Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for January 2013

Groper arrested in NYC

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Image via the Gothamist

Good news!

Via the Gothamist:

“A 27-year-old woman was on the platform at Queensboro Plaza, waiting for a Manhattan-bound 7 train at around 10:40 a.m., when a man approached her and ‘grabbed her buttocks and then fled the station.’ The victim wasn’t injured and she did manage to give the cops a photograph.

This morning, the NYPD announced that it arrested Andres Lara, 25, of Queens, charging him with forcible touching. And NY1’s sources say that Lara turned himself in today at the 115th Precinct. Well, it is a remarkably clear picture!”

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Vulgarity Outside Starbucks

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I was walking on U Street NW just exiting the Starbucks when a large/fat man in his late 30s was riding his bike on the sidewalk approaching my direction. He said the following to me, “If you let me take you home, I’ll let you ride my tongue for 5 hours.”

It was horrifying, disgusting, in daylight and made me feel creeped out. I screamed at him, “You’re not supposed to ride your bike on the sidewalk, you dork! And go fuck yourself asshole.”

He yelled something to me inaudible when he got to the corner and kept riding his bike onward.

– Anonymous

Location: U Street NW between Starbucks and Vida, Washington, DC

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India: New Reporting Site and #SafeCityPledge Events

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Via Blank Noise

Two updates from India:

1) A new map to track sexual violence in Delhi, India, just launched.

The founder writes, “This project aims to map sexual violence and intimidation against women in New Delhi. Please be bold and add your experiences to the map and help fellow citizens become more aware. If you have stories of unsafe neighborhoods, mohallas, streets and more, feel free to plot them on this map and help fellow citizens become more vigilant. Also, if you have feedback or suggestions, write to me at blahplum [at] gmail [dot] com”

Please use and share!

2) Today, Blank Noise organized #SafeCityPledge events across the country, where people came together and made pledges that they held up or pinned on their clothes. Here is one of the reports about a local event, via Facebook:

“SAFECITYPLEDGE, Goa report: Initially a meager turn-out, but amazing response from the street, with visitors to the area, tourists and even taxi drivers joining in. Several motorcyclists stopped and allowed pledges to be pinned to the back and front of their T-shirts. Artist Swatee Nair spoke to all the street vendors in an area of Miramar (the Miramar circle and adjacent areas, including the beach) that is known for being a place of harassment of women , most of whom made pledges and let safecitypledge signs be posted on their stalls.”

I really love the idea of focusing on how we can make cities safer by having more women in public places, not by having fewer women there! Great work to everyone who participated and worked to help change that mental shift in their communities.

 

Via Blank Noise

 

 

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