_{Best record store ever. (Source: Flickr)}

Bullies - Part One

I changed or removed the names out of respect for the dead.

I grew up near Avenue U in Brooklyn, New York where you got your ass kicked if you liked the Mets instead of the Yankees. Gravesend, as the section is known, was mostly Italian-American and Roman-Catholic. I still have very fond memories of my neighbors. I lived there until I was about 12 years old (as a Met fan) and believe I was spared a Brooklyn beat-down simply because I was very young. I was also tall for my age and played on the local baseball team for Our Lady of Grace, and I was pretty good. I do remember a lot of arguments about 'Yankees vs Mets' but no one ever punched me in the face over it. I also remember getting into some fights when the government began busing some poor black kids from the housing projects into my school, but still, I felt safe.

_{Source: Forgotten New York}

Let the boys be boys, right?
I actually organized boxing and wrestling matches with all the kids. I didn't care what color they were. It was much more fun than being afraid of everyone. Then we got in trouble and our fun was stopped by the grown ups, because I organized the fights on school grounds. Some trouble started soon after, so I started escaping into comic books, drawing, and music. Zig Zag Records was miles away but I always found the best music there.

Old people just didn't get it, I thought. All these tough kids were beating the shit out of each other as a game. Boxing was fun. I had combined boxing and wrestling, and we all had a blast. We had our own new sport. I felt no fear in the "ring." We all got along, and we shook hands after every fight. There was no drama. If you won, it was cool. If you lost you didn't come to school with a gun or knife and kill anyone. Okay, the court yard was all concrete, so yeah, I admit it was dangerous, but c'mon. No one was getting jumped in the hallways or getting their faces smashed into a wall. That would come later, unfortunately. One fool made the mistake of hurting my little brother by shoving his face into a water fountain. Fuck with my family? Dumb move. When I found out who did it (one of the big guys from our fighting matches), I beat the dog shit out of him. It was no longer fun anymore. It was no longer a game.

Bad To Worse

The real trouble didn't start until later that year when my family moved to Starret City, Brooklyn, and once again the government decided to bus poor kids from the projects in East New York into my new school. But this time almost all the white parents pulled their kids out of school. Except mine. I toughed it out during 7th and 8th grade, and man it sucked. But wait it gets even worse, and this is probably why I didn't become a racist when I grew up. It was bad enough fighting my way through my new school. Now all of a sudden these two big white guys that I'll call Big Dave and Yuri decided they would bully my friends and I every damn day. I was still, like 12 years old, but these two fucktards looked like they were 20 years old. They were big, muscular, they shaved, sold drugs, and they stole cars just for fun. They really were dangerous, and for the first time in my life I felt afraid to go outside. So I escaped even more into comic books, art, and music. My friends and I even started a rock band. Probably because we were afraid of getting beaten up if we went outside.

Side note:
Trump’s Housing Cuts Spare the One Program He Profits From - Yep! Starret City
Can you say, slum lord?

The Horror

One day, my dad is going to the store and I asked to go for a ride with him. I wanted to get the new Spider-Man comic. Heh. Seriously. But when we got to the store, Big Dave, one of the bullies is there hitting on some cute girl. He was the really nasty evil one; the leader. Yuri was just a follower that watched too many Godfather movies. He beat us up simply because Dave told him to. So I told my dad I didn't want to go in the store. Now my dad was a tough guy born in Brooklyn. He worked on a truck. So I sort of died inside by refusing to go into the store with him, but Big Dave and Yuri had been torturing my buddies and I for months. They were terrifying. They did drugs, they even tried to run us over. If they caught us they would punch or slap the shit out of us, so we ran like pussies! It was like, if one of us got scared --- we all got scared and took off. Mass hysteria. Just writing about this is reminding me of what a shit hole Starret City was. It was even worse the last time I was there.

"Let me guess...you didn't buy the comic book about me...a superhero? Wow you are a pussy. Okay, continue..."

