Black Girls Raped in the Ass

Last month, the ACLU's Louise Melling blogged well-nigh how street harassment shames and humiliates women, and is underreported because of the stigma attached to it. While that blog was making the editing rounds here at the part, I shared my own story of how I dealt with a particularly obnoxious harasser, and my esteemed colleagues suggested I share it. Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, afterward all, hither information technology is. And there'southward gonna be swearing. I'k really sorry in advance (Mom).

I was walking to work last April, listening to a friend'due south CD and not thinking of much too that I was a little late to work, and actually ought to hustle to make my railroad train. A dude passed me as I walked, and I didn't think much of that either.

All all of a sudden...WHAM! Dude WALLOPED me on the backside and ran off.

No one saw it happen. But the gentle denizens of the Upper Due east Side sure knew something happened, considering I allow out an unholy yell and a skillful, throaty "FUCK YOU!!" I turned to see the dude hustling abroad in his blue and tan jacket and tan backpack.

I hesitated a moment. Did that really just happen? What should I do? Just proceed with my day? I'thousand not sure I desire to do that. And I'1000 pretty sure that if I just let this go, and act like it'southward no large bargain, or it was "only a smack on the donkey," I'm gonna feel pretty rotten about it for a long time to come. And my butt was really sore. He really went for information technology.

And then I ran afterwards the dude.

Information technology'due south possible this guy was crazy. This was something I needed to determine, and besides I wanted to get a description, since by this point I had decided that if I was going to exist tardily to work pursuing this mofo, I was damn well gonna call the police. I defenseless up to him as he was going into the Citibank.

"Hey asshole!" He looked up. He was about 20. Make clean-cut. Like he was on his way to school. He did not look crazy. I remember he was surprised. I call up he figured the five-foot-tall redhead in the sundress and Mary Janes would have just said "Oh my stars!" and scampered away. He does non know this five-human foot-tall redhead.

"Yous think that shit is funny? You like hitting women, huh? Yous recollect that'southward the right style to human activity? Whatsamatterwityou?" All suddenly, I was Joe Pesci. I swear a lot when I'm nervous. Information technology's a terrible habit. Peradventure you've caught on.

"Ma'am I don't know what y'all're talking almost."

"You know goddamn well what I'm talking about. Y'all DON'T Hitting WOMEN, ASSHOLE." At this point I was screaming into the banking concern. The whole foyer was looking at me.

Dude got in my confront. And this is where it gets kind of hilarious. "How dare you lot boldness me in public?" he said. Oh. My. God. He. Did. Non. "I hateful, call the police or something, just don't embarrass me like that. Fuck you."

It was now clear I was not necessarily dealing with a lunatic. But I was dealing with a moron.

"Adept idea, buddy. I Volition call the police force." I called 911 and told them nigh the incident and the coordinates.

While I was on the telephone he got in my face up again. "Fuck you, bowwow."
Me: "Fuck ME? Fuck Yous!!!...

Me (to operator: "I'm sorry, ma'am it'south but he's antagonizing me."

Him: "You calling the police?"

Me: "Goddamn right I am."

Him: "Fine. Fuck the police. Fuck you lot."

Me: "Tell 'em so yourself!"

He started walking away subsequently that. The 911 lady brash me to stay put. Good call. I figured I had enough of him without fill-in. The police came a few minutes later, and I told them the story. I told them I knew they dealt with bigger things than this. Simply if it doesn't get reported, information technology will continue happening. And maybe we tin can scare this dude enough that that will exist 1 less guy striking women in the street. The cops had me ride around in the car with them to see if we could find them. (Incidentally, those squad cars? Absolutely no legroom to speak of. In example you ever demand extra incentive to not become arrested. Non comfortable.)

Nosotros couldn't discover him, merely the cops (there were four of them by the stop of this) took my statement and contact info. They commended me on my description. Which is good, as that validates a lot of Police and Social club viewing.

I'1000 realistic. I knew they were never going to arrest this guy. Simply here's the thing, and the point to this whole long, profane story. I know there are a lot of people who call up it wasn't that big a deal. Only the truth of the affair is, what this guy did was sexual assault. "Forcible touching and harassment," if you want to go specific.

Sexual assault doesn't e'er necessarily mean something as horrible as rape. And too oftentimes street harassment is unreported, and douchebags like this think they tin get away with information technology considering the girl is gonna exist likewise embarrassed or besides meek to do anything virtually it. Or they think it's "just a slap on the ass." And that's not right, you guys. I don't know how other women feel about their posteriors, but you don't very well become to smack the hell out of it willy-nilly because you experience entitled to do then. There volition be repercussions.

To the NYPD'southward credit, they did follow up, and the detective told me that if I actually wanted to press charges, she would help me do that, even if it meant looking through a lot of surveillance tape and looking at lineups and all that stuff. I opted non to, figuring that they had this guy's clarification, and if he did it over again, he'd exist in a lot of trouble. Simply something tells me he's non going to. I call up I scared him. Or equally the detective said, "So you ran upwardly and confronted him and screamed at him in a banking concern."

"Yep."

"...Awesome."

I know what happened to me could have been a lot, lot worse. But someone doesn't have to exist raped to be humiliated, violated and hurt. Sometimes, all information technology takes is a smack on the donkey.

(Cross-posted to Feministing and Daily Kos.)