~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE WASH RAG published by Women Against Sexual Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Available on-line ASAP at http://www.washrag.org/ along with earlier issues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P. O. Box 164 Canton, SD 57013 Phone: (605) 987-5070 Fax: (605) 987-5070 -- call ahead, this is a one-liner Email: janetleih@washrag.org ISSN: 1068-2449 Free Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNational Chat room: Aunt Bee catfishwithlips@yahoo.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Issue 14, Number 2 May, 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contents Hint: to find a specific item, if you are using Microsoft Notepad to view this, highlight and copy the title and then paste it in edit/find. Use View/word wrap to shorten line length ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Illegal Domestic Eavesdropping and Spying/Escambia County Sheriff's Office NDVH Launches DOD Public Awareness Campaign International Women's Day Iran: Police attack women's day celebration CEDAW IN ACTION Sexual Harassment Remains Serious Problem on Campus Iran: Fatemeh Haqiqat Pazhuh awaiting execution The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help by Jackson Katz Sexual Harassment In The Media Texas Fireman Accused of Sexual Harassment Chicago Girls Fight Street Harassment Duke University La Crosse Team Crooked Judge Biased Against Women Women Against Sexual Harassment Gets Non-Profit Status Find a lawyer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Illegal Domestic Eavesdropping and Spying/Escambia County Sheriff's Office ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please review the attached email that I sent to Governor Jeb Bush. I, am a victim of Predatory Cause Gangstalking. My neighbors are conducting an illegal, abusive and intrusive investigation on myself, my son and my mother . They have placed video cameras in my bedroom, my son's bedroom, my mother's bedroom and our bathroom. We have no sense of privacy. They observe us daily. According to the Video Voyeurism Act of 2004 (passed by congress in 2003) this criminal act is a Felony. Why is nothing being done to protect innocent American Citizens from these "Organized Criminals"? I am a former employee of the FBI in Mobile, Alabama. I worked there for 20 years as a Support Person. During my last year of employment there (2003) I received an Incentive Award and a Cash Award. I was never given any less than an exceptional performance rating during my last 8 years of employment with the Bureau. I am not imagining this ritualistic torture that has been going on since July of 2005. I have photographs and documentation that this Gangstalking is occuring and local law enforcement will do nothing to help. Three of our pet's (1 dog and 2 cats) have been abused. The two cats have disappeared despite my attempts to keep them inside and safe. I am aware that Sheriff Ron McNesby, ESCO, is under investigation for hunting violations in Wisconsin, but this is the least of his crimes (search www.ronniemacpowertrip.com). I am not the only victim of gangstalking and video voyeurism in Escambia County. There are many other victims who are suffering just as I am as the expense of cruel and sadistic people. Public Corruption is running rampant and I do not know where else to turn for help. Please help us Sincerely, Dear Sir, I am writing you this email to demand justice. American citizens like myself are being harassed, gang-stalked, videotaped and abused by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. I believe that video- cameras have been installed in my bedroom, my mother's bedroom (she is 83), my son's bedroom (he is 18) and in our bathroom. Escambia County's illegal spying on me and my family is deplorable and must be stopped immediately. This is nothing more than revenge stalking and harassment. I am a former employee of the U.S. Department of Justice and this group of Thugs and Terrorists are punishing me, not for anything that I have done wrong, but for what I did right - reporting criminal misconduct by Federal and Local Law Enforcement. This has been going on (to me personally) for at least 3 years. According to the "Video Voyeurism Act of 2004" this is considered a Felony. Why has this type of criminal conduct been allowed and encouraged? The Susan Wilson Story/Video Voyeurism (a Lifetime movie which starred Angie Harmon) aired yesterday and what she has experienced is exactly what I am experiencing - VIRTUAL RAPE. You seem like a good and just man, Mr. Bush. Some people think that Video Voyeurism is amusing, as a victim of this deplorable crime I can tell that it has almost destroyed my life. Ask you wife how she would feel if something like this would happen to her. It is a horrible, demonizing crime (Video Voyeurism/Sexual Assault). I am not afraid of them (Ron McNesby and his Thugs and Terrorists), nor will I be intimidated by them. Please investigate and jail McNesby and the people responsible for perpetrating this form of ritualistic abuse/harassment. Because she was unable to find work in the area where she lived, She is no longer in touch, I have attempted to reach her by e- mail, phone and snail mail, but have not gotten any responses from her. It seems to be common that after women contact me about their harassment, contact is severed, we believe that their harassers are interfering with their e-mail, and victims often mover frequently and change phone numbers and addresses. Since the copy of the e-mail I used for this item was addressed to the DOJ, I feel confident that it is a legitimate complaint. