The Tennessean has the details: victim was followed on 5th Avenue on her way home at 2:30 this morning from a Downtown club. The rape occurred at knife point in the Mall's amphitheatre. Suspect is described as a homeless African American man with a thin build, short hair, and goatee.
Whenever I take walks around Bicentennial Mall in the daylight, I see a fair number of homeless people sleeping on benches and hanging out, so I would not be surprised if the suspect turns out to indeed be homeless (not that homeless people have a higher incidence of rape than the general population; just that there is a high number of homeless around that park, and thus, an increased chance for homeless crime in that area). I notice that the State Park police are regularly patrolling during the day. I wonder if they do so at night, too.
Oh, how awful.
ReplyDeleteKarsten and I sometimes walk home at night from downtown after going out for drinks and such. This story gives me pause, but also makes me think it's important for us and others to keep doing so, since the fewer people who are out at any given time, the less safe each person is in general.