PLEASE NOTE: Next Week’s COMMUNIT-E will be the last one until after the
Holidays. If you have something you especially want to get in, for
sometime during the next several weeks, please send it to me before this
coming Monday. – KS
 
 
 

WORK WILL CONTINUE ON TENLEYTOWN FIREHOUSE
From: Floto, Mary Ann (EOM) <maryann.floto@dc.gov>
Contact: Nathan Francis (Office of Deputy Mayor for Operations) 202-724-6567
DISTRICT IN NEGOTIATIONS TO SECURE NEW CONTRACTOR
The Office of Contracting and Procurement, in
cooperation with the District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services, is
currently in negotiations to secure a new contractor to renovate the
Tenleytown Firehouse. The District terminated the previous contract for
this project in July of this year due to non-performance on the part of
the contractor, HRGM Corporation. Negotiations with the bonding agent for
HRGM have been ongoing since that contract was terminated. Bids by
interested contractors for the completion of this important project are
due to the bonding agent's representative, Meridian Consulting Group, by
December 15, 2003.

The District believes that it is in the best interest of the community to
rehabilitate the existing facility under the current plan. To do otherwise
would require additional redesign costs and months of additional delay.
Approvals from historic preservation, zoning, and design review boards
have already been secured. These approvals are contingent upon the
preservation of the exterior walls of the existing structure.

The District is committed to the successful completion of this project.
Under the current design, the firehouse meets the programmatic needs of
the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. Deputy Mayor Herbert
Tillery will oversee the ongoing, multi-agency effort to get this
important project back on track.
 
 
 
 

CRIMES OF INTEREST IN THE ‘HOOD
From: Crimereports.com <reports@crimereports.com>
**** PSA202 11/15/2003 2000 hours
Theft - 2
5300 block Wisconsin Ave
C1 reports that she put her purse, containing various items, down while
she shopped. C1 reached to retrieve the purse and discovered that
unknown person(s) had stolen it.
------------------------
 From KS – Be especially careful about your purse and wallet while
shopping these days. This is one of the busiest times of the year for
pick pockets. Also, don’t place packages in your car where they are
visible while you go off to shop for more items. One of our ‘Hood’s most
numerous crimes is theft from auto.

After the Holidays, be careful about advertising the expensive new
goodies you just got. It’s a good idea to break up recyclable boxes and
turn them inside out so that someone casing the area, by looking at your
trash, doesn’t see that you just got a nifty new TV or whatever.

**** PSA 202 11/26/2003 1900 Hours ROBBERY - Gun
5200 Block 45TH ST
C-1 reports while getting property from his van, s1 approached him from
the rear, placed a dark handgun to his hip and demanded cash or he would
kill c-1. C-1 complied. S1 fled e/b on Harrison.
 
 
 

LIFE-GIVING EVENT AT MURCH
From: smithhemb <smithhemb@aol.com>
Thru: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you, friends, neighbors and others whom I know to
care about their community, to let you know about a bone marrow
registration drive at Murch Elementary, my children's school. We are
organizing the drive on behalf of a wonderful 5th-grade teacher at
Murch who is ill with aplastic anemia. If drug treatments fail, a
bone marrow transplant may be her only hope.
As you may know, when no compatible donor can be found in the
immediate family (as in her case), those needing healthy marrow must
turn to strangers. Even with an international registry of potential
donors, the odds of finding a match are daunting. More registrants,
aged 18 to 60, are always needed!
That's why we're holding the Murch Marrow Drive, on Dec. 12 and
13, from 2 to 5 on Friday (12/12) and 9 to 1 on Saturday (12/13).
Even if our teacher never needs a donor, thousands of others do
desperately. New matches are being sought every day by patients of
all ages.
All it takes is some paperwork and a finger-prick for you to have
the chance to save a life. No appointment necessary. In the
approaching holiday season, when our thoughts turn so much to giving,
what better way is there?
More information is provided in the attached flyer and press
release, as well as on www.marrow.org (the registry's website) and at
the website of our financial sponsor, www.friendsofallison.com (click
on "What's New" for info on the Murch drive).
Even if you can't participate yourself, or if you're already in
the registry (you can check at marrow.org), please help us help
others by printing out the attached flyer and circulating it among
your neighbors, friends, church/synagogue communities, and schools.
Are there bulletin boards, newsletters and list-serves on which you
could post our message? Do you know reporters to whom you could
email our press release?
Thanks so much. And I hope to see you at Murch on Dec. 12 and 13!
Mandy K.
 
