Santa Fe rapist concerns (Rio Rancho, Taos: middle-class, renting, condo)

[firecoach]

I just moved to SF about 2 mos. ago. My DH is in the ARMY and is away again. I have been keeping up on this scary/horrific topic here in SF. I was wondering if anyone else had some new info? I have never felt like this before, but I ran into a creepy man at my laundry facility in the condo I live at......asking me the normal "pick up questions" but was awfully blunt......would you call the cops?

[dc53]

If you are a normally , stable, do not have outlandish ideas it sure would not hurt to give them a call- that is what they are there for. Maybe your gut feeling has some merit. Is this in a area where the rapes have been? Please be careful- don't do your laundry at night- take pepper spray with you and keep it on your body- where you can have access to it in 2 seconds. Be careful!

[tito]

Originally Posted by firecoach

I just moved to SF about 2 mos. ago. My DH is in the ARMY and is away again. I have been keeping up on this scary/horrific topic here in SF. I was wondering if anyone else had some new info? I have never felt like this before, but I ran into a creepy man at my laundry facility in the condo I live at......asking me the normal "pick up questions" but was awfully blunt......would you call the cops?

I was in Santa Fe last month and my travel companion had all her money stolen from her hotel room, we called the Police right away, but they said that the theft report would have to be made by phone, because there was no officer available to go to the hotel to investigate, since they were short in man power. They explained to us, that there were only 30 officers for three shifts in the entire city of Santa Fe and that they were busy taking care of more serious crimes. I wonder if calling the police would have been helpful in this case.

[BrianH]

It all depends on how blunt he was and how he acted. When on the dating scene I was pretty straight forward, but thats how I am. If i saw a lady with no ring and she looked nice I asked her out. I wasnt afraid to get shot down

Maybe your imagination is working overtime ? Im not implying youre wrong, but when there are rapists around every little thing points to the weird side if you know what i mean. Men can be filth though, so if you can afford it, by yourself a tazer, pepper spray isnt the best option for the swirling winds of Santa Fe, you dont want to taze yourself.

[firecoach]

Originally Posted by BrianH

It all depends on how blunt he was and how he acted. When on the dating scene I was pretty straight forward, but thats how I am. If i saw a lady with no ring and she looked nice I asked her out. I wasnt afraid to get shot down

Maybe your imagination is working overtime ? Im not implying youre wrong, but when there are rapists around every little thing points to the weird side if you know what i mean. Men can be filth though, so if you can afford it, by yourself a tazer, pepper spray isnt the best option for the swirling winds of Santa Fe, you dont want to taze yourself.

Thx for the input everyone. I appreciate it. That is ridiculous about the police not being able to come to a robbery call tho. I am beginning to have second thoughts about safety for women in this town. Seriously. I am not over-imagining or being paranoid. As a matter of fact, I had forgotten all about the rapist on the loose (I havent watched the news in weeks b/c Id been out of town). There was something creepy about the guy and Id never seen him here before either. Needless to say, I didnt sleep so well last nite.

I had pepper spray and its all dried up, I guess its rather old! I will consider the tazer.......good idea b/c of the winds! It infuriates me that I cant feel comfortable walking on my grounds at night, before midnight, on a gorgeous full moon, ya know??!!

[jazzlover]

Here's a dirty little secret that the chamber of commerce types in resort towns like Santa Fe (or Taos, Aspen, Telluride, Vail, etc., etc.) don't talk about: Expensive resort towns rely on a relatively transient low-wage "underclass" of workers (many illegal aliens) to perform the drudgery service jobs necessary to sustain the place. Unfortunately, there tend to be some unsavory characters in that population. Tourists and part-time residents of those communities tend to be convenient prey for those criminally-predisposed individuals.

That is one of the reasons that I believe most resort towns tend to be sociologically unhealthy places, and that the recreation industry is far from the "clean" industry that its promoters would like people to believe. The lack of much of a resident middle-class in many resort areas, and the transient nature of many of both the wealthy residents and relatively impoverished workers makes for an unbalanced community environment. Admittedly, Santa Fe does not solely rely on its tourist economy, being the state capital and all, but it still does not project a healthy "vibe" to me as a place to live.

As to firecoach's concern about the individual she ran into, a policeman friend of mine told me that one should trust one's instincts in a situation like that. If something just doesn't feel right about someone or a situation, it's probably not.

[tito]

When I was in Santa Fe last month, I read in the morning papers that the number of home invasions in the city had increased dramaticaly, because the Drug Investigation Division of the Police Department was not operating, because its director was himself being investigated by the Federal Government. The newspaper theorized that the generalized drug abuse problem made the money-starving drug addicts get the money in any way they could (theft, robbery, carjacking, home invasions, etc.). They also mentioned the police manpower shortage, as being another factor. The papers I read were between April 18 to April 24 and they should be available in the internet.

[firecoach]

It is so upsetting.....the sky here is so incredible and warranting a nice, late at night view! Yet, I cant even feel safe doing so, right out the door of the place I am renting! I thought moving to SF was a blessing.......I am soooo tired of being worried about sick men preying on women. Its pathetic!! I did call the cops btw......cant say everything there. I just want all women in SF to be aware!!! He is still out there and I forgot about it, until I was blatantly reminded in my own laundry room in a gated community.

[Homewardbound66]

Firecoach - I just wanted to say I'll pray for you and the others in Santa Fe. Don't give up on Santa Fe because they'll catch the creep. According to what I read the women are being proactive in protecting themselves through self defense classes, guns, pepper spray, and what not. He's going to strike against the wrong woman and he'll be sorry. I think you can count on that and it will only be a matter of time. I'm just sorry you have to live in fear right now. As what was said before, trust your instincts. They are primal and they're there for a reason. Even if laundrymat guy wasn't the Santa Fe perp, he could have had other issues. Stay alert and stay safe. This is coming from a friend in Rio Rancho.

[firecoach]

Originally Posted by Homewardbound66

Firecoach - I just wanted to say I'll pray for you and the others in Santa Fe. Don't give up on Santa Fe because they'll catch the creep. According to what I read the women are being proactive in protecting themselves through self defense classes, guns, pepper spray, and what not. He's going to strike against the wrong woman and he'll be sorry. I think you can count on that and it will only be a matter of time. I'm just sorry you have to live in fear right now. As what was said before, trust your instincts. They are primal and they're there for a reason. Even if laundrymat guy wasn't the Santa Fe perp, he could have had other issues. Stay alert and stay safe. This is coming from a friend in Rio Rancho.

Since I have had that experience I have calmed down somewhat & reminded my female friends here in SF to be very alert. You are right, there are more self defense courses being offered soon and there are places to purchase devices (I do not want a gun, even hubby would like it if I had one!). I am praying also that this rapist is caught so we can sleep better at night & not feel so violated. SF is a lovely town and not one to feel like this is but I guess I could say that about anywhere, USA. Yes? Thx again for the replies. This incident definately opened my eyes again.