Last night, I re-read Gene Weingarten's Pulitzer Prize-winning feature on parents who accidentally forget their infants in the backseats of their cars, leaving them to swelter to death in the heat. And since I can make connections to rape culture out of practically anything, I was struck by this section in Weingarten's story, about the public's reaction to parents who make this fatal mistake:

"This is a case of pure evil negligence of the worse kind . . . He deserves the death sentence."

"I wonder if this was his way of telling his wife that he didn't really want a kid."

"He was too busy chasing after real estate commissions. This shows how morally corrupt people in real estate-related professions are."

These were readers' online comments to The Washington Post news article of July 10, 2008, reporting the circumstances of the death of Miles Harrison's son. These comments were typical of many others, and they are typical of what happens again and again, year after year in community after community, when these cases arise. A substantial proportion of the public reacts not merely with anger, but with frothing vitriol.

Ed Hickling believes he knows why. Hickling is a clinical psychologist from Albany, N.Y., who has studied the effects of fatal auto accidents on the drivers who survive them. He says these people are often judged with disproportionate harshness by the public, even when it was clearly an accident, and even when it was indisputably not their fault.

Humans, Hickling said, have a fundamental need to create and maintain a narrative for their lives in which the universe is not implacable and heartless, that terrible things do not happen at random, and that catastrophe can be avoided if you are vigilant and responsible.

In hyperthermia cases, he believes, the parents are demonized for much the same reasons. "We are vulnerable, but we don't want to be reminded of that. We want to believe that the world is understandable and controllable and unthreatening, that if we follow the rules, we'll be okay. So, when this kind of thing happens to other people, we need to put them in a different category from us. We don't want to resemble them, and the fact that we might is too terrifying to deal with. So, they have to be monsters."

Sound familiar? The comparison to victims of rape doesn't end there. One mother whose baby died after she forgot him in the backseat of her car was—strangely—explicitly slut-shamed by an online commenter:

After Lyn Balfour's acquittal, this comment appeared on the Charlottesville News Web site:

"If she had too many things on her mind then she should have kept her legs closed and not had any kids. They should lock her in a car during a hot day and see what happens."

The idea of addressing parents who accidentally kill their children by putting them "in a different category" functions a bit differently when applied to the victims and perpetrators of rape. When we are confronted with victims of rape, we put them in a different category ("irresponsible sluts") in order to avoid believing that rape could ever happen to us; when we are confronted with rapists, we put them in a different category ("evil monsters") in order to avoid believing that our classmates, friends, brothers, and sons are actually capable of such a heinous crime. Parents who accidentally kill their children are both victims and perpetrators—they're our evil monsters and irresponsible sluts all wrapped into one.

Photo via spaceodissey, Creative Commons Attribution license 2.0

It's been over a month since a man died inside an underground sex club at 1618 14th Street NW. The club, operated by David J. Butler and the D.C. Wrestling Club, had been throwing near-nightly "Men's Parties" in Logan Circle for years. The party came to a halt on the morning of Oct. 4, when one reveler died of "blunt impact injury to the head" on the club's stairs.

Forty-five days later, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says that the "manner of death" in the case—which determines whether a death came as a result of a homicide, suicide, accident, or some other cause—is still pending.

Today, D.C. police released a 911 call made from outside the sex club on the morning of Oct. 4. The call, which originated from one of the club's patrons, points to one possible contributing factor in the man's death—that party organizers allegedly hesitated to call an ambulance:

The full transcript of the call is after the jump.

Operator: D.C. Emergency 911 Dispatcher 6741. Police, Fire or Ambulance?

Caller: Ambulance.

Operator: To come where?

Caller: It’s um 14^th street, 1618 A. This guy fell down the steps at this after-hours club, and the guy’s, um, he doesn’t look like he’s breathing, and they won’t call the police, I mean, call the ambulance.

Operator: OK, repeat the address?

Caller: It’s 1618 A 14^th street.

Operator: 1618 14^th Street Building A?

Caller: Yeah it’s A. It’s um, it’s right on the corner of Corcoran and 14^th

Operator: Oh, it looks like someone already called the ambulance.

Caller: Okay, because he—he fell down—

Operator: They’re en route there, somebody already called.

Caller: Okay, because he fell down a while ago. How long ago did they call? Because he was laying there—

Operator: They called at 5:06.

Caller: Oh, okay. What time is it now?

Operator: It’s 5:10 now.

Caller: Okay, yeah. Because he fell before that, and I saw him. And I told them. I don’t know, I’m just upset about it, because it’s actually—it’s like an after-hours sex club—and they didn’t want to call the police, because he didn’t have any clothes on.

Operator: Okay. Look out for the police for him. I mean the ambulance.

Caller: I see them, I see them now, thank you.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery.

On Wednesday, the District of Columbia filed suit to shut down "Men's Parties," the underground male sex club operating at 1618 14th Street NW. The lawsuit's three defendants—David J. Butler, 1618 14th Street LLC, and the D.C. Wrestling Club—face charges of "opperation of a business without a basic business license" and "use of premises for business without appropriate certificate of occupancy."

The initial documents in the case offer a glimpse into the club's secretive activities, as well as additional information concerning the fatal accident that occurred inside the club on the morning of October 4th.

According to court documents, D.C. police responded to the report of "an unconscious person at the address" at 5:18 a.m. Detective Thomas Smith, a former Prostitution Enforcement Unit cop, was called to the scene to investigate a potential homicide. During the course of the investigation, Smith met Butler, "who identified himself as the President of a private club, doing business as the D.C. Wrestling Club."

