Ugh

*UPDATED BELOW*

So, we all know about the horrible murder of Alan Senitt and the attempted rape of his friend. Let me just say that, first and foremost, I hate, hate, HATE that this happened. It's truly horrible and I really don't have any words beyond that. I don't know what kind of defect in humanity and/or society allows this sort of thing to happen.

But I also hate the reaction to the murder. Yes, the crime was horrible. It was totally senseless and frightening. But this sort of thing happens across the Anacostia all the time. Whenever someone is murdered in Ward 2 or 3, people flip out, as if what happens in Ward 7 or Ward 8 isn't our problem. Well, it is. We're all part of the same town. The town is so ridiculously segregated that people often forget that it's one city. It doesn't matter if you're from AU Heights or Congress Heights, you live in Washington, DC. We're all Washingtonians.

And the race issue just can't be ignored. I implore you to check out the DCist comment thread. I know from experience that the people who leave comments on blogs are not indicative of its audience, but, Jesus Christ, this is eye opening. Who are these people?

I can't really do justice to a crime like this. It's too much and I feel stupid for bringing it up. I'm just sick and tired of people thinking I'm being naive when I get angry at every murder in the Metro section. "It's a city, you have to deal with crime." But once that reality comes within a few blocks of a Whole Foods, everyone flips out.

Every murder is just as unacceptable as this one.

UPDATE: Anyone who doesn't think that the reaction to this story is racist is out of their tree. And it goes further than the DCist comment thread. As reported in The Washington Post,

...[Police Chief] Ramsey temporarily reassigned Inspector Andy Solberg, who urged residents to report suspicious activity and said, "This is not a racial thing to say that black people are unusual in Georgetown."

Actually, Mr. Solberg, that is the pretty much the definition of a racial thing. Calling an entire race of people suspicious seems pretty "racial" to me.

In a later interview he backed off his remarks and said, "What should be suspicious is three guys standing out on a street corner at 2 o'clock in the morning."

Yes, I agree. But you didn't say that the first time around. Hindsight is a bitch sometimes. If I had the opportunity to take back every stupid and/or offensive thing I ever said and replace it with something that made sense, I would be a happier man. Unfortunately, I can't do that. Neither can you, Mr. Solberg. I hope you get fired.