Mayor Michael A. Nutter, telling marauding black youths you have damaged your own race, imposed a tougher curfew Monday in response to the latest flash mob spontaneous groups of teens who attack people at random on the streets of the citys tourist and fashionable shopping districts.
Take those God-darn hoodies down, especially in the summer, Mr. Nutter, the citys third black mayor, said in an angry lecture aimed at black teens. Pull your pants up and buy a belt cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.
In the past two years, the City of Brotherly Love has been the scene of several flash mobs in which youths meet at planned locations by texting one another and then commit assorted mayhem.
In one episode, teens knocked down passers-by on a Center City street and entered an upscale department store where they assaulted shoppers. On another occasion, hundreds of teens gathered in a restaurant district and menaced patrons, forcing some restaurant owners to lock customers inside temporarily for their own protection or to close early.
In the latest event July 29, about 20 to 30 youths descended on Center City after dark, then punched, beat and robbed bystanders. One man was kicked so savagely that he was hospitalized with a fractured skull. Police arrested four people, including an 11-year-old.
Other cities have grappled with the problem of destructive flash mobs. In Chicago on Memorial Day weekend, roving teens flashed gang signs, knocked cyclists off their bikes and harassed picnickers. Police closed a popular beach as the violence escalated.
In January, dozens of young people stormed a popular Milwaukee mall late in the afternoon and scared customers and store employees.
In the District of Columbia, about 20 teenagers entered the G-Star Raw store on Connecticut Avenue at Dupont Circle in April and stole about $20,000 worth of merchandise before fleeing.