Just less than a week ago in Center City, two gay men were jumped and beaten by a group of people for being gay. They were kicked in the head, chest and face, and their resulting injuries required surgery. The perpetrators of this hate crime went unfound for a few days, until the Philadelphia Police Department released fairly grainy security camera video that shows the group allegedly responsible for the attack. What happened next is sort of amazing.
As you can see in the Storify after the jump, via Melody Kramer, Greg Bennett — who plays a small role on the Real Housewives of New Jersey — posted a picture he believed was of the offending group earlier, taken earlier on the night of the attack. That image was then retweeted by @FanSince09 (who may be familiar to you), whose followers helped identify the restaurant– La Viola. He then used that information to check Facebook check-ins, identify some members of the group, and contact the police. No arrests have been made yet, but they probably will be soon.
This is a big win for social media, showing that anyone can track down criminals from grainy security camera footage if you’ve got enough followers, the will to do enough hard work, and some Real Housewives-connections. I think that last part is what keeps the police from getting it done this way.
Full story, as it played out on Twitter, after the jump.
http://storify.com/mkramer/how-twitter-tracked-down-the-suspects-from-a-ppd-v
66 Responses
Someone read Deadspin with their Wheaties this morning….
Leviticus 20:13 – If a man lieth with mankind,as he lieth with a woman,both of them have committed an abomination:they shall surely be put to death;their blood shall be upon them.
The Bible is a bedtime story douchebag.
Not everyone believes in god, leave your fallacies to yourself and your closeted boyfriend.
Violation on that dude wearing a life jacket
Real tough guys picking on homosexuals. Good job by fan since 09.
So I am in no way condoning the beating of these guys but why are we assuming that this whole altercation went down the way that has been said? Do you really think they brushed up against each other and immediately the guy in the group asked if that was his boyfriend and then beat them down? I find this a bit hard to believe. My guess is they brushed up against each other and were both talking mad shit at each other and someone swung and then it was a lot against a little but that’s just my guess. We will see if a video ever comes out!
Go back to bed Roger Goodell
We’ll see. But the important thing is that they found the suspects. Now they can get their side of the story (to the extent that one exists).
My guess is that one of the victims made a comment about the one guy’s lifejacket and he got butthurt.
Well this is pretty easy, one group went home and one group went to the hospital to get their jaw and teeth aligned. That’s the end result and that’s what matters. You can’t go around putting people in the hospital if you don’t agree with how they live their lives. It’s that simple, so don’t be so daft.
Also, this sort of thing happens way too often. People from the suburbs come into the city thinking they can act wild because they’re away from their McMansion or the solitude of their car. You know who rioted in Center City in 2008? Suburban assholes who then went home and didn’t give a shit about the businesses or properties they wrecked because they only care about where they lay their head at the end of the night.
Stop.
No doubt there were suburban assholes being suburban assholes, but there were just as many city assholes being assholes. Funny thing about assholery…it knows no bounds.
It also should be noted that suburban Philadelphia isn’t just a sea of McMansions. You should take a trip off your door step once in a while and check it out.
Source: I live in the suburbs. I commute to work in the exurbs via car. I can however, see the city from my backyard. It’s lovely. I’ve also lived in the city.
My point is people don’t tend to shit where they sleep, and people who don’t interact with others because they never had to are the worst offenders. If you live your life hiding in your car or not having to deal with people on buses, mass transit, or living close to one another you tend to think you are invincible or won’t have people react to you in a different way than in your fortress of solitude.
Case in point, for all the crazy people on SEPTA they still know to let the elderly, handicapped, or pregnant take their seat for a long ride. On PATCO, for the most, part don’t. I’ve seen and experienced both and I firmly believe it’s because one set of people have no clue how to deal with others because they live in their cars and can retreat to their homes with spacious surroundings. I can only go on what I have experienced being in both situations; I’m sure this could vary.
