Posted on 02/04/2009 11:32:10 AM PST by GSWarrior
CARBONDALE, Colorado — She traveled the world alone and had never been assaulted by anyone until Thursday in Carbondale.
She lived there for about 2 1/2 years because she loved the town and thought it was safe. Now, she feels uncomfortable even walking to work to teach at one of Carbondale’s schools.
“It’s chiefly the emotional component to all of this,” she said. “I can handle the physical injury. I can handle getting new credit cards and a driver’s license, but the fact that I don’t feel comfortable walking to school. I feel like such an idiot. I reveled living in this town for years.”
This 26-year-old woman and a 24-year-old female friend were attacked Thursday around 8 p.m. by three teenage girls. They were walking toward downtown by Second Street and Maroon Drive.
The woman asked that her real name not be used for the story and will be referred to as Jane.
She and her friend heard the sound of running footsteps behind them. They turned around and saw three high-school aged girls. Their faces weren’t covered.
No one said anything. Jane and her friend kind of brushed it off and continued walking. They even laughed at themselves for feeling a little uncomfortable because they were in Carbondale, after all. Carbondale seems like a safer place than Chicago, where Jane is from, or places around the world she’s visited by herself, including developing countries, she said.
“We kind of joked to each other that it feels like we’re being followed by a gang,” she said. “But we kind of laughed because — oh — we’re in Carbondale.”
Less than a minute later, Jane heard running footsteps again, started to turn around and got punched in the side of the head. She remembers seeing the girls wearing bandannas pulled up to just under their eyes. She doesn’t remember hearing anyone say anything. At one point two girls were on top of her.
“At that point things get a little jumbled in my head because I was hit so many times,” she said.
Jane said she suffered a serious black eye, pain and bruising with a total of around five or six different marks on her face. She said her friend suffered similar physical injuries. In the past, Jane had suffered a head injury that caused her to go into a coma, she said, and each blow could have been tremendously damaging. But the worst injuries from Thursday’s assault were emotional.
As the assault ended after probably less than a minute, Jane and her friend saw the girls heading to a car that had a number of guys in it. They got the license plate and vehicle description and called the police.
Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling said officers located the suspected vehicle soon after in the City Market parking lot. Three of four teenagers in the car received citations, and a total of seven teenagers had received citations within one or a few days as officers completed interviews and investigation. The suspect teenagers ranged from 13-17 and lived in Carbondale and Glenwood Springs. They were all cited with aggravated assault. The three girls also received robbery charges.
Jane said Carbondale police response was “amazing.”
She believes the girls maybe were trying to prove something to their friends. She didn’t know the girls or why they were targeted. It’s awkward, Jane said, when friends and people who see her bruises, hear the story and inevitably ask and she has to answer that, yes, the attackers were Hispanic. Jane and her friend are white.
“I don’t know how race plays into this,” Jane said. “I hate to think that. … I think it’s possible.”
Schilling said he does not believe the attack was racially motivated, and the crime seemed like one of opportunity for financial gain.
Jane said the attackers didn’t demand money, and they only took one of the two purses. She said it’s ironic that the attackers probably didn’t know she is working for a master’s degree in bilingual education. She also just booked her tickets to Mexico to practice Spanish and start a special education program for abused children.
“You probably didn’t think about how this action could result in a teacher contemplating leaving her beloved students and school, because she is so disgusted by what could occur just blocks from her own home,” Jane said to her attackers in a guest commentary.
One of the toughest parts of the assault is trying to explain to young students why people would want to hurt their teacher.
She said she probably will stay in Carbondale because she’s stubborn, she’s already starting to feel better and has an amazing network of friends. They’ve equipped her with pepper spray and suggested self-defense classes. She’s still nursing her eye and some swelling and soreness in her head.
Illegal perps ?
Gang initiation.
Ladies, you need concealed carry in your state.
Look like a sheep and get eaten by wolves. Lesson learned.
Girl Gang initiation?
>> “I don’t know how race plays into this,” Jane said. “I hate to think that. … I think it’s possible.”
You’ve got Liberal Disease, Jane. Substitute the word “feel” for the word “think”. You are NOT thinking.
>> Ladies, you need concealed carry in your state.
I thought Colorado was a “shall issue” state. maybe I’m wrong.
I don’t think they care much about her bi-lingual education degree.
Per the US Dept. of Justice, over 85% of all violent crime in the US is committed by blacks and Hispanics under the age of 30. Now, perhaps these two Liberal ninnies will start paying attention.
As an aside, I have to share the laughs I get from the current ADT and Brinks Home Security commercials. All the criminals are white! Can’t upset the PC police!
"On May 18th 2003, Colorado became a "shall issue" State for concealed carry permits. As long as you are not disqualified, the County of your residence Sheriff's department shall issue a permit to you." - Colorado Firearms Academy, LLC
The ladies in question just need to use the CCW rights they already have. :-)
Good intentions and warm fuzzy thoughts (bilingual or otherwise) aren’t going to keep you from getting wilded on, sister. A .357 and good situational awareness, on the other hand, might.
Wolves generally don’t care if the hand reaching out to them is going to pet them or not. They just see food.
}:-)4
“I don’t know how race plays into this,” Jane said. “I hate to think that. … I think it’s possible.”
learn to enjoy the beatings, at least you are providing teens with much needed exercise
Just mugging the teachers that Americans don’t want to mug.
“She said it’s ironic that the attackers probably didn’t know she is working for a master’s degree in bilingual education.”
Yeah. Uh-huh.
HAH! You noticed that, too? Brink’s sales would triple if they would show the true hue of the hardened criminals who commit home invasions.
Thanks for that info. I didn’t realize thatColorado had finally come around on this issue.
They can always console themselves that they didn't reveal themselves to be racists.
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