Violence in Philadelphia this past week

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It's been kind of a depressing week. Yesterday, or the day before--I forget, a ten year old in a North Philadelphia schoolyard, or nearby, got caught in the crossfire of what is probably a drug war that's apparently recently flared up.

Over the weekend, an eight year old girl was raped, in the bathroom of a "good" branch of the Free Library system, by a homeless 23 year old who spent most of his time during the day in libraries, and who had unsuccessfully attempted someting similar about three years ago. He also had been banned from the central library for exposing himself while looking at online pornography, but the rather strange policy here allowed him to go to other libraries in the same system. He was only banned from the library where he had caused problems. I have dealt with this person on numerous occasions and he was a constant problem, though I wouldn't have expected that he'd do something this vicious.

It must be an especially difficult week to be a parent in Philadelphia.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Ugh. UGH. *shudders* Thankfully I've never had to deal with anything like that in my years at library work but man -- that's horrible and a half. My best for that poor girl.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 February 2004 01:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't work in the library where it happened, so I didn't have to deal with it in any immediate sort of way, but it still kind of hit home (especially being familiar with the man who confessed to doing it).

Also, there have been some other close calls, where bystanders (or just people inside their houses) have almost been struck by bullets. This may or may not have something to do with the money for the "Safe Streets" program drying up, but a lot of people have been saying for a while that while that looked good it wasn't economically feasible and took police away from investigative work. (This is all very politically charged, obviously, and I don't honestly know enough to have a strong opinion about it.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

and eight year old¿¡
that is beyond heinous. what state is philly in and do they have the death penalty¿

― dyson (dyson), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

thanks a lot

― Orbit (Orbit), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Pennsylvania. Yes, we have the death penalty. I'm more or less opposed to it, though this is the sort of case which makes me lean toward the less side of being opposed.

It's quite possible that this was an avoidable crime, too. There are a lot of unanswered questions about his release after his first assault in the summer of 2000 (which happened to take place at another city facility). Was there any kind of psychiatric evaluation? The victim then screamed enough that he left before raping her or otherwise further assaulting her.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

(Orbit, sorry, maybe there should be some way to mark threads that are actually serious and potentially disturbing.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

And this kid that got shot has the most angelic expression on his face in this picture that's now up on a new site: Story on KYW

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm opposed to the death penalty too - but much less so right now.

― dyson (dyson), Friday, 13 February 2004 02:29 (twenty-two years ago)

not to make light of these horrible stories at all ... but seriously, philly has this "tradition" (for lack of a better word) of some really fucked-up violence that's shared by few if any other cities. b/w ira einhorn in the 70s, rev. heidnick in the eighties, to that guy they found in some north philly slum whose corpse had been eviscerated, and those kids in fishtown (i think it was fishtown) last year.

it is interesting, that maybe safe streets is responsible (in that it's a resource-hog) -- my impression is that it was a pretty good program?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I haven't followed it closely enough. A lot of the criticism seems to be coming from conservative quarters, but much of the criticism makes sense to me. First, that it's not something that could be sustained. It puts cops on the street in certain neighborhoods, and it drives drug related crime indoors. But when the cops leave, the crime is going to tend to return to the streets. Also, while cops are policing a beat, they are being pulled from the sort of investigatory work that could lead to arrests.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

well, the 1st criticism doesn't mean much to me -- i mean, some things just SHOULDN'T be done outdoors (not just because it makes the neighborhood seem scuzzy, but b/c having that stuff done outdoors makes the innocent folks more prey to having violent things happen to them). the 2d is more compelling -- scarce resources and all.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

i got in one little fight and my mom got scared!!
http://www.azfamily.com/images/wb61/shows/hdr_freshprince.jpg

― $, Friday, 13 February 2004 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

dude was spinning me over his head and shit...

― $, Friday, 13 February 2004 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

what's yer point, trife ... other than will smith is from philadelphia and is black?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

You are right. It still matters to people to be able to walk their own streets. I lived in a neighborhood where the drug dealers controlled the streets, and it was a drag. And I never had to put up with gunfire or any visible violence. It was a semi-gentrified neighborhood on the edge of what had been the heart of the barrio in Philadelphia, so it wasn't like being in the very heart of North Philadelphia. There were too many people with money living nearby for it to be put up with indefinitely.

Eisbar, incidentally, since you are on this thread, can you explain the difference between simple assault and aggravated assault? The man who committed that rape had been once before gone into a restroom, pulled a girl out of a stall and pulled her bathing suit down, and then pinned her down on the floor. When the trial came she said she wasn't able to definitely identify her assailant, and if I understood news reports, somehow the fact that she couldn't definitely identify him led to his being sentenced for simple assault rather than aggravated assault. Does that make any sense or does it sound like a media-garbled account? (I may have garbled it as well.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm. Not to belittle what happened, but thank God you guys don't live down here. Seriously...shit like that happens here EVERY other week. You all would probably have a collective stroke. I actually feel past the point of redemption. It's made me so disgustingly numb.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Where are you currently, Francis?

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:26 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm not up on PA law (i'm not admitted there), and crim law is one of my weak spots in l-school, so i may be wrong here -- but i think "aggravated assault" (or "aggravated" any crime) means a criminal assault accompanied by circumstances that make it more severe (like using a deadly weapon, intent to cause serious bodily harm). i THINK that they wouldn't be able to prove "aggravated" assault (as opposed to "simple" assault) under the circumstances you described b/c if the victim couldn't exactly describe the assailant then she prob. also couldn't prove the necessary intent or instrumentality. (i also wonder if, under PA criminal law, there's no distinction b/w "assault" and "battery," 'cause i'm wondering how they proved simple common-law criminal ssault even under the circumstances).

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:33 (twenty-two years ago)

god, that sounds like a bar exam answer ... well, y'all know i'm not up to being a prosecutor or public defender!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:34 (twenty-two years ago)

That was the kind of thing I was looking for. If I were interested enough I could find out for sure, but that helps.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

"assault" = making someone fear that they will be battered. "battery" = the actual act of violence on one's person. to clear that up, if it's confusing.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh. I've never heard it used that way, but I don't claim to know much about the law.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 13 February 2004 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Surely you've heard of St. John of the PR, bay-beh?

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 13 February 2004 04:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I wasn't sure if you were back in Puerto Rico or not. Sorry to hear the crime problem is that severe.

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 13 February 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

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