 
 
 

HOLIDAY GREENS AT ALICE DEAL JUNIOR HIGH
From: AHMorin@aol.com
Buy Your Holiday Greens and Support Alice Deal Junior High
The Alice Deal Junior High School PTA is holding its First Annual Holiday
Tree Sale on Saturday and Sunday, December 6th and 7th from 9:00 am to
4:00 pm in
the parking lot behind the school. The sale will feature balsam and fraser
fir trees (4-10 feet tall), wreaths, roping, candle rings and tree stands.
Alice Deal Junior High is located at Fort Drive and Nebraska Avenue, NW,
one
block southwest of the intersection of Nebraska Avenue and Reno Road.
For more
information, please call Bob Wollam (202) 387-7450.
For information on the release please call Anne Morin at (202) 244-2734.
 
 
 
 

ANC 3B NEWS TEST AND NOTE ON "SPAM" FILTERS
From: <anc3b@randysteer.com>
A reminder to members of the list who are thinking of using spam filters
to reduce the flood of spam we're all being hit with:
Some filters may perceive these mailings as spam -- they *are* generated
automatically by a server, just like spam. If you do install a filter,
or activate one offered by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), be sure
to keep an eye out for the regular ANC 3B News mailings. If you don't
receive them, you may have to manually tell your spam filter that mail
from "anc3b@aol.com" is "OK". (I can't tell you exactly how to do that
-- you'll have to check with whoever has provided the filter.)
Thanks. Randy Steer.
--------
[From KS – This is also true for COMMUNIT-E. Some servers, like Fannie
Mae regularly kick back COMMUNIT-E. ]
 
 
 
 

UPDATE ON TRAFFIC-CALMING MEETING
From: Barbara Oliver <bboliver@starpower.net>
ANC Single Member District Meeting Regarding Neighborhood Traffic

Thursday * Dec. 11 * 7:30 p.m.
Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church
3920 Alton Place (just off Tenley Circle)

If you live within the three blocks between Wisconsin Ave. and Reno Road on
Upton, Van Ness, Veazey, 37th or 38th streets--please come prepared to
discuss specific traffic concerns on YOUR block.
If you cannot attend this meeting, please share your views by sending
e-mails to ANC Commissioners Carl Kessler (anc3f01@starpower.net) or Cathy
Wiss (schumannwiss@juno.com).
 
 
 
 

SIDWELL FRIENDS RENOVATION PLANS
From: sf@anc3f.org
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Please join Sidwell Friends School for a discussion of its campus
renovation plans
Thursday, December 4th at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday, December 7th at 7:30 p.m.
3825 Wisconsin Avenue Kogod Arts Center Meeting Room
An RSVP to (202) 537-8179 or to heckj@sidwell.edu is appreciated, but
not required.
We also invite you to visit http://sidwell.edu/neighborhood.htm
 
 
 
 

GLOVER PARK LEAF COLLECTION SCHEDULES
From: <anc3b@aol.com>
The District of Columbia Department of Public Works have scheduled leaf
collections for the following days in Glover Park:
Saturday, December 20th
Saturday, December 27th
 
 
 

ANC3F SMD MEETING
From: <NS@anc3f.org>
The Jenny Waelder Hall Center for Children, Inc. has filed an
application with the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment for a special
exception to establish a nursery school/child development center at the
Capital Memorial Seventh-Day Adventists Church.
The Church is located in Commissioner David J. Bardin’s Single Member
District and he has scheduled a meeting for the applicant to present the
proposal for the school and for the neighbors to ask questions regarding
the proposal.
The meeting will be at 7:00pm, Monday, December 8, 2003 at the Capital
Memorial Seventh-Day Adventists Church, 3150 Chesapeake Street, N.W.
ANC3F will consider this application at a future public meeting.
 
