot stabbed abused raped! but how do you want to live your life! like a lamb waiting for bad things to happen to you ?? or some one that is going to stand up for your self!

of course i can going to cop a lot of stick for this! but so what! what would you tell your kids to do at school?stand up for your self or go and tell teacher that some one said they did not like your hair? or to tell them to stick it ?

[julieju]

well done " runner" too many politically correct "a" holes saying kids will be be kids.. that was intimidation, bet they got the shock of their lives

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Doubt they will be on Barry Road between 3.00pm and 4.00pm on Saturday. Although at 4.15 I may be trundling doon.

[sophiesofa]

I don't think anyone has been "shocked and stunned and crying for the police" or do you mean generally not for this specific thread? I suggested the possibility of leaving once the bottles were produced and letting the police know so they could go have a word. It just sounds like bored mouthy teenagers to me looking for some entertainment which someone rose to.

exnorthener Wrote:

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> but what i can not stand is the way that people a

> shocked and stunned and crying for the police over

> a minor little spat. 9/10 if you stand up for your

> self nothing ever happens and people walk away

> from you, its the way of the world darwin came up

> with it! of course you can get shot stabbed abused

> raped! but how do you want to live your life! like

> a lamb waiting for bad things to happen to you ??

> or some one that is going to stand up for your

> self!

>

> of course i can going to cop a lot of stick for

> this! but so what! what would you tell your kids

> to do at school?stand up for your self or go and

> tell teacher that some one said they did not like

> your hair? or to tell them to stick it ?

[woody549]

what a load off bull, well done jogger you done what was best, im sorry but the whole comment of your getting done for assault, if they brandish a weapon theyve asked for it, theyve called it on and whats the police going to take into account... a group of teens with bottles... i assume glass cause no ones body is so weak that the plastic bottle is going to do damage other then you choke on a lid...

a glass bottle is a weapon... they had weapons... man stands up to kids with weapons as theyve drawn for them... man beats up the leader... all the kids worry as they are next... kids turn and run... if there is a witness and a weapon on them the police will jump onto them before anyone else.

[Earl Aelfheah]

DJ talks about the whole community standing up to these people. I completely agree, but where does that start, if not with a few brave individuals taking the lead. The jogger didn't turn round and thump anyone, he stopped running because someone was shouting at him. When a weapon was pulled he stood his ground. He was not the aggressor in the scenario described, but neither did he allow himself to be intimidated. It shows courage and will ensure that these kids are not further emboldened in future.

[sophiesofa]

I still don't know about this as I think it could scare the teens a bit or it could go the other way and they don't want to lose face infront of their friends so next time they could take a knife... Unlikely but possible.

[Damian H]

rahrahrah Wrote:

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> DJ talks about the whole community standing up to

> these people. I completely agree, but where does

> that start, if not with a few brave individuals

> taking the lead. The jogger didn't turn round and

> thump anyone, he stopped running because someone

> was shouting at him. When a weapon was pulled he

> stood his ground. He was not the aggressor in the

> scenario described, but neither did he allow

> himself to be intimidated. It shows courage and

> will ensure that these kids are not further

> emboldened in future.

Just a thought here. When I was a student in Birmingham the area of Balsall Heath was absolutely notorious as a red light district. I had female student friends living there who would have kerb crawlers approach them on their way home etc. It was notorious for vice.

I saw on TV or in a paper recently (can't remember which) that the area was completely transformed by local residents' action. Apparently they would have a group rota whereby they would take chairs out into the street and simply sit and watch the kerb crawlers as they went by and used a number of other non-violent methods to deter trade. The upshot was that over time the prostitutes moved on as their clients were scared off and the area changed a lot.

Now, I think my views on the world's oldest trade have been expressed elsewhere and I think that more imaginative and constructive ways of managing prostitution in a safe and healthy manner for all could have been created at a legislative level but there is no doubt that the local action was effective.

The question is whether there is actually a will to act in concert to challenge anti-social behaviour in East Dulwich or whether it is at too low a level for anyone to really want to bother about in an organised community manner.

[v_the_gelfling]

Well said Kidkruger and well done the jogger!