Sexual Attack on St. Felix Prompts Press Conference

I was one of the people who don't think Brownstoner should be the police blotter, and I still don't. However, as a woman, I feel rape is a crime that cannot be tolerated, and people should be aware, and warned. This is not some ipod stealing teenager. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victim, and I hope the perp is caught quickly, and put away for good, under the jail.

I think flood lights and neighborhood awareness are necessary, and we all need to be extra vigilent about watching where we are, and what is going on around us. No one deserves to be attacked in any way, form, or fashion.

That said, this does not make Ft Greene "dangerous", it makes it part of the larger urban landscape that always has a chance of having violent crime occur. That landscape is called New York City. Nowhere is immune. Let's keep a level head, keep our eyes open, and be careful, and watch out for ourselves and others.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at January 23, 2009 10:45 AM

To any who care, here is my reasoning - I feel much of the crime reporting on Brownstoner becomes an excuse for the PropJoes of this blog to come out of the woodwork.

Since Brownstoner lives in Clinton Hill, it makes sense that most of the crime reports he gets are in the FG/CH area. This is one of the most racially and economically integrated neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and a desireable place to live, in part because of that diversity. However, it has always been a place where random street violence has taken place, I've known that since I first started hanging out with Pratt friends in the late 70's. They were all mugged, one several times. She still loves the neighborhood. That is not acceptable, desireable, or in any way an ok thing. I am not excusing those who commit these crimes, or blaming those who are victims. Much more needs to be done on many fronts to make this stop, and compared to the late 70's, now is an urban garden. Things have definitely gotten better, but street crime is still here.

But it seems to me that many of the stories reported here quickly turn into an anti project, and anti minority rant, which I feel misrepresents the majority of hard working people who live there. There is no distinction made between them and the criminals who prey more on them than on the yuppies of Clinton Hill. We get code words like "animals", "AA's", and the like, which makes the What right - do nothing constructive but perpetuate the race and class struggle. All this filters down into the old suspicions and prejudices causing people to once more start to cross the street when a group of Bishop Laughlin boys walk down the street, as well as when a group of truly dangerous kids may be prowling. If better safe than sorry is going to rule, then perhaps I should cross the street when I see a group of white guys in suits coming. After all, Wall St. misfeasance has mugged me far worse than some teenager. We've come so far, I don't want us to go back to the them vs us days.

If you are going to report muggings and street crime, then report it everywhere. We should be as concerned about a mugging on Nostrand and Park Place as on Bushwick Ave, as on Clinton and Willoughby, or Garfield and 6th. If it's no concern of ours "there", then we are not doing a service, we are feeding fears and asking for the worst in us to come out.

Rape is another thing altogether, and if I have to explain why, then you don't get it, and I'm not obfuscating by not going into the reasons. I have no problems with reporting this, and as I said before, I hope the creep is put under the jail. Maybe I am more sensitive to rape because I am a woman. So? But the same applies. If someone is raped in my neighborhood, then they deserve the same outrage, the same coverage, the same press conferences, and increased police activity. Either we are all equal, or we are not.

If posting stories on Brownstoner keeps someone safe, then fine. If not, then it is only sensationalism, and an opportunity for the brain dead among us to speak. I really don't need to hear from them.

Hey, I don't have the answers. It's Jon's blog. This is my opinion, you are free to agree or think I'm full of it. I hope today's victim is recovering and finds justice.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at January 23, 2009 12:03 PM

Pierre, I reserve the right to be irrational and not make sense at all times. :) I guess I just find rape to be much worse than having your belongings stolen. Since, thank God, neither have happened to me, and hopefully never will, I guess I don't really know, and I'm just projecting.

I have had my apt broken into and robbed, not in NYC, and I have had my purse snatched on the UWS. Those were distressing enough, but not as bad as being physically threatened, I understand that.

Maybe I'm just too defensive about black and Hispanic people being once again alienated, marginalized and pre-judged as dangerous because of the actions of a small minority. Maybe I'm tired of the PropJoes of the world, and am still reacting to some posts I read on Curbed the other day that were the most racist, hateful things I've read this side of a KKK blog, ostensibly written by the same demographic that reads this blog. Maybe I was just hoping that when things get bad, people wouldn't turn on each other like ravenous wolves. Too much to hope, I suppose.

I do think hypocritical is way too strong. Not a fully thought position out would be closer to fact, but most of us, I think, are not 100% thought out on anything.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at January 23, 2009 5:10 PM