YWN has just learned that the NYPD has arrested 4 individuals from Williamsburg’s Chasidic community, who are connected to the beating of a black man last December. Our sources confirm that additional arrests are expected. They were arrested by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit.
As YWN reported in December, Taj Patterson, 22, says he was headed home to Fort Greene around 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 1 when he says more than a dozen Orthodox Jewish men began assaulting him on Flushing Avenue.
Paterson said he remembers the ringleader. “There was a crowd around him, cheering him on and getting him rowdy, and he would grab me and push me against the wall.”
Evelyn Keys, an MTA bus driver, came to Paterson’s rescue as she was rounding the corner of Flushing Ave. and Spencer St. when she saw the horrific attack unfold before her eyes, according to the Daily News.
“I get out of the bus and all these men were standing up straight around him,” Keys Told the Daily News. “Taj is laying down on his back. I went up to him and he was in so much pain. He says, ‘I can’t see . . . I can’t breathe.’ ”
He was rushed to Woodhull Hospital with a broken eye socket, a torn retina, blood clotting, and cuts and bruises to his knee and ankles, according to the Police report. He was “highly intoxicated, uncooperative and incoherent,” after the assault.
Many elected officials, as well as local chasidic community organizations publicly came out and condemned the attack, and police vowed to make arrests.
No further information is currently available, and no charges have been announced.
(Chaim Shapiro – YWN)
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14 Responses
what a crazy world…. but the murderers of Stark can’t be found?
as my rebbi Rav Chaim Segal Z”l, menahel of the mesivta in Yeshivas Rabbi Chaim Berlin said when he witnessed someone wearing a bekeshe and not behaving properly and someone told him that it was a chassidic man, “Thats not a chassidic man…thats a man with a chassidic levush (garb).
Sadly we all too often fail to make that distinction.
This sounds terrible, and I hope it’s not as bad as it sounds. Why were these people out so late? Maybe they were coming back from a motzei shabbos chanukah mesibah with a few too many lchaims? It’s a terribly upsetting story and I hope it didn’t really happen like it is described here.
The cops needed some korbonos to appease the minority population. They couldn’t find any real perpetrator so they chapped four korbonos who have nothing to do with it.
Chasidism is not Judaism.
#4 — I can’t tell from your comments — is this from information that you know about, or are you making this up / suggesting that maybe this happened? If you are right, do you think that the actual people who did this should give themselves up so that these innocent people won’t be falsely prosecuted?
the koach of ra is pouring into the world. Unless we strengthen ourselves with the inner penimius of Torah and integrate it, what chance do we have to fall farther and farther. B”H we DO have the answers but much of the learning is not taught as part of the regular curriculum. The writings of the Arizal explain. Wasnt there also an incident in Bnei Brak? May Hashem see how confused we have become and for His Sake to rescue the spark He invests in all of us, may we soon see Moshiach.
Chesssed says:
April 23, 2014 at 11:22 am
what a crazy world…. but the murderers of Stark can’t be found?
come on
1 this happened before stark
2. here the witness is alive. Maybe you did notice that
Toras Moshe says:
April 23, 2014 at 12:00 pm
The cops needed some korbonos to appease the minority population. They couldn’t find any real perpetrator so they chapped four korbonos who have nothing to do with it.
it seems someone took pictures with a cell phone. Now what the person doctored the pictures
A guy too drunk to talk and he is going to pick out 4 chasidish guys from a line up?
Sounds too familiar to the “Chaptzem” phenomenon… Often simply overreactive imagination (He looked at me first!) leading to terrible Chillul Hashem of the highest degree.
#1 – look how long it took to arrest
4 unprofessional criminals,
How can you expect quicker arrests on a complex case such as Starks.
Unless there may be inside reasons on why they delay the so-called imminent-arrest.
The cellphone photos were grainy and did not include any of the faces.
2qwerty, peakman, and Toras Moshe you guys are a riot-any excuse to rationalize away culpability. Who do these men think they are?! We’re all part of this community and this type of vigilante justice cannot and should not be tolerated by any individual with an ethical conscience. And 2qwerty the guy “too drunk to talk” lost his vision in his right eye from the 4 chasidish guys. Are you a psychopath? Have some compassion-how would you like if someone punched you in the face and beat you so hard you lost your vision in your right eye? I don’t know what’s wrong with people that they resort to violence like this. I just don’t.