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NDVH Launches DOD Public Awareness Campaign ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) wants to take this opportunity to tell you about an important intervention initiative targeting domestic violence in the military. On February 21, 2006, the United States Department of Defense (DoD), in partnership with NDVH, launched a national campaign to "Take A Stand Against Domestic Violence." This is a joint public education effort designed to educate service men, women and their families about domestic violence and provide a vital link to life-saving services by connecting people to the Hotline. Components of the campaign include distribution of educational materials to approximately 250 U.S. military installations, as well as in key public places in surrounding civilian communities. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) is a 24 hour crisis helpline (1-800-799-SAFE) for domestic violence victims, friends, family members and perpetrators. There is also a TTY line (1-800-787- 3224) for the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing. NDVH provides options and opportunities, safety planning and a vital link to family violence service providers in local communities. The Hotline offers services in more than 140 different languages in the United States and its territories. As one of the Hotline's resource partners, we value your commitment, time and energy towards ending domestic violence in your community. Because of your support, the Hotline is able to assist thousands of callers each month. We hope that your organization can help support the campaign to "Take a Stand Against Domestic Violence" by reaching out to your local military installation to reinforce the Hotline's local affiliations and resources. We encourage your program to contact the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) office at the military base in your community to offer guidance, support and local resources on domestic violence. To learn more, you can visit our Web site at http://www.ndvh.org/military to view campaign educational materials and learn more about this important initiative. We appreciate the partnership and commitment of local family violence providers. Our ability to help thousands of callers connect to life-saving services is reliant on the effective network of providers who create safety nets for family violence victims. Thank you for promoting and taking part in this important initiative. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Associate Communications Director, Jitin Hingorani, at 512- 685-6366 or via email at jhingorani@tcfv.org. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ International Women's Day ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Around the world, working-class women keep alive the radical tradition of International Women's Day as an opportunity to demand our rights and freedom. Today we salute courageous sisters in all corners of the globe, from Palestinian mothers fighting for their homeland to Venezuelans seeking a just society, from Sudanese women combating rape and genocide to Hurricane Katrina survivors battling for medical care, housing, food, education, employment, and the right to return to their own homes. Within the United States, the struggle for fundamental civil liberties continues. Radical Women has defended Lynne Stewart, a veteran human rights attorney falsely convicted of aiding terrorists, who was targeted by the government in the effort to silence dissent. We have demonstrated against the dangerous anti- immigrant Minutemen and the criminal U.S. war in Iraq. We've mobilized for abortion rights and reproductive justice and expect a pitched battle over these basic human rights in the coming year. Radical Women has also built cross-border solidarity in collaboration with Iraqi women and Central American sisters, and formed new contacts at recent meetings of the World Social Forum. Because we live in the earth's greatest exporter of misery and violence, the greatest act of assistance we can provide to the world's people is to achieve a socialist revolution right here in the heartland of capitalism. With a working-class rainbow of women and men, people of color, indigenous nations, immigrants, lesbians/gays/bisexuals/transsexuals, youth and elders we can do it! Long live International Women's Day and the global leadership of women as a force for human survival and revolutionary change! Anne Slater National Organizer Radical Women, U.S. Section Natradicalwomen@aol.com www.RadicalWomen.org Radical Women 1908 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Phone: 415-864-1278 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iran: Police attack women's day celebration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iranian police and plainclothes agents charged a peaceful assembly of women's rights activists in Tehran and beat hundreds of women and men who had gathered to commemorate International Women's Day. The attack took place shortly after participants in the celebration assembled at Tehran's Daneshjoo Park at 4 P.M. on Wednesday, March 8. "The Iranian authorities marked International Women's Day by attacking hundreds of people who had peacefully assembled to honor women's rights. Plainclothes agents, anti-riot police and Revolutionary Guards surrounded the park where hundreds of activists gathered to mark International Women's Day. Within minutes, after agents photographed and videotaped the gathering, the police told the crowd to disperse. In response, the participants staged a sit-in and started to sing the anthem of the women's rights movement. The security forces then dumped cans of garbage on the heads of women who were seated before charging into the group and