by Kim Nauer

About the author: Kim Nauer is a staff writer for City Limits, a monthly publication concerning neighborhood revitalization.

Walking home from school along the bustling corridor of Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York, there doesn’t seem to be much of a chance of being assaulted. The light is still bright at 3 p.m. and the streets are filled with adults attending to their late afternoon business.

Even so, kids pull their voices out like box cutters, taking aim at a new enemy or an old friend who has crossed their thin line of tolerance. Whether these small altercations end quietly or with someone in the hospital depends as much on the target as the instigator. On this cold November afternoon, as three girls approach, the attack begins with a giggling...