Butler told Smith that he hosts parties where "men come into the premises, make a donation, and socialize." By the time Smith entered the property, Butler was accompanied by "more than twenty patrons and staff." Three other staff members identified themselves to Smith, according to documents: Jerome Goodman, Juan Adams, and Ralph 'Jay' Rushing.

According to Smith's affidavit, the activities of the club were obvious: "Strewn throughout the entire location are used condoms, empty condom wrappers, paper towels, cloth towels and other indicia of frequent, non-discrete sexual behavior." What, no snacks?

The affidavit offered a full inventory of the club's amenities:

First Floor: "A lounge area immediately inside the front entrance" which includes "two sets of lockers" and couches. Also on the first floor, "separated by curtains, are three wooden stalls containg 'glory holes' used for sexual activity" The floor also contains a "powder room and a linen closet."

Second Floor: An additional "lounge area with several counches and a mounted television set" sits on the club's top floor. The second floor also yields a "kitchenette and full bathroom." Behind the lounge are "sexually-oriented materials" including a "sex swing, large wooden cross that permits an individual to be bound to the structure, and a bench." The second floor also includes a bedroom "reportedly belonging to Ralph 'Jay' Rushing," and another bench.

Basement: Two sets of stairs lead to this floor (the accident victim was found at the foot of one staircase). In the basement are"thirteen bed spaces separated by built-in wooden partitions and dark curtains," each containing a "mattress and trash can."

A police report has been filed in the weekend death of a man at a Logan Circle sex club known for hosting "Men's Parties" and meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts Club." The report was taken on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5:26 a.m. In the report, the sex club, located at 1618 14th Street NW, is listed as a "tavern/night club." The exact location of the death is listed as a "basement/laundry room" and "stairwell." The narrative section of the report details the emergency response to a report of a man in "an unconscious condition" inside the apartment:

On the listed date and time, [the reporting person] reports that he discovered [the victim] in an unconscious condition inside of the listed location. District of Columbia Ambulance #21 responded to the scene and discovered that [the victim] had no signs of life. [The victim] was pronounced dead on the scene by (OCMI) Mli Mack on October 4, 2009, at 0835 hours. District of Columbia medical examiner's cruiser #5 responded to the scene and transported C-1 to the District of Columbia Medical Examiner's Office. On the scene: Det. Smith (homicide), homicide squad #3, Commander McCoy (CR.28), Watch Commander Lt. J. Monk (CR.300), Officer R. Nitz (Mobile Crime)

I have a call out to the 3rd District to account for the three-hour difference between the time the report was taken (5:26 a.m.) and the time the man was pronounced dead (8:35 a.m.).

Yesterday, Lieutenant Vanessa Moore said that the victim may have broken his neck following a fall down the stairs. Today, Beverly Fields, spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said that the victim's cause of death is listed as "blunt impact injury to the head." The exact "manner of death" and a toxicology report on the victim are still pending.

PREVIOUSLY:

Death at Logan Circle Men's Party Apartment

"Men's Party" Sex Club Victim May Have Broken Neck

At tonight's ANC 2F meeting, 3rd District Lieutenant Vanessa Moore provided some details into the police investigation of Sunday's sex club death at 1618 14th Street NW. The building has long been known for hosting a late-night sex party called "Men's Parties" as well as meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts Club." Last Sunday, a man was reported dead inside the building.

The victim, who was found at the bottom of a stairwell in the building's basement, was discovered in the early morning hours of Oct. 4. Moore described the victim as a 47-year-old white male. Police now think the man suffered from a "possible broken neck" that may have resulted from a fall down the stairs.

"This remains a death report, not a homicide," Moore clarified. But the death has again drawn D.C. police attention to the sex club at 1618 14th Street, which drew city scrutiny in 2005 when a fire broke out at the location. Four years later, Moore says D.C. police are working with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to attempt to close the club. "I know he does not have any license at that location," Moore said. "We're looking for ways to shut him down."

Moore said that to her knowledge, the club is "not operating right now," though neighbors present at the meeting challenged that assertion. (Borderstan reported yesterday that the joint appeared open for business). Moore added that the sex club's manager had stated, in his defense, that he "provides a safe place for men to have consensual sex." But it's still unclear as to whether or not unsafe building conditions contributed to the man's death. Moore was not on-scene at the time of the incident, but she had been told the place was outfitted with "sex toys" and that the stairs were "steep."

She also heard tell of snacks. "He said he doesn't collect money," Moore said. "But he said he does collect donations for chips, dips, and soda. And we'll leave it at that."

A man died over the weekend in a Logan Circle apartment known for holding late-night "Men's Parties," Borderstan reports. The death was reported to have occurred inside 1618A 14th Street NW (shown in map above).

Details of the man's death—including the cause of death and the name of the deceased—remain unclear, but Acting Sgt. Kenny Bryson of the Metropolitan Police Department's public information office confirms that the death occurred sometime "Saturday night or Sunday morning" and that it did not appear to be a homicide.

"At this point there doesn’t appear to be any foul play, nothing of criminal intent," says Bryson. And as long as the death doesn't spark a criminal investigation, it's likely that the man's name will not be released by D.C. police. "We generally don’t list an outside death that doesn’t have any criminal intent," he says. "With criminal investigations, we'll do that, but the name is never released publicly until next of kin is notified."

A 2005 Metro Weekly story on a fire at the same address reported the apartment regularly hosted late-night "Men's Parties" and meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts of Washington and Baltimore" (The number listed with the Jack Off club is now invalid; a call to a number listed with the apartment building has not been returned). Also unclear is whether this man was attending a party at the residence, or was in the building for a separate reason.

If you have any information on the incident or the locale, let me know. Commenters over at Borderstan have got their own theories.