The following article appeared in today’s NY Post:
Don’t mess with Exodus.
A group of Hasidic Jews meted out swift street justice in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to a man they say threatened to shoot a neighborhood storekeeper.
At about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the man threw two watermelons to the ground at the Division Mini Mart on Clymer Street when he began cursing at the storekeeper, cops said.
“I hate Jews!” the store manager – who gave only his first name, Moses – quoted the man as yelling. “You should all die!”
Moses said he told the man – who other witnesses said might have been drunk – that he would have to pay for the watermelons but the man refused.
Several witnesses claim the man yelled, “I will shoot you!”
Moses said he would call police. That prompted the man to barge out of the store, and push a 13- or 14-year-old boy to the ground as he knocked the black fedora off his head – a grave insult to Orthodox Jews.
“It’s absolutely an insult to be without the hat’ . . . It’s a tremendous violation of privacy against a person,” said community leader Isaac Abraham.
The man then began running down Clymer Street while a group of about 25 neighborhood residents gave chase, catching up with him in front of Steinberg’s Kosher Bakery two blocks away.
There, a Post photographer saw at least two men wrestle the man to the ground. A large crowd – including members of the Shomrim, a volunteer community patrol – gathered around him as he lay on the ground.
They held him at bay until police arrived from the 90th Precinct.
A woman who works at the bakery and gave only her first name, Judy, said the man seemed apologetic.
“I heard him tell [cops], ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,’ ” she said.
Abraham insisted no one roughed the man up.
“Nobody touched him while he was on the ground,” he said. “There is no reason to overreact.”
Officers patted the man down and found no weapons or other contraband on him. No one came forward to press charges, so he was let go.
Moses said ‘the outcome of the incident “bothers me. I wanted to press charges.”
The neighborhood has grown much safer compared to a decade ago, but has seen an uptick in crime in the past year.
According to police statistics, major crime is up over 13 percent compared to last year – with robberies up 11 percent, burglaries up 13 percent, grand larceny up 24 percent and the number of murders jumping from one to three.
(LINK to NY Post)
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13 Responses
B’H for the quick witted Shomrim response and the world famous chaps eim cry.
NU Moshe and all alike why didnt you press charges we have to put a stop to this!!
Well a person like that should be arrested for that type of crime.
good job williamsburg!
overrated story. it took 25 of the cities chassidim to bring the guy down?..what are us jews made out of, clay?
Imustshteig,they joined together to hold him until the police came. Did you see the picture of this cry baby writhing on the ground with a bunch of Chassidim just watching in a circle? It’s great! They didn’t need to touch him.
I guarantee if you were there you wouldn’t have dared lay a finger on him, you’d be too scared. Most people would be. These Williamsburgers, they aren’t afraid of anyone. Instead of always putting everyone down, it’s about time you started to give credit to people who don’t talk so much as act.
I can’t tell from the picture who or what he is but quite frankly, it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is what he did; and what he did was play with fire and he got burned. What level of moron would go into an area like Williamsburg, do what he did, say what he said and expect everybody to just smile and take it. Some out there may not like this but I secretly hope that a few of the boys’ hands slipped while “handling” him and a little pain was felt. What I don’t understand is why charges were not pressed by the storeowner. This type of behavior needs to be nipped in the bud and the only way to do that is to make an example of those who cause trouble.
Dumb article. And why wasn’t he obligated to pay for the ruined watermelon if no charges were pressed? This accomplished nothing, except for the guy who now knows that even with threats and damage and police involvement, he can walk away scot-free.
BS”D
Pressing charges would just land this thug a desk appearance and no real punishment. What was done to him may remind him and others of his ilk that Jewish property is not hefker.
Way to go, Williamsburg!!
A real kidush Hashem. Think what the guy would look like had he tried this in his own neighborhood.
“It’s absolutely an insult to be without the hat’ ?????
THAT’S A GOOD ONE
yeah, #16, you’re right-that sounded so dumb.