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while we’re all here, thought I’d show u guys a cool video of the stranger who randomly attacked me in the street last week, a guy @NOPDNews thinks is fine to be released w/in a few hours & free to chill until his court date in June. (TW on this vid)
I had just left my house for a run on Friday at ~6:30 pm but was literally still on my block & so still walking when I passed this man who stepped toward me & punched me in the head, laying me out. in shock, I scrambled to my feet & impulsively ran in the opposite direction
across the st to where witnesses walked up & called 911. the guy trailed me for a min before turning & continuing to walk calmly down the street. (Note: normally I’ve been keeping 6’ away while out for runs, but saw him at the last min, it was a split sec decision, & a bad one)
I watched him get cuffed & put in a police car & went home totally rocked but comforted by the fact that at least he was away. the next day I happened to step outside and he was right there, walking directly past my house. my partner called police to ask what was going on
we were told they weren’t holding anyone due to the virus, & the guy was free to go till courts opened again in 2 wks. we later found out neither of those things is true - the truth is much worse
turns out the man’s release was not virus-related at all. for simple battery, he would have been released w/ a summons overnight ANYWAY, even in normal circumstances. I’m actually not sure if he was even processed, bc apparently that’s up to officers’ discretion
officers who didn’t talk to witnesses (I collected witnesses’ contact info myself), didn’t ask this restaurant abt security cam footage (I solicited it myself), didn’t even give me a crime reference number
I asked why I wasn’t notified of his release. they said they didn’t have to bc I have no relationship to him. I explained how scary it was to encounter him on the st after I thought he was put away. Direct quote: “why would it matter if you knew? What difference would it make?”
they rec’d I file a restraining order but refused to give me the guys name so I could do that. I fought all week to get the info I needed to file the petition, going to building after building, making call after call. everyone said I had to go somewhere else, talk to someone else
I repeated what happened over and over, even showed the video. they were dismissive of my fears that he might attack me again, citing the fact that he’s a stranger & would have no reason to, as if that wasn’t true the first time also PLUS he now also knows who I am.
I wouldn’t have stood there talking to cops 20 ft away from him while he was getting cuffed & letting him get a good look at me if I’d known he’d be out within a few hours.
this man lives a few blocks from me & walks up & down my st in front of my house all day long. @NOPDNews not only thinks he’s cool to chill out here, they also think it’s unreasonable for the person he attacked to be fearful of him & to expect to be notified he got let out
they think it’s fine to be irritable & flippant w/ someone in fear & to say things like “ma’am I know this seems like a grave situation to YOU, but this is pretty low compared to what we see out here”
this is NOT virus-related, this is the system working perfectly. I’m thinking of women in worse situations/more immediate danger than me, seeking protection from a domestic partner or rapist, navigating all this red tape, reaching out for help & being met w so much disdain
my walks/runs were one thing I could count on to keep me mentally afloat in these bizarre times. it feels like the one safe thing has been taken away from me. I’m not naive enough to think the cops actually protected us, but it’s been so disheartening to experience firsthand
I’m in such a dark place this week, idk what else to even say. stay home (duh), love y’all 
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