My friend Anna posted this as a bulletin, it includes the bulletin that has been circulating that I talked about in my last blog post and a copied post from sarcoregon.org that I wanted to share. xo
FEMALES OF PORTLAND BE SAFE THIS HALLOWEEN AND EVERY NIGHT, TRAVEL IN GROUPS AND WATCH YOUR SURROUNDINGS! READ THE LOWER PART OF THIS POST FOR DETAILS....
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
REPOST REPOST REPOST REPOST REPOST
here has been a rash of rapes in SE Portland near 28th and E Burnside this last week. The dude strikes after the bars have closed and has been bashing women over the head and raping them. There are no suspects or discriptions as they are all knocked out before they see the perp.
PLEASE DO NOT GO OUT ALONE! PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS! BE CAREFUL!!!
Pepper spray will not help if you get bashed on the head and knocked out so please do not go out alone, pay attention when walking past bushes and such and tell everyone!
"
Now that you've read that let me get on a soap box for a sec. I looked online to see if anything of this nature has been reported in the news and the closest I came was this: http://www. kptv. com/news/17795032/detail. html which I don't think is the same case as the bulletin is trying to make us aware of . . .
Anyways.
That doesn't mean that the above is not true. Violence against women and rape in general is under reported. The problem with this post is that it invokes a spirit of fear mongering and victim blaming. So lets use this bulletin as an opportunity to talk about interpersonal violence and the rape culture we live within and ask people to STOP RAPING OTHER PEOPLE, instead of asking people to be scared of bushes and burnside.
I copied and pasted the below off of http://www. sarcoregon. org
Today, the crime of sexual assault remains surrounded by sexist and racist myths and misconceptions that tend to minimize the seriousness of sexual assault and put the blame on the survivor rather than the offender. Exposing these myths and replacing them with facts is the first step toward changing people's attitudes and ultimately eliminating sexual violence.
When people are asked to create a scenario of rape, many will picture a dark night, a young attractive women walking alone. Out of the bushes jumps a smelly, burly, unshaven man with scraggly clothes. This horrible manifestation of evil is overwhelmed by lust for this beautiful woman and so he knocks her to the ground and rapes her. He then flees into the night leaving an emotionally-shattered young woman, who after receiving care from a doctor, reassurance from the police officer, a hug from loved ones, will be ready to carry on as usual in a day or two.
Or perhaps they picture a young voluptuous woman who cannot control her flirtatious behavior. What is she doing in a bar dressed like that? How can she possibly blame those young men she has been teasing all night long? What in the world did she expect anyway?
Or consider a not-so-attractive woman who accuses a "pillar of the community" of rape… after the poor man spurned her. One really needs to watch out for these vindictive women who are out to destroy innocent husbands, fathers.
These simplistic pictures of rape scenarios provide us with a number of myths about the crime of rape: what it is, who commits it and why, and who its survivors are. The myths serve a useful purpose; they insulate people from the reality of rape, permitting them to live without fear that it could happen to them.
Perhaps the most devastating effect of the myths is to shift the responsibility for the assault from the assailant to the survivor.
Myth:
"It can't happen to me." Rape is an isolated infrequent event that only happens to certain kinds of people: attractive, young women who are promiscuous or provocative.
Fact:
Anyone can be sexually assaulted. Studies show that survivors include infants to people in their 80's, people with disabilities, and persons from every racial, ethnic, religious, economic and social background.
Myth:
Women asked to be raped. Women often provoke rape by their own behavior: wearing low-cut or tight clothing, going out alone, staying out too late, being drunk, using drugs, kissing, etc.
Fact:
No one asks to be sexually assaulted; nor does anyone's behavior justify or excuse the crime. Sexual assault is a crime of violence, not passion. People have a right to be safe from sexual violence at any time, any place and under any circumstance.
Myth:
Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers at night in out-of-the way places.
Fact:
Familiar people and safe places are at times the most dangerous. A person is less likely to identify a friend or acquaintance or date as a rapist. As many at 80% of all sexual assaults are committed by someone the survivor knows. Over 50% of all sexual assaults occur in the home and as many sexual assaults occur during the daytime as happen at night.
Myth:
Women frequently "cry rape".
Fact:
Women typically do not lie about rape. The FBI reports that false accusations account for only 2% of all reported sexual assaults.
Myth:
Rapists are lonely, sexually unfulfilled men.
Fact:
Studies of convicted rapists indicate that more than 60% were married and virtually all had normal sexual relationships with women at the time they committed the assault.
Myth:
Men and boys cannot be sexually assaulted.
Fact:
It is currently estimated that one out of ten men are survivors of sexual assault and one out of seven are sexually abused as children. It is very difficult for a male to report an assault. The male species is "supposed" to be able to protect himself.
Myth:
Male rape is homosexual rape.
Fact:
Rape is about power and control, not about sex. Male rapes say nothing of the sexual orientation of either the survivor or the perpetrator. Perpetrators of male rapes usually identify themselves as heterosexual in their consensual sexual activities.
Myth:
Rape is the result of intense sexual desire.
