Crown Heights Gets Angry and Ugly

Somehow, race relations in Crown Heights, Brooklyn have taken a huge hop, skip, and a jump back to the 1980s, when tensions between African Americans and the Jewish community kept the city on tenterhooks. In recent weeks, attacks on young people, both black and Jewish, have driven people to protest in the streets. The Post headlines its article on a neighborhood protest "Jewish Blood Is Not Cheap," echoing the sentiment of one of approximately 300 protestors calling for justice after a 16-year-old young man was beaten and robbed yesterday.

Alon Sherman was smashed in the head while riding his bike early Friday morning. He was knocked unconscious and robbed of his wallet, cell phone, watch and bike. Police are not yet recognizing the robbery as a hate crime, but many suspect that it may have been in part a retaliation for the beating of a black college student at the hands of Jewish residents.

Cops recently released a photo of Yitzhak Shuchat, who is a 25-year-old Jewish man suspected of being a member of a private Hasidic security group who beat a black college student, whose father happened to be a police officer. Cops later knocked down the door of a suspect's family's apartment, but didn't locate the young man. There was some scuffling and complaints have been filed by the family.

Sam Jackson as Mister Senor Love Daddy, advising "Whoa. Y'all take a chill. You got to cool that s*** off."

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By Dave Hogarty in News on May 17, 2008 5:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Chosun

I wonder how many of you cracking jokes about this were around the NYC area for the Crown Heights riots in the early 90's. #17, I hope you're wrong...this is one piece of history that should never be repeated.

bornbrednewyorker

Not surprising in the least. The more the economy tanks, the more hostility grows in this city. History repeats itself, yet again.

Snoopy

I was an actor in one of Spike Lee's movies. He's pro black.

Dave Hogarty

Agreed matty. Lee really captured the essence of what NYC was in that time and place. There's enough context and subtext to fill a hundred posts at least.

matty

Ok,

Dear everyone.

Please rent "Do the Right Thing" by Spike Lee.

Probably one of the best movies about that period of time ever made.

sonyactivision

Oh, so they were just shooting the sequel.

Dave Hogarty

Well, people who were born in 1990 are currently eligible to vote, so it's not out of hand to have to explain a cultural reference that may have escaped them before they were born.

matty

Anyone who didn't get your reference Dave was probably either born in 1990 or lives in a cultural bubble.

Dave Hogarty

Sorry if the Sam Jackson ref was too recondite. He played a radio DJ in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and his character served as a sort of Greek chorus/ scene setter.

Brainwash

What does this have to do with Samuel L. Jackson?

JacqueMehoff

this is gonna be good.

I hope those two groups work out their demonstration schedule. Remember the last one with a near riot over some bakery owner? the word got out quick in that community.