Reposting from Craigslist: Attempted assault reported at Powderhouse

[brewso.livejournal.com]

Please note that this did not happen to me, but I just found this posting on craigslist in the community section and figured the wider the information could be relayed, the better. Stay safe!


"I posted yesterday and today about an incident that occurred early yesterday morning in Powderhouse Square (on Broadway--opposite side of the street from the funeral home)at about 4:15 AM.

I was out jogging because I could not sleep (yes I have learned my lesson)and a man attacked me. As I was screaming he said, "STOP SCREAMING OR I'LL KILL YOU!!! STOP SCREAMING OR I'LL KILL YOU!!" I stopped screaming and was able to get away unharmed. I ran away to Davis Sq, hopped in a cab, headed to the police department, and filed a report.

Here is the description:
-Caucasian male, late 20's/early 30's
-dark brown hair, down to below his ears (think of the criminal in "No Country for Old Men)
-fat (280-300 lbs)
-approx 6'
-eyes are skewed (meaning the opposite of cross-eyes: like a fish)
-clothing: white wife-beater t-shirt, jeans, black tennis shoes
-possibly on drugs: he had a crazed expression on his face

If you have seen think you have seen person, PLEASE notify the Somerville police dept at 617-625-1600. I will be calling them tomorrow to see if they have a detective on the case.

I was fortunate enough to get away from this guy, but he's still out on the streets...."

Comments

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I was able to find it here (http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/com/737142128.html).

I'm not sure what I think about the concept of conflating "attacked" with "rapist." Especially when it's so unclear what "attacked" actually means here. Complaints like this don't seem to do a whole lot other than arming half the community with pepper spray, which is not the healthiest thing in the world imho...

[ron_newman]

Thanks. I don't use craigslist very much, so how do I get from a post like that to the accompanying discussion thread(s) ?

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Craigslist is really more of a classifieds service than a discussion board. You can email the original poster of the listing but there isn't really a direct forum in which to discuss the content of the post with the original poster I'm afraid.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

It's hard to imagine a robber/mugger grabbing someone and saying "I'll kill you if you scream" so it does seem like this person was attempting some kind of sexual assault.

And the message I take from this is to bring my cell phone when I'm out early in the morning.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I see no indication in the original post that the assault was in any way sexual.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Again, grabbing someone and saying "I'll kill you if you scream" seems incompatible with a robbery attempt, at least in my experience.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I do think "attempted assault" would be much more accurate than "possible rapist" though.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

It's possible. Even likely. But I still don't think it justifies jumping to conclusions. What purpose does that serve?

[ladyraycello.livejournal.com]

So, have you been keeping up with the news m00n??
Did you hear about the woman who was BEATEN AND RAPED????
I got lucky.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Yes I did. I'm not sure what point it is that you're trying to make here.

Firstly, there's very little evidence to suggest that the rapist being arraigned is also your attacker (although I certainly do not discount the possibility).

Secondly, even if he WAS your attacker, I STILL don't think it does a service to ANYONE for you to deliberately misrepresent what happened to you. Instead of starting a legitimate conversation in which people were warned about an attacker of some kind in the Powder House Square area, you started a conversation mainly about your own lack of credibility.

And like I said before, if every single attack of any kind is viewed as an "attempted rape" simply because there was no evidence to the contrary, it seriously dilutes the credibility of anyone who is actually claiming that they were actually raped. I don't know about you, but I think that's something to be avoided.