 
 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: Rick Prescott <rprescot@aol.com>
I want to get cable internet access and am looking for consumer feedback
on their experiences with Comcast and Starpower. I'm not really
interested in DSL because I want to bundle digital TV signals with
internet access. Quite awhile back there was some discussion here about
the merits of the two firms. Would/Can anyone give me an update on your
recent customer experience with these firms' internet, TV and long
distance phone services? Any and all feedback would be appreciated. (I
live on the 4400 block of Albemarle NW, if location is an issue in cable
services quality.) Thanks.

**** From: Laura Akgulian <laura@marginata.com>
RECYCLE YOUR TROPHIES
If your children's athletic trophies are gathering dust...and the kids
no longer want them...give them to our local public schools. The
volleyball coach at Deal JHS was elated to receive ours. "You're right
on time!" she said. Turns out she needed 18 for her current team but
only had the funds to buy 15. And if Alice Deal accepts them with open
arms, imagine the need for them elsewhere in the city. The school's main
office will connect you with the coach. A note to sentimentalists: we
took photos of the collection and removed the inscriptions (just unscrew
the metal strips) for our daughter.

**** From: Donna DeSilva <rjodmd@comcast.net>
We moved to DC a little over a year ago, and we are looking for a good
vet. Until now I have taken my dogs back to VA for treatment, but my
favorite vet just left the VA practice, so I am seeking a new vet.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks Donna DeSilva

**** From: Barbara Chowney <chowney@sprynet.com>
THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL HOLIDAY POTTERY SALE of the Glen Echo Potters will
be held in the Gym of the Lab School of Washington, Reservoir Road at
Macarthur Blvd., (4759 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20007) on
Saturday, December 6, 2003 from 9 AM - 6 PM and Sunday, December 7, 2003
from 10 AM - 4 PM.

**** From: Jennifer Rose <jenrose1@yahoo.com>
My husband and I are looking for reliable child care
in our home for our seven week-old baby boy. The days
needed are Monday-Thursdays from 1:00pm-5:00pm. This
would start on January 5th till mid June. If you know
someone please contact Jennifer at 202-537-3132.

**** From: Maren Handler Siegel <marenhs@hotmail.com>
Does anyone know anyone who is interested in doing some babysitting? I
need somebody the watch my 2 boys (ages 3 and 8) in the afternoons and
evenings a few days a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays a must. We live
close to the metro so a car is not needed. Please Email me, Maren
Siegel, at marenhs@hotmail.com or call (202)362-9926. Looking to start
ASAP.

**** From Tom Hier <hier@biddhier.com>
I recently bought a new piano and am selling my old one. It is a mahogany
Weber "parlor grand" (just shy of 5 feet) in very good condition -- beloved
and well-cared for. I believe it was made in the 1950s. I have owned it
since the mid-1980s. Asking $4,000. For further information, please call
me at (202) 966-9711 or email at hier@biddhier.com. Thanks.

**** From: Scott Cheney <sgcheney@hotmail.com>
Desk, solid wood, mahogany color, 7 drawers (2 are file drawers), excellent
condition, 30x30x66; $350. Filecabinet, mahogany color, 2 drawers,
30x30x21; $50. Printer cabinet with 2 shelves, 30x21x23; $25. You pick up.
Email sgcheney@hotmail.com or call 244.9888.

**** From: Ken Giles & Davida Perry <kenanddavida@starpower.net>
Can anyone recommend someone to clean gutters? Thanks.

**** From: squasher@starpower.net <squasher@starpower.net>
I need to find a reliable plumber to snake the drain at the bottom of the
stairwell outside our walk-out basement. I seem to recall there is a
neighborhood website where I can access this information. If so, could you
provide me the link?

[From KS – the web site is the ANC3F web site at www.anc3f.org. You
enter, find the listing for COMMUNIT-E and click on that. The direct web
site for the last compilation of services is:
http://www.anc3f.org/communit03-03-20.html]
 

**** From: burchard.robert@epamail.epa.gov
We need a roofer because the contractor who put an addition on our house
didn't install the roof properly, and it has been leaking ever since he
finished a year ago. Our contractor attempted to fix the roof twice,
but unsuccessfully. We called a roofing company on our own to have them
take a look. They informed us that the problem is that the roof on the
addition was not attached properly to the roof on the main house - and
that it will have to be redone. Plus, our contractor installed the
gutters improperly. Redoing this work will cost us $1,000s.
Please let everyone know NOT to use AllDay Remodeling Company, owned by
Alan DeBosky.

