Media May Unwittingly Blame Victim For A Crime

BLAMING victims of crime helps criminals avoid taking full responsibility for their actions. If the victim can be portrayed as someone who somehow provoked violent behavior, the murderer or rapist may rationalize his brutality.

All too often, the media unwittingly assist assailants in this rationalization by reporting crimes in a way that makes you wonder what a victim has done to ``deserve'' this treatment.

This type of report might be factual, but is it really fair?

Such an article appeared in The Times on June 28. Here is a slightly abbreviated version of the published report, followed by my treatment of the same story:

``BELLEVUE - Mary Ann Pohlreich, a 27-year-old Bellevue Community College student, went out to a Bellevue bar on Friday and never returned.

``Bellevue police discovered (her) nude body . . . 10 blocks from the bar. Pohlreich had been killed by a blow to the head with a blunt object.

``On the night of her death, (she) went to Papagayo's Cantina, a new restaurant and bar . . . in the Overlake area. Police believe she was alone.

``The roommate said she had warned Pohlreich not to go dancing alone.

``Bartenders there said she left her yellow sweater and purse behind. Her black Camaro also was found in the restaurant parking lot.

``(She) was a regular customer at the month-old bar and at its predecessor, the Saratoga Trunk. `She used to go dancing several times a week,' her roommate said.

``The roommate said she had warned Polreich not to go dancing alone.

`` `It shows you can't go dancing with strangers - even in Bellevue,' she said.''

The article goes on to say Bellevue police are stumped by the case. One officer speculated that ``she could have gone on to a subsequent party or restaurant . . .''

Accompanying the story is a rather provocative close-up snapshot of Pohlreich. While information about the crime appears on page C-1, the story jumps to page C-9, where a personal portrait is drawn of a church-going, intelligent woman with close family ties.

Here's what I'd write:

``BELLEVUE - A 27-year-old Bellevue Community College student was found dead Saturday, June 23, behind a restaurant in the Crossroads area.

``Mary Ann Pohlreich was killed by a blunt object to the head, according to Bellevue police, who say the case has them stymied.

``Pohlreich, who had associate business degrees from Green River and Bellevue community colleges, also attended Seattle Pacific University, where she planned to study computer science. She is described as having `an exceptional aptitude for math' by family spokesperson and former teacher, The Rev. Stan Hughes. Her 23-year-old brother, Eddie, said that `Mary was not only a sister, she was a friend.'

``According to police, Pohlreich was last seen in the cocktail lounge area of Papagayo's Cantina, a new restaurant in the Overlake area, formerly known as the Saratoga Trunk. Bartenders there said her yellow sweater and purse had been left behind. Her black Camaro also was found in the restaurant parking lot.

``Her nude body was found about 10 blocks from where she was last seen. Pohlreich reportedly frequented the establishment, which has been known to be a popular gathering spot for yuppies from the area. Her roommate said she liked to go dancing there several times a week.''

Note the differences. In scenario No. 1, questionable social habits are implied.

In scenario No. 2, the victim is established as a person who socializes, but whose death is clearly seen as a mystery. The truth is, police have no idea what happened or where, except that Mary Ann Pohlreich was last seen at Papagayo's and later was found murdered. There is no conjecture.

It does not matter what a woman wears, what her socializing habits are or where she is. In a recent Times article reporting the rape of a woman jogger early one morning at Green Lake, a Seattle police officer noted that the woman was not dressed provocatively. In other words, she had done nothing ``wrong,'' and she was still raped.

Murder and rape victims don't have to do anything except be there when the criminal strikes.

And what about the statement of ``dancing with strangers'' in the first article? The vast majority of murders and rapes are committed by people known to the victim. If it turns out that Pohlreich knew the people with whom she socialized (she did frequent the nightspot enough to make acquaintances), or in fact left with someone she knew, should the lesson be: Never dance or leave a cocktail lounge with someone you know?

``There is a lesson, here,'' says Anne Seymour, Director of Public Affairs for the National Victim Center in Fort Worth, Texas. ``It's not to tell single women to stop going out dancing - it's to understand there are a lot of sick, evil, violent people out there.''

I am not encouraging anyone to gloss over facts. If a victim was a dreadful individual, report it. Just make victims real, and don't blame them for their victimization.

Killers kill. Rapists rape. And victims are just that. Victims.

Rest in peace, Mary.

Questions? Call the Reader Advocate at 464-8979 or write: P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Fax 464-2261.