http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor … =125503587
What do you think should be done about these hoodlums?They're known as "flash mobs" — gatherings of people who use social media and text messages to stage a spontaneous group "dance-in" at a train station or get a big crowd together to imitate statues in a park.
The idea seems innocent enough, but in Philadelphia, flash mobs have turned violent and police are cracking down.
Pizza shop owner Joey Rocco has seen an out-of-control flash mob firsthand. His pizza place is on South Street, which runs through the heart of the city and is a popular hangout for both kids and tourists.
Two weeks ago, Rocco was finally getting some decent business after a long, snow-packed winter.
"Saturday night we had the windows open; it was a beautiful night," he says. "People were sitting in the window areas, and I just happened to look out and said 'Wow, the street is really crowded.'"
Some say the crowd of youths was in the hundreds. Others say thousands. Rocco says the kids began to jump up and down, and then utter chaos broke out. He says some of the teens started beating each other up, while others began banging on the windows of his shop.
"They were trying to climb in the windows on top of the people who were dining, so we pushed them out, we closed the doors and we locked the front doors," he says. "Whatever they had in mind, to me, it was like a home invasion."
