In 1964, Kitty Genovese was stabbed, robbed, raped, and killed on a street in New York City. The crime went on for almost an hour, with nobody coming to Genovese’s aid. Initial media coverage suggested that dozens of people had watched it take place and done nothing, not even calling police. It was revealed years later that these details had been considerably distorted, but by then the Genovese incident had taken shape in the public mind as a cautionary tale about life in big cities. Last week, a woman was raped on a train in Philadelphia, and bystanders reportedly stood by and watched, without intervening.
Genovese was a cheerful 28-year-old bartender, the graduate of a Catholic all-girls high school. On March 13, 1964, she was driving home to Queens at around 2:30 AM after completing her shift. Her killer, Winston Moseley, saw her stopped at a traffic light in her car and followed her home. When Genovese parked and headed into her building, Moseley attacked and stabbed her. She screamed, and a neighbor yelled out a window at Moseley, which frightened him away momentarily. But Moseley then returned and tracked down the wounded Genovese. He raped her. He stabbed her again. He stole almost $50 from her. Moseley eventually fled, and Genovese was found by a friend. She died on the way to hospital.
Read Full Article »