Re: Statement on New York Festival Attacks

[Katha Pollitt <kpollitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If the young men who attacked 50-plus women in the park had been
suburban white boys and men, would they have been allowed to rampage
without arrest? We cannot know. had it not been for ONE victim of the
Puerto Rican Parade assaults, who made a huge fuss in the media, the
perpetrators of the actual assaults might never have been sought.
Certainly, the intitial response to the attack, from cops and Mayor
alike, was to pooh-pooh the seriousness, NOT to go on a man hunt.
  I'ts true that the glen ridge boys almost got away with it, and had
much local sympathy.  but, for the record, they did not "torture" that
retarded girl, or even "rape
 her."  they cajoled and manipulated her into inserting objects into
herself. Repulsive, and they deserved every minute of jail they
eventually got -- but not rape or torture.
  The picture given by that editorial writer (Rebecca?) is that white
boys/men get away with sex crimes, and black/brown ones don't.  that
isn't true.  MOST sexual criminals get away with it. The Central park
attackers almost did and may yet -- we
ll see what happens when the prosecution has to prove that a grimace
isn't a smile and the defense gets to work on the jury about the
scantily clad young women etc--as the rodney King video proves, juries
see what they want to see in a video). Certainly, men of color
assaulting women of color is not taken v seriously by justice system.
  Finally, the solution that black and latina women should take care of
this problem on their own seems pretty unserious. More like throwing a
theoretical bone to the victims, while reserving practical sympathy--and
practical help-- for the perpetrators. I don't think we'
ll see this grouplet organizing female sex-crime courts up in Harlem.
They'll be demonstrating for the accused.

Katha