I was sexually assaulted at the Cleveland Park Metro: “We need to think of sexual assault as a CRIME.”

Posted on May 21, 2013 by renee

Location: Inside the Cleveland Park metro station
Time: Evening Rush Hour (3:30pm-7:30pm)

Just as the train approached, a group of noisy 4-5 teenage boys ran behind me. I thought they were running to relocate to a different part of the train. I felt a hand quickly tap the underside of my left butt cheek and I heard someone “Whoot!” When I looked over at the boys, one of them turned back to look at me and laugh. I was already late to a friend’s birthday party so I just got on the train.

I called metro police later and they were very helpful and comprehensive when asking me the details. Unfortunately, it was already 4 hours after the incident and I had no clear descriptions of my assailant since it all happened so quickly. In hindsight, I wish I had not gotten onto the train, and I wish I had called the police immediately. I could have been able to identify the assailant with his fingerprints on my jeans. I could have located them inside the station or at least that train if they had gotten on.

We, as a society, are taught to respond in set ways to theft but we have no guidelines on how to react to sexual assault. If my purse were stolen, I would have reported it immediately. But when my body was touched, I had no idea I had rights. I had no idea what options I had.

To readers out there, I strongly urge you to first think of sexual assault as a CRIME. Stop what you are doing immediately. Life can wait. Call the police. Stay where you are and try to remember all details.

Emphases by CASS.
Submitted 5/11/13 by “A.S.”

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault?
Submit your story to help raise awareness about the pervasiveness and harmful effects of street harassment. All submissions are posted anonymously unless otherwise specified.

If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system:
Whether the event is happening at the moment or occurred months ago, we strongly encourage you to report to Metro Transit Police (MTP): www.wmata.com/harassment or 202-962-2121. Reporting helps identify suspects as well as commons trends in harassment. Recommended tip: Program MTP’s number into your phone so you can easily reach them when needed.

If you need assistance in coping with public sexual harassment or assault, please contact the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) 24/7 crisis hotline at 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7279).

Harassed By DC Bus Driver: “I was relying on him to get me home, not hit on me & make me feel unsafe!”

Posted on May 15, 2013 by renee

Location: ”E” bus from Friendship Heights to Petworth
Time: Night (7:30pm-12am)

I was rushing to the Friendship Heights bus stop after work around 11:30pm but slowed down once I saw that the driver was still standing outside the bus. As I approached I reached into my bag to pull out my metro card and a slip of paper fell out; I picked it up and went to get on the bus. I then hear from behind me, “hey, you dropped my number back there” and turn around to see it was the bus driver. I find that “pick-up line” to be very uncreative and just plain stupid (as most of them are) so I reply “Oh yeah?”, annoyingly chuckle, and continue to board the bus while ignoring him.

Its a full bus and I sit near the front so when its time for me to get off at my stop I walk towards the front exit. As I’m turning to walk down the steps of the bus I feel someone reach out and tap my hand. I turn around once again to see the bus driver with a stupid grin on his face and he is starting to rattle off his phone number. I immediately say “ha”, give him a dirty look and step off the bus.

What I really felt like doing was yelling at him to leave me the hell alone. I encounter street harassment on the regular, as many other people do too, and it is never ok. This particular situation made me uncomfortable because it was someone that I was relying on to get me home, he was on the clock for a public service job, and he reached into my space and physically touched me. Don’t violate my space, looking for attention!

Emphases by CASS.
Submitted 5/9/13 by “Sara Shaw”

If you need assistance in coping with public sexual harassment or assault, please contact the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) 24/7 crisis hotline at 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7279).

Help Us Make DC Safer: Tell us about your transit needs!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by julia

At Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS), we have much love for each and every member of our active and informed community who contributes to the blog, engages with us on social media and rolls up their sleeves to lend a hand. Whether you’re an active contributor or a quiet supporter, we think you’re the bee’s knees.

As CASS prepares to launch RightRidesDC (modeled after New York’s award-winning RightRides program that has been operating successfully since 2004), we want to know about your transportation experiences, including public transit, private taxis, car services, and walking or biking late at night around DC! This information will be invaluable to our efforts to meet the safe, affordable transportation needs of our community.

The survey closes Friday, May 24. Please, tweet, post on FB, send to your listervs and forward to friends, colleagues, strangers who live or play in DC! As a small gift for helping us out, at the end of the survey, you’ll be able to submit your email address to be included in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate.

ABOUT RIGHTRIDES

RightRides provides free, safe rides home to women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and gender non-conforming (LGBTQGNC) individuals on Friday and Saturday nights, from 11:59 P.M. to 3:00 A.M. Rides are provided by friendly volunteer driving teams made up of a driver and a navigator (one of which identifies as female) to see riders home safely and help advocate for their increased personal safety. All driving teams are pre-screened to meet high safety standards.

Since 2004, RightRides in New York City has driven more than 6,000 Riders safely home. Last year saw a 51 percent increase in reported sexual assaults in DC, as well as over 40 reported hate crimes based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, we want to bring RightRides to DC. The RightRides motto puts it aptly: “Because getting home safely shouldn’t be a luxury.”

Street harassed at Fort Totten: “Sexual harassment does NOT do me any favors!”

Posted on May 10, 2013 by renee

Location: Fort Totten Metro Station – Green/Yellow Line
Time: Night (7:30pm-12am)

As I was walking down the metro platform (after leaving training for volunteering at a rape crisis center no less), a man felt the need to tell me he was going to “eat my pussy” and that he was sure I “must be very wet.”

When I kept on walking without acknowledging him, he began to assure his friends that it “must be really sour” and that he would be doing me a favor.

I’m still shaken up, and really angry that I didn’t do anything about it except continue on walking.

Emphases by CASS.
Submitted 5/7/13 by “nmd”

If you need assistance in coping with public sexual harassment or assault, please contact the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) 24/7 crisis hotline at 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7279).

Rubbed Up Against on the Metro

Posted on April 18, 2013 by renee

Location: Metro: Orange & Green lines
Time: Morning Rush Hour (5am-9:30am)

I have had harrassment happen to me twice while I commuted back and forth to work. I the first incident, I got on an orange line train at L’enfant. Always crowded that time of morning. Some guy at least a foot taller than I got on the train and was close up behind me. It was crowded so I figured it was just that, since he got closer after others got on at the next stop. Then after a time he was REALLY close, and no matter what I did to move I couldn’t get away from him. He was rubbing himself on me! I was never able to turn around, which is what I really wanted to do; I wanted to look him in the eye and ask him what the f#%k his problem was. Finally he bolted off the train before I could get more of a look, except he had on a striped polo shirt.

The second time, I had transferred to the green line coming home. Again standing, crowded train. This dude was maybe my height. Train got really crowded we were all squished together. This one started rubbing himself on my hip! Fortunately my stop was next so I was able to be the one who leaped off to get away.

Both of these happened before Metro’s ‘report it’ campaign, and I didn’t really think anything could be done since they weren’t in the act and didn’t leave any real evidence. In each incident, I was wearing rather boring, drab office attire, as I don’t like to dress up so for my office attire I choose classic pieces over trendy or fashionable pieces. I’m not ugly but since neither guy was face to face with me I can’t even say that had anything to do with it. They are just sick.

Emphases by CASS.
Submitted 4/12/13 by “MsKat”

If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system:
Whether the event is happening at the moment or occurred months ago, we strongly encourage you to report to Metro Transit Police (MTP): www.wmata.com/harassment or 202-962-2121. Reporting helps identify suspects as well as commons trends in harassment. Recommended tip: Program MTP’s number into your phone so you can easily reach them when needed.