Teen beatdown video news
The videotaped beating of a 13-year-old girl on Long Island, posted online and leading to the arrests of three teens, has grabbed national attention, but it’s merely the most infamous example of a disturbing trend.
A simple search on YouTube Thursday revealed several similar violent videos shot on the streets of New York City. In one YouTube video, a teenager is pulled from a Bronx diner and beset by a dozen punching, kicking peers. In another video on the site, Brooklyn teenagers assault a teen and laugh at their victim as he runs down the street. The user who posted one such “beatdown” video calls himself the “Computer Gangsta,” and his video has been viewed almost 15,000 times.
New York school officials say they are increasingly dealing with cyber-bullying. Ron Davis, a spokesman for the United Federation of Teachers in Manhattan, said teachers are concerned that the ability to post videos online could “give kids an incentive to engage in this kind of bullying.”
In the Long Island video, the victim waited weeks before telling her parents, even as word of the video spread. On the video, she is seen being dragged to the ground by her hair, punched and kicked in the head. Her three assailants — two are 14 and the other 13 — were arrested this week and charged with juvenile delinquency and attempted assault.
“It’s a really sickening phenomenon, not only are they engaging in violent behavior, but they think it is way cool to videotape and post it online,” said Nancy Willard, the executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. “They are trying to establish their own social status by showing that they can beat kids.”
Calls to the NYPD were not returned Thursday. None of the videos amNewYork found online were shot on school grounds, but take place on city streets and are tagged by borough. While some of the videos show laughing participants engaging in apparent roughhousing, other clearly show a victim in distress.
A YouTube spokesman said the site prohibits the posting of real violence.
“If the video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, we ask our users not to post it, and we remove such material promptly once we are notified,” he said. So it’s hard to say just how many of these videos have been posted since they’re often removed quickly.
The discipline code of city schools ranks bullying as among the most serious offenses. Intervention training for cyber-bullying is now part of the Department of Education training for teachers and administrators, said agency spokeswoman Dina Paul Parks.
Talking with students at a midtown high school Thursday, amNewYork found that every one of the dozen asked had watched beatdown videos — and while some sympathized with the victims, most thought the footage was hilarious.
“It’s fun to see other people get smacked around,” said Andy, 16, whose last name is being withheld because of his age. “It’s not like the kids are shooting each other. I especially like when they add music to make the videos more exciting.”
Posted: January 20th, 2007 under Fights.
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