Tell WMATA Public Sexual Harassment is a Problem!

Posted on February 2, 2012 by admin

Sexual comments, leering, groping and public masturbation: sexual harassment happens a lot on public transportation in Washington, DC. Collective Action for Safe Spaces/Holla Back DC! has been tracking and speaking out on this issue for three years. Now we’re doing something more – testifying. And we need your help.

We need people to testify with us about the issue of sexual harassment on public transportation during the late afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 22, for a public performance oversight hearing of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) held by the Council of the District of Columbia.

If we have enough people testifying, possible outcomes could be:

Council Member Muriel Bowser (who is overseeing the hearing and is from Ward 4) will be aware of the issue and could even propose legislation to help prevent sexual harassment on Metro.
Council Member Bowser could question the Director of Metro to find out why our concerns have not been addressed.
The Director of Metro could be more likely to address our concerns and take actions we recommend such as providing training for employees.

We are looking for people:

1) Willing to share a story or stories about sexual harassment on metro trains and buses,

2) Who can talk about sexual harassment they’ve witnessed,

3) Who can be part of the audience to help fill the room.

Testimonies are only 3 minutes long (about a page and a half). If you want to learn more about writing and presenting compelling testimony or want feedback on a draft, we will hold an optional training on Saturday, Feb. 18, 1-3 p.m. at the Southeast Library (across the from Eastern Market metro station). Susie Cambria will lead the training.

If you’re interested in providing testimony or helping to fill the room, please contact shannon@collectiveactiondc.org by February 17, and please share this announcement, especially with people in Ward 4 as that’s Council Member Bowser’s Ward and she’s up for re-election.

Info Session!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Have you been wanting get involved with Collective Action for Safe Spaces?
Then attend our first info session meetup on February 4th!

Where: Bread Brew (bonus: Bread and Brew is donating 10% of the proceeds to CASS!)
When: 3pm-4:30pm
What: Find out how you can get involved with us to make DC a safer place for all!

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to info@collectiveactiondc.org.

We look forward to meeting you!

PSAs

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

Through online activism, public advocacy and education, and community building, we work hard to make the streets of DC safe for everyone.

Tomorrow night, January 21st, local bands Miyazaki, Ra Ra Rasputin, and supergroup Volta Bureau will help us raise awareness and funds for some of our programming at an all-ages benefit concert at St. Stephens run by Positive Force. The bands have spoken out in a series of PSA videos for TVD, and we hope you join them in solidarity tomorrow night!

Volta Bureau

Ra Ra Rasputin

Miyazaki

Find out more about these incredible local bands on The Vinyl District!

“What, you don’t hear me?”

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

I was going to meet my boyfriend after his rehearsal at a local studio close to my house. When I got there, however, he texted me to say the director had a bit more he wanted to run and he really wasn’t sure when they would be let out. As it was very cold, I decided to just go back home and he would meet me there later. As I was walking back along Pershing, I noticed a group of maybe four or five guys, at least a few years older than I, walking along the opposite side of the street.

I was cold, tired, a little disappointed, and just in no mood to really deal with anything. So when one of them started trying to get my attention, making “psstt” noises, I just ignored it and kept walking. They continued doing this and saying things like “what, you don’t hear me?” before I heard something land in the street a few inches behind me. Immediately they erupted into laughter and a chorus of, “shit, that was so close!”, and threw something else at me (neither hit). I heard one of them say, “you guys are fucking assholes.” Thanks. After that I think I lost my novelty and they let me walk home in angry, disturbed, resentful, pissed-off peace. I don’t think any good would have come from confronting these boys harassing me on the otherwise-empty street, but damn, I wish I had.

Submitted by L on 1/14

Location: Pershing Drive, Silver Spring

Time of harassment: Day Time (9:30A-3:30P)

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.

“I COULD, TOO.”

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

Walking down 14th one evening to meet friends, I passed a group of men headed in the opposite direction. I could feel them looking at me before crossing paths, and had already braced myself for an inappropriate comment. You know how you can tell when the way someone is looking at you is inappropriate and threatening before he even opens his mouth?

Anyway, as expected, one of the men did turn out to be a verbal harasser, and said “girl, i wanna taste that little ______.”

What I didn’t expect, was that one of the other men would intentionally bump into me. The verbal harassment, coupled with this physical touch, was really unsettling. To make matters worse, I was audibly and visually disgusted by both the comment and the contact, and the man who originally verbally harassed me appeared to be offended and became even more threatening by shouting back at me, “I could, too!”
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