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

[kidsmokes.livejournal.com]

Ugh, as an 18 year old female who is constantly stumbling home past midnight this is terrifying. I'm from Texas and heard mace is illegal? Is this true? If not, do you have to register it? Is it hard?

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

i don't know about that, but lots of times when i'm walking i walk with my keys out, and my car key in my hand - they taught us in highschool to aim for the eyes.

[kidsmokes.livejournal.com]

what's REI is it in the square or the city? I'm not dead set on it, but I'm a college student so it happens.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

It's not illegal, it's just that you need to have an FID (limited) card to carry real Mace. When there was a rapist attacking women near Tufts--right at my bus stops--I went to get registered through my police department. With all the checks they do--even with no record--it took three months, and several days off of work to come in to fill various things out, because they couldn't possibly do these things at a convenient time.

It was a pain in the ass, but I'm glad I have it in case I have to use it on someone...I don't know what would happen if I had to use it and didn't have the FID card, but given the stupid bureaucracy to get it, I'm sure it would be a further pain in the ass.

My advice?
Go and put in an application at the police department, give them a check for $25, and while you're waiting, get some online (Ebay is easy enough to find a couple cans cheaply), and put it on a wrist coil thingie to wear on those nights you have to walk home late. (Really. It does you NO good if it's not right in your hand.)

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind that any weapon you carry can be used against you. And some of the "fight" techniques of self defense can simply cause your attacker to be really pissed off -- and since sexual assault is often about power, not sex, that can give the edge to them.

Your best bet is to get away, and like the craigslist poster, get to safety (ie police/public, NOT home.)

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

This is worse than those Fox News hacks who lean in with some dire warning about powdered milk. It's in your community, and it's killing your kids...

Also, could've done without the self-blaming victim bullshit. "Learned [my] lesson?"

Because all women should obviously know better than to jog early in the morning.

Everyone be on the lookout for Tom Arnold circa 1995.

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

Your best bet is to get awaylearn how to use a carried weapon effectively, and like the craigslist poster, get to safety (ie police/public, NOT home.)

FTFY

[infinitemorning.livejournal.com]

I tend to think jogging an hour before sunrise is kind of dangerous for anyone, which may have been the point, but don't let me stop your tremendous wave of rage.

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

You're mistaking rage for contra mundum disapproval.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

It is rather the metaphorical equivalent to a chain letter, no? Like the two headed baby in the next village.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

No, I wouldn't throw a punch for kicks, but if kneeing him in the groin allowed me to get away, I don't care if it makes him angry. The self-defense training I took includes discussions of how to be aware and alert, how to avoid conflict, and LASTLY how to defend onesself physically. Don't knock it.

[ellf.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a hoax. It's fishy to start with, and it just doesn't add up:

- There seem to be no references in any Somerville news sources citing this - no police blotter entries, no stories, nothing.

- The poster makes side notes that suggest a morality lesson, rather than an accounting of fact (especially, "I learned my lesson")

- Lack of details on what happened (she was "attacked"?), vaguely menacing description playing on a pop-culture villain, with just about every other boogieman descriptor possible - I mean, we've got a nebulous dude who looks like an unstoppable serial killer, who is supposedly on drugs, cross-eyed, fish-like, and lying in wait in the wee hours of the morning to pounce on women.

- The poster went to Craigslist to post this?


Stay alert, but take this with a grain of salt, eh?

[ron_newman]

Could you please link to the post in its original location, so that we can follow the discussion there if we wish?

[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) ?

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

These kinds of things get circulated on the internet precisely because people think "better be safe than sorry". Unless there is a warning specifically from the police or you read about it in the newspaper, you have to think this is not accurate.

Always being alert about putting yourself in dangerous situations and looking out for specific danger signs is always a good idea. However, passing on unverified information is just spreading spam. Check out "snopes" for hundreds of examples of this kind of spam.

[ellf.livejournal.com]

Adding to the nonsense, the original post: http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/com/735589346.html

"I went out jogging early this morning (4am) because I could not sleep. At Powder House Square I was tackled (grabbed from behind) by a large caucasian male (280-300 lbs). He threatened to kill me but for some reason I was able to get away. I am not injured but I could have been.

Please do not ever go out before the sun comes up. I was lucky enough to have escaped, but perhaps others are not."

He's not just a drugged out serial killing fish, he's a VAMPIRE.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Though your greatest danger is from inattentive drivers more than anything else.

[brewso.livejournal.com]

OK, so I may have been a bit quick to jump on this, but I'm still not convinced it's a hoax. I mean, it had a lot of specific information, and it was posted anonymously on craigslist. If someone were crying out for attention or to get a chain of comments going, the craigslist community section is hardly the place to do so. There have been no responses so far at all.

Also, in response to ellf's comment: ("This sounds like a hoax... [t]here seem to be no references in any Somerville news sources citing this - no police blotter entries, no stories, nothing."), I would like to note that I went on the Somerville Journal's website, and it does not appear to have been updated since Friday during business hours. The girl who posted about her attack said that it happened in the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning, so it's not surprising that no information is available yet. We will have to keep looking to see if police blotters corroborate her story. But they need to print those first.

So, although I regret making the logic leap to "rapist" (which I did by following the original poster's wording), I don't regret posting this as of yet. I remember when there was an actual rapist last year it would sometimes take several days before the information was widely available, and more incidents could have taken place in the interim. Hopefully I am wrong and will admit it easily if it turns out to be a hoax. But it's easy enough to skip this thread if you think so, and it might just keep someone safe.

[cosinezero.livejournal.com]

"as an 18 year old female who is constantly stumbling home past midnight"

-->Uhm... there's probably a few other things you should be considering, too.

[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.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

For the record I personally have no problem with the concept of cross-posting such a thing in the absence of corroborating information. People can make their own judgments about the validity of the information and I know from personal experience that police departments do not always make it a top priority to give out warnings to the community about things like this.

My issue is mainly with the immediate jump to "rapist" and the complete ambiguity about the nature of the attack, which I realize in this case was just your verbatim reposting of the listing title from Craigslist.

The problem is that if I did see a person on the street matching this description, I would have a really hard time turning him without more detailed information. Otherwise I feel that it's kind of a witch-hunt.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

If you go jogging while it's dark, wear reflective clothing. Or lights, even.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Also, could've done without the self-blaming victim bullshit.

Yes. Thank you.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

well, the poster said she filed a report, so if it's legit, it should show up relatively soon.

It does sound fishy, and I guess we'll see if it's a hoax - but posting anonymously on the community section of craigslist sounds like a great way to propagate a hoax.

I have to agree with anomie666 - "better safe than sorry," especially when spreading unverified information is just spreading fear.