Swans, Tents and Murder threats in Finsbury Park.

Detritus

So Miss Annie went to the chip shop a few days ago jumps on her bike and rides via the park as she like to look at the birds on the lake. She gets home to tell me a group of lads around 16 years old were throwing stones and rocks at the swans. Annie being Annie told them to stop, where they proceeded to chase her and and said they would hold her down and drop rocks on her head and murder her. When she got home we called the police and went back over the park to see if we could find them. We didn't but the police were there. Today cycling past the lake I was about 20m ahead of Annie when she called me back 2 of the group were there and she heard them say 'ha ha thats the women from the other night' they came towards her not realising I was with her. One stood his ground and had a semi intelligent conversation but the other just ran away after I got a little angry and got off my bike. Thats a coward. Happy to threaten a woman but not happy to stand up to a man. And whats with the campsite on the slope next to the Oxford Road bridge?

miss annie

It was very unpleasant and frightening. They were hanging about on the opposite side of the lake to the cafe, seems like regular hangout - there is rarely anything resembling a park keeper about to keep an eye. I don't scare easily but it does feel like there is a bit of edginess in Finsbury Park now that hasn't been there for a while. And yes, what the hell is going on with the campsite? Two tents up permanently now!

Mirandola

Not good at all. Thank you for challenging them Miss Annie and very sorry/angry you were threatened. Has the park seen staff cuts?

vetski

V. sorry to hear that, Annie - very nasty. There's rarely a keeper around because there's only 1 permanent keeper for the whole 115 acres (council budget cuts...), and police presence seems rare. Lynn's other half has been lobbying the police for more of a presence there, and IIRC they've said they will patrol more often. I'm going to draw this thread to their attention.

Stella

My gosh, Annie, that's awful! What scumbags! First off, throwing stones at the animals and then not even realising their error, but instead threatening you! Results of people not bringing up their brut properly. What world do we live in? Now you can't even feel safe in the park anymore, in fear of them bastards pulling you off your bike one day. Please don't go there on your own until they've gone. Problem is that the police would probably not do anything (as usual) until something serious happens. And you, Detritus, be careful, too. I know you're a big guy, but even a big guy can be shot and stabbed. Those kids have no sense of value for life.<br><br>Oh, that riled me up right to the ceiling. Really, really sorry to hear this.<br>

Mirandola

Not good at all. Thank you for challenging them Miss Annie and very sorry/angry you were threatened. Has the park seen staff cuts?

Mirandola

Sorry for double post.

Detritus

The one who ran away was trying to threaten me by picking up a stone and tossing it from hand to hand. If someone has something to say to me be it bad or good I would rather have it said to my face but he was just a coward, and sad as it sounds I can see him getting locked up in the near future.

Helicon

Groups of kids like this are always a problem during the summer holidays, they are just bored. I'm sorry they gave you such a fright, hopefully the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team can help if they keep going back to the same spot?<br>

JoeV

@Helicon - I'm bored too and perhaps a few others here as well, shall we all come over to yours and throw rocks at you and threaten to stone you to death...if you're lucky maybe we'll even chase you down while we relieve our tedium. This goes beyond youthful hijinks, it's criminal.<br>

Helicon

I wasn't justifying their behaviour! If you want have that kind of reactionary argument I'm sure you'll find plenty of entertainment on the Daily Mail website.<br>

JoeV

I don't read the Daily Mail so I have no reason to go to their website. I do frequent this website and though I don't know Miss Annie or Detritus, from what they post I think it must have been quite serious if they felt the need to involve the police.<br><br>Throwing rock as swans, that's boredom and cruel (at any age). Chasing a person down is altogether something else.<br><br><br>

Detritus

I agree if I had been with her I would more than likely waded in and in all probability got arrested. I act first and think later. It's indicative of some in society today who think it is perfectly acceptable to throw things at nesting birds then threaten to kill someone who tells them to stop. The fact they chased her angers me more, she was on a bike so could get away but what if it had been an oap or someone with a pram/pushchair? Sorry but the little shits deserve a punch and I was very very close to doing just that yesterday but where does looking after your own end and pure violence start? I will always stand up if I see something I think is wrong. But sometimes its better to swallow the shit than create more.

