Sexual Assault in the Park Today

anybody see my blue shirt?

Livetotravel wrote: anybody see my blue shirt?

oh man, that's soo wrong

anybody see my blue shirt?

wanna let the newbies in on the inside joke?

I don't give a toss about what that woman was doing in the park

If she was attacked the only person at fault is the attacker

yes but when I hear stories like these i wish women were just a bit more aware and used common sense when making decisions. doesn't mean something can't happen to you but you reduce the chances by protecting yourself.

maybe she was smoking pot

wish i were smoking pot right now

raw wrote: I don't hang out in Prospect Park after 1 AM, but I'd like to think that I could and not get mugged.

Sure, you could litterally be playing with fire in large parks after dark, but sometimes we all do find ourselves in weird places at weird times (some more than others) and that does not mean that we should get mugged, sexually assulted, or whatever. The only person who should be criticized in such cases is the criminal.

Leave the victim alone.

I don't give a toss about what that woman was doing in the park -- maybe she was smoking pot or running after her lost dog. If she was attacked the only person at fault is the attacker.

I certainly agree with you re: not blaming the victim. However, the vibe I get from most people is that an attack in the dead of night in a completely isolated place does not reasonably speak to the relative safety of the adjoining neighborhood.

Unfortunately, I also think that events like this serve as an excellent time to make gentle reminders for folks, especially women, particularly women by themselves, to exercise a bit more street smarts than we often see. This can be done and is being done here, for the most part, without any sort of victim blaming.

the only person who should be criticized in such cases is the criminal. Leave the victim alone.

I don't think anyone was doing that. And the fact is, whatever your desires, hangin in PP at 1 AM increases your chances of having an issue. And when it happens, it is perfectly reasonable to point that out. When I first came here my landlords, long time residents, laughed as I asked if various places were "OK". Hey, I'm from CT. But they told me to never be in the park well after dark.

I think it's like a car accident. If you find out that the driver was talking on a cell and drinking a coffee at the time, maybe there's something to be learned there, regardless of who was at fault. Some actions put you at higher risk, and we all have to make these choices every day. She made a bad choice and her life is presumably changed for it. Hangin on a bench on PPW would have made a lot more sense.

I know the criminal is the one to blame, but guess what - you won't catch me in PP at 1 AM. It's called self-preservation.

It says she was with a friend? Where was the friend?

Hate to tell you this, but it's dangerous being a woman anywhere in this city. You could live on a safe block and someone could push you into your home and rape you as you're entering. I hate this culture of women being told what we "should" and "should not" do and how we should be blamed for the wrongful actions taken against us when we don't comply. How many of us have been somewhere against our better judgement (for whatever reason--because we had no other choice, because we thought we'd have safety in numbers), and would we have "deserved" it if a crime was commited against us?

Every time I've been in Prospect Park at night there's been a significant police presence, which may have given the victim the illusion of safety. You don't know what the circumstances of her being there were.

I haven't re-read the thread but I'm pretty sure no one suggested that this or any crime is deserved. Making that kind of accusation is irresponsible.

If I'm in the park after midnight and something happens to me, I'll be the first one to say "bad move". It is.

nubnu wrote:
just moved here from the city..........is park slope really dangerous?
my landlord told me i dont need to install a security system, and that its very safe.
This makes me nervous.....

nubnu wrote:
Raise yo hands !!!!!!!!!
Natives know whats up. Period.

THAT was quick.

Hey y'all I split out all "the city" and what you call it discussion and moved it here.

Carry on...

Obviously, no one deserves to be attacked wherever they are. But my feeling is this is NOT a perfect world, things that shouldn't be, simply are. Maybe this woman thought she would be safe since she was with her boyfriend or that there were enough people in the park. There are a few problems here. One is that women have been attacked even when they were with a boyfriend. Another is that Prospect Park is huge and not well lit, there are many dark isolated places for a rapist to drag a woman to, where no one would hear or see them. The last is that it was 1 in the morning, the only way I would be in PP at that hour is if I was with a very large group of people. And very close to an exit, as in right next to one.

I used to take my dogs to the 11th street entrance of PP after 9pm to let them run around. I had my older dog Cheech (shepherd mix, 65lbs) and my wonderful black lab mix Rasputen (who passed away in 2002 at 85lbs). I never went past the little road in front of the playground, even with 2 decent sized dogs. Once I caught a guy hiding behind a tree watching me and I got the hell out of there.

Hypothetically, if I was raped I would want to know that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Being on a subway platform in the afternoon? If someone is going to attack someone in such a public place during the day, then not much could have been done to avoid it. But, if I put myself in an unsafe or stupid situation regardless of why, then I did not do what I could to prevent it. It's unfortunate that we live in the world we live in but it is the way it is. Yes, we should do everything we can to change it but we can't pretend it isn't the world it is.

DISCLAIMER: I am not blaming the victim here, I feel horrible for her and no one should have to go through that. But, people (not just women) need to be aware of putting ourselves in unsafe situations. Most criminals look for easy marks, don't let yourself be one. Make it hard for them!

[quote=shishkab]Silly, Newbie. Slope ain't for kids!



LOL! GAK!

Livetotravel wrote: anybody see my blue shirt?

anybody see my RED shirt?

Subject: Re: Per Kosherdave's comment, I wear platinum shoes.

raw wrote: [quote=brooklynpotter]when i moved here i didn't know how safe it was, and i've spent much of my adult life here. every neighborhood is different, let's not bash the newbie for asking responsible questions.

Agreed. If people ask security questions, let's not be jackasses.

In Park Slope, I've heard of inside-job robberies in which supers gave keys to contractors who gave keys to workers who made copies of the keys and gave them to god knows who. Stories like this make me hide/lock-up/remove all valuables from my Park Slope home when I leave town.

I myself have a security question. Does anyone remember a case years ago in Manhattan that aired on local news involving a landlord or a super who was caught by a hidden camera breaking into a tenant's apartment and urinating in her Chinese food?

In Inwood, I had a fantastic super who broke into our apartment to let in someone who said they were "a guest" of apt.2. Nevermind that we were apartment 1 (!), but who lets in someone you've never seen who says they are a guest?? I knew he was a drunk idiot, so I thought that putting an extra deadbolt on would prevent such a situation. It just motivated him to put a ladder up against our kitchen window, push the aircondioner onto the floor and waltz right in.

So, yes, also be aware of the level of intoxication of your super before you rent. Oh, how I'll miss you, 624 W 207th st... :roll: :roll:

armchair_warrior wrote: [quote=Dead_Geek][quote=Livetotravel]anybody see my blue shirt?

anybody see my RED shirt?

i saw the red on some guy and he got shot while everyone around him was fine. seems red shirts always die.

Ahhhhhh. Where is the love, Armchair? GAK? :P