beating them with batons to compel them to leave the park. On the previous day, March 7, the Iranian interior ministry summoned several women's rights activists and warned them to cancel the gathering. The activists responded that the event is an annual celebration by many women's rights groups and that they were not organizing the event. Women in the Middle East Bulletin azam_kamguian@yahoo.com (See page 5 for more contact information) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CEDAW IN ACTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sponsored by the American University Washington College of Law and the American Society for International Law's Women in International Law Interest Group A discussion with CEDAW Working Group Members: PENNY WAKEFIELD, Co-chair of the D. C. Bar International Law Section's Public International and Criminal Law Committee and Vice Chair of the ABA International Law Section's Human Rights Committee, and SARAH ALBERT, Public Policy Director for the General Federation of Women's Clubs Thursday, February 23, 2006 these experts discussed current efforts to ratify and implement the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) at the national, state and local levels in the United States. American University Washington College of Law Room 600, 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS & CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION Phone 202.274.4075 Fax 202.274.4079 E-mail: secle@wcl.american.edu Website www.wcl.american.edu/secle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sexual Harassment Remains Serious Problem on Campus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Sexual harassment is not a joke and schools have a responsibility to take action," said NOW President Kim Gandy about the recently released report, Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus. "Verbal and physical harassment—committed by both sexes, but primarily against women by men—creates an environment of intimidation that undermines women students' ability to thrive and learn." According to the research report by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation, nearly two-thirds (62%) of the 2000 college students surveyed last May said they had been subjected to sexual harassment while at college. Most of the students experienced non-contact forms of harassment such as crude jokes, remarks and gestures, but nearly one-third said the harassment involved physical contact. Harassment Common on Campus - The survey documents the extent and effects of sexual harassment, revealing that harassment is a common part of daily life on campus. It comes in the form of verbal aggression such as jokes, offensive remarks or circulating rumors, as well as the more overt forms of physical aggression like groping, rubbing up against, pulling at clothing in a sexual manner or forcing sexual activity. Harassment can happen anywhere: in the dorms or student housing (39%), outside on campus grounds (37%) or in classrooms or lecture halls (20%). Sexual harassment is common in both private and public colleges, large and small, but is more common at larger schools and private colleges. Men are the Majority of Harassers - But many female students (fully one-third) admitted to harassing other students, which the report authors believe reflects a cultural shift. However that high percentage doesn't reflect the level or intensity of harassment committed by women, which is mostly in the form of verbal offenses, compared to the more physical harassment men engage in. Also, men have not traditionally been perceived as victims of sexual harassment because it is assumed that they welcome all sexual remarks and physical advances, which according to findings from this survey is not the case. The reaction to harassment is different for men and women. Female students are more likely to feel embarrassed, angry, less confident, afraid and disappointed in their college experience than male students. Female students are also more likely to take measures to avoid their harassers, to stay away from particular buildings or places on campus or to find it hard to study or pay attention in class. LGBT Students Often Targeted - Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students are more likely than heterosexual students to be targets of harassment, with nearly three-quarters of LGBT students reporting incidents. These same students are more often angry, embarrassed, or feel less confident (or more afraid) as a result of sexual harassment. It appears that few college students report sexual harassment to authorities: only seven percent of students say they reported sexual harassment to a faculty member or other college employee. Virtually no one spoke with their college's Title IX coordinators even though Title IX gender equity coordinators are trained in using a Title IX sexual harassment guidance designed to counter this unacceptable behavior and to assist victims. The AAUW report also observed that students do not talk openly and seriously about sexual harassment. However, they generally think it is a problem and agree that their college should offer a web-based confidential method for reporting it. Harassed female students are more likely than male students to tell someone, but even so, fewer than ten percent of them report harassment to a school employee, mostly because they are not aware of the resources available. "I Thought It Was Funny" - Who harasses and why is one of the most compelling findings of the research. Forty-one percent of all students, and more than half of the men surveyed, admitted that they had sexually harassed someone on campus. The main reason invoked to justify it was: "I thought it was funny." According to Elena Silva, director of research at AAUW Educational Foundation, "Students are not harassing because they are trying to get something from the other person but because they see themselves as misunderstood comedians who are doing what is acceptable, even accepted". Being conscious that students will graduate and bring these behaviors into the workplace and society, the AAUW report is a call- to-action to students, parents and to the collective higher education community to curb sexual harassment on campuses. