Why is someone spreading them if it's not true? Probably because they A) don't know it's not true and/or B) would rather hedge their bets and protect their friends.

You beat me to it, Amy.

This happened once before within the last year or two I recall, with police hearing these stories and contacting the press.

You didn't hear it from me, but...


...Gnomes.

What D said...and didn't an incident occur just south of there, near SE Stark and 30th? The police eventually confirmed that a sexual assault had taken place, but they did not make it public right away.

There were supposedly three rapes that occurred last year, the last of which was around 30th and Stark. Police were going into bars on Hawthorne warning female bartenders not to leave alone after closing the bar.
I even went so far as to call the local precinct to find out the truth and an officer confirmed the rapes. Shortly thereafter all rape reports were denied.
Why the wavering reports I have no idea. Is it because they aren't true, they don't want to panic people, or they don't want they neighborhood to get a bad name could all be reasons, all at the risk of it possibly happening to more women seems more than careless.

Here's the reality of this situation. A lot of sexual assault including rape is never reported. It is a very traumatic process and victims tend to want to block out the incident. Sometimes it's a friend or family member who was committed the attack. People do still find out and support the victim, but it goes officially unreported. Just because these go without an official police report does not mean they didn't happen, and that it is not a problem. Police can only confirm specific cases on the criteria they need to fit. It would be irresponsible to do otherwise. Again, that's only the cases that have been reported.
I know a person who was assaulted and didn't report it. Several years before that she was raped by a family member and never told a person until she started dating and it became an issue that couldn't be denied any longer.
Also, my friend got mugged by knife point on the 29th, two days after this blog posting, in the yard of the business directly behind the Mercury. Ironic, yeah. She's lucky to get away with minor facial cuts and a small gash from fending off the attacker. She was alone, and it was a prime location for an attack. It was unlit, and was almost completely circled with fence and bushes save for a gate. This happened right next to an apartment building with at least three units adjacent to the yard, yet nobody heard a thing.

This could be isolated and didn't specifically appear to be sexually fueled, but it may have gone further had she not fought back, and was a dangerous attack nonetheless.

The police(who dealt with this very seriously and had a dog on the trail trying to suss out the assailant) made a good point. Muggings and theft tend to rise in economic hard times. This is not exactly same danger as sexual assault, but still something to be wary of when out late or alone.

Bottom line is to be safe and out there. No person or place is immune to danger. There's a difference between being aware and alert and being fearfully petrified. Just be smart.

My friend who just got mugged stated(without blaming herself) that she could have prevented or been in a better position to defend herself from the attack. We can use her realization to keep ourselves safer.