*Trigger Warning* “I thought my rape was the most traumatic experience of my life, but I was wrong. What was more traumatic was the way I was treated by the police.” So began several hours of powerful testimony by survivors of sexual assault in Washington, DC, at a hearing of the DC City Council last […]
Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in the country. Humiliation, stigma, a cultural inclination to blame or question the victim, and more ensure that many survivors cannot turn to the systems which might bring them justice. The international group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has been studying major U.S. cities to learn whether police response has contributed […]
Groundbreaking legislation to improve the handling of cases of sexual assault cases and the treatment of survivors in the city by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will be heard by the Council of the District of Columbia on Thursday, December 12 at 11:00am ET in Room 412. The legislation, called the Sexual Assault Victims’ Rights […]
Location: 14th & U St. NW Time: Night (7:30pm-12am) I had just left Tropicalia and was unlocking my bike when I saw a cop in uniform comment on a woman’s body and striped dress. After she said ‘I’m on the phone to my boyfriend’ he persisted a bit and then joked loudly to the other cop (in […]
With the help of the DC Nightlife Association, we held our first-ever training on Safe Bars, our new sexual assault prevention program, in July. Today, we spoke about Safe Bars to a group of DC bar and nightlife staff at a Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) meeting. In addition to local bar and nightclub staff, we were joined by a local ANC Commissioner, staff […]