Brutally Beaten in Recoleta

[Matt84]

Saturday 3am, more commonly known as last Friday night.

Returning from a good friend's place, I do the stupid, unnecessary thing of telling the cabbie to drop me on the corner - might as well walk a block, right?

Wrong. Crossing Pueyredon at Vicente Lopez, meters away from the British Embassy, fantastic part of the "best" neighborhood of the city, someone asks me for a cigarette which I didn't have (yes in the middle of the avenue, this should not come as a surprise by now). After crossing and getting into the small strip of plaza that separates Pueyredon from Agote, I suddenly feel a sturdy object being blown against the back of my head. Knocks me down.

I don't lose consciousness but when I rise again I realize I've been hit by an empty beer bottle from behind, and I find four brown youngsters ripping my pockets apart. One kept asking for more money while the others ran away after I somehow resisted the beating (which continued and left me with a nice cut right between my eyes).

When I could properly stand in my two feet I found myself phoneless, cashless, (luckily I wasn't carrying my passport and they didn't take my keys!) and surrounded by the oh so beautiful architecture and pricey outlets of one of the two most chic areas of Recoleta.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Obviously I feel bad that this happened to you, but I'm not surprised. It's a horrible experience, but what can you do? I'm happy that you weren't hurt too badly.

I've never had anything like this happen, and I'll certainly be more cognizant of this when I'm back. Thanks for sharing.

 

[EvergreenGal]

I too am so sorry for you terrible assault! It's not what he could have done it's what the Government doesn't do!!! Crime has been on the rise for the past few years and is getting worse everyday...no matter the area of the city!

Again, it's "youing kids", who have no fear of the law as the law doesn't punish them for their crimes...so they just continue their crimes!

How many people need to be beaten...robbed at gun point....or worse killed "after" they have handed over a few pesos and a cell phone?

The police do little...the Govenrment does less....it's a loose, loose situation and unless the laws are changed and the youth and other criminals are punished accordinglly.. things will only get worse before they get better.

Thankfully you walked away from your assault...you are one of the lucky ones...but again...this should never have happened to you!!!

 

[cocteauuk]

Sorry for what happened to you Matt84, I experienced something similar where I got beaten because I didn't want to give my phone to some guys jumped on me and hit me with something blunt.

That didnt happen in Bs As, it happened in London 2 years ago on a train at 8 pm. There was a camera on the train but the police haven't found my mobile or the culprits.

Funny eh? This crap is happening in all big cities and the same argument came up , they cannot be arrested because they are just kids(!).

Again mate , sorry that has happened to you man.

 

[SaraSara]

Sorry about your painful experience.

A friend's niece and her fiancee were held up at gunpoint in the corner of Ayacucho and Quintana, and stripped to their underwear. Thankfully, they were not harmed.

From what I hear, La Recoleta is now one the muggers' favorite hunting grounds. That's where the rich people are, and the infamous Villa 31 is just a few blocks away - out of sight behind abandoned railroad buildings, but there.

Sara

 

[Neil]

And where are the PFA or the new Metropolitan Police...??? Chatting on their cell-phones, gawking at the girls, hanging out in air-cond stores/restaurants....

Doing their best to be invisible......

 

[bloody_bloo]

I find four brown youngsters ripping my pockets apart.

I'm very sorry you had to go through that, but brown youngsters? How is color relevant?

Recoleta, San Telmo, Palermo, Downtown had grown into a petty crime den under police's noses and the primary target are foreigners and distracted people, most of them act like magnets to this kind of bastards.

There's a whole business going on between the police that clears the zones and the untouchable "paco" addicted kids that control the late night and early mornings streets. Mainly this is because you can't prosecute this kids and in most cases prosecutors end up freeing criminals and police work turns to be futile.

 

[orwellian]

When they asked you for a cigarette, did you answer: "no" or "no, no fumo"?

 

[Matt84]

Sorry for what happened to you Matt84, I experienced something similar where I got beaten because I didn't want to give my phone to some guys jumped on me and hit me with something blunt.

That didnt happen in Bs As, it happened in London 2 years ago on a train at 8 pm. There was a camera on the train but the police haven't found my mobile or the culprits.

Funny eh? This crap is happening in all big cities and the same argument came up , they cannot be arrested because they are just kids(!).

Again mate , sorry that has happened to you man.

Don't you love those useless cameras? Well this happened meters away from British Soil - we may see a pattern.

And where are the PFA or the new Metropolitan Police...??? Chatting on their cell-phones, gawking at the girls, hanging out in air-cond stores/restaurants....

Doing their best to be invisible......

There's one on that corner but I figured he only gets paid to look at that Café, and unfortunately the Café that pays for Public Security was close at that time.

I'm very sorry you had to go through that, but brown youngsters? How is color relevant?

Recoleta, San Telmo, Palermo, Downtown had grown into a petty crime den under police's noses and the primary target are foreigners and distracted people, most of them act like magnets to this kind of bastards.

There's a whole business going on between the police that clears the zones and the untouchable "paco" addicted kids that control the late night and early mornings streets. Mainly this is because you can't prosecute this kids and in most cases prosecutors end up freeing criminals and police work turns to be futile.

Thanks. I'm just trying to be as specific and detailed as I can remember. With all the influx of West Africans I wouldn't want anyone to think that it was those people who attacked me!

When they asked you for a cigarette, did you answer: "no" or "no, no fumo"?

I shrugged, opened my hands and mummbled "n'tengo"

Thanks everybody. It hurts less after sharing. Recoleta sucks.

 

[orwellian]

Thanks. I'm just trying to be as specific and detailed as I can remember. With all the influx of West Africans I wouldn't want anyone to think that it was those people who attacked me!

In Spain most people who rob you are North Africans. I have never seen or heard of a West African who robbed anyone there. In fact, there was one North African "illegal immigrant" who found 30 000 euros in a brief case and handed it into the police.