A bitch with a resolution! I’m sick and tired of seeing our playgrounds, public parks and other areas ruined by graffitti, vandalism and 14 year old phony gangster bravado.
So last weekend when I was at a local playground (at 4pm) with my 4 year old son I actually felt good when I caught a couple of “early teen thugs” spray painting the usual bull shit on some of the equipment.
I pointed out out to them that, not only was this against the law but was pissing everybody off, and received a heart, “what the fuck are you gonna do about it” in return.
My response was to had my child over to my wife, send them both back to the car and promptly beat the shite out of the mouthy little cocksucker. His thug buddy took off. Yeah..you guys are tough alright.
My advice…find your own solution to youth crime…it doesn’t usually involve the cops but a heart dose of dominance and a kick in the ass.
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2008.
I admit to feeling a thrill of vicarious satisfaction at this story. But I gotta tell you, dude. Don’t be in a hurry to go back to that park. You can beat the shite out of one obnoxious little pissant. Maybe two. Maybe three. Probably not four.
The fact that your four-year old son witnessed you solving a problem by initiating physical violence may come back to bite you in the ass as well.Just sayin’….
Good points, Beav and Miranda, I’d tread carefully if I were the OP. He could find himself easily outnumbered.
Shit, very sorry, Nfb – your son didn’t witness it. My mistake.Saturday night misunderstandings.I wish armies of similar-aged vigilantes would take back the night, like that teenaged girl Tai Kwon Do expert who roughed up one of her would-be assailants in Dartmouth a few years ago. But I’m still not sure a physical ass-kicking is what these bastards need. Maybe just a good scare or show of authority, without the violence. Congrats to the OP for at least making sure his son wasn’t watching and learning.
So, who’s worse? The vandal or his full grown assailant (bragging about his very bad behavior)?You can play head games all you want, OP. What you did was illegal and it’s unnerving the people of the HRM support vigilante justice. Next time snap a few pics of them in the act and use only your thumb to dial 911.Grown ups! Keep your dam hands to yourself!
Time and time again we here stories of pretty much random violence in Halifax at a level which is way out of proportion to the size of the city… Unless the city is going to admit that it has a problem and actually DO SOMETHING about it, its not going to get any better… Earlier this month I spent a week in Manhattan,,, and I can tell you that it feels a LOT safer there (day or night) than it does in Halifax… Something wrong with that picture…Vigilante justice while dangerous,,, is the only thing that helps to level the playing field,,, from what I can see…
I agree Kay, as much as it would be satisfying to knock some sense into those punks heads, it’s just not worth it. If this had been a self defense story it’d be another matter entirely.
Proof once again that violence is always the answer!All of your comments are great, in an ideal world. However, truth is the human species like most species has a tendency towards violence. We have built a society to shield ourselves from this reality. But we are ingrained to solve our problems with violence.Grafitti has existed for a long time. Obviously everything else we have used to try to stop it has failed. Don’t you think the next time they decide they want to spray something they might be cautious of who’s watching them? Most of my friends are like these kids, and believe me, actions speak louder then words.I’d also like to add that I do feel some grafitti is an artwork. Not these “K-Unit” things randomly written everywhere. But pay attention to the tags on mailboxes or murals on walls. There’s a whole world in grafitti that some of us miss every day!Now, on my way to solve my problems with the government the old fashioned way. By putting Stephen Harper in a head lock until he cries.
I’m not advocating vigilante justice or physical violence or anything…but sometimes kids just need to be spanked. I don’t think a “time-out” would have worked here.
BTW, I made a comment her at around 9.00AM today in response to The Bad Guy…It was a respectful disagreement with two comments in his 8.32AM post… When I hit Submit, I got a message like “Your message will be reviewed before posting”…. Haven’t seen it since… Weird thing is,,, it was a clean post…nothing derogatory that I recall… But something must have tripped a circuit… Hmmm
So what did the OP teach this young person that he “beat the shite out of”? It is okay to use violence to make a point. How young were these “early teen thugs”? Will he beat his own son if he gets out of line when he is older? I don’t believe that anyone should hit a person smaller than themselves. Grabbing the child and calling the police, or better the child’s mother,would have been a better solution if the OP thinks that spraying a bit of paint is so criminal. I would also like to say that I have had more adults be rude to me than teenagers. Teenagers are usually very polite and helpful when dealing with me. That might have something to do with my age, I’m 70+.
