Viral justice? Chief Longo on the alleged “knock out game” assault on the DTM
Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo has not had a pleasant couple of weeks. During a coffee shop interview on January 2, Longo took time to discuss the fall-out from an allegedly vicious, unprovoked attack on a white couple by three black males that occurred on the Downtown Mall early Thursday morning on December 20. A story on the attack that ran in Cville Weekly, which relied on the testimony of the victims, quickly went viral, prompting hundreds of comments, many of them so hostile and racist that the paper made the decision to shut down the comment section. Across the Internet, the story has been characterized as a vicious, racially charged “knock-out game” style attack, done for sport and entertainment on unsuspecting White victims. What’s more, the Cville Weekly story highlighted the victims opinion that the police had been slow to respond, and “didn’t seem to care” about seeking justice.
Needless to say, the barrage of emails and phone calls that Longo has received have not been kind. One man told him that his family was canceling their yearly trip to Charlottesville because of the dangers, and because of the “gross incompetence” of Longo’s police force. Others, of course, were not so polite.
Ironically, its Longo who has for some time been lobbying for more police officers and beefed up security on the Downtown Mall, to no avail. One positive of the media firestorm, he hopes, might be a new willingness on the part of City government to reconsider his proposals. But, other than that, there are few positives for Longo about the story that has swept the nation before the police investigation has been completed. Read more…
charlottesvilledtm.com 
When I heard that the two were attacked were on their way from Millers to Rapture, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe a lot of alcohol was involved–it’s hard to leave Millers without a good buzzing going–just saying. It seems too fishy too think that these guys attacked this couple right at the busiest part of the night without provocation. It could’ve happened but I’m leaning not likely.
Lenore April Arbaugh I couldn’t even finish reading that. Maybe I should have, but it seems to me that someone whose been knocked down and broken nose and what ever else is gonna “wobble”. And so what if he were drinking? Are not many young couples out drinking? Is he deserving of this treatment because he is drinking? That is like saying a girl is deserving of rape because she looks sexy. I just could not read this. And further more , laughing at someone who falls is aggressive behavior.
Maybe I’m oversensitive, but the headline of this article bothers me. “Viral justice? Chief Longo on the alleged ‘knock out game’ assault on the DTM” The alleged “knock out game” assault was NOT on the DTM…rather the assaults were on Marc Adams and Jeanne Marie, two citizens, which happened AT the DTM. It is subtle, but has a minimizing sense about it. Especially in the context of the way the article is written.
Your complaint regarding the grammatical structure of the headline seems odd, mainly because it doesn’t have much validity from a grammatical standpoint:
1. An individual does not commit an assault “on” another person. From a legal standpoint, you won’t find any court documents saying “The defendant assaulted on the victim…” Rather, a perpetrator “assaults [the victim]” and a victim “is assaulted by [the perpetrator].”
2. “Assault on…” is, however, quite commonly used to describe the location or physical entity where the act takes place. The assault took place on the Downtown Mall. In local parlance, one often describes him/herself as being “on” the downtown mall. So from a grammatical standpoint the title of this article makes perfect sense.
3. You also mention “the way this article is written.” It is clear that any given journalist writes from a given perspective, which may or may not align with your personal views. It is important that you take stock of the way that ANY article is written, so I would only ask that you also recognize that the Cville Weekly article (which was published first, has more views, and really framed this issue at the outset) was also written in a certain way which may or may not accurately capture what happened that night.
4. It also seems odd that you would point out that Adams and Marie are “two citizens.” While we are all entitled to our own opinions, I would just ask that you stop to consider your use of that term. How certain are you that Adams and Marie are citizens of the United States of America? What underlies that assumption? Is the implication that the accused individuals are not citizens? Is the implication that if Adams and Marie were not citizens then the altercation would be less important?
I don’t profess to have any inside knowledge about this incident and I apologize if you take offense to this comment. I just find it interesting that you are suggesting a certain level of bias in reporting, but doing so without really considering whether your other sources of information and even your own reaction might possess a set of assumptions that aren’t altogether accurate.
Chief Long is a great chief. I love it when people complain but won’t help the investigation or speak directly to police.
Jeanne talked to the police when the incident happened, Marc went in and talked to them the next day. Then the police did nothing at all for a week. I love it when people just make shit up they know nothing about. Mary Shuey, maybe you should read up more on this story and not rely solely on report full of lies.
What a load of crap! Where do you make this stuff up from? Marc has many gay friends and to even suggest that he would say something like that or even know that the two men were gay is absurd. Why are you blaming the victims? Even if Marc did say something does that justify beating the crap out of him and Jeanne? Also, Marc did not “flee” the scene, perpetrators “flee” the scene. He left because he had no idea what was going on since his head was beat so bad he can’t remember most of it. Also, you fail to mention the fact that these men were laughing and giving each other high-fives as they were kicking the crap out of him. You are a pathetic excuse for a human Dave McNair. I hope you are a victim one day and people blame you just as you are blaming Marc and Jeanne. You will not fair well once the rest of the world learns about these lies you made up.
