Another bias crime was committed in Port Richmond early Saturday morning despite the massive police presence. A Port Richmond teen on his way home from work was beaten then robbed of $10 by three young men who yelled anti-Mexican epithets early yesterday, police said. The young man, a 17-year-old Mexican immigrant, suffered a black eye, facial lacerations and bruises and was treated and released from Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, police said.
This latest attack both bewildered and frustrated members of the community, because it happened despite a massive police presence there over the last week and concerted efforts by community leaders to ease racial tensions.
The teen was on his way to his home on Post Avenue at around 2:30 a.m., after working a night shift as a busboy at a restaurant in Manhattan. He was approached by a Hispanic male near the corner of Castleton and Simonson avenues -- who apparently distracted him while two African American males attacked him from behind, according to law enforcement sources.
The men punched him several times in the face, screaming "Go home you (expletive) Mexican!" They also allegedly called him a "wetback" several times, sources said. After he was incapacitated, they took all of the money he had on him -- a total of $10.
The victim said he did not know his assailant.
"This morning's beating is not only an act of violence, it is an act of defiance, which flies in the face of a community putting forth its best effort to create a peaceful and safe neighborhood. Targeting an underage youth is particularly disturbing and takes this violence to a deeper level," said Rev. Terry Troia, speaking on behalf of Communities United for Respect and Trust, a coalition to grapple with Port Richmond's recent problems.
Ms. Troia said the crime was even more disturbing because there was -- literally -- a police officer on almost every corner Friday night. The Police Department has made a show of force in Port Richmond for the past week, deploying dozens of officers and auxiliary officers from all five boroughs, a 24-hour command post and two Sky Watch towers to the neighborhood.
The police response is great, Ms. Troia said, but she stressed the need for a more "sustainable security" in the area, including more surveillance cameras and more permanent patrols.
"We need the resources to deal with this. We need money to go along with the promises," she said.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she plans to speak with Rev. Troia about getting more security cameras in the area, and about posssibly paying for them through a partnership of business owners, non-profits and government. The recent attacks reminded Ms. Quinn of similar incidents against gays and lesbians in her district in Lower Manhattan years ago. Those attacks stopped after the police also showed up in force.
"Hatred can't be underestimated. We have to show we are just as committed tolerance and safety as they are to their hatred," she said.
The NYPD continued its vigil last night, transforming Port Richmond Avenue into a militarized zone. As a camera hovering high above them surveying the area, dozens of patrol cars and uniformed officers roamed the adjacent streets, joined by volunteers.
"It's very sad. I didn't know it was that bad out here," said resident Phillip Boalds, who was walking along Port Richmond Avenue last night with a pizza he just bought from neighborhood eatery.
"It looks like Times Square, with all of the anti-terror units out," he added.
Guardian Angel Benjamin Garcia and his partner, Debbie Williams, have been patrolling Port Richmond streets since Tuesday. They travel two hours each way from their homes in Upper Manhattan.
"When we first got here, there were gangs yelling at us, 'Get out of our neighborhood!' But that just makes us stronger," said Garcia. Ms. Williams said she was previously sent to calm ethnic tensions Spanish Harlem and the Bronx.
"It's the same everywhere. There are always people who want to do others harm," she said.
Port Richmond resident Alma Asencio said she has no problem with the police presence.
"Come on over, come stand by my home," she said.
Sitting on the steps of her friend's home on Castleton Avenue, Ms. Asencio expressed surprise that a Mexican teen was assaulted just a few blocks away. She has seen officers walk up and down her block every night in the last week, though the patrols seem to tail off by about 1 a.m. Other residents who spoke with the Advance observed the patrols around their homes tailing off at that same hour -- leading them to wonder if the assailants notice the same thing.
"The police are here now, but for how long?" Ms. Asencio said. "What is going to happen when this all dies down?"
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