Neither more nor less

When they hit some one it hurt . They were so young and so small . Their game running in the street part play , part combat went on for a couple of hours on the street , on Crusty Row and in Ray's Candy Store .

We first noticed the gang of 8 or so young males of mixed race and very young running up and down Crusty Row Monday night around 9 PM . We spotted them from the avenue A side walk as they ran in their white T-shirts. We immediately knew that something unusual was happening in Tompkins square Park on Crusty Row .

We suspected another wilding attack . When a few minutes later we were able to view and photograph the scene on Crusty Row from a discrete distance we we saw mixed with running , jumping , laughing and shouting clearly violent episodes of battery . Threatening confrontations exploded , with the smallest of the members of the group clearly the more aggressive .

But there was so much play fullness too . Even though we saw multiple punches thrown , grappling and objects including bottles and a milk crate thrown such violence was tempered with a sense of play. Taunt ,hit and run and laugh . Laugh and run to the other side of the park and then return to taunt and hit some more . In the most uneasy way tiny bits of innocence stirred lightly , hesitantly through these acts of blunt violence in TSP . When they saw us with a camera they immediately ran from TSP to avenue A .

On avenue A the group gathered outside Ray's candy Store . They entered the store pushing their way around and according to witnesses demanded in Spanish some "pussy-flavored" ice cream . The Polish and English speaking young woman behind the counter did not understand so the youngsters , again according to witnesses , called her a white bitch and suggested in English that she should suck their cocks .

Ray had been taking a nap in the back of the store . The commotion woke him ;confused he entered the front of his store and told the group that they should leave , he would not serve them . They did not leave and Ray threw a cup full of water at them . They still would not leave but when they saw us taking pictures of them they immediately left the store running up avenue A.

Police were called and when they arrived at Ray's the story of the young males' aggressions was told by those who had seen it all while in the candy store .

We decided to do some recon in TSP hoping to find where the young males went . We found them at the intersection of avenue B and 10th street playing something of the rough game that they had been playing earlier . They were also in the midst of adults who occasionally yelled at them . Finally both the young males and the adults entered the corner building by an entrance on 10th street .

Though we did speak with some who had been attacked and hit by the young males no one claimed to have been hurt badly . We should also note that we have pictures of some of the young males and that we have not published them , at least at this time , because they were all minors .

We do not know what if any action has been taken by NYPD concerning this event and these young males .