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You didn't worry about them because you didn't know about them....but they were there.....there was just much more of a social stigma and embarrassment if the victim came forward and predators knew that society, much like you and the other poster are doing to this young man with no evidence whatsoever, would choose to blame the victim.
Where in my post do you see me blaming the victim here? I asked a simple and starightfoward question as to whether these areas are known for some sort of illicit activity. We don't know the deatils of the case, other than the facts which were written in the paper. The police at some point may have to explore that angle of the case.
Just to be clear, I did not imply that the victim brought this upon himself. If it was a sexual assault, its going to affect him for the rest of his life. Its going to affect his family too. Hopefully the police find the perpetrator and hopefully the criminal justice system deals with him in a harsh manner.
If you ask me, the entire state of affairs in our world is pretty sad. When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike everywhere, and really didn't have to worry about predators nearly as much as they do today. (or maybe stuff happened and we just didn't know about it...)
Yes...You just didn't know about it. News channels, media, etc...didn't report it like they used to. The media has an absolute field day about missing white children; I think its somewhat shameful sensationalism.
Yes...You just didn't know about it. News channels, media, etc...didn't report it like they used to. The media has an absolute field day about missing white children; I think its somewhat shameful sensationalism.
I fully understand that, and agree. IMO, we had enough info, and had a much better balance back then of being careful, but also living our lives. I think it's horrible that kids today have to live their lives in fear. I have a child too, and I can't unknow what I know, so she does not get the same freedoms I had as a kid. I just think that is unfortunate. (Not to underscore the real problem here, is the predators.)
One thing that is different today is the internet. In addition to "knowing" more about what is going on, the internet is unfortunately a way that anonymous predators can prey on naive kids. It's scary. Again, as much as I hate that, as a parent, I can't "unknow" it.
As for the OT, it's also horrible. I would NOT let my kid ride a greenway alone, except maybe in a very busy park, like Bond Park, on a sunny Saturday, with lot's of people. Even as an adult, I don't ride the ATT all the way into some areas alone, unless in broad daylight, and at a time when there are many other users.
EDIT: I would just ad that this is a very sensitive, and emotional topic here. I don't mean to offend, and I don't think the other poster had the intent of "blaming the victim". I know it's a difficult topic, but we are all sharing our thoughts, and (I think) doing so in a respectful way. It's very difficult to put complex thoughts into a few words on the internet and not be misunderstood. It's very hard to acknowledge one idea, without understating the counterpoint that it is probably weighing against. I don't blame the victim, but I do see this as a complex problem, with more than a 2-dimensional universe of contributing factors.
Where in my post do you see me blaming the victim here? I asked a simple and starightfoward question as to whether these areas are known for some sort of illicit activity. We don't know the deatils of the case, other than the facts which were written in the paper. The police at some point may have to explore that angle of the case.
Just to be clear, I did not imply that the victim brought this upon himself. If it was a sexual assault, its going to affect him for the rest of his life. Its going to affect his family too. Hopefully the police find the perpetrator and hopefully the criminal justice system deals with him in a harsh manner.
You were asking if the teen could have been looking for a hookup for pete's sake....because yeah, every 14 year old boy plans this sort of thing online before being assaulted.
Oh, and the police released a sketch of the man that attacked the teenager.....think they would be doing that if there was something 'off' about the account as you suggested?
Which part of the story led you to believe that the boy had possibly turned up there looking for a sexual encounter? Even if he had the adult has still surely committed a crime? When you say hook up do you mean he'd made contact with someone and planned to meet him there or just that he was hanging about hoping for a sexual encounter?
To answer your question, no, this area is not known for any illicit activity at all. The trail runs behind upper middle class homes and is very populated with families riding their bikes. It is a super safe area and actually not very remote since houses back up to the portion of the trail where it happened. I live in Heritage and have never once heard any rumblings of this trail being used for illicit purposes at all.
And I totally agree with Angel Kitten and Scarlet, that there is nothing about this story that makes it sound like the teen was looking for something illicit.
Please let the law enforcement officials handle the investigation instead of suggesting victim may have been involved in hanky panky. It is very difficult for someone, especially a 14 year old, to report assualts such as this and this type of assuming the victim was involved is a major reason such assaults go unreported.
Which part of the story led you to believe that the boy had possibly turned up there looking for a sexual encounter? Even if he had the adult has still surely committed a crime? When you say hook up do you mean he'd made contact with someone and planned to meet him there or just that he was hanging about hoping for a sexual encounter?
Some predators do groom their victims though online communication first....and yes, that is a crime (both the initial grooming and then if it goes to a in-person meeting.)
However, there is no indication that his happened at all. It appears to be a chance encounter.
Some predators do groom their victims though online communication first....and yes, that is a crime (both the initial grooming and then if it goes to a in-person meeting.)
However, there is no indication that his happened at all. It appears to be a chance encounter.
I agree. The WF cops are very proactive and I believe that if this had been the case that the press release would have indicated as such and stressed online safety more than greenway safety. The tips in the article are all related to chance encounters.
[quote=Tomitillo26;34997284]Just a question, and I truly don't want to upset anyone, but are some of these trails and forest areas used for illicit meet ups? I know the victim is 14 years old but the kids today and teenagers in particular, are a much different breed than a generation ago. The technology available allows this. I'm sure the police are going to have to discount that angle first.
To ScarletG; I'm sure you are a very concerned and caring citizen. This incident is disturbing and everyone should expect to feel safe in their community. Wake Forest is a beautiful town and the people there are really nice. Its unfortunate that these things happen but they do, even there. Nowhere in my original post did I imply that the victim was "looking" for it in any way. I asked a simple question which you took out of context. The police in their investigation have to investigate it fully and they have to explore all angles of the case. I'm glad they published a sketch of the perpetrator. Hopefully the victim will be able to identify him when they eventually catch him. It will be another monster off the streets.
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