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Police say rapist on the loose in East Boston
By adamg on Sat, 11/01/2014 - 10:11pm
Surveillance photo via BPD.
Boston Police report a woman was raped early this morning as she was walking home along Border Street.
Police say that around 3 a.m.:
An unknown Hispanic male approached her from behind, threatened her with a sharp object and then sexually assaulted and robbed her. According to the victim, the suspect was last seen fleeing the area on foot along Border Street in the direction of Shaw’s Supermarket located at 246 Border Street. Suspect is described as a Hispanic male, mid-to-late twenties in age, 5’5” to 5’7” in height, thin build, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with blue lettering and dark colored jeans. Victim further states that the suspect spoke with what she believes to be a Hispanic accent.
Anybody with information can contact the Sexual Assault Unit at 617-343-4400 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463).
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Comments
There are some fundamental
There are some fundamental issues with this story. First, which was it? Was she raped or sexually assaulted? And second, the suspect is described as having a Hispanic accent. That's not possible; Hispanic is not a language.
Why I used the word "rape"
For whatever reasons, police tend to use only "sexual assault" until after somebody is arrested and charged with "aggravated rape" or whatever. I used the particular word, though, because of this:
Which sounds way worse than, say, groping her (which would also be called "sexual assault").
As for "Hispanic accent," yes, you could be right. I suspect you also know what the police meant.
Am assuming that an awful lot
Am assuming that an awful lot of people need to either check their privilege or, at least, consider watching "Rashoman." (Shrug.)
Check their privilege?
Spanish accent. Does that make you feel better, privilege detective? Can we get back to the news story now?
Speaking of checking, it's
Speaking of checking, it's "Rashomon".
Really?
Someone just got raped, and you clowns worry about hurting the rapist's feelings by referring to his accent as "hispanic?" We might have to check our privilege, but you definitely need to check your head.
Of course it's possible
A person can have a Canadian accent, and that's not a language either.
Yes
There are hundreds, if not thousands of identifiable accents that are not their own language. To say "a Hispanic accent" is perfectly reasonable. It includes accents particular to numerous Spanish-speaking people. If the victim had said "a Mexican accent" or "a Puerto Rican accent," would Anon still object? After all, Mexican and Puerto Rican are not languages, but Spanish speakers often identify those accents.
eh?
n/t
Accents vs Languages
If you were the victim of a crime and the perpetrator told you to "pahk the cah in hahvahd yahd," would you tell police he had an English accent?
I'm from Dorchester and it
I'm from Dorchester and it insults me to use Harvard Yard that's lamebridge I mean Cambridge no one over there talks like they from Boston say Fenway Pahk I used to hang on tha cornah shit like that but Harvard yard that's far from even say Dotchester sound stupid
I sympathize with your loss
You can buy a new keyboard for just a few bucks, and I promise it'll have periods and commas and everything.
You're welcome.
Please
I would tell them they had a strong Boston accent. If this alleged crime occurred in Cambridge, it would be assumed the perp was a local, a 'townie', not likely a college professor or children of college professors since even though they may be born and raised here, they rarely speak with the local accent-dialect. You see this same phenomena all over the country. Certain types of people generally do not pick up the local accent-dialect where they were born and/or raised.
The victims says that
the alleged rapist spoke with what she believed to be "a Hispanic accent". I am surprised and confused that seem not to understand that folks, when they form and project their words, may do so with an accent.
But, even more disturbing, a woman was allegedly raped here, and you are focusing on accents...really!?
All rape is sexual assault.
All rape is sexual assault. Not all sexual assault is rape. Noot either/or. They are not mutually exclusive, just not mutually inclusive either.
looking at this more closely
Actually, "Hispanic accent" is actually a proper usage of the primary definition of "Hispanic."
I'm guessing the point you wanted to make is that the BPD can be casually racist and bigoted. And I think they can, too.
Yet whenever someone makes a careless, poorly supported accusation of bigotry, it unfortunately undermines future attempts by other people to make well-constructed arguments for the same. What's going to happen now is that your kneejerk reaction will go into the pot of bad arguments that the wingnutters will trot out as proof that all allegations of bigotry against the BPD are wrongwrongwrong.
I doubt that's what you wanted to do.
Can we cut the caca?
The odds are OVERWHELMING (due to location description) the perp is a Central American young male. The odds are the victim is likewise Central American or of Central American descent, but on this I could be wrong. Now if you say he was a recent 'Hispanic' immigrant speaking with another 'Hispanic', why not communicate in Spanish? Not necessarily true. I know at least two recent 'Hispanic' immigrant guys in East Boston and Chelsea who got jumped by a group of what they said were recent Central American (what they believed were Salvadoran) guys due to their looks and accent, and they spoke in English.
What about Puerto Rico?
What about Puerto Rico?
My first thought upon reading
My first thought upon reading the headline in my newsfeed was "Ugh, how terrible is that?" Then I went on to read the article with the same feeling. Next I get to the comments and... Well, this has to be the stupidest conversation on a rape headline I've seen yet. Throw in some "Democrat liberal Obama blah blah blah" and I could be reading the Herald...
Shut up, already!
Leave it to the wacko "check your privilege" types to hijack this discussion and make it about race. So typical. They're obsessed with race. They thrive on on it. It's unhealthy and there's something wrong them. Seriously, go away. No one likes you. No normal people, anyway.
Hispanic
It isn't a race.
Semantics aside, did you have
Semantics aside, did you have any trouble trying to understand what was being communicated? Cause it seems like there are more important things to argue about.
you people are sick
good to see people are more up in arms about the article's description of the dudes accent rather than the fact that some lady was horribly victimized
btw, im a latino and guess what, i think calling it a hispanic accent is fair game, shitlords
Your friendly moderating censor steps up to the microphone
If you're not logged in, before you compose the World's Greatest Rant on this post, ask yourself: Wouldn't this just go great in the comments on the Herald version of this story? If the answer's yes, please don't hit the Save button, because I'm not going to publish it.
Depends.
Sometimes the Herald Gets It Right, Sometimes The Globe does.
(That might not be apparent due to little niggling things such as confirmation bias and such.)
My initial comment was a riff
My initial comment was a riff on the takes of the film of the White Woman Experience in NYC.
I lived in Eastie for about 10 years from the early 90s. As a test to how I could deal with Eagle Hill at the time was if I could survive the house to Maverick. I Never had a problem there. It shames me that, after the time when I had to leave (due to the uptick in property values), things are returning back to the past nastiness.
Oh, and BTW:
If all that you can offer to the conversation is "Ohh, it's Rashomon, vis a vis (sorry for the lack of a proper diacritic) Rashoman", well, F#ck You, Pedant, (or is that Pedophile.)
Gosh
How White People tire me out.
He was Spanish, he spoke
He was Spanish, he spoke Spanish... it doesn't f****** matter I just want him found.