Quote:

---

For me I keep thinking that after all my training I couldn't protect my friend.

---

I beg to differ ShootingStar, but it seems you did precisely that.



You were dramatically outnumbered and yet you all got out of the situation with relatively few injuries. Protection is not an all or nothing thing, but more a mtter of degree.



One axiom of martial arts is that the attacker(s) must completely vanquish in order to "win." But that those attacked "win" merely by surviving.



If anyone could be said to have "won" in this encounter it was you and your friends. You have every reason to be very proud of yourselves.

First off, I'd like to say I'm sorry shootingstar that you and your friends had to experience that. I can't say I know how you feel, 'cus I never got beat up...just slammed up against a few walls and threatened for the way I dressed. One thing, though...that was in middle school! I was a little naive in thinking that people stop beating people up over what clothes they wear when you leave high school. ::sigh::

And I have to agree with nemesystah. and you didn't sink to their level by using violence towards your attackers. That's a very brave thing to do...not fight back when you're being attacked. It's what saved you. I hope you and your friends are ok and are doing better.

you two are the two who are the two...
Baby, I said it's all in our hands, got to learn to respect what we don't understand...'Fugitive' Indigo Girls

I'm a little dubious about posting this since this is a pretty old thread here, but I thought that maybe kittens might want to know what happened?



Well, it can basically be sumed up in one word: nothing. After making our statements to the police we've been waiting all this time to see if anything will happen and now the police have said it won't. The people who did this (and we know who they were) got away scot-free, even thought we gave names and provided two witness to the attack the same night.



Since the incident several more people have been beaten up (including another friend of mine) in my town, by the same people for the same reasons and still nothing. *sigh* The police around here are useless.



It's no surprise to us that more attacks happen when they know they'll get away with it, I just hope that nothing fatal happens.



star x

***

No it was the frogs! Take them! They stole the pie...
-Sleeping Willow in Loco2's >insert imaginative title here<

That really does suck, star. I don't know how all that works or anything, but is there a higher court you cood appeal to, or something? A police review board? A media outlet that might be able to listen?



I'm asking because there's been some alarming statistics about how black suspects are treated worse by the police here in Toronto. The media got on it, the chief denied it, a black former Lt-Governor made a statement, it's still snowballing. If the right people get interested, things can be done.



Again, my sympathies, and good luck with anything further you might try.

"...you can make those two characters as dewey-eyed in love and it would never be too much."

-Chris Golden, on W/T

Star - that really sucks! Just goes to show how much prejudice is alive and well. Grrrrr...

I'm so sorry Star. Be strong.

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." Alice In Wonderland~*~My Journal

People are so messed up. I'm sorry that happened to you. I just don't understand how people can be so hateful and ignorant. Maybe I'm just too nice but it never made sense to me.



Spice

"No candles? Well, I brought one. It's extra flamey..."

Just noticed this thread, and I'm not suprised at what happened, either in the beating up or the police reaction to it.



It always seems to be the case when people dress, do their hair, or behave differently to those that consider themselves to be the "norm" or the morally right. it has always gone on probably dating back to the days of the caves and someone deciding to wear their furs a little different from the rest.



Just goes to show how far we have come..<--- Sarcasm...



For some reason it always seems to be those in the larger numbers that courageously (still using that sarcasm font..) take on the smaller group of "different" people.. they are always so brave. and there are times when the authorities make them feel brave and in the right. Sometimes when this happens you have to take a stand aginst the bigotry. A number of years ago, there was an Anti Nazi league march in London, on the same day the National Front decided to hold a rally. The police in their infinite wisdom decided to allow this, but to stop the two groups clashing they re routed the Anti Nazi league march allowing the NF to have their proposed route through a part of the East End with a heavy Asian population. Naturally the NF felt this supported their views and decided that they would push their point home by going to Brick lane, and put the asian restaurants and shops out of business. We got word of this through the police radios and we agreed that a stand must be made against this. So a group of us decided to go to Brick lane and form a line across the road. the poice tried to stop US We carried on though under constant threat of arrest and formed our human barricade. When the NF reached Brick lane, they saw us and thankfully after hurling the odd brick and lots of abuse they decided to go home. They hadn't expected us to be there and their bravery<---- sarcasm..again suddenly left them. It all ended peacefully. We were all very relieved and went and got seriously drunk.. totally unsuprised that in the end our biggest threat was from the police.



I agree that you did the right thing not retaliating and you did protect your friend you all got away without being seriously harmed, and i'm convinced if you had fought back, YOU would have been the ones arrested.



We are supposed to live in a more enlightened society You have the right to dress and be whoever you want to be as long as you aren't hurting anyone doing so. The law is supposed to protect you, unfortunately this hardly ever seems to be the case and you have to protect yourself and you did.



I think I have gone on waaay too long now sorry.



Jill.

is that these stories are sufficiently common that they no longer surprise so many people.

I've found over the years that hate is an addiction, and like any other it demands feeding, and most people won't allow themsleves to go cold turkey.

And as for the police attitude; again it seems that most people in authority use it not to perform their duties but to achieve their own not-so-hidden agenda.

hope soemthing happens to improve things for you.

hey only just noticing this thread (sorry i missed it first time around!)



my friends and i get labelled as goths/moshers/greebos/skaters and we get a lot of crap from people at school and just any trendies/townies who see us. i mean i've had rocks thrown at my head, i get abuse in class and yelled at on the streets. a couple of my friends have ended up in hospital after being beaten up and i totally sympathise with what you're going through, if you ever wanna chat or anything... han_da_punk@msn.com

~ Han ~
"...cuz i shove a hanki down my trousers..." ~ Rachael Stirling

Oh, um. This is probably really late, but I'm just checking out all the back posts today...



So, yeah. Something like this (but not so serious) happened to me and my friends too. Waiting for a bus with a couple of my mates, a few townies came over and started aggravating us. We ingnored them, they attacked us and beat the complete crap out of one of my friends and slapped me and my other friend about a bit. Nice one; thanks for that, fellas.



Their reason for this? Becuase we looked at them.



The kids actuall words were "He was looking at me! Why you looking at me, fucker?", etc. etc.



So...dickheads, yes?



Unfortunatly, this has not been the last attack since then and we'll probably get more as we get older. Some of my other friends have been seriously beaten up. It beggers belief that some people have such a strange view on life.



Wankers.

If you can read this, you're not the president.

hi sorry if this is late but i only noticed this thread today



i just wanted to say how sorry i was to hear about the attack on your friends and yourself but i think you did the right thing not fighting back and brining yourself down to their level, cause from what I've learnt from past experiences it seems to be the people who are doing the right thing or trying to protect themselves are the ones that get into trouble,



i just wanted to ask (if you don't mind that is) what part of England your from? as I've moved back to England 2 years ago from living in Australia and being into surf/skate/grunge ect sort of clothes and music I'm kind of the odd one out around my area as most are into the dance/garage ect scene but I've been fortunate not to have had any trouble the only time i really have is when i was in high school in Australia my friends and i got abit of stick but nothing as serious as what you have been through and i was abit shocked and disappointed to hear about this happening, to think in this day and age things like this are happening and people are getting away with doing it, it's upsetting to hear and i just wanted to say hope everyone who has had something like this happen to them is ok





*find out who you are and do it on purpose*