If this murder was done to you or someone that you were involved with would it be nothing to joke about it and write about as if you are not involved at all and care nothing for human life.

Where if anything is the respect for the victim or at least his family???

I am so frustrated!!! I couldn't even finish reading the rest of the comments. Would you have taking this incident so lighty had it been your brother, friend or mother??? I think not!!!

I knew Rashawn. We attended high school together. This is someone who I know that you are talking about. Someone my other classmate knew as well.

So what now? No one has anything to say about their crude careless behavior???

How about an apology???

You know one of the great things about being a journalist or about blogging is that you can keep your humanity when you do it? Where has yours gone??? You are a disgrace

As for all of you who condoned this poor excuse for an article, I sincerely hope that nothing like this ever happens to anyone who you know or care about. It will be a damn shame to have people laugh off one of your loved ones murder as if it was an every day comedy sitcom!

i new this young man when he was in high school. and attended his funeral. you guys all act like it is ok to talk about his death like it didnt matter. well it mattered to us. It isnt a joke to find out your loved one was chopped up and thrown on the subway tracks carelessly. And let me remind you guys that his killer has not yet been found which is scary. so i do think you owe an apology and so do those who accepted the bad behavior and condoned the post!

i'm from kansas and i can assure you you're much more likely to get shot for kumbaya-ing there than in new york. or lynched.

I never advocated singing Kumbaya. If you want to make fun of people who were murdered, I won't stop you. I'll just point out that you're cold-hearted. Maybe this year you can go to one of the annual homicide survivors meetings and tell jokes about the victims.

Dear abba, I worked on the 80th Floor of the south tower, you feces-head, so I think I know a thing or two about losing friends to murder. Along with cancer and car accident.

In Kansas, you can hold hands and Kumbaya yourselves to sleep every night. Try that in New York, and you get shot. Deservedly.

i don't think that anyone who has posted here has argued that murder and hacking bodies to pieces is hilarious. i agree with haha that if we can't laugh at things then we're done for. obviously we're not going to go up to the man's parents and laugh in their faces, obviously this is tragic, but what is more tragic is everyone wasting their time arguing about this (i suppose i fall into that category now but i don't think i'll be checking back here to see all the enraged responses to this post. call it irresposible and try comparing it to something having to do with tsunami victims, that will be tasteful indeed). perhaps this says what i'm trying to say a bit better: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1997/08/08/DD23376.DTL

Kojak-hehehe, I am a JW after all, it takes a lot to get me TO'd. :)

[B]a probable murder is not fodder for comedy. this man died in a gruesome manner. he did not die peacefully and he did not deserve to die in this manner. although the cause of death has not been examined yet, it is pretty clear that he suffered immensely. why do feel that you have to multiply the indignity and savagery of the situation?

i'm pretty irreverent most of the time but this is not a story to be treated with mean-spirited and careless remarks. using the word "crap" is even worse than just the snide comments. i'm guessing the person posting this story is in his/her late 20's or early 30's. well, he/she is certainly as mature as his age would suggest. i would not be surprised if some of gothamist's readers and friends boycotted. don't forget what happened after the hot 97 tsunami song was played on the radio. this is just as bad.[/B]

Dammit tom, theres just no way to piss you off!

What the hell??

Kojak-in case you didn't notice, I did mention that I am a JW, I am not joking about that. I guess the fact that I am smile so much has gotten to my brain now, so I can't play any board games. I'm also tone deaf so I'm afraid I don't sing much. ;)

Mr.B- it's permissible, we are all God's creatures, right?

jake- maybe I can come up with a better image, like a bag that has a sad face, and a tear rolling down it's little bag-face.

if gothamist is too rough, you might enjoy nytimes.com.

People who make sarcastic remarks and jokes about murder victims do it because (a) they are insensitive to begin with and (b) have never lost a loved one to murder. If they had, they would understand how awful it is, and that it isn't funny.

A common reaction to losing someone to murder (or in an accident) is to wish it had happened to someone else. Why do good people get killed and bad people who make others miserable seem to be immortal? It's not a healthy way to feel, but you can't help it. "I wish it been him," you think, whether it's some jerk you see on the street or some subhuman you come across on Gothamist who's passionately lobbying for his God-given right to have a few laughs at the expense of another human being who was chopped into pieces.

These people like to get in the last snarky word. They tell you to lighten up and go on their merry way. They argue that people can't honestly mourn every unknown and random murder victim out there, as if that is some sort of valid argument for lampooning them.

i think the prose in the post is fine- it reports the facts of the story. i don't see anything that makes me consider pulling it down.

if you would like to suggest another image, feel free. remember, though- we are limited to using non-copyrighted images.

Emmerdeur: How does it feel to be the hottest guy on the internets?

(If I weren't afraid of getting my eyes scratched by some chick, I'd stalk you like Krazy Kat.)

I woke up this morning, and every New Yorker had disappeared and been replaced by a person from Kansas.

God, I miss the good old days when you had your morning coffee with a good front-page-murder joke. Now it's farking half-caff-skim-soy-latte people sharing half-caff-skim-soy-latte jokes over their half-caff-skim-soy-lattes.

Could ya'll click your ruby heels three times and woosh on back to Topeka, bitte?

Tom, I love you. Is that permissible in the JW faith?

Tom, I'm offended that your Implying that Jehovah's Witnesses do nothing but pass out brochures. They also play board games and sings songs over and over.

Even though I'm not a JW, I'm sure I'd be more offended if I was one.

Hell I don't even think they'd be offended. They smile so damn much.

I'm offended that you're offended about others being offended and...oh shoot, I'll just stick to handing out brochures.

I never said or mean that blogs should be SOLELY insensitive, but its normal for most blogs to have these characteristics. Its refreshing for a site like this to have some real people behind it with their own opinions and feelings who aren’t afraid to post what they think.

I'd rather have it stay the way it is then to turn it into something akin to nytimes.com.

Its all about Flava!