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Little Bird Project Launches to use Art to Address Street Harassment

September 14, 2012 By Contributor

Earlier this year at my former place of employment, a male patron (who’d already called me “darlin’”) yelled angrily into my face: “Thanks a lot, Toots!” My manager demanded I simply, “smile and nod”…. So I quit and launched the Little Bird project. Through the arts, we raise awareness about street harassment as a human rights issue for women and LGBT community members in San Francisco, California.

It turns out I’m not alone in wanting to stop street harassment. Artists, business owners, and other amazing folks have jumped on-board with the Little Bird’s mission. Our art-based impact strategy ensures inclusiveness: we offer the Little Bird symbol and message for artists to create art around, and the artist does the rest! Through our project activities – including art events, merchandise sales (coming soon!), and online community, as well as opportunities for artists and businesses – we aim to create a space where anyone who wants to can get involved.

The Little Bird kickoff event is set for Oct. 13, 2012 at Mama Art Café in San Francisco. The event will be a unique time of celebrating art, artists, and the community that is forming around the Little Bird, while promoting participants’ work as individuals. Featured artists include Amelia Lewis, Eugene Rodriguez, Beatrice Thomas, and Mission Mini Comix, with spoken word by Trina Robbins. The art (and its beautiful custom framing) will be sold via Silent Auction at the event, as will art supply gift certificates, frame shop gift certificates, salon styling services, and even pinup-inspired lingerie, all courtesy of our amazing contributing businesses! Check out our gallery for a sneak preview of the art, and RSVP to secure your spot in the bidding!

Other things the Little Bird is thrilled about:

* The Little Bird is pleased to be working with Stop Street Harassment’s Holly Kearl, who is on our Advisory Board. Holly’s breadth of knowledge and professionalism in confronting street harassment makes her such a pleasure to work with (thank you Holly!).

* The Little Bird project is now Fiscally Sponsored (by Fractured Atlas) and can accept donations online. Donations help fund our events, artist commissions, merchandise production, and administrative costs. Donate now!

* Our online tools: like us on FaceBook, follow us on Twitter (@LittleBirdSF), and bookmark the Little Bird’s blog!

This guest blog post was written by Sarah Harper, the Little Bird project Director. Her work is fueled by her passion for the issue, attraction to the arts, and background in professional writing, marketing, project management, Search Engine Optimization, and education. Sarah was also the Meet Us on the Streets San Francisco coordinator in 2012.

“I’ll pay you R$ 10 (US$ 4.91) if you come with me”

September 13, 2012 By Contributor

“I’ll pay you R$ 10 (US$ 4.91) if you come with me” — That’s what I heard when I was going to school in the morning, at the age of 13. I felt just like crap after that middle-aged man, a stranger, said this thing to me. Actually, I still do when I remember this and all the harassment that I’ve been through in life since my childhood…

– R

Location: São Paulo – Brazil

Donate to help fund a national study on street harassment.

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.

Man rapes 73-year-old woman in Central Park

September 13, 2012 By HKearl

central park rapist — Surveillance video showing the man who may have been the attacker

Via NBC News:

“A 73-year-old birdwatcher said she was raped Wednesday in Central Park, possibly by a man angered because she photographed him exposing himself there, NBCNewYork.com reported.

The woman told investigators the man asked, “Do you remember me?” before attacking her about 11 a.m. near the park’s tranquil Strawberry Fields that serves as a memorial to John Lennon, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference.

The woman, who regularly visits the park to watch birds, said she thinks the assailant was the same man she photographed masturbating about a week ago in another, more isolated part of the park, police said.

She said he demanded she delete the image before they went their separate ways. Police said that initial encounter was not reported…

Eric Ozawa, 34, told reporters he was in the park about 11:30 a.m. when he noticed a pair of legs sticking out along the path but thought it was somebody sleeping. As Ozawa got closer, he realized it was a woman lying face down. Her face was badly swollen, she had a black eye and was covered in mulch, he said.”

Horrific and traumatic. I hope she will be okay!

This story sadly illustrates how some men use rape as a weapon/source of power or revenge against others (women and men) regardless of age, time of day or night, or location. It’s not a crime of passion. It’s a hate crime.

9/14/12 Update: The police caught a suspect and he sounds even more horrifying. Via Jezebel:

“Mitchell’s disturbing criminal history began when he was just 18 and charged with molesting and beating to death 87-year-old Annie Parks during a burglary in his hometown of Jenkinjones near the border of Kentucky and Virginia. […]

After his release, the ex-con was arrested at least twice more before being convicted of kidnapping in 2003 and sent back to prison for eight more years.”

Metro Anti-Harassment Skit

September 12, 2012 By HKearl

Sadly, sexual harassment on the subway is not that unusual, yet few people (outside feminist circles) talk about it. For that reason, Collective Action for Safe Spaces & Voices of Men rode the Washington, DC, Metro and collaborated to perform a skit about harassment to bring attention to the issue. I played the role of the harassee.

The metro riders were pretty surprised because theater/performance is very rare on the DC system, but there were a lot of supportive comments each time we finished the skit. We did the skit about 10 times on several different subway cars.

Taking collective action like this is an important way to show that street harassment is not okay in your community. It’s also a great way to include new people in the work. One of the bystanders in our skit, John, was brand new to feminist activism and was an enthusiastic participant in speaking out against street harassment.

This skit can easily be replicated on other subways, metros, and buses. Reach out to either group for information:

Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS)
www.collectiveactiondc.org

Voices of Men
www.voicesofmen.org

“Yes, it’s MY fault that you were caught being a creepy weirdo”

September 12, 2012 By Contributor

I’ve spent the last two days coordinating a large conference at my university in London. This evening was the conference dinner, which included a nice public thank you and bunch of flowers for my work, so I was feeling pretty happy after a productive day.

Maybe creepy guys have some in-built monitor that tells them a woman’s had a good day and deserves to have it spoiled: I was two stops from home on the Piccadilly line when I noticed that the young guy next to me is turned right round staring into my face. I turn to face him with a death stare, at which point most normal people feel some embarrassment and look away.

Not so this one, who just carried on staring with such intensity that I had to ask him twice if he had a problem, at which point he took offense and looked away with a moody, “No!”

When I got off (he luckily wasn’t getting off at the same stop) he stared at me through the window with a look of real hatred and put his fingers to his head in some weird amalgamation of giving me the finger and making the symbol for a gun. Because, yes, it’s MY fault that you were caught being a creepy weirdo and MY fault that you can’t behave like a normal goddamn person.

– Jen

Location: Piccadilly line, Finsbury Park, London

Donate to help fund a national study on street harassment.

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.

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