Machete Attacks: Now with Poison (Sigh)

If only the Williamsburg area had the occasional hipster grifter to worry about, and not the much uglier problem of machete attacks. For about a year now we've been reporting on the machete and alleged gang attacks in the South Williamsburg neighborhood, and now the Village Voice takes a closer look at the weapon of choice there.

They identify the 18-year-old who ran into a bodega on Bedford and South 4th last week as 18-year-old Benedict Reyes, who claims he was fending off a group of guys with it. Last year machete attacks were common, and the Trinitarios gang has often brandished them in their YouTube videos. With gang violence on the rise, councilmember Diana Reyna has been looking to ban machetes, which can often be purchased at hardware stores. The Voice notes that "the Bronx's Arnaldo Salinas can convince a person that machetes are New York City's next big problem. A Guardian Angel, private investigator, and security company owner, Salinas says machetes started showing up about six and a half years ago as Latino gangs expanded. Cheap, mortal, and easy to wipe down after use, the cutlasses are also unlikely to earn you jail time." Salinas also says he would rather be shot dead with a gun than face a machete.

And here's where it gets even worse: the weapon "can be sharpened to a nice edge with an iron file and some patience. And they can be poisoned, just like in Hamlet. Salinas explains that some thugs know how to make a toxic mixture out of common pantry items, which they then slather on the blade." Let's hope this recipe doesn't leak.

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By Jen Carlson in News on April 16, 2009 6:19 PM

Comments [rss]

tsol

"How about you attack the root of the problem which would be the people who wield the machetes?"

They can't because NYC is a "Sanctuary City"!

Guest

How is it that the people elected to take care of things seem to be the stupidest people on the planet? Banning something like machetes is so dumb it makes me want to buy one and use it on an elected official. How about you attack the root of the problem which would be the people who wield the machetes?

The Hanger-On

One kid was arrested, but there was a total of three kids (and one machete) who were chasing some other kids, who ran into that bodega to escape. Although one person was caught, there were others involved.

Oh yeah, and it seems to be Latino on Latino violence--white people can breathe a sigh of relief.

PBRK

onion and garlic have anti-coagulant properties

blackcotton

The "poison" referred to in the article is that you rub Garlic along the blade.

schizofriendly

Garlic would kill any surface bacteria, thereby preventing infection. An unusually thoughtful gesture from an individual who is looking to butcher you.

breaknight

I grew up in the a gang-infested Salvardoran neighborhood in the DC area where machetes were used regularly in initiation and in turf wars. As a goody-goody non-gang member who was going to school and getting good grades, I appreciated that little Mara Salvatrucha kids around me were killing and maiming each other with machetes and not guns. No stray machete chops--you stay out of trouble you don't get killed. Much better than black neighborhoods where 7 year old innocent kids get killed b/c thugs can't shoot straight...

jaycjay

Now with poison? When and where?

"Salinas explains that some thugs know how to make a toxic mixture out of common pantry items, which they then slather on the blade."

Some thugs know how? Has there ever been a report of it being done in NYC? For that matter, how many "machete attacks" have there been that weren't gang member vs. gang member -- as most of these South Side incidents seem to be?

Seems like something being blown way out of proportion to scare people... as I was thinking reading the Voice article when I came to this line:

"Whenever his company does security for NYC cultural events..."

OK, that explains it. Drumming up some business.

kittencrunchies

I lived on South 3rd for a year. Trust me, taking your dog out for a walk and having to make your way through a group of kids clutching pipes and machetes is pretty darn scary.

Keep on writing about it. Maybe someone will actually do something.