Archives for February 2012

How to Be a Good Guy on the Sidewalk

February 24, 2012 By HKearl

“A number of men have asked us the same question recently: if you’re walking on a dark street near a lady, how can you let her know you’re not a threat? So this week, we offer some tips for dudes who’d like to help women feel more comfortable in public spaces,” writes Anna North on Jezebel.

In her article, you can find suggestions for how men can be non-threatening to women. The advice is given by Neal Irvin, executive director of Men Can Stop Rape, Joanne Smith, executive director of Girls for Gender Equity, Emily May, executive director of Hollaback!, and me, founder of Stop Street Harassment.

Here’s one example of the advice:

“Make a call.

Irvin described a time when he was walking behind a woman who was becoming visibly agitated by his presence. One trick he tried to set her at ease was calling his fiancee on his cell phone. Obviously just making a phone call doesn’t mean you’re not a threat — but it could be a way of showing a woman that you’re not focused on her. Depending on the situation, this could be enough to make her feel better.”

Read the rest at Jezebel and share the article widely with all the good guys out there!

Activists in DC testify about sexual harassment on the transit system

February 23, 2012 By HKearl

This is partially cross-posted from the guest post I wrote for Greater Greater Washington earlier today.

Unwanted sexual comments, indecent exposure, groping, and public masturbation: sexual harassment happens often on transit in Washington, DC, just as it happens in cities around the world. Local grassroots activist group Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS)/Holla Back DC! has been tracking and speaking out on this issue for 3 years.

Of the hundreds of stories of street harassment submitted to their blog, 30% take place on the transit system or at Metro platforms or bus stops.

After unsuccessfully trying to meet with WMATA and not receiving responses to inquiries about statistics of sexual harassment, CASS board members, including myself, decided to organize a group of people to testify at yesterday’s WMATA oversight hearing at the DC Council, chaired by Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser.

Six of us testified and we were the only members of the public who testified about anything relating to WMATA, so we had their attention and the attention of the media. After laying out the facts, sharing stories of harassment, and informing them about what transit systems in Boston, New York City and Chicago are doing to address sexual harassment that WMATA is not, we gave our recommendations.

1. Better tracking and reporting of incidents

2. A public service awareness campaign so people know what their rights are and how to report incidents

3. Better training of Metro employees so they don’t harass passengers and so they respond to reports of harassment more appropriately.

Councilmember Bowser was very receptive to these suggestions, especially the PSA campaign. WMATA CEO Richard Sarles said he would talk with his counterparts in the three cities that have PSA campaigns, to get advice on how to bring one to DC. Their responses were very encouraging, but of course we won’t call it a success until we actually have a campaign.

And there is still work to do around WMATA’s responses to and treatment of harassment.

While WMATA keeps painting harassment as flirting in their statements to the press, we’re not talking about flirting, and the testimonies illustrated what’s really going on.

You can watch our testimonies and/or click on the links of our names below to read each of our testimonies. They illustrate the real harassment that goes on the Metro and sadly show Metro employees either mishandling or being the harassers.

Chai Shenoy, co-founder of Collective Action for Safe Spaces (4:23:17 on the video)
Ami Lynch, private citizen (4:30 on the video)
Pascale Leone , private citizen (4:34:05 on the video)
Karen Starr, private citizen (4:38:25 on the video)
Ben Merrion, private citizen (4:52 on the video)
Holly Kearl, Stop Street Harassment (4:55:32 on the video)

Dienna Howard, private citizen, could not attend but submitted her testimony for the record.

At minute 5:16:45, WMATA CEO Richard Sarles begins his response to our concerns.

Metro says they are doing a good job addressing sexual crimes since there were only 84 reported “sexual offenses” last year. We disagree. We know that sexual crimes are vastly under-reported to begin with and then, when people do try to report it, how many of them are like Ami and Pascale? Instead of having their incident handled and recorded, they’re met with laughter or disbelief and their incident is left off the record.