**** From: Alyse Graham <grahamstretch@starpower.net>
I am looking for a renter for a bright, sunny, spacious 1 BR apartment
with a view of the Cathedral, at the Towers (Cathedral and New Mexico
Aves., NW). The building has all the amenities (doormen, front desk,
pool, tennis court, and grocery store). $1750/month. Respond offline or
call Sheila McCrea at 415-225-9823. Thanks.

**** From: <TROINC@aol.com>
Friendship Heights, DC Duplex for Rent
Renovated 3.5 bedroom, 1.75-bath brick duplex with updated kitchen, three
porches, southern exposure, nice small yards. Two blocks from Friendship
Metro &
Mazza Gallerie – shopping, movies, restaurants, banks, etc. – all of the
benefits of city living on a nice tree-shaded street. New paint, roof,
other
updates. Great neighborhood, great neighbors!
Basement has 3/4 bath and a pine-paneled BR/guest
room/office/study/studio/TV/media/playroom/whatever, plus a utility area
with washer/dryer and sink. The current tenants left Oct. 31, and I'm
painting and doing some minor
repairs; it will be available December 1.
This is a good-quality, wonderfully-located home, not operated for the fast
buck or high turnover, but as a long term investment. Small groups of
professionals are OK (maximum of 3), as are cat-compatible pets (subject
to approval).
References and deposits are required, of course. I'm the nextdoor neighbor,
so I'm interested in a good fit with the right person/people. Rent is
$2,200/month, with a 12-month lease.
Contact: Chip Levy, (202) 364-7230 (phone), (202) 364-7231 (fax) or email:
TROINC@aol.com

**** From: Robin_Wolfson@discovery.com
FOR RENT
Beautiful 1 Bedroom Loft Apartment
9th & G Streets, NW * Penn Quarter
Brand new luxury 1 BR/1 bath loft apartment
Exposed-brick and large windows
Stainless steel appliances (microwave, stove, d/w) +w/d
Granite counters, backsplash and workstation
Cable/DSL- and satellite TV- ready
Steps away from Gallery Place and Metro Center
Lobby concierge; artist cooperative
$1,990/month; available now
Contact Robin 202/288.1816 or 202/244.8592

**** SOME RECOMMENDED CHIMNEY SWEEPS
AND PLANTATION SHUTTER MAKERS
Thru: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
-------
**** From: anjinsan@geotrees.com
I hope that Mark Swann of Top Hat Sweeps is still around. Cheerful,
skilled, a man of good character and consummate class - Mark and his mighty
sweeps should take good care of you! He worked out of the Dupont Circle
area when I saw him last.

**** From: katherine.mitchell@USPTO.GOV
I finally am confident of a recommendation - WINSTON's Chimney service. We
had another firm tell us it would be $8000 to fix our flue/chimney. We just
stopped using fireplace. Years later friend recommended Winstons. Previous
guy had broken off metal flue plate and plugged up chimney. Winston's
reported this all, cleaned and repaired, and we have used ever since. Twice
they have come out when we called (and they said no charge!) to tell us we
didn't any service - one of these times they even got a ladder & climbed on
the roof to check it out, and still didn't charge. We have had probably 5-6
different people over the years, and every single one was honest,
professional, on-time, and competent. I cannot recommend them enough!

**** From: trudyreeves <trudyreeves@yahoo.com>
I had plantation shutters put in by Window Works. And was surprised
to see that the installer was someone I had bought blinds from twice
before - the first time around 1986. I did not know he did
plantation shutters. I'm having three more windows done next spring
and will contact him directly to get a lower cost.
His name is Pat Baker, Blinds for Design, 703-898-0745. You can tell
him I referred him to you.
 
