Attempted mugging last night (11th May) - Melbourne Grove

[xone]

Just another warning as I think I have heard of a few repeat incidents recently down this road. I guess in London it can happen anywhere though. Walking down Melbourne Grove last night on way back from station at around 10pm. I got jumped by a young black guy in a blue hoody. I'm a fairly big guy (so this kid must have had no fear) but still didn't fancy trying to take him on just incase, luckily I managed to be quick and ran away from him back to some life on Lordship lane. all ok without loosing anything. Unless you have to I would try to avoid going that way late at night.

Didn't even see him coming and he snuck out between the cars.

I guess it's not that well lit and generally not many people about on that road.

[mynamehere]

Of interest to many including the police is .. is this the same person who acted against the woman in the other mugging thread. Could you describe the person who attacked you and could the woman in the other thread describe her assailant? Is it the same person?

[xone]

Unfortunately it's one of those things that happens so quickly and I think I could have given Usian Bolt a run for his money last night....So I can't really recall any distinguishing features to describe.

[bodsier]

I'm sorry to hear it, must have been scary. glad you are ok.

[Penguin68]

'black boy in a hoody'

Actually the description given was "a young black guy in a blue hoody" - which is a bit less generic, and might trigger others who saw such a youth lurking (or may even have been accosted by him).

Of course report to the police - but the description and the other information 'Didn't even see him coming and he snuck out between the cars' may also be helpful.

The balance to be got is between posting infomation about attacks and thinking that this necessarily makes the area dangerous, or increases people's fear (as oppposed to wariness).

To warn people that 'black people might mug you' or to hypothecate that a reported mugging 'might' be by a black person is to express unnecessary and unacceptable racial bias - to report 'a black person mugged me' is a simple description of an event - the easiest descriptors for us tend to be sex, age, height, colour, distinctive clothing. The description (a young black guy in a blue hoody) gives at least 4 of those, and implictly (because the poster says he is big, implying the attacker was smaller) some inkling of the 5th.

I think it is entirely reasonable to warn people, I believe that muggers not infrequently choose the same haunts to mug in (and tend not to travel too far to do it) - so a warning (if accompanied by reporting this to the police) seems appropriate and helpful.

[Jeremy]

Penguin68 Wrote:

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> the easiest descriptors for us tend to be

> sex, age, height, colour, distinctive clothing.

> The description (a young black guy in a blue

> hoody) gives at least 4 of those, and implictly

> (because the poster says he is big, implying the

> attacker was smaller) some inkling of the 5th.

Couldn't have put it better myself. Of all the people walking around East Dulwich last night, this surely narrows it down to under 5%. So not exactly useless. Somebody else must have seen him.

I really think it's time people stopped being so sensitive about this kind of thing, "black" is not a forbidden word.

[DJKillaQueen]

Ethnicity is a key feature in describing anyone physically after a crime or attempted crime. Had the assailant been caucasian he would have been described as such and no-one would have bat an eyelid I'm sure. Let's just be thankful that on this occasion the little thieving scumbag got nothing.

[bobbly]

.

[bodsier]

'

[Sally81]

If it was a young black man, why can the OP not say so??

Sorry for your scare xone. Hope you're okay.

[Nicholas Spears]

Bobbly: If you said what pub we were meeting in, I probably would recognise you. Likewise if I saw you on Melbourne Grove

And bodsier: Are you seriously suggesting that the victims of crime should keep their descriptions of their assailants a secret between them and the police, on the offchance that someone might be wrongly suspected of the crime? Aren't you more concerned about the safety of other innocents walking down Melbourne Grove, who might like to know of local dangers?

Still, if anyone has information about anyone beaten to death in police custody as a result of a description on the East Dulwich Forum mentioning colour, do tell all. Three examples would be good. Or how about one?

[bobbly]

Descriptions are good so long as they are detailed descriptions. Those were not descriptions, i think even xone would agree with me there.

