Harrisburg - Rape Capital?

The powers that be at City Hall have done it again. According to the Patriot News, the attempted rape along riverfront park in broad daylight last Saturday wasn't reported to the media because city officials assumed it was just another simple assault. Randy King, Mayor Reed's clueless or very clever mouthpiece (depending on the motivation) justified City Hall's silence and failure to warn the women of this fair city this way:

"When it occurred Saturday afternoon, nobody had any idea that this was a potential sexual assault," said city spokesman Randy King. "The victim didn't provide us with any information that led us to believe that. In fact, we didn't know it was a potential sexual assault until Mr. Newcomer was being interviewed" Wednesday night. "

"We were viewing it as simply an assault," King said. "And there had been no previous incidents like that."

So Harrisburg didn't alert the media a dangerous predator might be on the loose. Oh, they do say they called the Midtown Crime Watch group. I didn't get the memo, nor did most women I know, including quite a few who jog along that very path.

Come on, folks. The woman said she was jogging along the river when the man grabbed her and pushed her into the bushes. She fought back and screamed and he ran away. That's a classic stranger rape scenario. Couldn't be more classic unless she was a nun in clerical garb. If Randy can't see that, he needs some serious training.

Or perhaps this is just another way to hide crime statistics for the City of Harrisburg. Because Harrisburg has one of the highest per capita rape rates in the country. Here's some food for though, Mr. King. According to the 2004 FBI reported crimes statistics, Washington, D.C. had 39 rapes per 100,000 people. Little 'ol Harrisburg clocked in at 105 per 100,000 people. So there you have it. Even under-reported, Harrisburg has more rapes than notoriously dangerous Washington, D.C.

Randy, Randy, Randy. You should be ashamed of yourself.