On a street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn nearly four years ago, Andrew Charles was beaten. Then 20 years old, Charles was allegedly maced and bludgeoned with a baton. Yitzchak Shuchat, a member of the Shmira, a Hasidic community patrol in Crown Heights, is charged with the crime.
Hasidic Man To Be Tried For Crown Heights Beating
On a street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn nearly four years ago, Andrew Charles was beaten. Then 20 years old, Charles was allegedly maced and bludgeoned with a baton. Yitzchak Shuchat, a member of the Shmira, a Hasidic community patrol in Crown Heights, is charged with the crime.
Since then, Charles, according to his mother Wendy Craigg, has not recovered in spirit.
“It’s like he gave up on life. He gave up on himself, because of what happened to him,” said Craigg.
The beating brought back memories, triggering tensions that exploded during the deadly Crown Heights riots 20 years ago.
Then the neighborhood was splintered, divided between the black and Hasidic communities.
“Since then and now, a lot has changed,” said Craigg.
Shuchat was now extradited from Israel to stand trial in Brooklyn on hate crime charges.
”If he was not guilty of what he did, then he would not have fled in the first place,“ said Craigg.
Charles’ family is relieved.
”I think [Andrew] is happy now, because he is going to get some sort of closure to the situation,“ said Craigg.
The Brooklyn district attorney’s office could not say when Shuchat would arrive back in the borough.
Community leaders do not fear the trial will aggravate racial tensions that have been gradually dissipating.
”I think the level of hostility has de-escalated in the community because now people are beginning to understand each other,“ said the Reverend Taharka Robinson of the Brooklyn Anti-Violence Coalition.
Jewish leaders agree.
”We’ve worked to introduce the leaders to one another and it’s not as if people were living in two separate communities that just happened to be one house next to another. They really know they have a shared neighborhood, a shared community, a shared fate,” said David Pollock of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
Twenty years after the Crown Heights riots and nearly four years after the beating of Andrew Charles, activists say Crown Heights has come a long way and they now say it is one community.
Not acceptable!!!!!
Are you kidding?? is this a joke? at least 20 Jews got beaten by Blacks and not once was there a trial… just maybe 4 days in jail. And here 1 time a black gets beaten and now a whole trial…. How is that considered equal rights? I believe if s/o does something wrong they should get punished for it, but it can’t be one sided…. how can the Jewish Leaders agree to this????
to #1
I AGREE W/ U 100%
AD MOSAI
MOSHIACH NOW
hypocrisy
“how can the Jewish Leaders agree to this????”
Better yet, when six of our own were standing trial, why didn’t our Jewish leaders come out against that Mesira?
Even better yet, how come the same people who “support” Shuchat, are the same people who supported six Jews facing trail (with a 15 plus year possible jail sentence)?
Bottom Line, (as they said two years ago), if he didn’t do anything then hell be ok, if hes guilty then he deserves to go to jail.
unless someone can intellectually (not emotions) explain the difference between this case and the case from two years ago (of the Shomrim Six)?
I wonder
I think we need to prove them wrong… we should fight for his freedom of the black will see they can get away with MURDER while the Jews suffer…. If a black would have done it to a Jew which they did to Iris’s son they got away with it.. Here a Jew defended himself and wont get away with it… what is wrong with this picture i wounder..
think about it
if he was innocent why did he flee the country???
Dovi
If a black man beat up a Jew and fled to Africa would he be extradited from Africa to the USA to stand trial and go to jail
want peace
“It’s like he gave up on life. He gave up on himself, because of what happened to him,” said Craigg.
thats what that mother said. Now, I want to know…..if we can look at the statistics, and see how many Jews were murdered, beaten, whatever, and….did we give up ? No, we keep going on.
100 percent that nobody has a right to beat up another person, but to make her son like he was emotionally damaged from this? What was he before it happened? Is he really so emotionally different?
R- Shlomo In Eretz Yisroel
Regarding comment #4 Iris Sherman’s SON was mugged his bike tossed aside . Beaten to the face and head to such an “extent” that his JAW was broken! Hadto be WIRED SHUT his food had to be “blended” and FED THROUGH A TUBE &/or STRAW! Afted being mugged & beaten was TOSSED UNDER…. A CAR !!
WHY WAS THIS NOT CONSIDERED A…. HATE CRIME !!!
R- Shlomo In Eretz Yisroel
Regarding comment #4 Iris Sherman’s SON was mugged his bike tossed aside . Beaten to the face and head to such an “extent” that his JAW was broken! Hadto be WIRED SHUT his food had to be “blended” and FED THROUGH A TUBE &/or STRAW! Afted being mugged & beaten was TOSSED UNDER…. A CAR !!
WHY WAS THIS NOT CONSIDERED A…. HATE CRIME !!!