With regard to the info re death in police custody. look at this link........

http://www.irr.org.uk/2002/november/ak000006.html

Have you ever questioned what the shrine outside Brixton police station is for?

[bobbly]

............

[sambobia]

Whereabouts on Melbourne Grove?

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience.

[xone]

It was between Ashbourne and Chesterfield Grove.

[Otto]

Thanks for posting. I am glad to have the information as that is route I often travel, and, send babysitters home via. It is indeed useful to know. I am glad you escaped, and, hope you can shake off the bad experience soon...

[ClareC]

Otto Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for posting. I am glad to have the

> information as that is route I often travel, and,

> send babysitters home via. It is indeed useful to

> know. I am glad you escaped, and, hope you can

> shake off the bad experience soon...

I second that! Thank you, useful post and content!

Edited to add, glad your ok!

[James Barber]

Hi xone,

Appalling. I'm sorry you've had a such a dreadful fright.

My memory tells me the street lighting is poor from overgrown garden trees and hedges - is this your understanding?

[Otto]

It is, and, there have been incidents in the past on that stretch as well as near the corner of east Dulwich road. I think it is just a well- known commuter walking route that gets little car traffic in the evening so it is targeted.

[Salsaboy]

In real life, 'white' people are a sort of pink colour and 'black' people are various shades of brown. When have you ever seen a truely white or black person? My betting is never!

Why do some of the posters on the forum feel reports like this have to be turned into a colour thing. Far more serious is the fact that someone nearly got attacked. We should all be together on this. We all bleed the same, regardless of our ethnic heritage.

[zeban]

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Otto Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Thanks for posting. I am glad to have the

> > information as that is route I often travel,

> and,

> > send babysitters home via. It is indeed useful

> to

> > know. I am glad you escaped, and, hope you can

> > shake off the bad experience soon...

>

>

> I second that! Thank you, useful post and

> content!

>

> Edited to add, glad your ok!

I third that!

[DJKillaQueen]

hhhhm exactly the kind of response i was expecting. can anyone think beyond their own experience? its horrible to be mugged of your posessions of course it is, awful when it results in injury. but consider the implications to young black men, constantly harrassed by police, and often beaten up whilst in custody, some fatally? Why don't we discuss it over a drink. How shall i describe myself....... white with blue hoody,or black with blue hoody...... either way would you recognise me?

And exactly the kind of response I'd expect by someone fixated on the wrong issue here. Police will target any group when there is a prevalance of a certain crime in an area - because it increases their chances of an arrest. Recently there was a spate of teenage on teenage muggings in Peckham Rye Park for example...so the Police targettted teenagers. Far more teenagers were 'harassed' than those that were involved in any kind of crime, so are you going to argue that the rights of those teeneagers wrongly 'harassed' are worth more than the prevention of crime or even the chance of arresting those involved (especially given that a stop and search harms no-one)?

At the end of the day, those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear from the Police. Police do not patrol the streets beating people up. When complaints are made it is usually during an arrest or from time spent in Police custody. Those people are usually being arrested or are in custody for a reason. Where the Police overstep the mark there are consequences for them, investigated by other agencies.

The list you posted a link to lists deaths in custody and NOT deaths found to at the hands of Policemen and women themselves (this is an important distinction to make seeing as you claim that black men are 'often beaten up whilst in custody' even though all Police Stations have CCTV includng in all cells!!! Where is your evidence of that???).

It is not only black people that die whilst in custody and also your inferrment is that Police are always repsonsible for deaths in custody is not born out by the evidence. Most deaths are the result of an underlying health condition or mental health condition that Police can not be aware of at the time. Others die whilst trying to escape from Police or immigration officials - over balconies for example. Again - they are running for a reason. This idea that innocent or otherwise black men are generally treated in some way differently by the Police to others is a myth. It may have been the case in the past, but not any more.

[bobbly]

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