Trigger Warning!
“A suspect has been charged in connection with the death of Mary “Unique” Spears, aDetroit woman shot to death after allegedly rejecting the man’s sexual advances.
Mark Dorch, 38, was charged with first degree murder and assault with intent to murder, among other charges. His trial is scheduled to begin February 9….
Though the circumstances that surround Spears’ death are not entirely clear, her story has been shared frequently online at a time when street harassment has been at the forefront of feminist conversations. It’s served as an extreme example of the danger women can face when they receive unwanted attention from men, and a powerful refutation of the argument that such harassment is harmless.
Writer, activist and social worker Feminista Jones began using the #YouOKSis hashtag on Twitter earlier this year in an effort to shine a light on black women’s experiences with street harassment and discuss solutions, namely non-confrontational intervention from bystanders. She told The Huffington Post that Spears’ tragic death also illuminates racial disparities in conversations about street harassment and its consequences.
“Often, black women and women of color are subjected to more harsh or harsher forms of street harassment,” Jones said. “I think that black womanhood has been devalued so much that we are more likely to be treated as property or as objects than maybe other woman, [though] that’s not to say that other women aren’t treated that way.”
Spears had a fiancé and three sons, ages 8, 4 and 1.
“I hope that her family finds some sort of reprieve from this tragic, tragic death that should never have happened,” Jones said. “No woman should lose her life because she declines a man’s advances.”
