Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
After a night at an expensive NYC restaurant for my friend’s birthday, a few of us were trying to hail a cab. First a taxi full of older men pulled up and said “You girls looking for a good time?” Then a van with another bunch of men stopped near us and shouted “Hey, you girls want some cock?” Then another car pulled up and told us to get in, and even when we said no, the driver shouted after us. This was all in the span of about five to ten minutes at the longest.
-anonymous
Remember the young woman in NYC who was raped by a man on a subway platform and sued the MTA and the two employees who essentially sat by (after calling the command center) while she was raped? Well, I just read that the judge has thrown out the suit.
“In a nine-page ruling, Queens Supreme Court Justice Kevin Kerrigan concluded a token clerk and a subway conductor had no responsibility to intervene and were following work rules by not confronting the rapist.”
Meanwhile the attacker has never been caught. Surveillance video failed to capture the attack.
The woman who was raped is understandably devastated and she has 30 days to decide whether to appeal the judge’s decision.
It is difficult to say if any of us would have acted any differently had we been the MTA workers, especially if they were following company protocol. But at the same time, I have a hard time not feeling appalled and outraged that they knew this was occurring but they only did the bare minimum to stop it. I really wish the outcome could have been different.
It’s Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month right now, and while people are much more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone they know, these types of random attacks happen too. At the very least, MTA may want to rethink their procedure and/or protocol for when assaults do occur so that they can respond better to literal cries for help… And maybe if she appeals and gets to have a lawsuit, they will HAVE to rethink it.
Shout Outs to a few of my street harassment activist allies & an announcement about the upcoming launch of a new HollaBack DC blog:
Three years ago a young woman was raped on a deserted subway platform in New York City. While a toll booth attendant and subway driver both saw and called the police, they did nothing more to help her or stop the attacker. The police arrived a long ten minutes later. This news article details what happened – but warning, it’s very upsetting to read parts of it. This brave young woman is suing the NYC Transit and her trial in civil court will be heard soon (don’t know the date). I will be anxious to hear how it goes.
The young woman took the subway at 2 a.m. and she was the only person in the subway car with her attacker and the only one on the platform when she got off and he pursued her. She thought she would be safe and I wish she had been. If you live in NYC and don’t feel safe taking the subway home late Saturday nights, contact RightRides. They offer women, transgender and queer folks free, safe rides home late Saturday nights in numerous NYC neighborhoods. They always need volunteers & donations to keep their program going and to expand their services, so considering getting involved/helping them out!
From the Associated Press:
“NEW YORK (AP) — Police arrested a man accused of taking a cell phone picture under a subway rider’s skirt after the victim said she used her own phone to snap back. The 28-year-old woman said she was victimized last month while climbing stairs to an elevated station in upper Manhattan. A passer-by confirmed her suspicion that he had taken a photo up her skirt, she said.
She followed the suspect onto a train, took his picture, then e-mailed it to police and filed a report. “I told him `smile’ because I am going to the police,” the woman told The New York Times.
Aaron Olivieri was arrested Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of attempted unlawful surveillance, attempted sexual abuse and harassment. He was nabbed in a Manhattan subway station by an officer who said he matched the person in the photo the woman had taken, authorities said.
His lawyer, Rigodis Appling, did not immediately return a call for comment on Friday.”
What a great story! Everything came together for success – there was a witness, the person had the initial reaction to take the photo, the person had the energy/time to report the incident, & the police seemed to respond appropriately. Hopefully more people will be inspired to fight back too!