Subway Assault Video Real Deal Or Hoax?

The Skinny: Cops Probe Dramatic Taped Beat-Down On New York City "A" Train

(CBS)  The Skinny is Keach Hagey's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.

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For a brief moment during a video that circulated through yesterday's news cycle, it looked like New York City had returned to its 1970s - when roving packs of teenagers prowled the subways attacking law abiding strap hangers.

In the video, a group of teenage girls menace, scream at, insult, threaten and eventually pummel a seated lone man on the A train.

Considering that it's 2007, not 1977, it's a bit odd that such violence occurred, and even odder that it happened to be caught on tape - and immediately posted to YouTube on Nov. 7 by aspiring teenage Harlem filmmaker Kadejra Holmes.

It's so odd, in fact, that the Smoking Gun website questioned Holmes about it via an Internet chat. She said she just happened to be on the train when the assault occurred and didn't know the attackers.

However, "Minutes after being asked by TSG about the train video, Holmes, 17, deleted the footage (and her entire page) from YouTube," writes Smoking Gun editor William Bastone.

Several newspapers picked up the story, including the New York Post.

Police told the Daily News they were trying to identify the alleged culprits and victim.

The paper reported that police were also looking into the possibility that the whole film was no more of a documentary than "The Warriors."

One-Third Of Americans Would Deny Illegal Immigrants Social Services

What ever happened to "give us your tired, your poor"?

One-third of Americans want to deny social services, including public schooling and emergency room healthcare, to illegal immigrants, the Los Angeles Times reports.

According to a LA Times/Bloomberg poll, a strong bipartisan majority - 60 percent - favors allowing illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements.

That makes it just about impossible for candidates to take a stance that's going to do them any political good, the paper suggests. That hunch is confirmed by a bit more polling, which found that neither party heads into 2008 with an advantage on the issue.

Those surveyed were evenly split on which of the two major parties would do a better job handling immigration: 31 percent chose Republicans and 30 percent picked Democrats. By contrast, a June 2006 poll showed 34 percent favoring Democrats and only 23 percent preferring Republicans.

More Than One-Third Of Entrepreneurs Are Dyslexic

If your little Johnny can't read well or sit still, don't freak out just yet. Chances are good that he'll end up running his own business and out-earning his more bookish siblings.

There's been anecdotal evidence building up for years that dyslexic people have a knack for running their own businesses, but today's New York Times delivers some of the first hard data.

A new study found that more than a third of the entrepreneurs surveyed identified themselves as dyslexic. It also concluded that dyslexics were more likely than nondyslexics to delegate authority, excel in oral communication and problem solving and were twice as likely to own two more businesses.

"The willingness to delegate authority give them a significant advantage over nondyslexic entrepreneurs, who tend to view their business as their baby and like to be in total control," said Julie Logan, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in London, who compiled the report.

"I get bored easily, and that's a great motivator," said Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko's. "I think everybody should have dyslexia and A.D.D."

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[antoniof123]

I don''t think the Republicans would do a better job because they allowed it to come to this and are now using it for a wedge issue. They had how many years to fix it and did nothing so it goes to reason they can''t fix it just want to use it to divide American as always. Besides that is not the important thing in America today fix the more important things first.

[lboyd56]

Where are all the Reverends? You know, Al and Jessie. They should be screaming about this.

[cryonbrian]

I watched the tape and it looked like it was being staged.

[klingon69]

Besides that is not the important thing in America today fix the more important things first.
Posted by antoniof123 at 10:51 AM : Dec 06, 2007
Hmmm, First I doubt that 60 percent wanted to give them citizenship. If that was the case then the ill-fated amnesty bill would''ve passed. Secondly, according to a LA Times/Bloomberg poll??? LA, a city with one of the highest ILLEGAL populations, a sanctuary city. Of course they would have skewed numbers on their polls. Third, at least 1/3 of the citizenry (if this article is to be believed) consider this to be a major issue.

"According to a LA Times/Bloomberg poll, a strong bipartisan majority - 60 percent - favors allowing illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements."

Uh, excuse me, but coming here illegally is a crime, staying here illegally is a crime, working here illegally is a crime. Of course many of these illegals are repeats, meaning they have been picked up and deported befoe, so their coming back makes it a felony. No the best idea, is to aggressively pursue and prosecute the businesses/owners/managers...etc that are responsible for hiring illegals. Cut any and all fed funding to sanctuary cities. Prosecute mayors/governors who declare sanctuary cities/states. Remove the tax exemptions for churches who harbor, aid and/or abet these illegals. Deny any and all benefits to illegals.