Detritus

But next time no, I am sick to death of hearing stuff like this and we have no come back its just put down to being bored. We live in central london for god sake are people seriously saying there is nothing to do?

JoeV

I woke up cranky this morning, hence my sarcastic reply to Helicon. I could have been more engaging in my reply but the sentiment remains.<br><br>Yesterday I was in Yesir Helim and there's a note up behind the counter stating they will not accept people being abusive to their staff. This is in a bakery. Do we, the public, really need to be told not to scream, shout and curse the person working behind the bread counter? How could a loaf of bread or a cream cake provoke someone? There's something wrong here. You can say that's just how the world is nowadays but it bothered me (obviously).<br><br>Detritus, I'm very sorry you and Miss Annie had to go through this. Miss Annie, when you said there was a certain edginess in FP, I think you're right. There's something elusive in the air. I thought it was just my perception but there it is. Anyway, my apologies for hijacking the thread.<br><br>

Detritus

Don't apologise I think you are correct

miss annie

<P>Thank you everyone for your support. </P> <P>I know that teenagers are bored, it's a fact of teenage life unless your parents are loaded, and I used to loiter about in the park with my friends when I was a teenager too. I don't buy boredom as a reason to intimidate, chase and threaten murder to anyone, especially a fairly small lady on a bike. </P> <P>As JoeV asks, have we really got to a stage where it is acceptable to have a tantrum and be aggressive every time someone confronts us or tells us that we may not be in the right, or that we might have to wait for something or that life isn't always going to go our way? </P> <P> </P>

TheMimsy

Miss Annie<div><br></div><div>Sorry to hear this has happened to you  and I agree with you: boredom is not an excuse to threaten and intimidate people.</div><div>I would drop Safer Neighborhood a line/give them a call.</div>

Stella

Absolutely agree that boredom isn't an excuse. It's summer, if you're bored call your friends, bring a football/baskeball; kick it around or throw some baskets. Don't throw stones at defenseless creatures and certainly don't threaten people who tell you right from wrong, because you obviously aren't able to distinguish those two, to murder them. Those guys probably have an IQ of a pea and the only way to feel good about themselves is when others are scared. <br>

marko

<span style="font-weight: normal; ">Having tried to report an incident in the park before, I came to the conclusion it is not part of any of local Safer Neighbourhood teams.    If any Police are reading: </span><b>It needs to be.</b> 

ChangN4N6

Can we ask/tell the Cllrs around SG and the park to join this forum. They are nearly always silent on local issues, and on this sort of thing we need LEADERSHIP. Imagine what would happen if this was Regents Park, the cops and the local officials would be all over it. The vandals are breaking the law attacking animals and rspb should prosecute,. More than this we need a vigilante team to bash em Chang

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

ChangN4N6

This is where bus conductors could be useful. Why did they stop having them on that route ? I heard of another racial assault on a white girl on the 29 - it does seem one to avoid whether or not you are stuck up (and I'm not saying MC is). The tube is generally better . But not always . Chang Ps Annie u should go to your local Cllr and get them to progress it. Even the MP

gardener-joe

...

krappyrubsnif

<br>

miss annie

Detritus did say in his first post that we called the police. I don't have any complaints about the way they dealt with it. I am very unhappy about the complete lack of park staff, especially given that Haringey must have raked in several hundred thousand pounds for pimping the park out to The Stone Roses, handing over sports facilities to private companies etc.

krappyrubsnif

Wasn't there a kind of parks police office in the park buildings at one time - with a police van that patrolled? The local councils must have had a hand in organising and funding that and then presumably cutting it back to nothing. So where has all that parks event money gone?

Detritus

As annie said the police did everything we asked of them they were fine, the lack of any parks police is the problem.

Stella

It's outrageous that we need to call for the presence of police. They have to pick up the pieces of shite their parents created. Not good. At all.<br>

Idoru

You have to wonder what kind of parents bring up children who think this kind of behaviour is acceptable. <br><br>miss annie, I'm so glad you're OK. Please try to not let this put you off using the park. <br>

miss annie

I won't let anything put me off using the park. I was trotting about dicey parts of the world before they were born, I've no intention of allowing teenage bullies and cowards to decide where I can go. I would like to say thanks again for all the support here. I tweeted the info to la Featherstone but don't imaginr she'll be bothered. I really would like to know where all the money from renting out the park goes.