Yesterday, we shot overnight in a somewhat sketchy section of Brooklyn. Today, I was in charge of wrapping out the location – basically, babysitting while the electrics and grips gather their equipment from the previous night. It was raining, so I spent a lot of the day parked in my car.
At around 8 AM, this Hassidic Jewish guy showed up on the sidewalk and started smoking and pacing in circles while talking to himself. He’d light a cigarette, pace and mumble, put out the cigarette, then light another and pace and mumble some more. Over and over and over. 8 AM became 9 AM, 9 AM became 10 AM…I dozed off at one point and woke up 15 minutes later, and he was still there.
Then, at around 10:30, he comes over to my car and starts staring at me through the windshield with a weird, crazy look in his eyes. He looks like he wants to tell me something, and I lean forward to hear him.
Then, he takes his cigarette and puts it out on the hood of my car.
It was one of those surreal things you don’t expect to ever have to deal with in life: someone just put a cigarette out on the hood of my car. Should I be…annoyed? Angry? Ambivalent? Do I need to get out and confront him or something? I mean, it’s a rental…
Meanwhile, the guy continues to stare at me as he approaches my partially-opened window. He taps on the glass and says loudly “SORRY ABOUT THAT” with a sarcastic shrug. He went back and started smoking and pacing again.
He did not put out any more cigarettes on my car, and disappeared around 12.
First, would you have written black guy if he was black?
Second, is it possible that you had parked in front of his house or place of business and maybe he was thinking that you were the weird one, parked in front of his place for hours (maybe staking out the place for a robbery)?
I only mentioned him as being Hassidic in the sense that he is clearly a man who takes religion devoutly, and further inferring that if he is willing to make adherence to often strict beliefs, he is less likely the random asshole on the street who wants to start shit for no reason. Sort of like how it would be surprising if an Amish guy drove his horse up to my car and let it take a shit on it. That doesn’t mean either the Hassidic man or the Amish man is incapable of such hostility. I would just find it surprising – why give your life to religion in so many ways only to negate it for no good reason?
Second, no, it was not his business – we had individual deals with every building owner and storefront on the block, and we had been around for a week. It was the only day I saw him.
He was obviously mentally ill, better to stay clear of him.
@YTDC Are you seriously implying that scout is antisemitic? Because I’d like to know what you’re hoping that will accomplish:
* If you’re wrong and he’s not, then you’re falsely accusing him.
* If he really is antisemetic, do you think he’d care what you think?
And – sorry – I thought it was interesting that he was hassidic. Had he left that out, he would have left out a very intriguing part of the story. Censorship for censorship’s sake is not useful.
Thank you Steve! You said it better than I could.
Okay, I know this is late, but I just happen to come across this story (I’m reading backwards since I was in NY for the first time – perfect website, wished I knew it before I went to NY).
Anyway, I just find it a perfect NY moment. Aren’t people in NY a little crazy some times? I don’t think the guy searched for trouble. He was just a little over the edge maybe. Great story though, thanks for sharing!