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and formal complaints can be made to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for investigation and remedial action. Also, a victim of unwelcome sexual advances could file a legal claim in court if she/he has tolerated harassment out of fear of retaliation or losing a job. The employer may be liable as well. Both Title VII and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibit sex harassment because it constitutes sex discrimination in education and the Supreme Court has directed schools to address student-to-student harassment by publishing clear guidelines. Better Reporting Needed - "Though most colleges and universities publish guidelines about sexual harassment, they must do more, especially in light of this growing problem," NOW's Gandy said. "Confidential procedures—like a web-based reporting system—are needed, and colleges should reach out to students each year to inform them about the resources that are available if they experience sexual harassment." Gandy continued, "Because prevention is the best solution, student activists should call, send an email message or write a letter to their college or university administrators, advocating for policies that would discourage and eventually eliminate sexual harassment." From NOW Newsletter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iran: Fatemeh Haqiqat Pazhuh awaiting execution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty for a 35-year-old woman, Fatemeh Haghighat pazhuh who killed her husband, Bahman, after he raped her 15-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. Only the intervention of Iran's supreme leader, Seyeed Ali Khamenei can now save her from execution by hanging. A letter from Haqiqat Pazhuh's daughter to Iran's judicial authorities obtained a reprieve for her mother while the case was referred to the Supreme Court. A lower court had granted Bahman's family its request that Haqiqat Pazhuh be sentenced to death by hanging as retribution for his murder - as Iranian criminal law allows. Three other women, two of whom were minors at the time they committed their crimes, have been sentences to death in Iran and are awaiting execution by hanging. Amnesty International - Iran: Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh The stay of execution granted to Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh on 12 October 2004 has been rescinded by the Supreme Court. Her execution is reportedly scheduled to take place on or before 1 April 2006. Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh was sentenced to death for the murder of her husband. She alleged that her husband was a drug addict who had tried to rape her daughter from a previous marriage, who was 15 years old at the time. Apparently he had previously told her that he had lost the girl in a gambling match. Amnesty International does not know when she was arrested, but she may have been tried in 2002. The Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, had stayed Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh's execution after reading a letter written to him by her daughter, entitled "Don't render my hopes hopeless", in which she appealed for clemency for her mother. Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh was then held in Evin prison in the capital, Tehran, whilst her case was sent to the second Division of the Supreme Court for review. According to a report in the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri on 15 March 2006, the Court has confirmed the death sentence against Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh and has reportedly approved the execution. Her lawyer was reported to be intending to ask the Head of the Judiciary to use his powers to issue another stay of execution. From: Women in the Middle East , Bulletin 42 of CDWRME March & April 2006 www.middleastwomen.org www.bikhodayan.com www.azamkamguian.co.uk http://bi-khodayan.blogsky.com/ http://bi-khodayan.blogfa.com/ azam_kamguian@yahoo.com APPEALS TO: Leader of the Islamic Republic His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed `Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: + 98 251 7 774 2228 (mark "FAO the Office of His Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhma Khamenei") (please keep trying) Email: info@leader.ir istiftaa@wilayah.org Salutation: Your Excellency Head of the Judiciary His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran Email: irjpr@iranjudiciary.org (mark "Please forward to His Excellency Ayatollah Shahroudi") This email address can be unreliable. If it does not work, please send your appeal via the judiciary website: www.iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html Salutation: Your Excellency COPIES TO: President His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: + 98 21 6 649 5880 Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir (Or via website) http://www.president.ir/email ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help by Jackson Katz ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am pleased to announce the publication of my new book, entitled The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help