A community violation

While driving across the Long Bridge Tuesday morning, I saw just one person on the bike path/pedestrian bridge which runs alongside the motor route. It was a woman. She was headed north toward Dog Beach. For the first time ever, I wondered if she had read the morning papers and if she had any idea about the rape that occurred in that same area three days before. Certainly if she had, I thought, she wouldn't be out there walking by herself.

I had wanted to write about the rape in my posting on Tuesday, but because of a glitch, I could not post until later in the day. At the time, a morning's worth of frustrations had put thoughts of the rape on the back shelf for a while. Nonetheless, I've thought about it many times since and, after reading this morning's paper, am feeling more disturbed about it than ever. No one has been arrested.

The thought of such a blatant violent action takes me back to last August when a murder occurred just down the road. We waited anxiously for a few days before that crime was solved, and during that time speculations ran rampant about the outside influences that were taking over this area. Since it happened in the neighborhood, we also maintained extra vigilance until the arrests. The speculation of seedy outsiders committing the murder fell disturbingly short, however, when two local men were arrested and charged with the crime.

Once again, the community wonders what vile creature would commit such a horrifying attack on a woman enjoying an afternoon of walking her dog. Rape is a violation of the worst kind. In this case, the horror is compounded with the location and time of the alleged crime. Newspaper reports say that it occurred in mid-afternoon somewhere along the popular bike path near Dog Beach. Just a few feet above the area beyond the gardrail, but just out of sight from the path, the hum of busy motorized traffic seldom stops.

I'm sure that now our community of women are thinking twice about heading off along the bike path for an enjoyable jog, walk or bike ride. I've done that many times alone. In fact, often on afternoons since retiring, I've taken off along the path by myself, in the rain or sunshine, walking or biking or most recently taking my dog.

Many times while crossing the bridge, I've marveled at how so much can be happening all around us here in Sandpoint, yet we can still at times enjoy the solitude of walking or riding across that bridge with an exclusive ticket to lap up the breath-taking beauty that surrounds us. I will admit, however, that I have felt a sense of uneasiness while walking in that hidden zone approaching Dog Beach where nobody from above can see the path. It's always given me the hibby jibbies, thinking about the possibility of someone lurking in the bushes just off the railroad tracks to the east.

In fact, at our Saturday coffee cult, we've talked about this area, and some women have said they just won't go down there. Now that a violent crime has been committed, apparently by an assailant not even hiding in the bushes but riding by on a bike, I'm know I'll probably pick the Dover Bike Path from now on for my solo outings. At least, its route is visible to traffic along HWY 2 most of the way.

The saddest part of this crime is the impact it and others continue to have on our "Norman Rockwell" community. Although we have no idea who is responsible, the simple news that it happened reminds us once more that Sandpoint is quickly falling victim to increased violent crime. Our safe community and our fun-loving favorite venues for recreating have taken a hit just as horrifying as that of the human victims of these violations.

I hope the police are able to solve this disturbing crime and soon. If not, we'll have to adjust to one more shackle that population growth imposes on the innocence and safe atmosphere that has made our community to appealing to that outside world and all that comes with it.