Lessons Learned from the Central Park attacks

What did you learn from the June 11 Central Park wolf pack incident?

That was the day an estimated 200 young men roamed New York's Central Park terrorizing, sexually abusing and robbing more than two dozen women after the annual Puerto Rican Day parade along Fifth Avenue.

Twenty-seven women, including a tourist from France and one from Britain, reported being sprayed with water, stripped of their clothing and groped on their breasts and genital areas by groups of young men. Some were robbed of their jewelry and purses.

Onlookers videotaped many of the incidents, one of whom said he is fearful of retaliation by those responsible for the attacks. The assaults recalled the infamous 1989 "wilding" rape by roaming teen-agers of a woman investment banker while she was jogging in the world-famous Manhattan park.

The follow up news stories were perhaps even more frightening when it came out that some victims had asked nearby New York City police officers for help only to be ignored. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani vowed the New York Police Department would dismiss any officers found to have done nothing to stop the assaults.

It's funny how some lessons are repeated over and over until we learn them. Some of the things from the incidents we should remember:

1. Don't count on help from bystanders or others in or around the crowd. Onlookers often report they felt powerless to stop the mob.

2. Don't count on help from the police.  Most officers are some of the most heroic people I know, but they probably won't be around when you need them. Police officers are generally powerless to stop a mob. They are simply overwhelmed by the numbers and hamstrung by the amount of force they are allowed to use. Recall Seattle, the L.A. riots or even "small" riots in Chicago and other cities following team championships. Even large brawls in places like the French Quarter (I've got a videotape of a mass fight there) cannot be quelled quickly enough by the cops before you are injured or killed.

3. Innocent behavior can escalate to violence in a mob. The video I have seen of the Central Park attacks looks like they might have started as "playful" splashing of females walking by with water bottles.

4. A wolf pack mentality prevails in a group of young men. Studies show that simple assaults are more likely to escalate into homicides when groups of juveniles are involved. Mob experts report that the relative anonymity of the crowd lessens inhibitions of many who will engage in behavior they might not normally exhibit. However, I contend that the mix of testosterone, adrenaline, alcohol, immature judgment and a young male's natural competitiveness will whip a crowd of young males into a powerful frenzy.

5. It is easier to stay out of trouble then to get out of trouble. Women who were attacked were virtually helpless as they were pinned to the ground by many hands and stripped of their clothes. I saw video of one victim who could only scream and try to hold onto her clothes as she was half dragged, half carried by a group of guys. Ironically, this woman is a kickboxing instructor who found herself powerless to terminate the attacks.

Don't even think about getting close to trouble, even if you are confident that "it will never happen to you." The reality is that it happens to people like you and me every 16 seconds in America.