People in general don’t understand each other. Race, religion, sexuality, class, city, rural, and a litany of other things give us different perceptions of others and when we are faced with it, we can either choose to understand people or be ignorant. Everyone is guilty of this, and if we stopped and at least tried to be civil we would be better off.
See Ferguson, MO.
Most of the people arrested in Philly live in Philly.
Most of the losers shooting people in Philly live in Philly.
And I guaranfuckingtee that most of the assholes flipping the fuck out in ’08 also lived in the city as the surburban smacked asses you mention were most likely on their way driving home.
-Sincerely a suburban dwelling Philadelphia fan smacked ass
I’d long blamed Temple and Penn students for lots of the shit surrounding the WS win on Broad Street. And of course the other hotspot was Mayfair. Not many out of town tourists hanging out there.
These fags were probably talking shit and got beat up, dont start a fight you cant finish. This is not a hate crime, the lynch mob can go back to bed.
the real problem is not that people shouldn’t talk shit, which is amazing that you somehow know exactly what happened without being there. you must have some special talent. it’s that there are too many ignorant people with small minds thinking they’re better than people, when really all their hate and cruelty shows others how insecure they are and how much you dislike yourself. shocking that someone like this would comment on this sorry excuse for a sports blog. hope you’re sterile and can never bring children into this world. something tells me if you ended your life or died terribly not many people would care.
@punch drunk – You are seriously a fucking piece of shit. It’s nice that you can go online/hide behind a computer and speak like a total douchebag.
you’re not tough. eat a dick fag
I agree with punch drunk.
I sense the real version of events probably is along the lines of what punch drunk said.
Agreed. This poor people are going to have their faces plastered all over the news before the actual facts come out
Yeah, those poor people. Who fractured a guy’s skull and stole his wallet and phone. And then ran away before the police arrived. Those poor, kind, honorable people.
You think it was a fair one?…numbers wise?….politics aside….or are you living on this planet and realize that it was a group against two….jagoff
You have no idea what happened or if these people were even I nvolved you stupid nitwit
Does that one guy have a sleeveless shirt on? The cops might want to focus in on him first….
These bad load young punks are a big problem in the city. I was out last Friday walking past the Irish pub & some loud mouth punk kept getting in random peoples faces yelling “South Jersey What”
Hate crimes only apply to white people.
What’s up with that young white guys shirt?? Looks like a life jacket. Is that one of the homosexuals?
Riiiiiight. Because black youths play the “knockout game” on white people twice a week (that we know of), on camera, and THIS is what society cares about. Hash tag equalbutspecial?
That’s really a quality post right there. I am going to take a screen shot of it. Print it and frame it. Every time I see it, I can think about the time I saw the best comment on the internet of all time.
Identifying the suspects is one thing, but are we really condoning publishing a picture of like 35 people, the majority of whom aren’t in that video, and are now all associated with a violent hate crime? Does @fansince09 care that he jeopardized the reputation and possibly careers of people whose for the crime of being at a dinner so that he could get more twitter followers?
Safe to say that the rest of them are probably a-holes from Delco too.
I mean, the point is its not safe to say that, but everyone will. So now you wake up today and half the internet is calling you a bigot and whatever else because of a fight you weren’t a part of.
You should choose your friends more wisely, then.
They posted the picture on the internet themselves.
How about they don’t beat people up? Or maybe don’t commit a crime a few blocks away from somewhere you just checked-in on facebook.
Man, so fans of this blog are largely people who support child abuse and hate crimes. If the comments are for shock comedy, it’s tired. If the comments are genuine, it’s an embarrassing reflection of Philadelphia sports fans.
There’s no such thing as a “hate crime.” It’s just an Orwellian term to pretend members of left-wing special-Interest groups are beyond reproach.
Oh so beating children and gays are a proud right wing value. Gotcha.
Beating children no,curbstomping a cumdrinking homo yes.
