‘Flash mob’ rumors don't pan out

After online rumors stoked fears Wednesday of yet another potential flash mob - this time at 40th and Market Streets - police told businesses there to close, parked cruisers in the middle of street and stationed officers at each corner.

No large, destructive group of teenagers materialized. Still, the police mobilization showed the city's heightened sensitivity to the phenomenon of flash mobs, which have struck Center City and South Street four times since December, fueling worries that the gatherings are harming businesses and the city's image.

Just hours earlier, Mayor Nutter, flanked by about 40 uniformed officers and joined by the police commissioner and the district attorney, held a news conference in Headhouse Square to announce, once again, that the city will not tolerate the recent misbehavior.

Nutter punctuated his dual messages - to reassure the public and to castigate parents for their lack of supervision - with exasperation when asked what preventative measures the city could take and what he thought was motivating the teens.

"I ran for mayor. I didn't run for mother," Nutter said. Later, he added, "I don't know what causes someone to act like a jackass."

The news conference came after two days of Family Court hearings into flash mob incidents in February and March. Those hearings ended Tuesday with 28 juveniles convicted of felony rioting.

Half the students were taken into custody, and all received a verbal scalding from Kevin Dougherty, the court's administrative judge.

"The days of being slapped on the wrist are over," he declared Monday.

The sizes of the seemingly spontaneous gatherings have varied, with estimates well into the hundreds. The teens have fought amongst themselves, assaulted pedestrians and smashed up the Center City Macy's. One gathering in February was so out of control that police called for an "assist" that normally is broadcast when an officer is shot.

The last incident happened on Saturday, when teens stormed South Street, forcing businesses to shutter.

Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said Wednesday that police would deploy more officers in the trouble spots to tamp down the flash mobs.

Nutter also said he was prepared to sign an executive order lowering the city's curfew for minors, though he would not say what the new time would be. He noted, however, that three of the flash mobs occurred shortly after school, well before the city's current weekday curfew of 10:30 p.m.

Nutter and Ramsey encouraged parents to monitor their children's online activity and text messages, and police said they learned of Wednesday's potential gathering after getting a tip from a parent.

"It's not the government's responsibility to raise your child. It's your responsibility," Ramsey said. "When we get involved as police, it's too late for the tears."

Mike Shafi, manager of the Crown Fried Chicken at 40th and Market, said teens pack his store after school. Several businesses pulled down their gates Wednesday afternoon, but Shafi remained open.

"The police told me to be careful," he said. "But I don't know, I've never had problems."

The crowd that showed up for the supposed mob consisted mainly of news reporters. Sgt. Charlie Marsden, who works out of the University City substation, was manning one corner.

"We had a group of girls show up," he said. "They wanted to watch what happened. Thought it was going to be a big event."

Marsden shooed them away.

Melanie Kennedy, who works as a student support staff member at nearby Paul Robeson High School, said talk of the flash mob had circulated through the school that day.

"We told the kids to go home after school, but they hear that and they just want to run right to the trouble," she said. "To them, it's some fun, just something to do. They figure the police can't arrest all of them."

Undoubtably, word of the gatherings has spread through text messaging and with the help of social media sites such as MySpace and Facebook, but the online organization could be nothing more than the modern-day equivalent of passing notes in class.

The incidents all have happened near the Gallery at Market East and along South Street - two places that have hosted large crowds of teenagers for generations.

The latest South Street incident occurred during the first warm weekend night of the year - a time when large crowds of kids could be expected there.

Dougherty questioned most of the juveniles in his courtroom about why they joined the flash mob. Several claimed to have been in Center City for other, legitimate reasons, but some admitted to learning of the gatherings through social media or texts.

Two said they expected trouble downtown, including one who said he went to the Gallery specifically to rumble with rival students from Bartram High School.

Two teens - The Inquirer is withholding their names due to their ages - also said informal, neighborhood dance groups with a presence on MySpace have been at the heart of the gatherings.

One dance group identified in court, Team Nike, posted a video on YouTube this week, showing about a dozen teens on South Street dressed in what appeared to be homemade Team Nike shirts. The teens dance and loudly shout slogans, but are peaceable throughout.

At one point, the message "We got that whole South Street following us Team Nike" flashes on the screen. The team members are, in fact, shown at the head of a large crowd.

Nutter and others have described the flash mobs as populated largely by good kids simply looking to hang out. A small percentage of "knuckleheads" bent on violence have been responsible for the trouble, the mayor said.

Whether the intent of the flash mobs is to cause mayhem or is the result too many unsupervised teens in one place also isn't clear.

Ramsey said he didn't think the phenomenon is exclusive to Philadelphia, but he couldn't provide examples from other cities.

He said the extra deployments to deal with the flash mobs are a drain on department resources that could be used on something other than "chasing . . . youngsters."

Ramsey also urged parents to get control of their children, and asked anyone with information on possible flash mobs to call 215-686-TIPS.

"We are not babysitters," he said. "That's just not what we get paid to do."