Flash-mob violence raises weighty questions

This is the summer "flash mob" turned into "flash rob."

Flash mobs were born in 2003 as spontaneous get-togethers, with large groups alerted to an event via text message, Facebook, Twitter, or other social media. Witness April's insta-opera at Reading Terminal, a video of which went viral on YouTube.

This summer, says Margaret Rock, editor at Multimedia.com in Chicago, "I don't know why, but what started out as something used for good has shown its dark side." That dark side now shadows social media, raising issues of law enforcement and constitutional rights.

Philadelphia is in the center of a summer spasm of group violence across the country. From Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland to Washington and New York, people have used social media to organize robberies, fights, and mayhem. Such media are suspected in group violence in Center City and in areas such as Upper Darby, where a mob rampaged through the Sears store on June 21.

It's been worse in the United Kingdom, with riots in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and elsewhere. Rioters relayed information via BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the instant-messaging app for BlackBerrys. One text read: "If you're down for making money, we're about to go hard in east London."

Not only were some riots organized via text, tweet, and post, but some mobbers posted surveillance-camera videos of the flash rob afterward on YouTube.

"Face it," says Rock: "Social media are the lamppost of this age."

Philadelphia's flash-mob headaches date from the South Street mobs of March 2010, when hundreds choked the area, leading to injuries and property damage. Last month, 15 to 25 people attacked bystanders at random in Center City, prompting Mayor Nutter's impassioned Aug. 7 speech at Mount Carmel Baptist Church.

The next day, Nutter and District Attorney Seth Williams announced measures to discourage flash mobbing, including moved-up curfews in parts of the city and fines for breaking curfew. The city is working with the FBI to track criminal use of social media.

Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety, says the push involves a positive effort "to reach some of these kids through the very media they use, through Facebook and Twitter, to win the hearts and minds of these kids."