Oh nice. Your mother must be so proud. Kidding aside, I hope she’s dead so she no longer has to deal with such an embarrassment as yourself. The unfortunate reality is you live in her basement. Now return to your youporn and stop bothering people, big shot.
…the Michael Bolton clone from the the Harvard bah?…..stfu
Nah, born and raised in Olney, where we eat keyboard bullies like you for breakfast. Go back to Warminster, ace.
Learn how to read…the reply was to C.B….u fucktard…now go get ur shinebox
why is beating a homo worse than beating you or me? should their lives be worth more in the eyes of the law? because if you think hate crime is a real thing, that’s what you’re saying.
Hate crimes are defined as violent crimes motivated by prejudice or intolerance toward a member of a gender, racial, religious, or social group. It is a very real thing, albeit more and more of it is media driven.
In the eyes of the national (liberal) media, it’s a way of raising a social political issue to such a boiling point that it blows up and takes over every television in America.
“Beating a homo worse than beating you or me” is worse not only because of the hate factor, but simply because of the media backlash that comes with every attack. It creates more and more victims and more of a social uprising than just some regular guy getting mugged on 15th and spruce.
how is beating a couple of fags up worse than an NFL player beating his 4 yr old with a piece of wood? White people love self hatred. Every uppity bitch on facebook has an opinion on this, but silent when a 200lb black man tortures a 50lb child.
Mrs. CB is absolutely right here. The concept that beating on somebody is “extra special bad” in a pre-defined set of circumstances is pure bullshit. Attempting to Deter crimes against defenseless children with heavier penalties aside of course. Unless there is video with sound or a witness comes forward they’ll never prove the “hate crime” on this one. That’s why if you go out, you cab it or Uber from door to door. The bigger problem is most likely to be over serving and dicks from the burbs, wait and see. Wait for all the facts to come out.
Lol, hate crimes don’t need to be “proven”. Where have you been?
Avoid these dopes as they are bleeding heart leftist fools
Jim Gardner
Rob Ellis
Angelo Cataldi, Al Morganti and the woman who’s name cannot be spoken on this site.
Glen Macnow
Mike Misinformed
Add Sean Brace to the list.
Guarantee you that baldheaded drunk will bring this up on their show,with the usual faux outrage.
Go back to WND you limp dicked moron.
How do we know that these guys were attacked due to their sexual orientation? If they were, that’s horrible. If they weren’t, that’s horrible that the media was so quick to label this as a hate crime. I’ll wait for the details.
How do we know the people pictured are involved at all?
How do we know that Fansince09 isn’t a psychotic lunatic?
This is America, isn’t it?
^this. Absolutely right.
Homophobic taunts before the attack could probably constitute a hate crime. But this was info from Philly.com, so take it for what it is.
The cops are calling it a possible hate crime. It’s not just the media.
Yes, the cops said “possible” hate crime which is correct. Much of the media has seemed to omit the word “possible”…just look at the title of this post.
You consider Crossing Broad a legitimate media outlet? You probably think Kyle Scott is an actual reporter, too. Every tv news and newspaper account I’ve seen has been careful to use language like “possible” and “alleged.”
The video released by the police department was even titled “Wanted: Suspects for Hate Crime/Assault and Robbery”. Also, assault on homosexuals can’t be prosecuted as a hate crime under PA law.
You, my friend, are a true hero. I am so glad that you have stepped up. And managed to make sure nothing bad is said about these scumbags who attacked 2 men. I am always excited to see somebody defend the 20 in a 20-on-2 fight.
A real man of courage, you are.
I didn’t know all 20 were involved in the fight. Have they released the fight statistics yet?
Has Sarah Baicker officially come out yet?
Do you know what is funny about that comment?
nothing.
Nothing at all. It is a stupid, stupid comment. It’s not funny. It’s not original. It is stupid and boring.
That was a simple yes or no question. Is that you Sarah?
A lot of South Philly wannabe tough guy dago scum up in these comments.
No Always Sunny Reference to “Dude, Is that a hate crime?”
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