Additionally, after our testimonies, we were told by someone in from the transit police office, that unless verbal harassment is directly threatening, it is not recorded at all and is a matter of free speech. So none of the verbal sexual harassment that we know is so prevalent is tracked.Also, we learned that if someone exposes themselves to you, unless a transit police officer sees it too, it’s doubtful you’ll be able to see any action taken because it will be a “he said, she said” situation.

It’s funny how unwanted sexual comments constitute sexual harassment in the workplace and schools, but, according to the police officer, they are free speech on the Metro system.

While both Councilmember Bowser and the Metro Police said they want to work with us, we know it will not be easy and that our work is just beginning. Especially since Metro continues to not apologize for the harassment and crimes taking place but instead continues publicly to equate harassment with flirting.

We plan to bring a larger group to testify at the WMATA budget hearing in April and we likely will launch a petition or advocacy campaign in March, so stay tuned.

Police in Toronto say “grow a thicker skin” about street harassment

February 22, 2012 By HKearl

I’m not new to street harassment (unfortunately), but this is the first time that an event has ever occurred so close to my home. I currently live a measly 3 or 4 houses away from where this happened. This is also not the worst thing ever said to me BY FAR. But the events that occur after it have truly left me SHAKEN.

Its about 10 on a pitch black Friday night, and I’m walking home from having dinner with a friend. I begin passing a house (7 Ivy Avenue, Toronto Ontario) that has 3 older ‘gentlemen’ (I use the term loosely) standing outside it. (I assume having a smoke.)

As I start passing by, they whistle….I ignore it…then one of them says in a sexual voice, “How about you come give us a kiss?” …I take a step to walk away when I hear them about to start saying more. I lose it. I have stuff like this happen bi-weekly!

I yell back, telling them where they can promptly go, to which they laugh of course, make “oooOOoooOoo” sounds, and one of them says, “Oh yeah, I still got it.”

I start walking off in a rage as they are still laughing…and they watch me go into my home. (Great, they know where I live.)

Now, normally I get mad, complain to my friends a lot, and then try and ignore it till next time. But I’m MAD and just plain SICK of it. So I called the police and am forwarded to the station in my area, where I ask them, “What are my rights as an individual to NOT be sexually harassed on the street?”

The officer seemed confused and asked what I meant. I explained my situation, saying how often these events occur, and what I could do to STOP the harassment.

To which I was told to, GROW THICKER SKIN.

Never in my entire life have I been so disgusted…I cannot believe that was the option given to me, for protecting myself!!!

You better believe this will not be the end of it.

– JaguarGrin

Location: 7 Ivy Avenue, Toronto, Canada

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Metro doesn’t think sexual harassment in a problem in DC

February 22, 2012 By HKearl

Last night WUSA Channel 9 produced a news story about sexual harassment on the Washington, DC transit system. In it you can see what Metro’s stance is….that it isn’t a problem and that “one person’s harassment is another person’s flirting.” The text below the video is not a transcript, so you can gain more info by reading it after watching the video.

From around 1 – 3 p.m. EST today you can watch the DC City Council’s Performance Oversight Hearing of the Metro system (select Room 500). I’m joining several people, being led by Collective Action for Safe Spaces, in testifying about the problem of sexual harassment on the metro system because we DO think it’s a problem. We will give our recommendations for change: more data collection, a PSA campaign on how to report harassment, and more sensitivity training for metro employees.

More later on how it went and what was said. Wish us luck!

DC Metro does not track sexual harassment complaints

February 21, 2012 By HKearl

Tomorrow a group of Washington, DC-area residents and activists will share their experiences of sexual harassment on the DC metros and buses during the DC City Council’s performance hearing of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Chai Shenoy, co-founder of Collective Action for Safe Spaces/Holla Back DC! will open the testimonies and I’ll conclude them.