Aye! Okay, back to the store. My dad doesn't say a word. He just sort of tries not to be pissed off at me, but he was clearly frustrated. I felt so awful as I waited in the car while my dad was in the store, and I tried my best not to look at Big Dave who was still outside talking to the cute girl. A few minutes later I see my dad checking him out and listening for a bit. He gets back in the car and looks at me, and then he says, "Listen. He's trying to impress that girl by talking shit. He's bragging about how he beat the shit out of someone and stole their car." Yeah umm dad, he probably did, I thought. Kill me now. Then he continues, "Hey kiddo, don't run next time. If he has to say all that just to pick up a girl, he's full of shit. Trust me. He is completely full of shit."

_{Source: NY Magazine}

The next day I thought, What if my dad is right? I told my band mates what happened and we made a pact. "Let's not run next time. Let's face them and see what happens."

Run To The Hills!

Okay, this part is rather funny and should be in a movie. The very next day, my friends and I are walking up the avenue and all of a sudden a huge white Cadillac screeches by us and Big Dave screams at the top of his voice, "Yuri, stop the fuckin' car! There they are!!" Oh my goodness. My heart started pounding. This time they were out searching for us! That had never happened before. I swear to God, Dave jumps out of the moving car and races right toward me, as I whisper to my friends, "Remember, don't run." But they were nowhere to be found! They left me. They were already half way up the block! Hahaha. Then I hear Dave yell to Yuri, "Go get them and beat the shit out of them. Hold them for me!"

Brace For Impact
And then without missing a beat Dave slams into me full force, like a linebacker and knocks the wind out of me. But he didn't punch me. He seemed confused. He cocked his head sideways and wondered why I didn't run. Then he shoves me and calls me some names, and says, "Oh, you're a tough guy now? You wanna fight ME?" He shoves me again, and again, so I shove him back this time. He had no moves or anything. I mean I already knew boxing and basic street fighting (as a sport). Maybe my dad was right. Maybe he didn't really know how to fight? But he was strong and much bigger than me. The next thing I know we are on the ground going at it, and I am literally fighting for my life. My punches didn't even phase him, but he's not even hitting me back. He was just trying to get control of me with brute force, and keep me down. Then he tried choking me! But I broke away, got up and said as loud as I could, "STOP! Just STOP!", and he just looked bewildered again. Remember, I was 12 years old, and he's pretty much a grown man who just stole a Cadillac. I said, "Why the fuck are you always trying to beat us up? If you like to fight, why don't you come to my school? Help me fight all the bullies from East New York." I honestly had no idea I was going to say that. It just came out. I guess I was trying to talk my way out of getting seriously injured. He really did look terrifying at that moment.

Then he looks at me and says, "Whaaaat? You're having trouble with the NI**ERS at school? REALLY?? Fugghedaboutit. I'll be there tomorrow! I'll help you kick the living shit outta them!"

We're Not Gonna Take it!

Later I ran into my friends who were clearly shaken up a bit, but no blood was spilled or anything. I told them what had happened. Big Dave and Yuri never bothered us again. Dave never showed up to fight with me at school either, but I knew that. My dad was right. Dave was full of shit. They only tried beating us up simply because they were bullies, and we were little kids.

Still, that day changed my life. I fought harder at school. Even if four or five black kids jumped me after class, I fought back as hard as I could. I usually got my ass kicked, but I also won a few times. And I honestly didn't care what color they were. They were just assholes to me. Anyone who starts a fight for absolutely no good reason is an asshole. After all, the much older white guys were so much worse in Starret Shitty.

A few years ago, a cop friend told me that Big Dave died in prison, and Yuri was "a nobody...in and out of jail."

I Won't Back Down
There is no moral to this story and I don't know what I would do if I had a kid being bullied. Karate lessons, perhaps? What would you do? How would you protect your kids from bullies? Running away helped me learn to (eventually) stand my ground. Thanks to my father, I decided enough was enough. Rest in Peace, Dad. You are greatly missed. ~

_{Everyone on the trains in New York always looked traumatized to me.}

Thanks for reading! More to come.
@magick323