Fact:
Rape is, in fact, not an expression of sexual desire as much as it is an expression of other, non-sexual needs. Rape is never the result simply of sexual arousal that has no other opportunity for gratification. The primary motivation for rape is to discharge feelings of anger, contempt, hostility, vulnerability, or inadequacy. Sex is the means of discharging those feelings and asserting control, power and exploitation.
Myth:
Most women react hysterically to rape.
Fact:
A prevailing myth about rape survivors is that they are hysterical and tearful following a rape. On the contrary they exhibit an extremely wide range of emotions in the immediate hours following a rape. Survivors may be either controlled or expressed in their reactions. Controlled survivors may be calm, composed and even subdued. Expressed survivors may be restless, crying, smiling, tense. The primary feeling of rape survivors is fear; most feel lucky to be alive, to have survived the encounter.
Myth:
The best way for a survivor to "get over" the sexual assault is to act like it didn't happen, to put it behind them and be "normal" again.
Fact:
Speaking out about the sexual assault is part of the recovery process for survivors. Each survivor is the expert on their own recovery and what they need. For many, recovery becomes an ongoing process of change and empowerment that can continue for years. All survivors have a right to support and validation from friends, family, and service providers, wherever they are in their recovery process.
There are many more myths surrounding sexual assault. These are the most frequently encountered. We need to recognize the myths as they occur in the perceptions of the crime expressed by the survivor and their family. Both the family and the survivor need to recognize these myths for what they are. It is much too easy, even today, for a survivor to accept responsibility for the assault. It is equally as easy for the family to suffer tremendous guilt because they did not prevent the assault. We all need to understand the only person responsible is the assailant.
Showing posts with label sexual assault. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sexual assault. Show all posts
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Fear culture
I've been wondering what to do about the post that has been circulating warning about women being raped on 28th and E. Burnside. Obviously, I know not all sexual assults get reported so when I did a search through local news websites and portland indymedia, I wasn't too surprised that I didn't find anything. I think its important to help keep each other safe and warn when there are perpertrators about but at the same time, my only hesitation about reposting this is I am confused about where to draw the line between living in fear and maintaining safety. I don't really have an answer to this, but I do know that I don't want us to live in constant fear. Our culture is built on fear, which is a product of domination and separating communities. At the same time, there is the reality that its not always safe for people to walk outside, alone, at night, and this is especially true for female-presenting folks. Since talking about this bulletin that's being reposted, I've heard from several people that they got this same exact bulletin, verbatim, posted on their myspace pages a couple of years ago. So, I don't know what to think. Is this bulletin a hoax or did these incidents really happen? I don't know. My other hesitation about it is that I feel like, in a way, this contributes to the idea that stranger-rape is the only sexual assualt that happens and while, yes, its obviously a crime that takes place, its not as prevalent as sexual assult between known persons (friends, partners, relatives, etc.). I feel like this is something that isn't really talked about enough, especially in the context of queer community. Still, I don't know what to do with this bulletin.
The issue of personal safety is something I've been thinking about lately, especially since a friend was mugged a couple of weeks ago while waiting for the bus on MLK to go to gaycation. Again, I'm left with how do we stay safe, yet not live in constant fear? Living in constant fear is so wearing on the soul and keeps us skeptical of our neighbors. For me, it seems impossible to unify across communities with this skepticism.
I guess one active thing I want to do is make sure my friends and I do what we can to get places safely, so let's start walking each other to the bus stop and waiting together when we can. Let's check in after we leave the bar and make sure everyone got home ok. Let's organize carpools to get our fabulous friends who live in SE to and from our amazing parties in North and NE, and vice versa. I also want to put it out there, that if any of my friends is somewhere (at a bar, party, on the way home from work or school) and feeling unsafe, please call me, regardless of the time of day and I will do what I can to help you get home or even if you just need someone to be on the phone with as you maneuver through the city, call me. For serious. Your safety is more important to me than you worrying about waking me up. Really.
So, if you are reading this before you go out for Halloween tonight, keep it in mind. I'm staying home and will gladly come pick up your drunk ass if you need me to. I might even be willing to drive you through the Taco Bell drive thru.
The issue of personal safety is something I've been thinking about lately, especially since a friend was mugged a couple of weeks ago while waiting for the bus on MLK to go to gaycation. Again, I'm left with how do we stay safe, yet not live in constant fear? Living in constant fear is so wearing on the soul and keeps us skeptical of our neighbors. For me, it seems impossible to unify across communities with this skepticism.
I guess one active thing I want to do is make sure my friends and I do what we can to get places safely, so let's start walking each other to the bus stop and waiting together when we can. Let's check in after we leave the bar and make sure everyone got home ok. Let's organize carpools to get our fabulous friends who live in SE to and from our amazing parties in North and NE, and vice versa. I also want to put it out there, that if any of my friends is somewhere (at a bar, party, on the way home from work or school) and feeling unsafe, please call me, regardless of the time of day and I will do what I can to help you get home or even if you just need someone to be on the phone with as you maneuver through the city, call me. For serious. Your safety is more important to me than you worrying about waking me up. Really.
So, if you are reading this before you go out for Halloween tonight, keep it in mind. I'm staying home and will gladly come pick up your drunk ass if you need me to. I might even be willing to drive you through the Taco Bell drive thru.
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