Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 18, 1990 TAG: 9006180060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
Some of the incidents reportedly have involved groups of whites attacking and harassing blacks. But police say the prevailing pattern is groups of 10 to 15 blacks assaulting groups of three or fewer whites.
The attacks apparently began in early April. Some weekends have been marred by four or five assaults. On one night, three separate groups were identified, said police Capt. Clyde D. Hathaway.
Police were unable to give an exact count of the attacks. In several cases, victims did not file reports, because they were out-of-town visitors who didn't want to bother with prosecution. In those instances, the only recorded accounts are internal police memos, which are not available to the public.
Since May 1 there have been seven signed complaints, police said. Six were instances of blacks attacking whites and the seventh was a case of whites attacking blacks.
Most of those arrested are between the ages of 15 and 18 and come from South Hampton Roads. They typically walk along the Boardwalk or Atlantic Avenue in groups, often setting off a fight by elbowing or circling and taunting a bystander.
In a 3 a.m. incident just over a week ago, about 45 black youths jumped three white sailors. The assailants ran when a motorcycle policeman came upon the scene.
"It was very fortunate that the crowd let him through," Hathaway said.
Darrell Huffman, 19, of Northern Virginia said he and two friends were walking on the Boardwalk about 10:30 p.m. April 28 when they came upon a group of teen-agers sitting on benches and leaning against railings.
Huffman said no one in his group said anything to the youths before they surrounded him and his friends and attacked them.
Huffman said they threw him down and "wouldn't let me up. They just kept kicking me and hitting me." Huffman missed two week's work because of bruised kidneys and three cracked ribs, he said.
Police officers have been told not to discuss the conflicts because of their highly sensitive nature. "We are closely monitoring the situation and have increased patrols in the resort area," said Police Chief Charles R. Wall in a prepared statement.
The attacks have drawn much attention from city officials and community volunteers planning for Laborfest '90, the Labor Day weekend festival expected to attract thousands of young blacks. Organizers said they may meet soon to discuss efforts to reach out into black neighborhoods and discourage more violence.
"If - and I underscore if - there are neighborhoods where there is a concentration of activity, I think we need to get into those neighborhoods with individuals . . . that can provide role models, an image they can respect and look up to, and begin to relate to them," said C. Oral Lambert Jr., the public works director and a primary Laborfest organizer.
Daniel M. Stone, the city's director of social services and another Laborfest organizer, said he hopes to help assemble a small panel of community advocates to discuss ways to stop the violence.
"Let's study the facts," Stone said. "Let's see where these kids are coming from, their ages, let's see if we can know their parents. Let's get together a group of key people . . . who are concerned and have skills that can be brought to bear on this problem."
by CNB