Tag Archives: Metropolitan police department

Sexual Harassment & Assault at Home & Work: “I was attacked twice in three days.”

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Location: Petworth and Logan Circle; on the street and also at my place of work.
Time: Evening Rush Hour (3:30pm-7:30pm)

I was attacked twice within 3 days. On Sunday evening around 7:00 pm I was walking home from the bus stop in my neighborhood when a man started following me. He was yelling at me angrily, telling me that I better come back and that it might be worth my “money” if I did. He then he chased me to my apartment and came right up to my window, luckily I got inside. When I yelled out the window to tell him to leave me alone he got insanely angry and screamed, “Don’t you tell me what to do!” and punched my window, shattering all of the glass. This was in broad daylight in front of people sitting outside.

Then this past Tuesday, after taking Monday to recover from what had happened on Sunday, I was working at my job as a manager at a clothing store. While watching over the dressing room a man who I thought was just trying on jeans asked me to use the restroom. I noticed that he was standing in a strange way next to the dressing room curtain, and even though I told him I would show him where the bathroom was he just kept asking me more strange questions. At this point I started to become afraid. I asked him if the jeans had worked out and that’s when he turned toward me completely revealing his aroused genitals.

After my situation the previous Sunday I was beyond hysterical. Any sense of security that I had before has been completely ripped away from me and I am afraid to leave my apartment.

Obviously police reports were filed for both incidents, but that doesn’t make me feel safe to walk the streets day or night. Both incidents took place during daylight hours and in front of people. These men simply did not care. I am getting mace registered with the police department today and am thinking about leaving DC. Nobody deserves to live their life afraid.

Emphases by CASS.
Submitted 5/1/13 by “AP”

NOTE FROM CASS: 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).

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.

BREAKING: Arrest made in December 2012 Uber rape case

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In December, a Yahoo! Group for DC’s Cleveland Park neighborhood, posted a message detailing a rape allegedly committed by an Uber cabdriver a few days prior. According to the listerv post, a 20-year-old woman who used Uber, an “on-demand” cab service accessed via a smartphone app, was attacked, knocked unconscious and raped by her driver after receiving a ride to her home in Cleveland Park.

We wrote about the case in January, noting the strong need for violence prevention and safer travel options for women.

Today, Prince of Petworth announced that an arrest has been made in the case.  We at CASS send our hearts out to the survivor and wish her the best. We hope that Uber pays close attention to this tragedy to learn how others can be prevented.

Details below, along with a statement from Uber. 

Reposted from Prince of Petworth, 3/15/13:

Back in mid-December there was a report on the Cleveland Park listserv of an Uber driver who had allegedly sexually assaulted a woman on the 3200 block of 36th Street NW. An arrest in that case has now been made.

From MPD:

The Metropolitan Police Department has announced that an arrest has been made in the First Degree Sexual Abuse that occurred in the 3200 block of 36th Street, NW. 

On Saturday, December 8, 2012, at approximately 3:00 am, an adult female who had hired a cab service was sexually assaulted while in the 3200 block of 36th Street, NW. 

After an investigation by members of the Sexual Assault Unit, a warrant was issued for 35 year-old Anouar Habib Trabelsi of Alexandria, VA, charging him with First Degree Sexual Abuse.

On March 13, 2013, Mr. Trabelsi was arrested by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Ed. Note: Representatives from Uber will be releasing a statement shortly at which point I will update here.

Statement from Rachel Holt, Washington, DC General Manager, Uber:

Immediately upon being told that a driver for Capitol Limo, a limo company utilizing Uber technology, was suspected of committing a crime, we deactivated the partner account. He has not done a single ride through Uber since then. We have worked closely with the police and prosecutors investigating this incident, and will continue to help them in any way possible. The safety of our users is absolutely paramount, and we will continue to be vigilant that riders’ safety and security are protected.

 

Public masturbator in Adams Morgan: A crime or just “something inappropriate?”

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Location: Klingle Road, NW (Adams Morgan; between Adams Mill & Connecticut)
Time: Daytime (9:30am-3:30pm)

Was walking with my roommate (both of us are young females) in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon (March 3rd). We were walking to Mt. Pleasant from Cleveland Park on Klingle Road. Just off the sidewalk and in the woods of rock creek park (about 20 feet away from us) was a man publicly masturbating. Pants down at his ankles, full exposure. He made direct eye contact with us, and his expression spread into a creepy grin while his hand continued to quickly stroke his dick.

We called 911, because in the moment, we were so shocked and couldn’t think of where else to report this. After a 7-minute conversation, the police agreed to dispatch a car. Really? It’s probably too late for that and we did NOT stick around to keep an eye on the guy. The dispatcher asked me for a description of the man, which i gave to him. He then repeated the offense to me (after i very plainly explained the situation w/ graphic details) by saying “Ok, there’s a man and he’s doing something inappropriate. Can you repeat the cross streets”. Really?! “Something inappropriate”… sigh.