[racam_us]

At the time this phrase was coined, the United States was forming and had room for immigrants. The people coming in were willing to go to school and learn the rules that we lived by and much of the language. The immigrants now are not willing to adopt to the way of life that America affords, not are they willing to learn the language. Also, America is not in the process of forming now and people here are living longer and we don''t have the means to give as much to people as we once did. Are Americans afforded the same advantages if we travel to another country such as Mexico? Do they make the language available to us as we do here? Definitely not.

[tnolley-2009]

"One-Third Of Americans Would Deny Illegal Immigrants Social Services What ever happened to give us your tired, your poor?"

Give me a break Keach Hagey!!!

What is it you whiners don''t understand about the word ILLEGAL?!?!?!?

They are here ILLEGALLY. They DO NOT DESERVE TO EVEN BE HERE, let alone suck up OUR social services.

They are, by definition, CRIMINALS.

America still stands for give us your tired your poor, etc. But the huddled masses yearning to live free need to GET IN LINE and WAIT THEIR TURN and DO IT LEGALLY!

[tnolley-2009]

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Posted by lboyd56 at 11:06 AM : Dec 06, 2007
"Where are all the Reverends? You know, Al and Jessie. They should be screaming about this."
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They aren''t shrieking about this because there were no white people oppressing black people and that is all they care about (be the "oppression" real or concocted)

Sheesh, haven''t you learned anything from America ;)

[krenz4]

Why should " the reverends'' as you called them be screaming about this? Once again, "the reverends'' DO NOT represent black people as you seem to believe they do. "the reverends'' are busy pursuing other, more pressing agendas that are more relevant to the community that they do represent and serve. NO ONE is going to do a D A M N thing about illegal immigration in this country, as long as the ''upper strata'' of American society needs them to clean their toliets and make them rich picking fruit. The reasons that black people may, or may not oppose illegal immigration are so much different than those of the white American population,you would not even begin to grasp! No one has dared find out what other minorities in American have to say about THAT. But I digress. The point I wanted to make is, If Jesse and Al throw their two cents into this debate, it will be because Jesse or Al have something to say, but just try to get it into your mind that they are NOT speaking for the Black race. Black people have not ''chosen'' either one for ''our leader''. That was Y''all that gave them that title. Black folks have known for a long time that white folks are more comfortable when the ''black leader'' is a buffoon, but sorry, no such luck on these two.

[straycat9451]

Looked like every other fake video on the internet. Why the sudden interest? Didn''t the press notice the other 20,000 videos on the net just like this one where one person gets beat up by a bunch of gangsters? Guess I''m the only one paying attention

[grebnark]

You want the real deal, instead of a hoax,
check out baltimore
sorry no video, you have to read

http://www.examiner.com/a-1089067~Woman_beaten_on_bus.html

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.beating06dec06,0,5412204.story

[sbb2211]

Looks like Hillary was late to her latest photo op. I guess that she was too busy wallowing in the glory of facing off against a ''real'' terrorist with road flares taped to his chest.

She got that poor, sick man to hold her people hostage. Then she leaped in front of the camera to announce that she would head there AFTER her photo op to console the victims that she cares for so. But not care as much for as a photo op. Next week, they will be reporting that Hillary actully WAS there and disarmed the man by biting his n.ts off.

That man MUST have been insane. Only someone INSANE would trust Hillary to help with HEALTH CARE!

snort, giggle, i think I hurt myself laughing when that was reported as the reason he wanted to see Hillary!

And no, I do not hate Senator Clinton. I just find it impossible to take her seriously. If I could just know what SIDE of an issue she is on this week, maybe. But we all KNOW that will NEVER happen.

[vilhelmshmoo]

I grew up in NY and lived on the subways between Manhattan and the Bronx. This bs went on 24 hrs a day.

You''d get a "pack" of these criminal bullies walking down the train,*** with anyone who looked old, decrepit or drunk. If you were by yourself nine times out''ve ten you just returned the stare and they were off to the next car to screw with more docile prey. If you were more than one they just kept moving.

Bernie Goetz had it right.