Last Wednesday morning, a little after midnight, I wandered down Evergreen Avenue. I was meeting up with a friend and had things on my mind. He and I were meeting up at Tisane, where it would be pointless for me to drive to since it’s three blocks away and there would be no available parking, given that it was the popular “gay night.” On my way, I passed a few women. Both were polite and said hello back to me. I like encountering other women when I am on foot. It makes me feel like if I have to yell for help, someone might respond.

Last night, there was a brutal attack on Evergreen Avenue. At least that’s where the police log reports the arrest occurring, and if you read the details of the story, then that is the logical conclusion to reach. The Courant report incorrectly identified it as having happened in Asylum Hill. (I’m pasting the Courant story at the end of this post in case they change information later.) Does it make a difference? I don’t know. Asylum Hill has beautiful architecture. People I know live there. But there is considerably more illegal activity.

On the other hand, the West End has a certain reputation. It’s often confused with West Hartford by outsiders, which irks me to no end. Of course, there are some residents in the West End who regard anything South of Farmington Avenue as ghetto. I’ve heard it from a number of people. The attack occurred South of Farmington Avenue. To be exact, the building is .2 miles from where I live.

I don’t think the Courant had any agenda here. I think they just overlooked that where the attack occurred was at the woman’s apartment, and not at the assailant’s residence. Still, it changes the tone of the story. In some ways, Asylum Hill and the West End are different worlds. Friends tell me that they hear gunshots in Asylum Hill. I’ve never heard gunshots in the West End. If people in this part of the city think that the crime happened “over there,” would they empathize with the victim, or “Other” her?

I have to wonder if she is one of the women I passed on the street last week. I have to wonder if she’s someone I’ve passed during the daytime while walking her dog. This incident does not make me feel less safe, but knowing that it happened in a place that takes me less than five minutes to walk to makes it seem very real to me.

The Hartford Police Department crime log lists this information:

Name: MONTFORD,KENDALL DOB:08/19/78 Sex:MALE Race:BLACK
Addr: 2311 MAIN ST Hgt: 5’06 Wgt:145 Hair:BLACK KINKY
HARTFORD,CT MF#:A 65245 Arrest #:7063532 Case #: 9-009291
AKA: MONTFORD,KENDALL MONTFORD,MAYCEO MOUNTFORD,KENDALL
Officers:H62 ROSA,DANIEL
Arrest Date: 03/11/09 4:54 Location:61 EVERGREEN AV
Release Date:NOT RELEASED BOND $100,000
Charges: 53A102 BURGLARY-SECOND DEGREE
53A64A STRANGULATION 1ST DEGREE
53A60 ASSAULT-SECOND DEGREE
53A61 ASSAULT-THIRD DEGREE
——————————————————————————–
Name: MONTFORD,KENDALL DOB:08/19/78 Sex:MALE Race:BLACK
Addr: 2311 MAIN ST Hgt: 5’06 Wgt:145 Hair:BLACK KINKY
HARTFORD,CT MF#:A 65245 Arrest #:7063533 Case #: 9-009291
AKA: MONTFORD,KENDALL MONTFORD,MAYCEO MOUNTFORD,KENDALL
Officers:H62 ROSA,DANIEL B87 SHON,PETER
Arrest Date: 03/11/09 4:59 Location:61 EVERGREEN AV
Release Date:NOT RELEASED BOND $150,000
Charges: 53A167A INTERFERING W/ POLICE
53A181 BREACH OF PEACE-2nd
53A167C ASSAULT-PUB SFTY/EMGY MED PERS
53A70 SEXUAL ASSLT-FIRST DG
————————————————————-

The details of this, other than the location as reported in the Courant, seem to line up. I was asleep while this happened. I heard no sirens, no screaming, nothing. I drove down the street on my way back from work. Everything looked normal. A woman was walking her dog. People were out and about.

I have this on my mind after reading an interview with Robin Givens, who said she identified with the Rihanna story. For those of you not up to date with pop culture, Rihanna, a singer, has been essentially blamed for being the victim of domestic abuse. It’s kind of like a script, the way domestic abuse plays out. Women become silent. If the silence is broken, they are asked what they did to provoke it. As progressive as people like to think they are, we see that the victims are still being blamed. As I read about the rape and possible attempted murder that occurred in my neighborhood last night, I wonder what this woman will be faced with next. What invasive questions and accusations will she receive?

Text of Hartford Courant article:

Hartford Police Stop Violent Attack, Arrest Suspect

By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY | The Hartford Courant
11:53 AM EDT, March 11, 2009

A man who police said choked, bit and raped a woman and barricaded himself with her in her Asylum Hill apartment was arrested early this morning after a struggle with city officers, police said.

The officers stopped an attack that easily could have turned fatal, Sgt. Felix Ortiz said Wednesday.

Kendall Montford, 30, of Main Street was arrested on numerous charges, including first-degree sexual assault, first-degree strangulation, second-degree burglary and three counts of assault on a police officer, police said.

At about 2:40 a.m., police received 911 calls from neighbors who heard the attack, Ortiz said. When officers arrived, they saw a screaming, naked woman trying to escape her attacker by climbing out a second-floor window, he said.

A neighbor helped them get into the locked apartment building by throwing down a key, Ortiz said. Police broke down the apartment door and struggled with Montford.

At the police station, Montford continued being combative, spitting on an officer’s face, Ortiz said.

The woman had deep bite marks and broken blood vessels — a sign her attacker was trying to strangle her, he said.

The officers “possibly prevented the next homicide in the city,” Ortiz said.