Teens attack two on the Common; two arrested

Shame on you for victim blaming.

You pulling that from this story proves how vapid you are. Guarantee these "kids" will do this again.

That's why she was hanging on. Read the globe story before judging. And just btw, judge not lest you be judged.

Because the city I live in is nowhere near rough enough to be reflexively scared of black men or for me to ever think that I'd need a weapon. It's true that I live in Dorchester, near Mattapan, and there are gangstery folks about. It's also true that I live in a pretty nice part of town and can walk to Walgreens or Flames without being scared - even at night! With black youths around! Listening to the hippety-hop!

It's true that I might lose my phone or wallet or something to some jerk with a weapon. It's also true that the most dangerous part of my walks along Morton Street is when I jaywalk to get to the other side.

Although, as a politically correct naive liberal who thinks black strangers almost certainly won't steal my cell phone, I would have needed to make snap ethnic judgments if I lived in 1835 Boston. I probably would have been an outspoken abolitionist, which means I had a lot to fear from well-to-do Anglos. (cf http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakeni... )

Two people were attacked. One got a picture when the first was assaulted. Kids noticed the picture and attacked her. The two people assaulted are going out to talk about it. Makes sense to me...

According to the local news report:

BOSTON (WHDH) - Two people were left bruised and battered on the Boston Common Thursday as they were walking through and a group of teens jumped them, but the woman was able to get a key clue.

She has bruises on her nose and deep scrapes on her knees.

“I felt my life flash before my eyes

He has a black eye and cuts on his hands.

“Someone punched me two times,” he said.

Both were too frightened to share their identities after the attack.

“Then suddenly one of the teenagers runs up and punches my friend in the head and knocks him down to the ground,” she said.

They scrambled to escape and she took her phone out to get pictures of the attackers.

“They saw that I was doing this so they ran over and tackled me to the ground and started punching me, beating me up and trying to take my cell phone,” she said.

She managed to keep her phone, get away and call police - who caught two of the teens.

“It felt to me like it was part of knock out game I've heard about,” she said. “In the beginning they weren't trying to rob us, it was really just they wanted to attack random people for fun.”

She's a local PhD student who's never had a violent experience and her friend is a foreign exchange student confused by the violent attack.

“Furious and embarrassed and curious about it. What is that? I didn't do anything, just walking the street and talking with friends,” he said.

Both hope police arrest more of the teens involved and help to make sure nothing like this can happen again.

“It's sad because after the incident he said ‘oh, this is America?' And I was like ‘no, please don't take this as your image of America,'” she said.

A 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl were both arrested and appeared in juvenile court Friday.

Good for her to attempt to photograph the violent attackers and therefore help the police i.d. and hold them responsible! And, screw you for victim blaming! I think it's sad that a woman and a man can't walk together in the Common at 9:30 pm without being beaten up and then blamed for it on universalhub. Get your head out of the sand. I hope nothing unfortunate ever happens to you through no fault of your own, because surely other anonymous armchair detectives who think like you will blame you for it.

and she wanted to try to get a quick shot of the attackers.

I can't imagine that two late twenty somethings would go around provoking a fight with teens by randomly taking their picture.

And on what planet does that justify being beaten and kicked by a mob of low-lifes?!