After hearing about so many trajic Kitty Genovese-like stories time after time... well, the most eloquent way I can put it is YAY!

Tragic. Wow. Mornings.

Woah, intense. Just goes to show that it's always worth it to check those things out. We gotta look out for each other. And that is so amazing that they caught him. Awesome.

That poor woman. While I'm glad that someone stepped up, I feel really bad for what she had to endure. It's a sick sad world where a rapist feels secure enough to attack a woman on her own front lawn.

This is so fantastic - it can be really hard to know whether you need to step in to certain situations - it takes a lot courage. It's great these guys did.

Click the link to see the bastard beaten with his eyes swollen shut. Priceless.

I clicked the link, and I hate that they always say "alleged rape". Nobody would say "alleged murder" or "alleged vandalism". Ugh. It makes me sick how there is always doubt about a woman being unwilling, even though this time there were 5 witnesses!

I clicked the link, and I hate that they always say "alleged rape". Nobody would say "alleged murder" or "alleged vandalism". Ugh. It makes me sick how there is always doubt about a woman being unwilling, even though this time there were 5 witnesses!

There needs to be a way to edit or delete your own posts on this site.

There needs to be a way to edit or delete your own posts on this site.

They also had to mention the obligatory "she was out at a bar and walked home alone"

Honestly why can't they just say "she had just returned from a nigt with her friends" or something..always have to make sure the pubic knows that the victim did something "wrong"

They also had to mention the obligatory "she was out at a bar and walked home alone"

Honestly why can't they just say "she had just returned from a nigt with her friends" or something..always have to make sure the pubic knows that the victim did something "wrong"

Both that story and the picture make me happy. It's always made me happy when assholes get the shit beat out of them. I know it's wrong for us to embrace violence, but I always have this urge to take a baseball bat and beat the shit out of guys like these ...

Goes to show you, though, that sometimes it's worth stepping in on a situation, even if it has the potential of backfiring, in that we might have overstepped our boundries or misunderstood what was going on.

He targeted a woman who was on crutches...what a sorry excuse of a man. I am so happy to hear that these people took a risk to defend someone who was not able to. And you are right, why mention that she was at a bar at all? Would they have mentioned it if she had been walking home from a store instead?

“They also had to mention the obligatory "she was out at a bar and walked home alone"�

It doesn’t say that. It says she “….had been at a local tavern before being accosted on her walk home.� They don’t use the word “alone�.

I might have missed something, but it doesn’t seem to me like they worded it in a way that suggests she did something “wrong�.

nightingale--completely agreed. I thought it ridiculous for them to continually say "alleged." Your analogy has helped me formulate my thoughts on that subject. thanks!

They do usually say alleged murder, I think. Although alleged vandalism is tougher, because it's obvious that the vandalism happened (when it's graffiti or broken windows or whatever), just not as obvious who did it - but I guess they do say "alleged vandal" in some cases.

GOOD FOR THEM!

I might be wrong, but I believe the use of "alleged" is because a person is presumed innocent until found guilty, and if they say "The murderer", or "The rapist", they could be sued for libel/slander if the person is found innocent.
It's a legal loophole thing.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You are correct Nic. They always say "alleged whatever" until the person is actually convicted. That's not just with rape cases.

This story made my day :D

Clarification: for other types of crimes, they will refer to the SUSPECT as "alleged murderer" or "alleged vandal". However, it is NOT the typical case to refer to THE CRIME ITSELF as "alleged murder" or "alleged vandalism."

To refer to the rape as "alleged" implies that one cannot take the woman's word that she did not consent to sex.

Thanks, thenakedcat. Lazy reading on my part.

I am aware that my phrasing wasn't what was in the article. I was just referring to the pattern of always calling attention to something the victim did that might cause victime blaming. Mentioning that the victim had been at a bar earlier is just a subtle way of victim blaming. Yes all reasonable people view it as, it doesn't matter she was just at a bar why is it a big deal. But there will be someone who will read that and say "well what's a young women on crutches doing at a bar at night" trust me it will happen.

As far as the alleged talk, yes generally there is proof that crime has been committed so you don't usually need to use alleged in front of murder or rape...it is usually used before the suspect. However, one of the biggest argueents used in rape cases is that it was in fact not a rape and was consenual so I think that's why the phrase alleged rape is so wide spread. Whether it's considered a proper legal term is out of my range of knowledge :)

The linguistic feature that I take offense to, personally, is that prosecutors in rape cases are always - always! - referred to as "accusers." Like rapists are the victims of some kind of witch hunt.

Good for these people, though. Stopping that creep was a dangerous thing to do, but it was also the right thing to do. I'm glad they decided to intervene.

I truly think that victims in rape cases (whether they were truly victimized or not) must ALWAYS be given the benefit of protection, serious investigation and as much assistance as possible.

I also hate the fact that they're so often referred to as "accusers." It makes the person perpetuating the act look like an innocent bystander. "Alleged victim" is a much better term, though not perfect by any measure, since it still conveys an air of doubt and mistrust in the word of the victim.

Anyway, bravo for to the one's who intervened. It takes courage to put your own safety on the line to help a fellow human.

Wow, this makes my day!

"The three guys ran out and went over and tackled him." I was very happy to read this. Men need to take responsibility to bring an end to the culture of rape. These three young men should be held up as examples for all men. It saddens me when men view rape as a woman's issue. It is not. The women who are raped are our girlfriends, wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, neighbors and co-workers. Every man has a vested interest in ending this vile culture. We can do that by promoting greater respect for women among our male friends and, yes, sometimes being heroes like those three young guys.

I clicked the link, and I hate that they always say "alleged rape". - Nightingale

Complete agreement. Especially given the repeated use of the word, even when referring to injuries she sustained because of the attack. I also can't help but notice that nothing done to HIM is "alleged."