By Jackson Katz (Sourcebooks, April 18, 2006) Yesterday was the official publication date. The book is now available in bookstores and on Amazon.com. (If it is not in your local bookstore, please ask them to order it, and urge them to display it where people can see it, such as a front table.) For more information about The Macho Paradox, go to www.themachoparadox.com. It is important that people buy the book as soon as possible, because competition for space in bookstores is fierce, and if enough people buy the book early, the chain booksellers will see that there is a market for this subject matter — and they will then give the book more visibility, which makes it easier to sell. Some brief background: it was quite a struggle for me to get this book published in the first place. It took five years from conception to publication. At the start of this process I heard over and over again from literary agents and publishers that violence against women was an important subject, and that a book by a man on this topic was cutting-edge. But most people in the mainstream publishing world felt there was no market for such a book. Thankfully, I was able to find one publisher, Sourcebooks, who was willing to take the chance. Now that the book is out, we have the opportunity to prove wrong the conventional wisdom in publishing. Those of us who work in the gender violence field know there are millions of people in this society — women and men — who are deeply concerned about the social problems of sexual and domestic violence, sexual harassment, street harassment, the sexual abuse of children, and related phenomena, and who want to learn not only why they are such big problems — but what they can do about them. As you might have already inferred, my book is not merely a catalog of horrors. You can simply turn on the news — or cable tv — if you want confirmation of how ubiquitous these problems are in the first decade of the 21st century. The Macho Paradox approaches its controversial subject matter from a refreshingly new angle, which reflects a growing trend within the field of gender violence prevention. I argue that violence against women is a MEN'S ISSUE. Furthermore, my focus is not on batterers and rapists, but on men who consider themselves "good guys" and who often argue that "this is not my issue." I shine a particular spotlight on aspects of "male culture" that, intentionally or not, contribute to sexual and domestic violence: I devote chapters to the sports culture, language, —race and culture,— education, parenting, the role of bystanders, pornography, prostitution and stripping (and how these industries impact heterosexual men's sexuality and attitudes toward women). I discuss my and my colleagues' ongoing work around the world with the Marine Corps, as well as with high school, college and professional athletes, college fraternity members, and many other groups and individuals. I also discuss hot- button pop cultural topics such as the popularity of Eminem and Howard Stern, the Kobe Bryant rape case, Rush Limbaugh's dismissals of the Abu Ghraib sexual abuse/torture scandal, and much, much more. The target audience is two-fold: 1.) Men who are not comfortable with the sexist attitudes and behaviors of some of their peers, who do not want to be part of a system that hurts women, but who have not yet quite figured out what they can do about this enormous problem. 2.) Women who want to better understand male culture — and the pressures on individual men to conform to sexist social norms. I try to bring in as many women's voices as possible, including survivors' stories. And of course I highlight men's growing contributions to gender violence prevention -- nationally and internationally. My book contains elements of social history, as I try to introduce anti-sexist men's work to a mainstream audience. It also contains elements of memoir, as I use autobiographical anecdotes to illustrate key themes. Jackson Katz Director, MVP Strategies 3860 Brayton Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807 Ph: 562-997-3953 Fax: 562-997-7804 www.jacksonkatz.com JacksonKatz@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sexual Harassment In The Media ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ During the past few weeks, Dateline NBC has been doing a series "To Catch A Predator." They are running stings with local law enforcement and a civilian activist group that lures child predators to a house and then gets them into the legal system as child molesters. Most are repeat offenders. It is gripping, last night, a man brought his five year old son along to molest another boy. Boston Legal is including sexual harassment as one of its themes. This issue has cropped up repeatedly in its programming. In an early program, Shirley Schmidt fired one of the Junior Partners for having filed a sexual harassment complaint against the firm — without having brought the problem to management's attention, but in a subsequent program, when a young secretary talked to Shirley about Alan Shore's inappropriate actions around her, she was transferred to another position and Shirley discussed with Alan that his actions were inappropriate. Promos for future programs as well as some action in the last one indicate that sexual harassment will be the subject of future programs. Stay tuned on Tuesday nights, 9:00 central time on ABC. NOW with David Brancacio on PBS reported on a program to get picture phones into the hands of domestic violence victims to help them document the abuse. The name of the program is "Witness." The web site for Witness is http://www.witness.