Asshole of the Week

Dear Philadelphia Regional Area:

We are not the latest Law and Order: SVU franchise. Really. Christopher Meloni is not going to swoop down like an Exodus-style angel avenger taking names and punching faces while Mariska Hargitay teaches us about love. We've got to work this crap out ourselves. And it would be a lot easier if this week's news cycle didn't read like the highlight reel of our favorite crime show.

This week: Alan Craig Williams turned himself in yesterday after allegedly raping a woman in Falls Township motel and then setting it on fire after she escaped to hide the evidence of the crime.

Also yesterday, an 11-year-old girl was dragged onto the porch of a West Philadelphia home and raped on her way to camp. She ran home and called the police, and saw her attacker from the cruiser as it was taking her to the hospital. He was a 16-year-old boy, riding a bicycle.

And, a young woman riding the El with her baby in her lap was sexually assaulted at knife-point. It's worth noting that Orange Line trains have cameras that might have helped to prevent this or identify a suspect, but Blue Line trains do not.

Ick, ick, ick. All these attackers need to be brought to justice. While we're in the midst of this rising tide of awful, it might be a good time to start a conversation in the city about healthy sexual behavior. Parents (please, please disregard all those years of abstinence-only crap) teach your children about making good choices, treating sexual relationships with respect, treating women as actual human beings, and being able to walk proud. There are people to help. Women Organized Against Rape is the nation's first Rape Crisis Center and they offer counseling, educational services, and legal assistance. They're even better than Chris Meloni.

Image credit: Flickr user D3 San Francisco