PSA:The New Urban Sport…’Polar Bear Hunting’ aka Knock Out Authorities and psychologists say the concept has been around for decades - or longer - and its played mostly by impulsive teenage boys looking to impress their friends. The rules of the game are as simple as they are brutal. A group — usually young men or even boys as young as 12, and teenage girls in some cases — chooses a lead attacker, then seeks out a victim. Unlike typical gang violence or other street crime, the goal is not revenge, nor is it robbery. The victim is chosen at random, often a person unlikely to put up a fight. Many of the victims have been elderly. Most were alone. The attacker charges at the victim and begins punching. If the victim goes down, the group usually scatters. If not, others join in, punching and kicking the person, often until he or she is unconscious or at least badly hurt. Sometimes the attacks are captured on cellphone video that is posted on websites. These individuals have absolutely no respect for human life, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom said the city has had about 10 Knockout King attacks over the past 15 months. Experts say it is a grab for attention. We know that juveniles dont think out consequences clearly, said Beth Huebner, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. They see something on YouTube and say, I want to get that sort of attention, too. They dont think about the person theyre attacking maybe hitting their head. webcitation.org/64J2wq7iH Conservative political commentators have criticized the media for insufficient news coverage of these incidents and ignoring the alleged racial nature of these attacks, which they state are being committed by African American youth. Bill OReilly of the Fox News Channel (FNC) described knockout as another example of young black Americans committing senseless crimes and expressed disappointment they are getting precious little attention in the media. Greta Van Susteren, also of FNC, said of knockout: I know this is a very touchy topic because the game is regrettably popular amongst unsupervised African-American teens. No one wants to get near the topic of race. We also cant run from this one... I beg of Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton and even President Obama to step up right now and speak out. Deaths attributed to knockout September 10, 2013 (Hoboken, New Jersey): Three teenage boys aged 13 to 14 are charged with the murder of 46-year-old homeless man Ralph Santiago.He was found with his head wedged between two posts in an iron fence and his neck broken. May 23, 2013 (Syracuse, New York): 51-year-old Michael Daniels dies a day after being attacked. A 16-year-old was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter, and a 13-year-old was sentenced to the same term after pleading guilty to assualt. September 20, 2012 (St. Cloud, Minnesota): 20 year-old local college student Colton Ryan Gleason dies from injuries after being punched in the head by a 17 year-old local teenager. April 16, 2011 (St. Louis, Missouri): 72 year-old Hoang Nguyen is killed when punched in the head by an 18 year-old local teenager. Nguyens assailant was sentenced to 55 years in prison. September 18, 1992 (Cambridge, Massachusetts): 21 year-old MIT student Yngve Raustein, of Norway, dies when he is punched in the face and then stabbed in the heart by local teenagers. Serious injuries attributed to knockout 2013 (Lansing, Michigan): 17-year-old Marvell Weaver is shot twice in the buttocks after he punches a man who is armed with a .40 caliber pistol. Weaver, who was not seriously injured, was sentenced to one year in jail. October 4, 2012 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): 50-year-old high school teacher James Addlespurger was struck while walking past a group of teenagers in an alleyway in broad daylight. Addlespurger fell face first and his head struck a curb.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 11:38:29 +0000
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