Fight at Austin Park

no arrests , typical no action from our finest. Gang activity is at a boiling point and all we hear is there is nothing we can do . The bloods are fueding with locals about drug turf . come on BPD , get out of the car and walk the streets , get off the cell phones with your wife and start cleaning up the streets .

Landloards need to be held accountable also , if you are the owner of 101 summit , I am talking to you . You have bloods living in your house bringing gang activity to new neighborhoods along with crack dealings .

These are the times when paintball guns loaded with pepper spray balls are called for. "This is the police. Knock your sh** off and go home or we will unleash the pain."

Thomas,

And what would you have done differently if you responded as a police officer to arrest somebody?

Thomas, sometimes an arrest can actually inflame a situation when larger groups are involved. It is very easy to judge from afar but the cop on the street has to balance the safety of everyone there including his/her own versus an arrest.

The important thing to do in that situation is dissapate the crowd, which appears to be what eventually happened.

Arrests also take evidence, such as witnesses willing to come forward, and proof of an actual crime being committed.

A bunch of people yelling and shouting at each other might be construed as disorderly conduct, but you still need witnesses.

Thank God we live in a country where police can't just start arresting people because they feel like it.

Really? Gangs in Batavia? I'm well aware there are a lot of scummy/worthless people, but gangs?

Gangs insinuates organization...and I've seen none of that.

Here goes the gang discussion again.

Are there members of the Bloods in Batavia? I believe there are.

Are the Bloods in Batavia working in an organized gang structure as typically found in inner cities? I do not believe they are.

Would a criminal gang such as the Bloods like to get a foothold in a small city such as Batavia? Possibly.

Was this event in Austin Park, or numerous other similar events gang related? Highly unlikely.

There is an element of the local population that has a propensity for getting into trouble with the law. They often live in the same neighborhoods, hang out together, have floating alliances in various cliquish rivalries, but that doesn't constitute gang activity.

Thanks Howard. I agree with your assessment.

There are a good number of people living in Batavia that exhibit wanna be gang-banger characteristics. I agree with Howard, it is unlikely that there is a "gang" issue in Batavia. But there certainly is a "gangster" mentality prevalent on the streets. I just pray that the guns stay in Buffalo and Rochester, where murder is a seemingly daily occurrence.

*

Blah blah blah..... This could have gotten ugly, there are bloods, the had guns on them.... Some people speak as if they had direct knowledge of this. But then they switch gears and say that someone ELSE will become fed up and do something about it. Then they switch back and say they consider this a threat to themselves and their community.

Therein lies the problem, everyone seems to know and wants to eliminate these problems, but they wait for someone else to do it all the while they have the tools and knowledge? Seems kinda contradictory to me. Nathan if you arent part of the solution then your part of the problem. Obviously your either afraid or full of warm brown stuff.

Howard is right, there very well may be gang members around here, but why? Maybe they are escaping "the life" and the wanabees around here that idolize them try to emulate them here. We have nothing to offer gangs here except a getaway from that life. It'll be self limiting as they will either move on if it begins to get to be a hassle to be here. Or the activity will end up finally crossing the line and will be dealt with by law enforcement resulting in the same outcome.

As Howard pointed out there is an element of the community that has problems... They stylize themselves by what they view on TV, they are emulating. Did we end up with indian wars in the 80's after generations of kids playing cowboys and indians? cops and robbers? Its all fun and games til they get arrested for stupid bs and end up prison with a dose of reality. Most smarten up and move on. Or move out to Buff or Roch where they can be real gang members.

The more gossipy innuendo and fear you show to the wannabes the longer you'll see the problem stick around. Having come from a major college community I learned through observation and exp that Police are limited in what they can do with crowds. They just wait and observe so they can deal with the instigators in the crowd later in a one on one basis. Landlords the same way, they have certain laws that dont allow them to discriminate in renting, or just evict without proveable cause that can be established in a court of law. And we all know how long that can take for the courts to act. Look how long it takes for murders and other criminal trials, just how much longer do you think it takes in civil courts?

Nathan - I'm curious as to how you know the inventory count of guns at this "public gathering." Were you involved in the fight?

Nathan deleted the portion of the comment where he said there were five guns.

I heard from a friend of a friend that Nathan heard it from a friend who had a friend of his cousin's who talked to somebody who was there.

People seem to forget how close we are to Buffalo and Rochester. People get shot in those cities everyday. Excuse me from thinking it will never happen in Po-dunk Batavia that sits directly in the middle of the 2. Crime has been on a steady increase lately including break ins. In a perfect world we wouldn't have to worry about that stuff, but even Batavia can have problems.

Why would anyone put the true source of their info out for the public. This happened in my friends back yard, as they live adjacent to this park.

Nathan

Your living proof that all one has to do is give a fool a soapbox, and he'll prove his ignorance beyond any doubt.