Floyd, I think your post was lost because it was against me. I have strange powers!It taught the kids they are not the big men they think they are. Especially in this case were the kids mouthed off it was because they thought they could run around, do whatever they want, and no one could touch them. They learned otherwise.Call the police? IF the police bothered to show up the kids would have been gone at that point. IF the kids happened to be arrested after a warning (Young Offenders Act) they would have bragged to their friends how they got away with it and moved onto bigger and better crimes.While I don’t disagree with your views (if this was an ideal world). I am just stating out of the options I feel the OP’s approach was the most effective, as I have friends like these kids.
All grafitti is vandalism and has no artistic merit whatsoever. The SOBs need to go to jail The OP done good.
Have you read up on grafitti art? I would suggest it. If not its you that’s missing out.Someone spraypainting a wall is no where as bad as what we did to the forests by putting up our cities. And not many people spraypaint trees.
graffiti is art. short and simple.when the head of NY public transportation commission retired in the 80s, he bought 20 subway cars scribbled with graffiti as his own personal retirement fund.pieces of those cars have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, because they are nothing but folk art of the disadvantaged youth of the 70s and 80s.i feel sorry for all the people who fail to see art in graffiti.that being said, there is way too many tag ‘artists’ who confuse what they are doing, with actual graffiti, and dissiminate their own confusion to the general public.graffiti is art. tags are not so much.
The kids needed boundaries and the first one they found was the brick wall that was the OP’s fist. It’s not the way I would have handled the situation, but I think it was probably quite effective. The Graffiti as art issue is always a little tough too…some of it clearly has a “traditional” artistic merit as well. I am thinking of some of the amazing murals you see around. Most of it though, is just vandalism…..not thought provoking, just property destroying…especially the stuff you see around Halifax. (compare our crap to Bansky). I think graffiti and tagging is fine in a place like a skate park….but completely unacceptable on private property or other public buildings/signs/mailboxes etc.
so child abuse is okay as long as it’s on the street and in response to the heinous crime of graffiti. and we wonder why violent crime is rampant in this city? what can we learn from you? that the solution to non-violent crime is violent crime. thanks, you’re a real hero.dude, you’re the violent criminal here, not that kid you beat the ‘shite’ out of. you’re not some defender of justice; you’re a perpetrator of injustice. he’s a kid with a big mouth. you’re an adult who acted immorally, illegally, and inappropriately. and now you’re bragging about it online? shame on you.
I have to say that while I don’t condone violence, sometimes it’s the only thing these kids understand. Does anyone really think that if he tried reasoning with them, they would have listened. Or said “Wow. You are right, adult. You have made me see the light.” Bull. They are punks who honestly, and for whatever reason, think they are tough. They listen to one rap album, watch BET and now consider themselves full-fledged gangstas! Their parents (sorry, parent) won’t teach them. The legal system doesn’t care about them, and teachers aren’t allowed to be strict with them. So yeah, occasionally it is some guy who loves his park and sees these little morons for the all-talk-no-cock gutless punks they are.And as for “Never Felt Better” never going to that park again? I will go with him and his family myself. Along with a whooooole bunch of others.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5065949310221269915
I like how everyone blames BET for the problem with the youth.I’ve decided to beat up ever disagrees with me in this post. I will leave with the promise that if you disagree again, I will return for you. Then we’ll see if my approach of systematic violence works.I am of course kidding.
there is never any excuse for violence. Seriously. did the op really have to go straight to ‘beating the shite’ out of them? what about just yelling? if they really are the pathetic little punks he discribes, having someone yell at them menacingly probably would have been enough. and if it wasn’t and thye lunged for him, made the first violent move, then it moves to a self defense thing, which is totally different.As it is, this was the worst kind of vigilante justice. Vigilante justice is a slippery slope- sure, NOW it was some kid who everyone on this board seems to agree needed to be spanked (which I don’t agree with anyway), but what’s to stop this puffed-up peacock of an OP from saying ‘golly that felt good, I do believe I’m going to smack the shit out of the next perosn who I feel has broken a law, real or just in my head. oh hey, maybe I don’t like those two guys holding hands, or maybe that baby just dropped a tissue, I clearly must BEAT THEM DOWN as I, and ONLY I, am the supreme ruler of justice and right’. No. this is WHY we have rules, and law, and a system of checks and balances so that one persons perception of right or wrong isn’t the final say. Maybe these kids WERE just taggers. or maybe they were creating art. expressing themselves in a nonviolent way in a public space. did the tag damage the equipment in anyway? if it was profane, maybe you have a point. but did you even pause in your zeal to see what they were painting? and they were just 14. you’re a grown fucking man. how on earth is hitting them ok? what if you’d really hurt one of them, being twice their size (but half their intelligence) and all? all you people back-patting the op and plotting your own little sprees might want to consider that those kids could press charges against this guy, and it’d stick. if he’d hurt or even killed someone, which is possible when the fight is unfair as this, he’d be in far more trouble than the tagger. maybe he should pause next time before he punches, take a look at the full circumstance, and use his words and gasp his tiny little brain before his fist.and frankly if a guy I was with did this? he wouldn’t be with me any longer.
