Originally Posted by
Glenn E. Meyer
Two Brooklyn stories:
1. On Flatbush Avenue by Erasmus Hall High School (my school) which is on a major shopping street - a guy grabs a woman's purse. He runs down the yellow line on the street as she screams. He turns the corner and run right down the side street where the police precinct is located. The shifts are changing and there are zillions of officers who give chase, horses, cars, everybody. So he runs back down the street with the charge after him. I saw one officer trip and fall. Another pulled his 38 and aimed but a fellow officer said: OH, for God's sake - we got him.
I'm watching the whole thing. The guy is swarmed and disappears under a scrum of blue. You see his arm waving the purse as he cries - I didn't do nuttin. A car squeals up and and the fellow, who is not looking too hot, is shoved in the car. A Brooklynite says to an officer: Hey - what did you to him. He don't look too good.
An officer says to him: He fell down, sir. YOU could fall down too!
Guy says - Why that's all right.
2. One of the young men who was on my block and played stick with us was a bad kid. Finally he goes into the corner bank and tells the teller that he has the teller's mother held captive - give him the money. Now the teller has just spoken to her mother on her lunch break. She presses the silent magic button. This bank is close to the above precinct. Johnny goes off to spend time in a NYS bad place.