my classmates and I were attacked last night...

Post Reply New Topic

I actually went out last night. One of my classmates (we're grad students) messaged me asking if I'd like to hang out. There were 4 of us, three of the guys and myself. I'm not normally one for going out on a Friday night, but they kept asking, and I didn't have anything planned.
Anyway, we ended up going to a pub maybe 15 minutes walk from our lab. I'm not much of a drinker and ended up a bit drunk. We had a great time. Then we walked back to the lab.
About a block away from the lab, this car pulled up to the sidewalk and the man in the front seat asked for directions, which one of my friends politely gave him. Then the doors of the car opened and suddenly 5 men were throwing things at us.
The guys were hit with eggs, but me... they threw rocks at me. Rocks! Luckily I was only hit once. I have a nasty swollen fist-size bruise above my left knee. They were yelling something about Polish people. Our group was made up of an irishman, two portuguese, and me - a little american girl of eastern european descent (and I fit the stereotypical appearance). In other words, guess who was probably the intended target...

As if that wasn't bad enough, we called the police, waited over an hour, and they didn't come. We called them again.
The police never showed up.

This happened on university property. There are cameras everywhere. These people could be caught, and the police could care less.

I'm mad at myself now, because I know if I hadn't been drunk, I'd have been more aware and caught the license plate number. But I didn't.

Once the reality hit me as to what had just happened, it took me about an hour to stop crying, I was so scared. The guys opened the doors and came at us and it was like something out of American History X. Now I'm freaked out because of my appearance and the fact that Polish people are being targeted in Belfast. What if I had been alone? What if they had pipes and cricket bats instead of eggs and rocks?

I'm moving into my own flat in two weeks, which I was incredibly excited about, and now I'm terrified of being alone.

Why do bad people have to ruin everything?

that sounds sh***y.

bigotry and blind violence are the worst, and there seems to exist no real precaution against them.

:/

You should be able to go to the university office and report it to campus police since it happened on their property. Then, the campus police will take over the investigation, and they have an easier time getting a hold of the tapes.

It's not going to kill you fear about being out at night, but you'll have done something. Just remember, it was probably a bunch of drunk idiots, and not something that's likely to repeat.

We're working on it, but the entire campus is on break for another week yet, which is making it difficult to get a hold of anyone.



I wouldn't be so sure of that. My current housemates had their cars smashed up last week, and a few days ago some drunk guys stole a dumpster from the mini mart down the street and shoved it in front of my door so i couldn't leave my house (oddly enough, the police responded within about 10 minutes that time... ) And I don't even live in a bad part of the city!
I don't know what's going on, but in the last month or so the entire vibe of this city has completely changed. The fact that I keep getting caught up in it is just bad luck, but that doesn't change the fact that it's awful.

I know it's scary but what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger. And I don't think this should scare you from going out again, you had a great time and then 1 bad thing happens and you probably never want to party again.
This is a great learning experience for you knowing that being in the company of your friends is more valuable and positive then letting that get destroyed by a stupid incident.

Yes the world is scary some times but don't fret.

When I was 15 I got robbed by 2 guys who held me at a location for 15 min I was scared as f**k and coulden't move. I'm still alive.

When I was 19 I went to a club though I didn't want to, my friends wanted me to go so i did. That night I got jumped on the dance floor by 5 guys who totally fist blasted my face and my nose collapsed and shattered. I'm still alive.

When I was 20 I helped my friend who had gotten into trouble with another guy but the security thought I was the aggressor (1,93 m with a serious aspie face) 5 guards jumped me cuz I resisted and they slammed me to the floor (one actually tried to break my thumb in secrecy during my time on the floor) they shoved my hat down over my face and took me to a room where they beat me and had me cuffed. I was a bit shaky and upset buy the fear had gone. I'm still alive.

When I was 21 I stod in a cue to a rock club when a guy behind me shoves me in the back, when I turn around to ask if he can stop, he replies "How the f**k do you think you are?!" and head buts me on my broken nose, I grab him by the collar and plant my elbow in his eyebrow opening it up and coloring his face red. I'm still alive.

Now... the point is that our minds are fragile but our bodies are not. I learned. From being a scared little mouse to not being afraid of anything was quite a transformation and you truly learn and harden from experiencing. (ps. I HATE fighting)

You are still alive.

OMG. That is beyond awful. It's such a terrifying feeling to be the victim of a hate crime.

I'm polish, I wish I was there.

My babcia and dziadzio used to tell me horrible stories from before they came to Canada. Dziadzio would still kick some butt if he had to and he was in his 90's.

Haha sounds awesome they won't let stuff like that slide. I have polish relatives in Canada but I have never spoken to them except my grandfathers brother who was visiting not to long ago. Kazik was his name.

That's awful, andriarose.

My cousin's grandad is Polish, and once during an immigration debate at school, I told people this. BIG MISTAKE. There were these two boys who were the most bigoted human beings I've ever met, and they were constantly making racial slurs after that. Erroneously, because it was my cousin's grandad on the side of her family that isn't related to my mother, so technically I don't even have any Polish blood. But it's the same difference to ignorant people like that.

That must have been really scary for you. I hope you're not too badly hurt.

Is pepper spray legal where you live? If you dont know what that is, it is a self defense spray you spray into the persons face, the effects are only temporary on the person, but believe me, they will back off and probably run screaming after a spray with this stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_spray
Here in most of the US, this stuff is legal, and if someone is gonna throw rocks at me, there gonna regret it!! !! (unless they pull a gun, in that case you run like hell)

Okay, so I just looked it up and pepper spray is not allowed in the UK, but the alternative is dye spray. Not sure how effective it is, but is suppesd to achive the same affect of temporarly blinding the person

What a way to think. I wouldn't care what so ever what is legal or not... if some brain dead fool is coming at you and wants to harm you YOU SPRAY HIM! f**k the law, broken ass system created by broken ass NT's. If someone is harming you, protect yourself.

I can't believe this, no offense roadracer but if someone wants me harm I would first protect myself then thought about the law. Like the law cares about you when you're in a body bag.

scenario:

A) A guy comes at you with a knife. He yells at you to give him your money. You tell him sure and when he's close enough you spray him and he falls to the ground. Then you become the predator and stomp his balls so that he can never reproduce again.

B) The guy comes at you with a knife. You have nothing to defend yourself with. The guy takes your cash and leaves. You cry.

B½) Same as B but the guy ends up stabbing you to death. Your dead, he's "rich" and your parents are crying their eyes out and cursing the world. At least you followed the law.

If the case is that the pepper spray has damaged the robbers eyes then he shouldn't have tried to fucken rob you!

...and so again, f**k the law and the horse it rode in on.

I agree with this, but unfortunately in the UK even carrying a weapon (pepper spray counts) is illegal. So if you a carrying something "just in case", and nobody's actually done anything to you YET, you are the only person commiting a crime. I know, it's f'd up. Something has to be done about those evil bastards running this nation.

Then you carry it anyway... yes BREAK THE LAW 24/7.
If you have a purse, keep it there.

Don't spray the class bully or some stupid crap, but when someone really nasty is going for you then I rather have you spray him in the face then take the negative projection of his miserable life.

I am sorry to hear that you were attacked in the street. The people who threw things at you sounds like real low lifes.

I would warn people against the idea that a gun / pepper spray / knife / angry dog / rubber chicken or what ever you might think to carry will make you perfectly safe. I think that many weapons are not nearly as good as the makers would like you to think. Also if you get caught with a knife or pepper spray somewhere like London you could end up in a world of trouble.