 
 
 
 

JIMMY CARTER IN PERSON, AT POLITICS AND PROSE
From: anjinsan@geotrees.com
Thru: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
I've just learned that former president Jimmy Carter will appear in person
at Politics and Prose Books on Monday, December 8, to sign copies of his
new historical novel about the American Revolution. The P&P announcement
and details are available on the December 8 listing in the Intercultural
Calendar: http://www.geotrees.com/geocal.html
 
 
 
 

JOB VACANCIES IN THE MPDC
reports@crimereports.com
The MPDC is accepting applications for four different civilian positions
within
the agency. Two of the vacancies – a Grants Program Manager and a
Uniform Crime
Report Coordinator – are in the Research and Resource Development
Section of the
Office of Organizational Development. A third position is for a Legal
Instruments Examiner with the MPDC’s Records Division, Uniform Crime
Reporting
Section. The fourth vacancy is for a Management Analysis Officer with the
Department’s Testing and Standards Branch. All of the positions have unique
duties, qualification requirements and ranking factors, and the application
deadlines are upcoming. For complete details about all four vacancies,
including
application procedures, go to the MPDC’s civilian employment page at:
http://www.mpdc.dc.gov/about/employ/civilian.shtm

Interested in becoming a sworn police officer with the MPDC? The
Department is accepting applications online at:
http://www.mpdc.dc.gov/about/employ/officer.shtm
 
 
 
 

COLLECTING NEW & GENTLY USED TOYS
From: KD McLynn <kdmclynn@starpower.net>
'Tis the season for the annual toy drive for Mt. Rona Baptist Church! This
grassroots effort, now in its 13th year, provides presents for DC children
who otherwise would not receive gifts.
Particularly needed are:
toys, games, bikes, books, or sports stuff (roller blades, cleats, helmets,
etc.), infant items (toys, cribs, clothes, car seats, high chairs, etc.),
new toys and children's clothing.

Mt. Rona Baptist runs a weekend safe place for community children all year.
For the holidays, Mt. Rona (on 13th and Monroe Streets, NW) holds a
Christmas celebration, complete with a big home cooked meal, where new and
gently used toys are given to inner-city children, including kids from the
local homeless shelter. All items in good condition are welcome and your
donation is tax deductible.

Please drop off contributions on the front porch of 4332 Albemarle
Street, NW
DEADLINE: no later than Wednesday, December 17. The generosity of our
neighbors was inspiring last year! Please help this year be another success.
Thanks, Kathleen (Kate) McLynn & Bernice McCallum
 
 
 
 
 

DDOT FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS TRANSPORTATION STUDY
From: Chapman Todd <chapmantodd@yahoo.com>
Thru: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
The final version of the D.C. Department of
Transportation's Friendship Heights Traffic Study has
now been posted at their website. Go to ddot.dc.gov,
then click Information, Transportation Studies,
Friendship Heights, or try this address:
http://www.ddot.dc.gov/information/studies/fh_study/index.shtm
There will be discussion at an upcoming ANC 3E meeting
about the Study. I will post additional information
once we determine a date.
Chapman Todd
 
 
 
 
 

MILITARY ROAD/MISSOURI AVENUE TRANSPORTATION STUDY
From: Bird, Melissa <mbird@louisberger.com>
From: <mrs@anc3f.org>
Military Road/Missouri Avenue Traffic Study
The D.C. Department of Transportation and the Louis Berger Group,
Inc. will hold a public meeting to present findings from the draft
report of the Military Road/Missouri Transportation Study.
The meeting will be on December 15 at 7:00 pm at the Chevy
Chase Community Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street.
Call Melissa Bird at 202 912-0343 for additional information.
(The meeting had been scheduled for December 8 and has been rescheduled for
December 15.)
 
 
 
 
 

CONNECTICUT AVENUE TRANSPORTATION STUDY
From: CTStudy@anc3f.org
In response to residents' concerns, the District of Columbia Department
of Transportation (DDOT) conducted a study to evaluate transportation
conditions in the Van Ness area of Connecticut Avenue.
The area studied in bounded on the north by Albemarle Street, Melvin C.
Hasen Park on the south, Reno Road Road on the west and Rock Creek Park
on the west.

