So as a student at UB, I received a warning about this from the school nearly a week ago. Why did news of a serial rapist take so long to become public? Do nonstudents of Mount Vernon not need to know about a serial rapist?

That's a very good question. The answer is a bit complicated. It took us, the newspaper, a bit of reporting to confirm the facts and sort out what was happening. There were fliers and also some postings by various crime web sites and the schools. Not all were accurate.

Some reported six rapes in a month; they were more spread out. And it turns out there are two series of crimes, which may or may not be linked, with two possible suspects in burglaries and rapes.

It took until Monday to sort it all out and get an accurate, complete story in today's newspaper. I too wish we had it all out earlier, but in this case were too many rumors to sort out. This information is important to get out as quickly as possible, but we also want it accurate so that we don't unnecessarily scare people. The facts are scary enough.

I was shocked a few weeks ago when I heard there was a shooting in front of the Belvedere - it really does seem like crime is on the increase in Mt. Vernon. The Belvedere shooting was linked to the night club that's recently opened in the building - I wonder if the other crimes might be linked to it as well.

Is there any information about how old they think this man is?

Thanks for the explanation. My gripe is more with the BPD than the media. I understand the relationship between the crimes wasn't clear, but the fact remains that multiple rapes and other incidents were occurring at a much-higher-than-normal rate in the neighborhood -- and the BPD did not bother to alert the residents of this area.

This is not your typical Baltimore car break-in or mugging, which most of us are cautious about. In-home rapes -- very scary, especially when you a woman living alone smack in the middle of them, totally unaware of what is happening around you because it is being swept under the rug, as usual.

I am equally as sick about this lag of time between when this stuff started occuring and when they started to inform residents. It seems that the BPD doesn't care at all about protecting thier citizens and while I know that funding is a huge issue, there should be beat cops walking the street on foot around here.
My car got broken into in broad daylight yesterday on Hamilton and Charles, after 3 people tried to chase the guy away. Is there anything the residents can do as a watch group to protect eachother? I live here with my husband and am 6 months pregnant, and want to bring my baby into a safe environment, ofcourse. Short of moving...what can the residents do? Anyone know?

It’s a matter of perception. I moved from the corner of St. Paul and North three years ago. I can now see the monument from my apartment, thanks to the additional $500 I pay in rent; however, as my old neighborhood up the street gets “better”, I find Mt. Vernon to be one of the worst places I’ve ever lived. Not only is it a corridor for rush hour traffic morning and night, a trade route between east and west Baltimore, a walk around any block for sex and/or drugs, and a walk home from central booking, it is a permanent construction site. That would all be fine with me if it were not marketed as one of “Baltimore’s finest neighborhoods”.
The community safety meetings are a bunch of cranky homeowners whining about property value—it’s no wonder the community is unsafe! The Community Benefits District must be for those people. Their job must be to get more rich people to move here. That’s the only plausible explanation. Almost everyone I’m friends with in the neighborhood is a student who pays a lot of rent. In general, we are not the people who are buying crack or boys in our neighborhood--they come from the county. In fact, we are the residents being told by the police to “be vigilant” and to “put a two by four" in our windows.
My gripe is not really with the police. They’re everywhere, and I don’t need to see them or hear their sirens any more than I already do. The Midtown Community Benefits District needs to get a grip on what these neighborhoods really are—and who lives in them. People who have security cameras to guard their custom countertops are not in danger of being raped in their sleep, but Baltimore’s college students are. Paving Charles Street with bricks and forcing people to paint their trim is not going to fix this. Changing people’s Pollyanna perceptions might save a few women from assault, though. Meanwhile, Paul Warren should resign for his ridiculously blasé reaction. We are not sophisticated about crime, and this is not an anomaly!
My advice is save your money and move to North Avenue.

Can anyone verify if more policeman have been assigned to the area? If so, how many? And are any policemen out walking the beat? Why not try a show of force? It has worked in a lot of areas of New York City. Has the mayor or or the chief of police made any public comments on the situation? If they are silent, why? The Baltimore Sun should seek out either or both to answer these questions and more.

I live on the 500 block of Cathedral. Within the past three weeks I've seen an increase in car patrol at night. But I haven't seen much in the past week. PLEASE keep us updated on this story.