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Texas Fireman Accused of Sexual Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A January 18 article in the El Paso Times, an El Paso, Texas publication submitted to us by Elisa Pedroza, reports on a fire department Medic, Jose Montenegro, who was arrested after he was accused of inappropriate sexual misconduct with a semi-conscious patient. The woman complained that after she had been picked up at the University of Texas, she felt him suck on her breasts. After getting to Providence Hospital and regaining consciousness, she made an outcry to the nurse, who made a swab of her breast, and DNA on the swab was matched to Montenegro. The crime he is accused of, Official Oppression, which includes a public servant subjecting a person to sexual harassment, is punishable with up to one year in jail and a $4,000.00 fine. Having once had a somewhat similar experience when I was totally conscious, and having made a private, non-official complaint to the institution, I can appreciate the predicament of the victim. The reason I did complain was that many of the patients who would be in the situation I was in might be unconscious or have limited mental and physical abilities. It is embarrassing, but if nobody complains, these predators are in a position to exploit some who can't fend for themselves as this woman was. He probably had other victims who were not unconscious who never complained but should have. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chicago Girls Fight Street Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since 2003, the Rogers Park Young Women's Action Team have met once a week to organize against harassment in Chicago. The girls, ages 14—18, had experienced both verbal abuse and men touching them. With a grant from The Girls Best Friend Foundation, eight girls spent their summer surveying 168 neighborhood girls. 86% of the girls had been catcalled on the street, 58% had been harassed, 36% of those harassed said this happened once a day or more, 54% did not respond to the men or boys,53% felt there was nothing they could do to stop this. 60% felt unsafe in Rogers Park. 61% felt most uncomfortable between 8:00 and midnight 55% of the survey participants were Black, 22% were Latina, 10% were Asian and 5.4% were White. With report in hand, the girls "stalked" local leaders, cops and politicians. They asked for and got more streetlights on the way to school. They enlisted the help of local candy and convenience stores. Harassers usually congregated there so the girls could not even enter. The girls let the shop owners know that their safety is good for business. Many agreed to post signs in their windows reading: "R-E- S-E-C-T let me tell you what it means to ME! Respect my body. Respect my mind. Respect ME. STOP STREET HARASSMENT." The girls then organized workshops to educate both boys and girls about street harassment and dating violence. At the workshops, one girl said, "Harassment is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable." Another said "Men may not feel like they are attacking us — but we feel attacked." The girls give participants tools to start their own campaigns. This includes Their report and campaign-planning chart provided by Chicago's Pink Bloque. They also give a graphic explaining the "Escalation of Street Harassment" that they designed. They distribute flyers about what harassment looks like. And they show T-shirts and signs they made that call for respect of women and girls. Three of the girls, Jackquette Smith, Jonnae Taylor and Emilya Shitis, perform a piece about Little Red walking through the Hood while dodging insults from the Big Bad Wolf. These young women of color show how powerful community activism can be when girls take thee lead. From off our backs via Mother Warrior Voice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Duke University La Crosse Team ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recent media headlines have been about three members of the Duke University La Crosse team being charged with rape by an exotic dancer who was asked to perform at a party at their home. It is not unusual for men to lie when they are accused of rape, but it is unusual although not unheard of for women to claim to have been raped when they were not. Even though the men deny the rape ever happened, law enforcement is going forward in charging them. DNA tests on the rape kit do not show any DNA match to the La Cross team's DNA. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there have been cases when labs have intentionally falsified lab results to get convictions, perhaps if the Lab Technician is a Duke graduate or a fan of the La Cross team, the opposite may be true, the DNA testing may have been falsified in order to prevent a conviction. I guess we will just have to see what the trial brings out. Perhaps there is some video or a picture from a cell phone that might clarify the situation. Nobody wants innocent people to be convicted of something they did not do, but this situation is far from clear in my mind, it seems to me that there is still a possibility that the rapes happened as the victim claimed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crooked Judge Biased Against Women ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Highly criticized Marin County CA Judge John A Sutro faces challenger Cliff Meneken in the June judicial election. Amid accusations of a misuse of county funds, appearance of conflicts of interest, bias and cronyism as well as low marks for judges from numerous investigations including a state audit only begins to show the depth of the problems the court administration faces. Judge Sutro, acting family court judge and the courts presiding judge from 2000 through 2002 when the majority of these