I was waiting for such a reply. Finally I read some common sense amongst this load of balderdash.
Mr. Toro,
While what Stevenson and Spears did was a crime, for which they will hopefully be punished, the victim’s initial characterization of the attack as a “knock out” game and “Clockwork Orange” style attack with no rhyme or reason appears to have been inaccurate. As the police investigation revealed, based on interviews with the suspects and the victims, the assault was initiated by a “verbal confrontation” between the parties. I can assure you, I’m not making that up. – Dave
I am positive you have not talked to Marc or Jeanne, so you can’t “assure” me. Also, the insinuated gay bashing thing is completely made up.
Mr. Toro,
As the investigation reveals, the initial account of the incident by the victims is in question. Of course you’re positive I did not speak to Adams and Doucette. Nowhere in the article did I say I had, although I did say that I asked Adams if he had indeed said something to provoke the attack. I also left a phone message for him. He did not respond. Again, its unfortunate what happened to Adams and Doucette, and hopefully justice will be served, but the inaccurate characterization of the incident by the victims, leading the public to believe, as one blog put it, that random “Black Mob Violence” had occurred in Charlottesville, did a disservice to our community. If you have any specific information about the incident, I hope you’ll share it with the police and/or the Commonwealth’s Attorney, as that would be more helpful than venting here. Thanks for commenting – Dave
Nowhere did I say you said you talked to Marc in your article. Wow, you have quite the knack for twisting people’s words around. Please who me where I said that you said that. You were the one that initially tried to make up some stuff about it being possibly related to the criminals being gay, yet you refuse to comment on that. “the victim’s initial characterization of the attack as a “knock out” game and “Clockwork Orange” style attack with no rhyme or reason,” no rhyme or reason? How about the fact that it seemed very similar to a knockout game since they were laughing and high-fiving each other the whole time while they were beating on Marc? Oh yeah, you conveniently left that part out too. Or how about that fact that they didn’t stop until Marc was knocked unconscious? You even claim Marc was intoxicated because he was “wobbling as if intoxicated” after the attack. I am pretty sure you would be wobbling too if you had been beaten until you were unconscious. Marc and Jeanne didn’t do any disservice to the community, Jeanne simply said that is seemed like the knockout game or clockwork orange, they are not responsible for the whole of the internet blowing things out of proportion. You can’t seem to let go of this whole blame the victim thing you have going on. I really truly hope that this happens to you one day and you get blamed for it so you will know how it feels. No, actually, I know in fact that this will happen to you one day because of your Karma. You are probably the type of person who blames women when they get raped for dressing the wrong way. You are the worst kind of person.
https://charlottesvilledtm.com/2014/01/12/knock-knock-men-involved-in-mall-beating-tell-their-side-of-the-story/
Leave it to the media to immediately insert their “BIAS”…….Just the facts McNair, as we don’t need your conjecture!
Huh, Lthrnk? Looks like you’ll have to take that up with the accused. https://charlottesvilledtm.com/2014/01/12/knock-knock-men-involved-in-mall-beating-tell-their-side-of-the-story/
There would not have been an assumption of the “knockout game” if the knockout game didn’t exist. (so who has been playing this game for over two years) Perhaps these guys threw the first punch because they are simply unable to control themselves and not because they are black (“African American” is weird to me since neither of them look at all like Dave Matthews.) and it IS unfair for people to judge them for their skin color instead of their actions. But the real question is do blacks have a higher propensity to start trouble or have a lower ability to control their guttural reactions than other races? It is obvious that many people thinks so and many journalists send a lot of time trying to prove them wrong, Often after a violent encounter.
The facts seem to be that on one hand the police show little respect for blacks and make some wrong assumptions, and on the other hand they excuse some really crappy behavior because they don’t want to be accused of being racist. I think the cops should show everyone proper respect and follow the law equally and if that means more blacks are arrested and imprisoned than so be it. If the means more whites are arrested and imprisoned than so be it. But the police need to show proper respect to the citizens and they often do not.
This liberal town is full of white guilt that hurts the black community by not expecting them to succeed and trying to convince people that black failures are anyones fault but their own. It has not worked since the civil rights act and it will never work. Provide equal treatment under the law including proper respect and let the chips fall where they may. No one can deny that blacks who choose to succeed and are willing to work for it will not be held back any longe,r and no one can deny that those that choose to dropout , make babies and blame whites for their failure will never succeed.
To Mr Mcnair… what is your criteria for deleting posts?… is it ones you don’t agree with or ones you can’t successfully argue with to make a point?
Mr. Marshall,
They go into a cue and I have to approve them. Sorry I didn’t get around to yours sooner. Have at it, Sir.