With a serial rapist on the loose, women residing in or near Waldo, Mo., are living in fear. It's also a rough time for the relatively few black men living in the city, says the Kansas City Star. everyone knows the rapist is black. “It's like I have a scarlet letter on me,” said a 32-year-old black man. “I feel like everyone is looking at me like I could be the guy.”
Police are looking at about 75 people who could be the guy. That's how many names that tipsters have provided since news broke of the serial rapist, who has struck five times in five months. Residents grew even more fearful when he attacked Monday – despite heavy publicity of his crimes, a widely distributed sketch of his face and an increased vigilance throughout area neighborhoods. In all, tipsters have given police more than 400 leads. Women have flocked to self-defense classes. And at least four anti-rapist groups have sprouted on the social networking site Facebook. One, which claims more than 3,500 members, calls itself “Let's find this (expletive).”