No wonder so many crimes like this go unreported. They’re not taken seriously.

Emphases by CASS.

Submitted on 3/3/13 by ”CS”

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.

Scathing report on sexual assault in DC offers opportunity for collective action!

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Note: We submitted the following letter to the editor to the Washington Post on January 25th. Our letter was not published, so we are publishing it here in full.

The Post’s editorial, “The District’s Response to Rape Charges” (January 22, 2013) hailed Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)’s Chief Cathy Lanier for implementing recommendations by Human Rights Watch (HRW) to strengthen the city’s response to sexual assault crimes. While Lanier and MPD should be commended for taking action, the Post should also recognize the courage and hardship of the 150 sexual assault survivors who reported to HRW that they were routinely ignored and even ridiculed by police between 2008 and 2011. 

The HRW report is bigger than the MPD; it points to problems with how our society addresses sexual assault. From Delhi to the DRC, Steubenville to DC, sexual assault survivors are often not believed or treated with respect by the institutions that hear their stories. Though its findings are sobering, the HRW report represents a watershed moment for activists, healthcare providers, and regular citizens to join together to address the urgent need for improvements in responding to sexual assault in our nation’s capital. 

We look forward to seeing MPD devote more resources and energy to implementing HRW’s recommendations. If we work collectively to address sexual violence, DC could become a model for other cities to do the same.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Report Faults DC Police on Sexual Assault Investigations

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On Thursday, January 24, CASS staff attended a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to mark the release of Human Rights Watch (HRW)’s report, “Capitol Offense: Police Mishandling of Sexual Assault Cases in the District of Columbia.” (See video below.) According to HRW, which is an international nonprofit that conducts research and advocacy on human rights, initiated research into Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) handling of sexual assault cases after observing the unusually low numbers of sexual assaults that the MPD reported to the FBI. HRW’s resulting report, which is based upon 150 interviews and over 250 internal investigative files for sex abuse cases between 2008-2011, contains heart-wrenching narratives of survivors who allege that MPD detectives discouraged them from reporting, posed victim-blaming or inappropriate questions, questioned their credibility, or told them that they were wasting the detective’s time. Since its release Thursday, the report has garnered considerable attention, and it has increased the momentum for demand for improvements in how MPD responds to cases of sexual assault.

HRW Report: DC Police Mishandle Sexual Assault Cases

An investigation of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) by Human Rights Watch (HRW) found that sexual assault cases are too often not properly documented or investigated and victims may face callous, traumatizing treatment.

At Thursday’s press conference, Sara Darehshori, senior counsel with the US Program at Human Rights Watch, reviewed findings from HRW’s two-year investigation. The investigation found that MPD failed to document a great number of sexual assault complaints, as there exist no incident reports for a substantial number of cases recorded by Washington Hospital Center. HRW also found that MPD regularly failed to write reports for cases when detectives did not believe victims, and often disregarded cases involving alcohol or drugs. MPD also often misclassified serious cases of sex abuse as a non-sex offense or a misdemeanor, minimizing the victim’s experience and also potentially denying the victim access to support services. What’s more, even in those cases in which MPD detectives did document sexual assault complaints, detectives often failed to conduct investigations.

Roger Canaff, former Special Victims Prosecutor and board member for End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI), said that HRW’s investigation reveals a “disturbing pattern of substandard response.” The consequences of a “substandard” response, or a response that is of a quality lower than that prescribed by law, are many, and impact not only the survivor, but also the community at large. Many survivors can be retraumatized by insensitive police interviewing, and their healing processes are hindered when they receive negative or non-empathetic responses. From a legal standpoint, a substandard response from law enforcement also poisons cases, as survivors who do not feel safe or relaxed during a police interview may not be able to recall important details. Lastly, inadequate police responses to sexual assault result in a continued danger to the community because not only are perpetrators not brought to justice, but a loss of community trust in law enforcement can have a devastating effect on crime reporting.

CASS echoes HRW’s recommendation that MPD move toward a more survivor-centered approach to sexual assault cases. However, we also feel strongly that MPD’s mishandling of sexual assault cases should be viewed as just one piece of the many problems with our community’s response to sexual assault. Beyond fostering more transparency and accountability in the DC police department, we need to increase collaboration amongst all the various institutions and individuals who respond to sexual assault survivors. We also need to work to eradicate a culture of tolerance and normalization of sexual assault, and work to create a community in which survivors feel safe and validated when they come forward and report – and thus are not afraid or hesitant to do so.