Not Asking for It
by Arlene Weiner
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a Steelers offensive tackle was slashed on the South Side of Pittsburgh on a recent weekend. The police report and the man’s account tell the following story: Mike Adams gave the keys to his truck to a valet for a South Side restaurant on a Saturday night. The restaurant closed for the night and he still hadn’t picked up his keys. He left another restaurant at about 3 a.m. Three men approached him. One of the men said his black F-150 Raptor was a nice truck and another of them said, “Gimme your car.” Recall that Mike Adams is an NFL player. He was reported to be 6’7″ and weigh upwards of 300 pounds.
Adams said, “You ain’t gonna shoot me on the street in front of people” and, according to the police complaint, one of the men said he would shoot him in the face “in front of everyone.” Then one of the men punched Adams and another of the men slashed him in the abdomen.
Without prejudice, I bet nobody is saying or asking any of the following about Adams: What was he doing there at 3 in the morning? Why did he have an atttractive truck? Was he drinking?
Let’s agree that, based on this story, HE WASN’T ASKING FOR IT. Just as a woman alone on East Carson Street, and maybe a little drunk, who was beset by a man, or three men, wouldn’t have been asking for it.
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