Rape in Kensington/Bethesda area and no one help the women..why? (Baltimore: violent crime, hotel)

[bunky3301]

Where has the sense of community gone. I just moved back here to Maryland (Kensington)after a 15 year absence from the San Diego area.
Haven't even moved into the house yet and turned on the TV in the hotel we're staying at and see some poor women (runner) was attacked and raped near Conn. Ave and Beach Rd area.

That would normally sound like the worst of it for that poor women , but after the attacker let her go or she escaped she went for help at the fore mentioned intersection for help from motorizes and GOT NONE. She had to walk home to call 911. My wife and I just shook our heads in disgust.

My wife isn't use to living in such a violent crime area as the Washington DC area and has been lucky in that sense. I told her that when we receive her new orders to Bethesda Naval Hospital that things were going to be different and she will really need to keep vigilant while out by herself or with the kids. I was hoping that I'd be wrong about that when we actually got here and that living in Montgomery County it wouldn't be so bad....guess I was wrong.

The shame of it is that when I watch the evening new or 11 o'clock news its as though I never left here some 15 years ago. The only thing different is that I use to live in PG county and Montgomery Co. is going the same way as PG and thats a shame. We have 3 years here and I hope things get better , and I'm usually a very optimistic person but in this case it doesn't seem likely.

Like I said in the first paragraph we had just came from the San Diego area and we really miss it alot. Not just because of the beautiful weather, but because of the PEOPLE there. There was crime there , don't get me wrong. But not the everyday VIOLENT crime you see on the news here every night. You don't have the racial tension that is here and was here 15 years ago when I left.

There was a very diverse racial makeup of Latinos , Filipino's , White's and African Americans where we lived in the town of Chula Vista(suburb of San Diego). I'm not saying everyone sat around and sang songs together as we walked down the street, but the sense of community was OVERWHELMING compared to the way it is here. Kids of all races would play together . Shopping centers weren't just white or african american or Latinos.

I guess I'm asking for to much for every place to be like San Diego, but its a nice thought. I know there are small towns that are like this, but a city like the size of San Diego can do it , than anywhere can in my opinon. If any of you ever did live in an area like I described you would feel such a relief lifted off your shoulders once you've experienced living in an area like that. I know Washingtonians have this in them as well and thats the part that kills me the most.

Also for gods sake someone would have pulled over from there busy day to help a lady in distress there. So many seem so afraid these days to help someone out in situations like this anymore....WHY?

[DLK]

I feel more inclined to pull over and help you out.

How 'bout a nice sprout sandwich and a hot cup of chamomile?

[Fern435]

Bunky, I agree with every word of your post.

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by DLK

I feel more inclined to pull over and help you out.

How 'bout a nice sprout sandwich and a hot cup of chamomile?

How bout some humble pie?

[Cigar]

Shame she is not to exercise her full rights as an American citizen and carry a pistol to defend herself... Damn Shame.....

[Moth]

bunky- I share in your distress as I live fairly close to where this happened. The only thing I can think of is that the intersection in question features very fast moving traffic- 50 mph is routine. Sadly, it also features daily homeless people panhandling to stopped traffic. Perhaps the speed or her being mistaken for a homeless person are factors?

But it may say something about society and I do not think the DC area is unique in the fact that people are more and more cocooned and focused on themselves.

[elbows]

Just going to throw out my 2 cents, and say that, while I do not live in this area, I need to be not too far from it one weeknight a week for something. I get off the bus at Connecticut and walk about 2 miles to near Rock Creek Park. In fact, I was walking there about 45 minutes before this tragedy (about a mile from it).

Being as I need to walk this area year-round, frankly, I am a little uncomfortable in the winter because it is dark and NO ONE is around. This is a very car-centric area. Very few pedestrians, and cyclists are rare (especially in the winter). Walking here makes me grateful I live in a place, Arlington, where people regularly use the sidewalks. The other night, I had a minor problem and people came running up to offer assistance. I’m sorry to hear that this woman could not get a motorist to stop, but it does not surprise me.

[carey24]

I can tell you this, and it does differ from her situation, but this is why I refused to be a witness in a case recently.

There was a gang shooting directly across the street from my house while my neighbors and I were standing outside (Perry Hall, Baltimore County, MD...good neighborhood right?? lol).

The kids that were shot KNEW WHO DID IT and REFUSED TO TELL POLICE. Apparently it was a payback for an earlier fight. I am a single woman living by myself. There is no way I'm risking my life by testifying, when the people who were hurt wouldn't even speak up.

Sorry... but my life comes before theirs. I have no sympathy for gang related victims when they are involved in gangs themselves.

Again, an innocent woman on the street, yes I would have helped.

But there are different scenarios with crime and I will def think twice before telling police I saw anything. Luckily I got out of testifying in that case, but I may not be so lucky next time.

[casstyson]

Hey DLK, no need to be such a deek.

It's a shame, but life in the big city is like this. You see a disheveled woman on the street, you probably assume she's a pro who just got smacked around by her pimp. No need to stop for that. Or you might assume she's homeless, asking for a handout. So you keep on going. Or maybe you think she's strung out on drugs, or worse. So you avert your eyes and maybe say a silent prayer. Maybe. Probably not even.

But stop to help? You kidding?! She might be a decoy for carjackers waiting nearby. She might be carrying a gun herself, hoping to rob any shmuck nice enough to offer assistance. She could be lots of things. The last thing you might think is that she's a recent victim of a violent crime who needs a cop and a doctor asap...

It's just too easy to keep your foot on the gas, and let someone else worry about it. Sorry to say it, but that's the way it is in urban areas.

My heart goes out to her. I hope she got the help she needed, and gets any help she now needs. And I hope her attacker gets what's coming to him, too.

[Talica]

Bunky I totallly understand where you are coming from. Sure the crime is one thing, but when you are approached by a victim and do nothing, that is the icing on the cake. I've lived here in the D.C. area for a couple of years myself (Originally from NY) and have never experienced people this petrified, prideful, and selfish. The way they ignored the victim is not a surprise. I totally agree about the racials tentions also. It would be unsurprising if the victim that you described was a different race than the people that she tried to get help from. The "tension" is not just tension at that point, it is pure hate. The social culture of D.C. really needs a drop of humanity. People rarely will donate one second of their time to assist someone else unless given something in return. As far as Carey has mentioned, I doubt this rape had anything to do with a gang initiation.