charges occurred, is currently defending his lack of response to the recommendations made." TO Marin Independent Journal: I take personal offense at Judge John Sutro's assertion that he is above reproach in integrity and ethics. He has repeatedly stated to the media that he is a champion for the rights of women and children yet with my own experience in family court and in speaking with other women, this could not be further from the truth. His bias against any woman who begged for protection against domestic violence and child abuse was evident in his routine denial of protective orders, anger that increased if he saw any sign of emotional trauma from the victims and utter disregard for the legal proceedings and due process. One tactic was to enter his chambers ex-parte with the more wealthy party in a custody case when there were accusations of abuse. In my case, he colluded with Attorney Jan Eric Bolt, and signed a custody order that both knew to contain false information, which was a method of protecting himself from criticism if he was to be caught in this illegal ex parte communication. Judge Sutro committed more than one crime on that day and he has used every chance available to cover up actions that should have been prosecuted. He did not fear being questioned about his favoritism since evidence was removed from the courts confidential files, thus providing him and any judge subsequently on the case an excuse to rule however they wished. Accusations of removal of evidence in custody cases has been lodged at this court for many years, and it has served them well since they have made no effort to prevent the thefts from reoccurring. By ignoring the lack of judicial fairness and the obvious intentional rulings for his favored litigants, he and his supporters have shown that this arrogant cronyism is still alive and well in Marin Superior Court. Judge John A. Sutro wishes to rewrite history thinking that we, his victims, have forgotten what it was really like to stand before someone with the power to protect or the power to abuse. I, for one remember the sting of betrayal at being abused by him. I am not alone. There is no moral or ethical excuse to allow this corruption to continue in Marin and the voters now have the opportunity to make some much needed changes. I swear that the statements made above are true. Valerie Nixon and my case name is under KARINEN. 209 492-0720 email: valerie.nixon@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Women Against Sexual Harassment Gets Non-Profit Status ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On February 8, 2006, W.A.S.H. was granted non-profit status by South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson, with Janet Leih as the Registered Agent and Theresa Fusco, Ruby Starr and Elisa Pedroza as sponsors. On May 6, 2006, W.A.S.H. held its first board meeting on a chat room limited to that purpose. Officers elected were Janet Leih, President, Theresa Fusco, Vice President, Ruby Starr, Secretary, and Eliza Pedrosa, Treasurer. This trial run went quite well, Theresa was recovering from finals and wasn't able to log on, but there were interesting exchanges on the purpose for W.A.S.H, on what can be done to promote it, and on getting a chat room started for the general members to use to connect. As Elisa is the Treasurer, any donations or memberships should be sent to her at 8048 Meraz Ave., El Paso, TX 79907 One of WASH's associates is setting up a chat room, and you can get an invitation to join in the chat by e-mailing Aunt Bee at catfishwithlips@yahoo.com. Please consider a donation to Women Against Sexual Harassment, we would like to apply for non-profit status with the IRS in the future, and maintaining the website is an on-going financial burden. Your donation of $15.00 would keep the website up for one month. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Find a lawyer or a law firm specializing in sexual harassment law cases including hostile-work environment, quid pro quo, casting couch, sexual discrimination, ambit of the Hhuman Rights Act, sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment Law Firms 100 West Cypress Creek Rd. Suite 1050 Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33309 webmaster@sexualharassmentlawfirms.com California Attorneys Helping Women Eliminate Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Fight Back! Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego Lawyers Specializing in Sexual Harassment Law – Free legal consultation on workplace harassment issues. Jason L. Oliver LAW OFFICES OF JASON L. OLIVER 128 N. Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 107 Pasadena, CA 91103-3645 (626) 397-2777 WWW.NOSEXUALHARASSMENT.COM CONFIDENTIALITY/PRIVILEGE NOTICE jlo7777@charter.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WE'RE ON THE WEB http://www.washrag.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This on-line version of THE WASHRAG is being sent to you free. A print version can be obtained by subscribing. In the US, send $10.00 to Women Against Sexual Harassment, 8048 Meraz Ave., El Paso, TX 79907. Outside the US, send $20.00 to join. For a sample issue, send a #10 sized SASE. E-mail comments can be sent to JanetLeih@washrag.org. To sign up for a free e-mail subscription to the W.A.S.H. Ragjoin the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNational If you do not wish to receive further copies of this newsletter, unsubscribe going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNational and removing your name from the list ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ copyright 2006 Women Against Sexual Harassment, P. O. Box 164 Canton, SD 57013-0164 (605) 987-5070. ISSN: 1068-2449