Police deny series of trail attacks 'a pattern'

(Editor's note: Colin Flaherty has done more reporting than any other journalist on what appears to be a nationwide trend of skyrocketing black-on-white crime, violence and abuse. WND features these reports to counterbalance the virtual blackout by the rest of the media due to their concerns that reporting such incidents would be inflammatory or even racist. WND considers it racist not to report racial abuse solely because of the skin color of the perpetrators or victims.) Videos linked or embedded may contain foul language and violence.

Washington Post writers know how to spot racial hatred: It's all about the "pattern,” said Mary Curtis in a recent Post column. That is how she can "determine the motive" of white members of Congress who oppose President Obama. And whether they are racist.

But this pattern-seeking reporting has not yet made its way to the Post crime desk.

And the latest example of that came Halloween night, when a "large group of assailants" beat and robbed a 50-year teacher at the Metropolitan Branch Trail, a hiking and biking path from Union Station downtown to the suburbs in Maryland.

It's one of dozens of similar mob attacks at the Metro Trail over the last several years. All the assailants are black. Most of the victims are not.

But not once has the Post ever examined this "Question of Race" at the trail, as the paper titled the recent Curtis column about racial motivation.

We do not know if these attackers carried racial signs or uttered racial expletives in front of witnesses. But we do know that a teacher from a nearby charter school was heading home at 9:15 p.m. Then the Post picks up the story:

"The victim told police that 10 men ages 18 to 22 were in front of him, near the 600 block of Rhode Island Avenue. The victim said he was on his cellphone when he heard a man say, 'Let's get him.'

"Police said he was pushed to the ground and beaten in the head. They said the robbers took personal items and $260."

The Post noted that four months ago, a dozen people attacked a bicyclist three blocks away. Never noting that mob, too, was black.

Never noting that black mob violence at the Metropolitan Trail is now routine and even frequent. But people who use the trail have no trouble figuring it out. In April, the Titan of Trinidad, a neighborhood blog, described what really happened when a black mob attacked a D.C. commuter on a bicycle, sending him to the hospital with broken bones in his face:

"As I was biking home on the Metropolitan Branch Trail today I came across a biker on the trail near R St NE who was severely beaten.

Advertisement - story continues below

"Apparently he was beaten by a fairly large group of African American teenagers that I passed on the trail near the bridge near Florida Avenue.

"Apparently they beat this biker, a Caucasian male who looked to be in his 50s, for no reason. Cops swarmed the scene and took the man to the hospital, and tried to track down the kids but as far as I know they have not been caught.

"I share this with you to strongly encourage you to use caution on the trail. This incident occurred in broad daylight and the biker did nothing wrong.

"I spoke with one of the cops at the scene and he says there are incidents on the trail all the time, day and night. I for one will no longer be using the Metropolitan Branch Trail – please stay safe everyone."

Advertisement - story continues below

According to the website: "Notably, this was not a robbery; the group of teenagers apparently just attacked and beat this man on the trail without any obvious motive other than to beat him."

Twenty hours after the assault, police issued a statement:

"Based upon this offense, we have received a number of questions concerning the Metropolitan Branch Trail. Allow us to address your concerns here.

"This was an unprovoked assault by a lone individual and not a pattern connected to other criminal offenses that were reported to MPD."

Not even close.

In February, another bicyclist posted about mob violence on the same trail. Writing in the neighborhood blog, Popville.com, he said:

"I was assaulted on the Franklin St. bridge today on my way home from work at about 4:30pm. I was on my bike and a group of about 10 14/15 yr-old boys were walking along the sidewalk (which is separated from the road by a concrete barrier).

"Two of the kids jumped the barrier into the street as I approached on my bike, the first hit me over the back of the neck (right under my helmet) with something really hard, the second kid tried to punch me and mostly missed."

In October of last year, another biker reported the same crime in the same area with the same results:

"Last night on my way to Chinatown I got clothe-lined (or something) as I was blazing down the metropolitan branch on my bike. 4 kids, probably 13-19 were on either side of the trail and decked me good before fleeing the scene.

"The incident was at the intersection with T St., at about 4th. I think they mostly just wanted to cause suffering for fun, rather than steal anything."

In February, another poster at Popville reported a black mob assault nearby:

"I was attacked by a pack of 14-15 yr-olds, boys and girls, and knocked to the ground. Nothing was stolen and the kids ran off after giving me a few kicks to the head."

In August 2012, a woman reported yet another black mob assault:

"I was biking home at 7pm and passed a whole bunch of cop cars taking a report from a guy who had just been jumped by a group of kids. It was broad daylight out, and this guy was easily 6’2″ and fairly well muscled.

"I'm a woman. If they're not afraid to jump a big dude in broad daylight, I shudder to think what they would do to me. I haven't ridden the MBT since."

One Post reader, who calls himself Rev. Bacon and who also reads WND, figured it out, even if the Post could not: "Read about this urban epidemic called 'the Knockout Game' all over the Internet, and then come back and claim it's a 'non-lethal situation.' Or just read an article by this poor dad."

Every story on violence at the Metro Trail generates comments from other people who have experienced similar racial violence there.

Perhaps at some point this pattern will also provoke the Post into another "Question of Race" story. We will have to wait and see.

But sometimes the Post has a bit of trouble with its reporting of racial violence. In October, the largest gathering of black motorcycle clubs on the West Coast met in Fresno for the semi-annual weekend party called the Half Way Run – so named because it attracts 5,000 black bikers from Northern and Southern California who meet half way between the two areas.

One of the participants called it the "West Coast version of Black Bike Week." Local media reports that party is a predictable site of violence and mayhem.

During a late night Saturday gathering at one of the biker club houses, with about 500 black people in attendance, 13 people were shot, one fatally. All black.

The Post reported the club was "multi-racial."

Not even close.

Back to the Metro Trail: The Washington City Paper reports that several surveillance cameras have been installed near some of the violent hot spots on the path. But there is a minor glitch.

"The cameras are solar-powered," said the paper, "so they don't work that well at night."

And a spokeswoman for the city's transportation department that is responsible for the cameras told the paper that her department is "not in the security business," so there's no one monitoring the feeds.

Black mobs routinely terrorize cities across the country, but the media and government are silent. Read the detailed account of rampant racial crime in "White Girl Bleed A Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It."

See a trailer for "White Girl Bleed a Lot":