DMJM+HASSIS, Inc. conducted the study and recently presented a final
report to DDOT.
A copy of the 100 page report with appendix is available for review at
the Cleveland Park Library. In addition the report is posted on ANC3F's
web site at www.anc3f.org (in a 3.5MB pdf file) together with a small
file with the Executive Summary and 23 major transportation issues and
improvements included in the report.

ANC3F will hold a meeting early next year for community comment and
discussion of the 23 issues and proposed improvements.
 
 
 
 
 

CONSUMER FORUMS ON PEPCO POWER OUTAGES
From: <opc@anc3f.org>
The Office of the People's Counsel is sponsoring two consumer forms to
help develop a full and complete public record on the PEPCO power
outages of August and September 2003
The forums will also provide an opportunity for citizens to suggest
improvements to PEPCO's emergency response strategy.

Saturday, December 6 9:30 - 11:30 am
The New Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, N.W.
Room 140A

Tuesday, December 9, 2003 6:30 - 8:30 pm
The Historic Sumner School 1201 17th Street, N.W.
(between M & N Streets) Lecture Hall - 2nd Floor
For more information regarding these hearings, please contact OPC,
202 - 727-3071
 
 
 

SEVERAL REACTIONS TO RAPE PREVENTION ARTICLE IN LAST
ISSUE OF COMMUNIT-E

**** From: Pfleeger, Shari Lawrence <pfleeger@rand.org>
A recent edition of Communit-E included a list of advice about self-defense.
I passed it on to a woman who has been teaching self-defense classes in DC
for decades. Here is her reaction:
"This one sure gets around a lot, even though it is mostly bad or incorrect
information and advice. Hope you didn't send it to too many others. #3 is
resaonable, and #8, 11, 14, and 16 are good. The others are either dead
wrong or just poor advice. Don't know if the sender was just misinformed or
trying to be funny (going after women with ponytails etc.??).
Very possibly actually learned this from some instructor. Many pass on
every myth they have ever heard, mixed in with their own made-up wisdom. Few
follow statistics or rely on real studies. And how can most folks tell the
difference?"
 

**** From: Richard L. Paul <rlpaulproductions@starpower.net>
The following is from Snopes.com which researches internet hoaxes. It's in
regard to the Sally Hatch post,which you titled: SOME ACTION IDEAS TO FEND
OFF RAPISTS
As you'll read, the email quoted in Communit-E is the email referenced
below.
Claim: Heeding the advice given in a popular e-mail missive will keep you
from becoming a rape victim.
Status: False.

[From KS - the following item from Richard Paul was too long for
COMMUNIT-E, so I edited it to get the basic nuggets.
Presumably the full article can be read on Snopes.com.]

If rapists choose their victims based on hairstyle and length of tresses,
it's news to those in law enforcement; they've never noticed this trend.

According to Denver Police Sgt. John Burbach, most rapes occur in the
evening hours and into early morning, ending before dawn, not "between 5 and
8:30 a.m." as claimed in the e-mail. Statistics from the U.S. Department of
Justice fully support him in this claim: The DOJ says "Approximately
two-thirds of rapes/sexual assaults occurred at night -- 6 p.m. to 6 a.m."

As for the tidbit "The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at
is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages.
Number three is public restrooms," Kathie Kramer, public relations
coordinator at the Denver Rape Assistance and Awareness Program (RAAP) says,
"Statistics in studies I've found don't support this idea about grocery
stores or parking lots being especially unsafe." Location is important in a
violent sexual assault, but there's nothing inherently dangerous about
parking lots or public restrooms; what matters is its isolation. Areas
heavily frequented by foot traffic are far less likely to be chosen by a
rapist. Likewise, badly-lit, less-frequented places will be favored for this
type of attack.

The e-mail claims that only 2% of rapists (one out of every fifty) carries a
weapon. That figure is seriously out of whack: 1995 U.S. Department of
Justice statistics show that weapons were used in 30% of all rapes, meaning
the chances that your rapist will be armed is just a little less than one in
three.

"If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it
only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't
worth it because it will be time-consuming." That's great advice, provided
you get the right rapist. And you've no way of knowing until it's too late.
As comforting as it might be to believe there's only one sort of baddie out
there and if you understand his mind you can stay safe, that just isn't the
case.