If you’re a DC resident who has been harassed or seen harassment occur on WMATA, you can still sign up to testify tomorrow (it will take place approximately 1-3 p.m. at the John A. Wilson Building) or write up to a 2 page testimony to submit for the record. RSVP ASAP to shannon AT collectiveactiondc DOT org

Apparently WMATA does not even track sexual harassment on their system and there is no dedicated hotline for reporting it. Unsurprisingly then, they have no PSA campaign as do many other major commuting cities. Consequently, we have three main recommendations when we testify tomorrow, including requesting a dedicated line for reporting sexual harassment and a PSA campaign telling people not to harass and what to do if they are harassed.

On Sunday, the Washington Post covered our intended action – and the story was reprinted today in the commute paper The Express. I want to respond to the following excerpt from the article (and please read the response of Collective Action for Safe Spaces and the response of a writer for the Washington City Paper.):

“Metro Transit Police Deputy Chief Ron Pavlik said his department takes reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault incidents seriously. He says the transit police have have not seen an increase in reports of indecent exposure, rape or other types of sexual assaults.

According to Metro, 84 cases involving sexual offenses were reported to Transit Police last year. They included one rape and 40 cases of indecent exposure or other sexual acts. Of the 40, 12 involved arrests.

Officials said Metro does not track sexual harassment complaints. But Pavlik said passengers who think that they have been sexually harassed should report the incident to Transit Police. Officers receive sensitivity training in handling such complaints, he said.

He cautioned, however, that a variety of behaviors could be considered harassment.

“Someone telling another person: ‘You look good. Can I have your phone number?’ — you may not like it, but I can’t arrest the person,” Pavlik said.

Reports including sexual assault and indecent exposure are investigated, he said.”

My response:

1. Wow, only sexual assaults and indecent exposure is being tracked? That’s not good enough. Most harassment is what they’re not tracking: sexual comments, sexual noises, leers, and whistles. No wonder Metro doesn’t think this is a problem — they don’t allow the full range of experiences to be reported/tracked.

2. Most gropes/grabs, a form of sexual assault, is not reported as a sexual assault because many people don’t realize that’s what it is. 84 reports of sexual offenses is likely quite low compared to the reality, then, especially when rape itself is so under-reported.

3. Without sexual harassment being tracked/reported, I guess Deputy Chief Pavlik had to use his own imagination to explain what women face: being told they look good, followed up by a polite request for their phone number. Or at least I hope that’s why he gave the example he did and not because he purposely wanted to downplay or dismiss the seriousness of sexual harassment. Regardless of his reasons, this is the outcome:

a) He simplified and distorted what actually happens in cases of harassment. Instead of someone saying,”You look good. Can I have your phone number?” (which, yes, is legal) street harassers tend to include sexually explicit language that’s inappropriate to use with a stranger and/or they often will not leave the woman alone after getting a “no” or a blank stare. Instead, the person will leer, follow, grab or continue with verbal comments until the woman feels harassed.

b) He ignored the context. A woman who has been grabbed, followed, attacked, mastrubated at or on and verbally harassed before (and most women have) may be pretty suspicious of any guy who approaches her and says a line like that, whether he intends to harass her or not.

c) He bristled up at the thought of “hitting on someone” being considered harassment and he supported the sexist idea that it’s fine (or at least legal) in all contexts to approach a woman and evaluate her looks and ask for her phone number. I bet 95% of women who ride the bus or the metro are just trying to get from Point A to Point B, not trying to get asked out on a date or have a stranger comment on their appearance. And if they do want to get asked out, they may want to be asked a few things about themselves first or have some light chitchat. Real life is not a movie or a gum commercial.

Again, if you’re a DC resident who has been harassed or seen harassment occur on WMATA, you can still sign up to testify tomorrow (it will take place approximately 1-3 p.m. at the John A. Wilson Building) or write up to a 2 page testimony to submit for the record. Let’s show them that sexual harassment is a real, widespread problem and that it constitutes more than just “Can I have your number” comments and thus, deserves real attention from WMATA and the city council. RSVP ASAP to shannon AT collectiveactiondc DOT org

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