Wait… are you female Hedgy? (Not to assume you’d have to be a girl to be with a guy).
I find it darkly humorous that people are saying that the OP did nothing but teach these kids that violence is okay…HAVE YOU READ THE F’N NEWS LATELY?? What fucking rock have you insulated in unaware people been under?!?!?!?The Youth are 10 times more violent now…and it seems it is the only thing they respond to…I am not talking about the honors high-school student…I am talking about the 14-17 year olds with multiple charges and “Recognizances” what a joke…teach the kids violence is ok. Wake up and smell the black smoke pouring out of the engine we call “society”…
Wow please excuse the grammar errors in my last post..still a little concussed…had a fall on Sunday that knocked me senseless.
Where’s Batman when you need him?
yup, I’m female- why?and christopher…wow. yes, those little 14 year old wanna-be thugs are the cause of the increasing violence in our society- clearly they aren’t the RESULT. let’s just blame them some more, smack them around, and throw them in jail- gee it really works in the states, who have some of the highest incarceration rates as well as some of the highest recidivism rates in the WORLD. at least here in Canada if you end up in the system there are many many resources available, or at least in theory, to fix the root cause of criminal behavior, not just punish the result.and sure, they may be punks- but just as you seem to take offence to their behavior, and say they do not have the right to commit crimes or victimize others or the community as a whole with their graffeti, how is it ok for someone else to victimize them?should we be more aware as a community, taking responsibility for the actions of our neighbors? sure. it works in Japan- they ahve one of the lowest crime rates in the world, largely because criminal behavior is simply incredibly socially unacceptable. in this country we have a not-my-problem mentality, where we look the other way constantly, until someone else takes it upon themselves to wreak a little vengence. society as a whole should have stepped in with these kids well before the op decided to get all judge-jury-and-executioner on them.
I totally agree with you on this one, Hedgyhog : )
Hedgy…you again (a different post) have not read my comments clearly enough. Where do I say they are the cause of all the violence in Canada? Show me, really.They are the direct result of the government tying parents hands when it comes to discipline at home…no spanking, if your parents DO call this number. They have shown the kids that presently they hold the aces and there is little that adults can do about it, hence the hellions we see in the news…multiple charges, repeat offenses (often the same crime even), murders and killers walking after a few years at a daycamp (compared to what jail used to be like, not saying it is a total picnic but you have to admit that criminals are treated pretty GD good around here) where is the real threat to their freedom? There is none and they know it so stop your society destroying liberal bullshit and let parents PARENT. If the kid shows up a the emergency room with broken bones or excessive injuries or is a regular emerg patient then fine get involved, but stop treating parents like fucking criminals because they discipline their child.Don’t dare say anything about “what about their rights?” uhhh have you seem some these little criminals? did they deserve to grow up into the monsters they are? NO so respect a parents right to stop them (the kids) from developing into monsters.You say “oh but spanking teaches them it is ok to hit” not sorry grade 1 does that…oh and geeze the last what…oh 3000 years or so parents have been spanking kids to keep them in line…and since “civilised society” was invented the per capita crime rate was nothing like it is now in youth.
Christopher you fucking troll…!!!Hedgy… You’re not going to take THAT abuse now… Are you..??Let him have it… And straighten that boy out…
That was my peter kelly impersonation, your worship…
wrong thread… sorry…
Hedgy I’m with you but I have to disagree with one point. The thugs aren’t just the cause of violence. They are the result of an unhealthy society – one that in some sense has been “violent” toward them. The determinants of health and the determinants of crime are pretty similar. An unhealthy community with a lot of poverty, poor parenting, poor literacy, hopelessness, social isolation, and blah blah bah produces grubby little criminals.I know this is kina touchy-feely crap, but it’s true. Halifax’s culture / social problems produce the violence problem just as much as the kids themselves do. The kids are raised in a deprived and depressed environment with parents that are every bit as ignorant as they are, in a city that practically glamorizes trailer-park culture (and in a world that celebrates violent “ghetto” culture)…etc. etc.
