Panhandlers and street thugs who ask you for a light usually just want you to stop long enough for them to engage in some mischief. At least that’s my assumption, so I usually ignore them, head in the other direction or, if all else fails, begin cursing at them. I’ve found over the years that cursing at an aggressive panhandler is a good way to show you won’t be a pushover.
The “have you got a light” ploy was used on this poor guy in Detroit. The video will raise your blood pressure: a 91-year-old World War II vet viciously beaten before the cowardly attacker carjacks the man’s car. Meanwhile, a group of other thugs just watches all of this with interest without doing anything to help the poor guy. Luckily, the old man will recover and the attacker, a 22-year-old ex-con drug dealer, has been arrested. Go to the end of this latest video to hear the wife of the beaten man chastise the men who stood around and did nothing. It’s classic.
This is black-on-black crime that usually gets ignored by the media. Watch the video (outrage warning!).
