Cross posted from Freedom Fighter:
it’s 2pm. middle of the day. December 22nd. you know, a time when most folks are in an all around festive mood. i am on my way back to the office on the blue line metro, coming from a client meeting. if you know anything about dc’s metros, you know those four seats at the end of each side of the train. i’m sitting in the front row. observe exhibit a:
i am only moderately aware of my surroundings. i have my headphones in. but the train is very crowded. there are people all around, sitting and standing. i am paying a modest level of attention to the people in front of me and no attention to the single row of passengers right behind me. then I feel a tap on my left shoulder. i immediately whip around, annoyed, because i didn’t pause my iPod, and i may miss my favorite part of “being alive” from “company.” to my surprise, man is staring back at me looking very impatient.
he says “I was calling you but you weren’t answering, can i talk to you for a minute?” i respond with a calm “no. and you shouldn’t touch people you don’t know. i’m not interested.” he immediately starts screaming at me. he tells me that he has schizophrenia and could kill me if he gets mad. (considering that i work with numerous folks who are living with schizophrenia who are not violent or dangerous, i am more annoyed by people overhearing that awful stereotype than the threat itself, especially on a train crowded with white folks when we are the only two people of color around) he says, “you ugly bitch, if i catch you outside of this train, i will fuck you up, you nasty bitch/hoe, etc.” i want to do my hollaback duty, and maybe snap a picture, but we are so close that i’m convinced he will take the phone out of my hand and hit me. i turn around, try to ignore him and put my headphones back in. i am fuming. my skin is hot, i feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but refuse to let him see that he has officially put me back in my place.
Keep reading.
Categories: Public Trasnportation
Tagged: Freedom Fighter, sexual harassment, street harassment, WMATA
February 5, 2010 · 1 Comment
This March we will focus on public sexual harassment on our public transportation in the DC metro area. As we gear up for March we want to know what types of posts you’d like to see or if you’d like to contribute in some way. Please drop us a comment or email us at dchollaback@gmail.com.
Here is to public transportation free from sexual harassment!
Categories: Public Trasnportation
Tagged: bus, march, Metro, public transportation, sexual harassment, taxi, train, WMATA
We recently posted an experience (What to do?) were the individual asked the community for advice on how to handle a repeat sexual harasser in her neighborhood. This is what you all had to say:
Beav:
Taking a picture is an excellent idea! I would even make flyers “This man likes to sexually harass women, his name is ____.”
I had 2 grown men (in their 50s) scream “B_tch” at me and threaten to KILL ME at a metro stop because they didn’t like the way I was parked (I was picking up my husband who had a broken shoulder). My husband and I followed their car as much as we could, and took down their license plate. Instead of hopping out of the car and going ballistic on them, we called the police and told them what happened. A police man came to our house and pretty much dismissed our complaint (why bother showing up?). He even gave my husband “the hand” which was so rude.
I contacted the lieutenant of our police department via the county’s web site and we set up a meeting to talk about what happened (the police officer being rude and dismissive about the verbal assault/threat). At the time, I was also a victim of theft (2 kids stole my mountain bikes and I TRACKED THEM DOWN singlehandedly because the police did not care). The lieutenant was great, and we met in person for about 30 minutes to talk about “what could’ve been done” and “what will happen now”. He was genuinely concerned about the lack of responsiveness from certain officers. I think it’s really important to go up the chain of command if necessary, and to continue to have faith in the law enforcement system.
Cathy:
the lack of repentance is always a quandry, isn’t it?
find out if there’s a female cop in your town, appeal to her. or go to the boss. what else is sexual harassment? what else is their job?
good luck fighting the good fight!
Lauren
first, I’m so sorry for all that you are going through. And props for all your tenacity and creativity in dealing with this guy. I have a few ideas on how you can take more steps to hopefully stop him. Some include dealing with the police from a different approach, or the county’s complaint/victim services/advocates people,or the council of the county or small town you live in, and/or a grassroots approach from concerned people in your community. I’d be happy to talk and brainstorm with you what approaches feel best to you.
Joel:
Strongly encourage you to take the issue, esp. the unhelpful and argumentative nature of the police officer, to your local elected officials, whomever they may be, dependent upon the governmental structure for your area (county supervisors, town commission, etc.). Write a courteous yet firm letter to them. CC the top commander of the force. Appear at the next public meeting, and repeat your concerns during the public comment section. You will probably see action begin to occur. These are your elected officials, and your police department. They are paid by you, and employed by you. Reach out to your fellow victim; see if she will join you in your letter and public comments. If you want to take it further, write up a flyer, and place it into every mail slot near the trail, with quick info on whom to email with their concerns.
Helene:
Ideas…
My first thought was to push him hard off his bike when he goes past you. Is he close enough to do that? Yeah sure, it’s not right, but F him – I’d like him to see break a leg!
Ok, so if that doesn’t appeal… how about carrying a small recorder and whipping it out when you see the creep come toward you on the bike? Say “go ahead, I’m recording what you’re about to say”. Oh, and take a photo. That would be you “fighting” back without physically harming him (I still like that option though). It will be unsettling for him AND provide evidence if law enforcement ever decides to treat you seriously…
Thank you all for the excellent advice. There is no doubt that your words will help Colette and others as they figure out how to address their public sexual harassment experiences.