OOPS Hedgy, I initially failed to detect the “sarcastic” tone in the first part of your post and just realized that I am agreeing with you, not disagreeing. The rest of my post stands – haha.
I also think Hedgy is right, and you too Jammie. Vigilanteism is NOT a solution, but I think the sentiments and support for the OP is a reflection of how frustrated most of us are with the current situation in our city with increased youth crime and a seemingly ineffective/uninterested police force and criminal justice system. For a variety of reasons, many of our kids, from all walks of life, are growing up to be self-centered young adults. They are either self-important little darlings with an inflated sense of entitlement or they are gangsta-wannabe thugs trying to get noticed by being tough. Either way, I think we have failed these kids by being slack on discipline and failing to set boundaries in the home, in the community and in the legal system. Something has to change. For the kid and the OP above….the kid asked what the OP was going to do about it, and the OP answered. I don’t agree with what he did, but at least he did something and that, not the beating, should teach that kid there are people out there that are going to enforce the rules the kid should be respecting, and that people still care about their community.
Yeah, despite my brain telling me that WE have created the problem, my heart tells me I’d still like to smash some of these little cocksucers’ lips into a bloody pulp while knocking their broken teeth down their throats, where hopefully they will become lodged and choke the bastards.:-D
No reason Hedgy. It just surprised me :-)I know some guy with really tall spiky hair with the nickname hedghog. And whenever I saw your name I pictured him. Just threw me off. 🙂 No worries, I have NOTHING against females… mmmmm… females…..
LOL, I thought “hedghog” sounded male too. Funny how some animals are perceived as one sex or another, regardless of their own sex.
see I’ve always thought of hedgehogs as sort of female….PLUS I jsut picked a random name ;)I know what you mean about having your brain tell you one thing and your heart another. I think the difference though between anarchy and an actual society, between juviniles and adults, is the ability to temper that gut response with reason. if we don;t, just like the op, we become no better than the vandals.
haha thanks for the egging on there floyd ;)and now:Christopher. You. are Full. of many disgusting substances, I’m sure. Basically what you’re saying here is all parents should disapline their kids with corporal punishment, as that is allt he kids will understand, without taking itno account different learning styles or hell DIFFERENT KIDS who require different things? how about talking to your kids? worked for my parents- tehy were big on I messages, which I realize is hugely hippy, but I and my siblings turned out just fine and they never smacked us around.and btw, are you classifying ALL kids as hellions? because I know far more lovely, nice, smart, sweet kids who occasionally can be a little mischeiveous or step out of line as they grow and develop, than I do hellions. I don’t know what planet you’re on, but the bad apples are still the minority. I think as a culture we’re just fasicinated with those bad apples however- they’re getting more media time, and a lot of that has to do with changes to the juvinile system that allows it to hit the newswires.but that’s another debate entirely. Your point is basically, becuase one or two kids may eventually possibly do something horrendous, all kids should be preemtively punished, disaplined by allowng parents to be ‘parents’ by spanking their kids and otherwise teach those little bastards a lesson, even before they’ve doen anything? um, how bout no??? thing is, as I’ve said in toher posts, that sort of lackadasical view of corporal punishment is a very slippery slope. so yeah, most parents would use it as a last resort, with a proper amount of force etc etc. but not every parent will do that. and it opens up the doors to say ‘I own this child and can do wahtever I want to them’. that’s worrisome for me. what about creating a person means you are allowed to physically harm them? kids DO have rights, because they ARE people (shout out to Lilac right there ;)). And mock it all you like, but those help lines etc? the fact we’ve made it so easy for kids to report things they are uncomfortable with? is a wonderful thing. it gives them a modicum of power back, to say when enough is enough, becasue really, only the person who’s ass is gettign hit will know when it’s gone too far. as well, saying all these little punks need is a good slap or to go to jail? that’s totally ignoring all the reasons behind why what happened happened. and it’s disregarding any hope for rehabilitation, which is idiotic as the recidivism rate for juvinile offenders, if offered education, counciling, programming etc to combat the root reasons why they committed whatever theyd id in most cases is incredibly high. so basically what I’m saying here is stop hitting peopel and maybe try some words. it’ll work out better int he long run, for everyone. although it may not be as satisfying to your neanderthal brain.