In a general sense, rapists fall into three motivational types: anger,
power, and sadism. In anger assaults, the rapist is getting even for "some
wrong he feels has been done to him, by life, by his victim at the time.
He's in a frame of rage and attacks someone sexually." The anger rape is
usually unpremeditated and impulsive, but the impulse drives the rapist into
excessive force: the victim is punched, choked, and kicked into submission.
Most such offenders derive little pleasure from the act, says Groth, but
"they want to degrade their victims, and sex is something bad, dirty, the
worst thing you could do to someone. That reflects a lot of our values in
society."

An anger rapist could be discouraged by a potential victim who yells at him
or puts up a physical struggle, thanks to the unpremeditated nature of the
attack. Because the aggressor may not yet have fully decided to pursue this
course of action, resistance may well change his mind. Here, even a
half-hearted attempt might prove to be all it takes to end the assault. On
the other hand, the rage the attacker is feeling might well be further fed
by active resistance -- this could be taken as yet another instance of one
more person trying to deny him something he wants.

Power rape, according to Groth, is a form of compensation, committed usually
by men who feel unsure of their competence. Rape gives them a sense of
mastery and control. Power rapists usually hunt for a victim or seize an
opportunity that presents itself unbidden. A power rapist is unlikely to be
discouraged by resistance because his whole self image is wrapped up in his
attempt to prove mastery. A woman who chooses to fight one of these had
better do a darned good job of it, because she could well end up fighting
for her life.

Groth defines his third type, sadistic rape, as eroticized aggression
perpetrated by those whom the very act of forcible sex excites in ways that
consensual sex can't. "If the anger components of aggression are
eroticized," he explains, "then you see sadistic acts, such as deliberate
sexual torture, using an instrument to rape the victim." A sadistic rapist
is interested in inflicting pain and lasting harm. Any countering aggression
on the part of the victim could well add to the attacker's enjoyment of the
experience, prompting him to further acts of depravity in an effort to
provoke further resistance.

The question of to fight back or not is an age-old one, and there's no one
right answer. Granted, one particular rapist might be sent running
bloody-nosed by a swift right hook, but try that on another one and a
horrific experience could be transformed into a fatal one. Resistance advice
of the type being circulated in the e-mail in question creates the false
impression that escaping unscathed from the clutches of a rapist is only a
matter of knowing which self-defence tricks to employ. Reality, however, is
far different. Not all rapists can be overcome.

Does this then mean self-defence classes are a waste of time? Hardly. But
they're also not the surefire protection they're too often touted to be, any
more than a can of mace confers upon its wielder guaranteed safe passage
through whatever mean streets and dark alleys lie in her path. Also,
physical skills are only as good as recent training -- someone who hasn't
practiced a move in the three months since she took a course is only a tad
better prepared to fend off an attacker than someone who never had any
training at all. Worst of all, such training can lead those who have aced
their courses to develop a dangerous complacency about their own safety,
inducing them into a state of overconfidence wherein awareness of their
surroundings becomes a lost art, buried under the certainty that now bad
things can't happen to them.

Complacency kills.

As always, the best defence to an attempted rape is not to be there when it
happens -- either avoid potentially dangerous situations (none of this "Oh,
it's only a few blocks; I'll just walk" at 3 a.m.) or run like hell if you
find yourself in one. Escaping your attacker is a far wiser course of action
to strive for than attempting to do battle with him. Forget about his
needing a good beating followed by a lengthy jail term; your first priority
has to be your own safety. Leave the Wonder Woman stuff for Linda Carter and
make like a track star vying for a gold medal in the 100m.

The e-mail did contain one bit of valuable advice: Stay aware of your
surroundings. Not only is it important to see trouble coming before it gets
to you and avoid it, but an alert stance can help discourage a would-be
attacker. Those looking to prey upon others -- whether their aim is robbery,
rape, or mayhem -- generally choose as victims those who appear preoccupied
or tentative over those who exude a sense of purpose. Or, as I was told long
ago, "Always look like you know exactly where you're going and move like
you're expected to be there at exactly a certain time." Mooning about
aimlessly can make you a statistic.
 
 

– END –