Flame Wars over at CHS after area man is allegedly assaulted.

Things got ugly on Capitol Hill Monday night when noted social media personality and recent San Franciscan transplant Nick Starr was allegedly assaulted after an encounter with panhandlers. Capitol Hill Seattle has the story, taken from Starr’s own Twitter account of the incident. Starr, who achieved some national notoriety after posting threats via Twitter he was planning on committing suicide by leaping from one of the Bay Area bridges, was walking on Pike Street when confronted by two male panhandlers who asked for money. After Starr refused and told the men to “f off”, the men allegedly became aggressive and physically violent, assaulting Starr who immediately fled the scene. A photo of Starr’s injured knee accompanies the post on CHS. Starr also claims to have filed a police report, but as of last night, CHS hadn’t been able to confirm a police report had been filed.

But, what has stirred the most controversy at CHS, is the response to the original post with comments both pro and con being posted, ranging from support of Mr. Starr to accusations that this incident sounds similar to other incidents associated with Starr. Angered by some of the negative responses, Mr. Starr demanded CHS remove the original post:

Justin Carder, the publisher of Capitol Hill Seattle and the author of the post, has declined Mr. Starr’s request to remove it.

Our take on it….panhandlers shouldn’t be assaulting people. But, it’s also not cool to tell people to “F off”…a “Sorry, Can’t help you today” will suffice. Verbal assault shouldn’t be grounds for a physical assault, but it is still a form of assault. Some people will retaliate.

And, if someone is threatening you, call 911 immediately if you have your phone on you, and immediately head to a public space where there’s other people. There’s safety in numbers.