Categories: Maryland
Tagged: advice, Bike, neighborhood harasser, police
We came across this review on Feminist Review while doing our daily blog reading the other day. While we uphold the principles of nonviolence very close to our hearts, we believe that self defense is an important tool to have and can even give you more confidence as you navigate DC’s public spaces. While we are not big fans of techniques like the eye-jab, Mickey Z’s new book, Self Defense for Radicals: A to Z Guide for Subversive Struggle looks interesting.
From Feminist Review:
While it’s true that most conflict can and should be resolved with nonviolence, even peace-loving radicals like Mickey Z., the author of this alphabetical guide to self-defense, acknowledge that an absolute aversion to violence is nearly impossible in our war-loving (yet God-fearing) society that seems to tolerate blood-n-guts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
In a country where a woman is raped every forty-six seconds, peaceful resolution can quickly become a warm fuzzy afterthought. The reality is that standing up for something usually requires standing up against something. That something may be a repressive and stubborn government, or it may be a big, scary and armed figure looming in the dark. Either way, knowing how to use your body in emergencies is as important as knowing how to argue for your beliefs in the face of adversity.
Mickey does not discourage standing firm in pacifism, but advocates that we all (especially women, who are statistically at a greater risk of physical attack) prepare for the worst. You may choose not to live in fear of fire, but this doesn’t mean you forgo the fire alarm. In this vein, Mickey has armed us with a manual of self-defense techniques cleverly written with the help of motivating anecdotes and quirky cartoons by fellow radical, Richard Cole. Whether it is mustering every bit of might in our bodies to scream and run, or delivering a precise finger jab to the eyes followed by a hard kick to the balls, Mickey supplies us with a handy bag of tricks to use under pressure. The guy knows what he’s talking about—with a personal history of martial arts, kickboxing and personal training—he values equally the power of body with the power of mind. Keep Reading the Review.
And don’t forget, if you are interested in taking a self defense class Defend Yourself offers classes.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Defend Yourself, Feminist Review, Self Defense
February 1, 2010 · 1 Comment
At about 9:10 pm tonight (1/24/10) I was walking the dogs down V St towards Flagler NW. When I was about a third the way down the block, a thin young black man with long braids and a dark jacket crossed from the north to the south side of the street in front of me and walked up on to the steps of the house in front of the one where the two nice guys with the dog and the great xmas tree decorations live. I didn’t recognize the guy and something felt off about him. I had my two big dogs with me so I didn’t think much of it… It was just a slight twinge that something was off.
When I was about two houses down from him I said, “How you doin?’” as I say to everyone. He said it back.
When I stepped about fifteen feet closer I passed a large bush that had been blocking the fact that his pants were down and his c*ck was out.
I called him lame and a couple of other things, got home and called the cops.
By 9:40 pm, there were 3 cops in my livingroom taking a statement. They said they’d seen someone who fit the description. They just left to go look for him.
Nothing like this has happened to me before when walking the dogs. I suspect if he’s done this to me, then he’s done this to others. This same neighbor sent along this additional comment this morning (1/25/2010):
I found this doc when trying to make sense of things and, though I’m no expert, this guy did not seem like a 2D (or one of the ones that is excessively violent). He seemed more in the 1 B. He had an edge, he deliberately walked across the street to put himself in my path…he put down the cigarette he was smoking…it looked like a guy leaving his break to go back to work… but he seemed really self-contained. I never once thought he would approach me or follow me and I felt comfortable enough to tell him in a very disappointed, but not hysterical, angry or frightened tone…that “that is so lame”. He didn’t respond positively or negatively…But that might have just been the dogs. In fact, I was so cool through the event that the Dogs didn’t even bark and when we are walking on a rainy night they usually have hair triggers for strangers. I didn’t even get scared till I got home.
Keep reading →
Categories: V Street
Tagged: exhibitionist, flasher, police
February 1, 2010 · 1 Comment
Over the weekend one of our former GW interns alerted about a male riding a bike around the GW campus and exposing himself to females. So far three incidents have been reported. You may report any information you have about these incidents to
GWPD at 994-6111 or anonymously at 994-TIPS.
From the GW Crime Alert:
On the evening of Monday, Jan. 25, 2010, GWPD received two reports of a male
riding a mountain bike on campus and exposing his genitals to females. One
incident happened in front of Lerner Health and Wellness, and the other incident
occurred near Philip Amsterdam Hall. A similar incident was reported on
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, and we believe that this incident was perpetrated by
the same individual, again while riding a mountain bike.
SUBJECT DESCRIPTION: Hispanic male, mid to late 20s, wearing a dark jacket
(possible khaki) and blue jeans. If you see an individual riding a bicycle on
campus who fits this description, contact GWPD immediately.
If you have not yet programmed the GWPD emergency number into your cell phone,
do so now: 202-994-6111.
Please share the information contained in this crime alert with other people on
campus who may not have seen it.
Individuals may report any information they may have about these incidents to
GWPD at 994-6111 or anonymously at 994-TIPS.
This information is required by federal law (the Clery Act) and provided by:
The George Washington University Police Department
Non-Emergency 994-6110
EMERGENCY 994-6111
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.
Categories: George Washington University
Tagged: Bike, flashing, sexual harassment, street harassment
Photo by rpongsaj via flickr
I was walking alone across the Key Bridge, in the middle of the afternoon. Guy was covering his mouth with one of those avian/swine flu masks, approaching me. Just as we crossed paths, he leaned over and spat full on in my face. He gave me the finger and smiled.
This was four years ago but writing this is still making me cry.
Submitted by anonymous on 1/31/2010
Location: Key Bridge
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.
Categories: Key Bridge
Tagged: bridge, mask, sexual harassment, spit, street harassment
