In response to this article, here's what I wrote:
Re: "Man, 18, charged in waitress' slaying," Thursday:
Sabina Rose O'Donnell's recent rape and murder is a tragedy. I am dismayed that the Philadelphia police and you are framing this crime as a robbery that escalated. The suspect was clearly physically stronger than O'Donnell, so why didn't he just take her bike and leave? Instead, he dragged O'Donnell behind a building, ripped off her clothes, raped her, and strangled her. He then left her bike behind the building in order to try breaking into other apartments in her building.
Our society teaches young people the way to get what you want and feel powerful is through violence (including sexual violence). We preach the gospel of power over instead of power with. This plays out in our intimate relationships (a fourth of U.S. women are victims of intimate partner violence), our communities, (O'Donnell's death), and our world.
Susanna Gilbertson
Philadelphia
Here's the link to the web page - mine is the second letter on the page.
