Home invasion near Tufts

[gingicat]

http://medford.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/home-invasion-on-berwick-road-gun-knives-shown

Four men broke into a Berwick Road home early Thursday morning with residents inside, according to a Tufts Police report.

One of the intruders had a gun, the others had knives, the victims told police. The break-in occurred at about 12:25 a.m.

No one was injured, and no further details were available Thursday.

Comments

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

The Tufts police report had a little more info:
"The victims described the 4 suspects as black males approximately 5’6’ – 5’ 7” tall. One of the suspects was wearing a red sweater and another of the suspects was wearing a gray sweater."

[elusiveat.livejournal.com]

I wish we white people had more specific ways of describing individual black people that does *anything* to distinguish them from one another. : (

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Who's "we white people"? Does this community have a membership requirement I'm not aware of?

[gingicat]

Oh dear. I could so easily have said the same thing you replied to.

If I had said the above, I would have been assuming that the person describing and/or reporting the description was white and therefore giving only the clothing description rather than defining characteristics (light, dark, thick neck, slender neck…). And if I'd said "we" I would have meant "dumb people like me."

I'm sorry, and thank you for reminding me that I'm one of those white people who say dumb things like that.

[elusiveat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your compassionate response.

That was pretty insensitive of me to use language that implied the person making (or taking) the description was necessarily white.

I hope that people are able to understand the more benevolent intention behind what I am trying to get at. It really frustrates me, e.g. when I hear "the suspect was a black male with black hair and brown eyes." On the one hand I don't know how to usefully be more specific. On the other hand given that 99% of black men have either black or brown eyes and hair, I suspect that hearing this description repeatedly reinforces the racist idea that being a black man is automatically grounds for being suspected of a crime.

[ron_newman]

I don't understand. There is a height and a gender in the description, as well as clothing.

[elusiveat.livejournal.com]

The heights in this case are pretty non-descript, and probably what I would default to if I didn't get a good look at height. Gender doesn't narrow things down very much.

As for clothing, I would be very surprised if the suspects are still wearing the same clothes they wore the night this happened.

[ron_newman]

I'm confused by one thing you said here ... what would I likely buy in a convenience store that requires me to estimate or measure someone's height?

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Yeeeck! Do hope you and all at your house stay safe.