What would you do if you, a young woman, found yourself in the busy West 4th street subway station and felt a stranger’s hand on your butt? After screaming but not getting any other rider’s attention and getting told there was nothing to be done by an NYPD officer, would you, as most people, try to put it out of your mind and just go on with your day? In explaining why New Yorkers for Safe Transit (NYFST) was created, Kat Noel, their Community Organizer, shared her friend’s experience.
The issue of sexual harassment and assault in mass transit was recently in the news because The City Council held a hearing at which the NYPD, MTA, and various organizations like NYFST testified about the extent of the problem and what can be done about it. As of November 15, 2009 police have recorded 587 complaints of sex offenses in the subway, but one thing all parties can agree on is that for a variety of reasons, these crimes go highly unreported.
"Just being caught up in the hustle and bustle of living in New York, when you’re having to pay rent, go to work, go to school, all the other things that we have to do on a day to day," the passionate Noel said, "sometimes it feels like we don’t have enough time, because unfortunately if you do [report it] it might take an hour or two out of your day." Noel said that another big reason these crimes go unreported is because of the embarrassment and shame victims often feel.
NYFST is the only organization of its kind in the United States. Although there are countless across the country centered on sexual harassment and assault, none are focused specifically on mass transit. Due to the work of Noel’s organization and others such as Right Rides and hollabacknyc.blogspot.com, the issue has recently started to get the attention it deserves. The NYPD has started developing new strategies; one program Operation Exposure (started in 2006) uses a coordinated approach with patrol and undercover officers to address these crimes.
The MTA is also starting to do its part in raising rider awareness with their relatively new ad campaign.
"It is precisely because we understand that the problem exists and that it is horribly under-reported that we developed, in consultation with the NYPD, an aggressive sexual harassment awareness campaign," Lois H. Tendler, NYC Transit’s Vice President of Government and Community Relations said. The bilingual campaign is comprised of brochures, subway car posters and announcements.
Noel said that women between the ages of 15 and mid 30s are most often the victims, and that it is important that young girls understand that they shouldn’t tolerate inappropriate behavior.
"I don’t know if there’s much that can be done," Adrienne Rosenberg ’11 said. "People are people and they will continue to say and do disgusting things for whatever reason."
The MTA wants to make sure that young girls especially are aware of the problem and know that there is, in fact, something that can be done about it.
At the suggestion of councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-Qns), the MTA is working on materials about sexual harassment geared toward students for distribution with their metro cards. "I think that’s a great idea and one which the MTA is looking to implement," Tendler said.
Despite the recent attention this issue has received, Noel cautions that this problem is nothing new. "A woman who rode the train in 1950 talks about how she was groped and harassed on more than one occasion," Noel said. Back then women often felt these occurrences were "rights of passage," and there was nothing to be done. Now, the combined efforts of NYFST and other advocacy groups, women are being told that they can do something about it.
While acknowledging that progress has been made, Noel thinks more can be done. She thinks the NYPD "is taking it seriously, but not seriously enough." Noel and NYFST encourage people to visit their website (nyfst.org) and share their experiences, hoping to be able to draw more attention to the issue.
Her organization also thinks a large-scale study of mass transit riders’ experience with sexual harassment would a good next step. Because NYFST doesn’t have the financial resources to do this, they believe the MTA should. "The MTA has tons of money, regardless of what they say, and we’d love them to put some to use."