On the heels of the arrest of the alleged Upper East Side Manhattan groper, the problem of men groping women in public is back in the news after a series of groping reports in Queens, New York.

From the Queens Chronicle:

“If you have breasts, you get hit on. That’s how this neighborhood is,” said Nicolle Loayza, 26. She was talking about Jackson Heights, where she was born and raised. A man accused of groping three women in the neighborhood on two different occasions last July is still at large, said Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) this week.

On the heels of these attacks and a spate of separate groping incidents reported in Astoria and the Upper East Side, council members Julissa Ferreras (D-Corona) and Dromm stood on the corner of 90th Street and Roosevelt Avenue to pass out fliers with the police drawing of the Jackson Heights groper last week.

In Astoria, various groups, including the New York Anti Crime Agency and the office of Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Astoria), have mobilized to make community members more aware of the problem and help women in the neighborhood.

At least two different men accused of groping Astoria women have been arrested, according to Vallone’s office. Published reports have identified these two men as Miguel Hermenegildo, 33, and Dennis Bryan, 22. A different Queens man, Jose Alfredo Perez Hernandez, 18, has been arrested in connection with gropings on the Upper East Side.

The issue first came to attention last July because of Kate Salute, an Astoria woman who blogged about being groped on “Why Leave Astoria?” prompting an outpouring of similar stories from other women. Salute wrote in an email that some 45 women have since come forward…

In Jackson Heights, Loayza pointed to the spot on Roosevelt Avenue where she said men often wait just to look up women’s skirts when they climb the stairs to the 90th St. 7 train.

She described the time a man grabbed her crotch a few blocks away when she was just 12 years old, and said men often follow her home from the train, catcalling her along the way. However, she has never reported a single incident.

“I’ve learned to deal with it,” she said. “You just walk around the block and try to lose them.”

But Ferreras thinks this is precisely the problem.

“It’s not just about shrugging it off or avoiding a corner,” Ferreras said.

Dromm, Ferreras and Vallone are encouraging women in their districts to continue coming forward.”

At what point does this constitute a hate crime?! 45 women have been groped in one area just for being female in public. What the hell.

I’m glad local leaders are taking action and working to fix the problem and that there was an awareness rally last week. Ladies of Astoria, keep sharing your story!

I’m not surprised Ferreras is one of the individuals speaking out; she called the first-ever street harassment city council hearing in NYC last year. She’s a great advocate for ending street harassment.

Now, the outcry needs to continue until the groping ends.