No weekend in Washington

Steve Coleman has just called off his weekend entertainment: a film screening in Northeast Washington. The director of Washington Parks & Pe...

Steve Coleman has just called off his weekend entertainment: a film screening in Northeast Washington. The director of Washington Parks & People is the latest to do so and he has a question: Is Washington region’s collective response to recent sniper killings appropriate?

Experts say the reaction is without precedent. And Coleman says the city told him to do it. ‘‘We didn’t shut down after 9/11, and we’ve had hundreds killed here every year by gunfire,’’ he said. ‘‘I think school administrators are worried about liability, and school lockdowns seem to be fuelling the other decisions…’’

Even if few have baldly suggested the region is overreacting, Coleman isn’t alone in questioning public response 2.5 weeks after the sniper first attacked.

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The questions don’t have easy answers, say experts who study serial killings’ effect on communities. That’s because this case and its public response are without precedent in recent US history.

James A. Fox, a criminology professor at Northeastern University, Boston, said: ‘‘Boston Strangler, Hillside Strangler, Atlanta child murders — none were like this.”

Fox has studied serial killings for 25 years. ‘‘The risk here isn’t restricted by any demographic characteristic, so everyone feels like a target.’’

And when anyone might be a target, ‘‘the normal reaction is to cower and hide’’, said Barry Glassner, a sociology professor at University of Southern California. Since October 2, a sort of domino effect has spurred decision-makers. School systems have suspended all outdoor activities. Then day-care centres, youth soccer leagues, and smaller community groups have followed.

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“…nobody wants to say ‘We’re not going to let you intimidate us,’’’ said William O. Ritchie, a retired D.C. police deputy chief.

A community can calm its fears, Glassner said, by feeling its residents have control over their situation. This weekend, some schools took tentative first steps.

Montgomery county public schools may meet on Monday to discuss ‘‘ways in which some outdoor sports can be resumed’’. (LATWP)