Added Jul 28 2014
When someone posts about an individual in the community who is doing things that makes someone fear for their safety and / or the safety of others, and does so WITH DETAILS GIVEN, YOU DO NOT accuse that person of things such as libel, defamation, etc. You especially DO NOT accuse that person of violating that suspicious actor's privacy WHEN THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN PUBLIC!!!
When anyone is out and about in public, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy per state and federal laws, which is why we're allowed to possess and use cameras for still photography and videography.
Telling someone that they can't post the photo of a suspicious person, especially when that suspicious person is showing behavior consistent with that of a PEDOPHILE, is tantamount to telling other people who have photographed suspicious actors that they are also wrong.
I saw a post in the Logan Square forum here whereby someone photographed an actor who was "casing neighborhood cars" and posted the photo with a description of the behavior.
That the post was allowed to stay and that person wasn't attacked by the community, but I WAS attacked by all of you for reporting someone who might possibly pose a threat to the community along with the specifics and a photo, speaks to the on-going problem of sweeping male aggression and especially male sexual harassment (on-going staring and LEERING is STREET HARASSMENT) against women and children as being perfectly fine and acceptable.
Anyone remember the #YesAllWomen hashtag on twitter, and the support that got? Why are all of you trying to protect a possible pedo? What's up with that?
He's possible a pedophile, but he's also possibly not a pedophile. You are on here ranting that he *most assuredly* is a sex offender, but there is no proof or evidence other than him behaving in a way that you don't think is appropriate. There are a dozen reasons that could explain his behavior. One of them could be that he is a pedophile, but it isn't really appropriate - or likely legal - to assume that he is and then call him out on a public forum.
No one said he is *most assuredly* a sex offender, I said his behavior was disturbing, it was consistent with male aggression and what we know as street harassment of a sexual nature. YOU are a man and have no place in this conversation, because the conversation is now about the attitude out here against women and children, equal to misogyny or worse. Stop mansplaining and LISTEN to women, stop talking at women, and stop minimizing women's lived experiences!
If I can't call this creep out publicly for what he did, then no one else should be able to post about suspicious activity, either, and especially not with a photo attached as so many here have already done. Anton, you are not welcome in this conversation especially because you are a man and you've protected a man who committed a rather creepy behavior that caused reasonable concern. THAT is typical male privilege, you are now dismissed.
Taking pictures of people in the act of committing a crime is not equivalent to taking pictures of people and ascribing criminal intent to them.
If I saw some guy physically molest your child, I would take a picture and post it publicly and send it to the police in hopes of catching him. If I saw some guy staring at anyone for any reason for any length of time in any public place with any look on his face at all, I would look back down at the book I'm reading, MYOB and STFU.
It took the commenters in the original post about three minutes to start theorizing about this guy's possible connection to unsolved sex crimes in the neighborhood. And about that long for somebody else to identify his (current or former) place of employment.
If you want to get all thought-police on commenters, let me flex a little of my own dusty women's studies degree at you: The amount of class and race privilege implicit in the OP could inspire an entire book of bell hooks essays. See? I went to college in the '90s, too.
LSG, you are WAY OUT OF LINE. And btw, I'm a woman, so please take that into consideration before also calling me a "rapey creep" or a misogynist..
LoganSquareGal - You are guilty of the very thing you are preaching against. For me, I don't care what is in your pants (or not in your pants), I care what is in your head and what ideas you have. Your insecurity is exhausting.
Good for you, ANR! Women can alo be misogynists and that is exactly what you are if you defend anyone who attacked me for my report. By everyone's logic, and by the standard being set so far, no one should be reporting suspicious behavior for any reason simply because nonsense reasons exist for wanting to be overly cautious and so damned politically correct. I don't buy that line of reasoning. Tell ya what? If suspicious behavior is nothing to report, especially that of creepy men who like to continually sexually stare and / or LEER at women and children while entertaining sick fantasies (the look on his face said it all), then I challenge you and the entire community to go through the LS archives here and remove all suspicious activity postings, because ya know, ascribing criminal intent and reporting it is soooo wrongheaded!
What happened? What did I miss? I can't see the other post.
LogansquareDad, I specifically said I am not inviting comments from men. Men are the problem here, they are ALWAYS the problem. Your male pigheaded privilege is showing.
Can someone supply the TL;DR on this?
By not welcoming “men” to comment you are not allowing a dialogue to form and the education processes of growth. This also turns people off and hurts any effort of reform.
@Bendiazart - She basically said that no man's opinion is welcome here simply because they are a man. Being a man nullifies your opinion.
Petra Z, on Sunday, I caught a rapey creep sexually LEERING and sexually smiling at my underage children on a CTA bus, called him out on it, took a photo of him to warn the community about him, and the entire community has attacked me in response because ya know, that sort of thing is just what we want because women and children ask for it, don't ya know! The community's attitude and entire response has been to belittle me, accuse me quite falsely of defaming this creep, and tell me how wrong I am for standing up for decency.
NotWilliamMoore,
Men are all violent and misogynist creeps. Neither I, nor any other female want interaction with men, nor do we want a dialogue with men. When it comes to these issues, men need to shut up, listen, and learn. Again, no comments from men. This is a thread for women only.
light blue touch paper...retire ten paces
Uhh, tumblr is that a way. Don't bring your social justice warrior attitude here. It wont do well. Here men and women (and gasp, evil white men) come to have normal discussions regardless of gender or race. Its crazy. Your tumblr third wave feminism garbage wont fly here. I'm also a white male whom took lots of womens studies classes and supports equality, but you would never know that because I was born a evil white male (something I totally chose by the way) and you wont even listen to my opinion.
tl;dr He didn't do anything. You're over reacting and projecting all the nonsense you see on tumblr.
Dear Alan is Right,
Your male presence, male privilege, and dismissal of a valid women's and children's issue is not welcome here. There is no man who supports equality. If you did, you would renounce your male privilege and male existence. I don't read tumblr, and have never had anything to do with tumblr. Good-bye, Alan!
@LSG - Am I on Candid Camera? This is a prank isn't it?
Wow! On the original post, I was the first one to point out how libelous, racist, classist, pedo-boogeyman-obsessed and hysterical the entire thread seemed. Now I'm a "rapey creep" and I didn't even get to read the comment that called me such because EveryBlock already removed it.
My non-rapey gay husband and my non-rapey self are both sitting here incredulously watching this unfold. The constant barrage of buzzwords like "mainsplaining," "#yesallwomen" and "male pigheaded privilege" suggests that SOMEBODY might actually be a keyword-matching troll-'bot - or just your garden-variety basement malcontent trying on a "feminist warrior" persona.
Either way, it's sad that people move to the big city, watch too many episodes of "The Following," and immediately forget all common sense when using public accommodations in a diverse neighborhood.
>> Why are all of you trying to protect a possible pedo?
Because if *I* happened to be staring off into space, people-watching, reading the ads or otherwise looking around a bus I was riding, I would want other people to defend me if a paranoid alpha-mom took offense and started putting up "WANTED" posters with my face on them.
BTW, all the men commenting here have been muted. All comments from men on this will continue to be muted, this is a women's and children's issue. Only women are welcome here.
Wow, the crazy is strong with this one.
Someone throws quite the temper tantrum when they don't get exactly what they want. Maybe on a serious note, you should go talk to a therapist. You seem to have some unresolved issues you might want to work out, especially if you have a child (which a evil man was required to make).