Posting about the "sexual assault" from "Lea of OWS"

[crimson]

Hi everyone,
I was contacted by lea, who is involved in educating everyone at OWS
about Sexual Harrasment, Violent Acts, and what to do about them...
Below is a portion of the post. The full post can be seen at:

http://www.nycga.net/groups/safer-spaces-committee/forum/topic/transforming-harm-building-safety-confronting-sexual-violence-at-occupy-wall-street-beyond/

New York, November 4, 2011: We are writing this statement to inform
our fellow occupiers about an incident of sexual assault at Occupy
Wall Street (OWS) and the response to it. We are also writing this
statement to respond to media accounts that blame the survivor, and
that attempt to use this horrific incident to attack OWS. We write
this statement as supporters of OWS, as fellow survivors, and as
allies.

On the morning of October 29, a woman participating in OWS was
sexually assaulted at Liberty Plaza. The person who she identified as
having assaulted her was arrested on November 1 for a previous
assault. He has since been released on bail.

On the morning of the assault, the survivor was accompanied to the
hospital by a group of women from OWS, including a social worker, to
support her and act as advocates. From the moment the incident was
discovered to the present time, the survivor has been surrounded by a
network of allies and trained advocates offering resources to provide
emotional, medical, and legal support. At every step of the process,
and in line with the core principles of survivor support, her wishes
as to how she wanted to proceed have been honored, and information
from a range of sources has been provided to her about her options.
The survivor knew immediately that she wanted to make sure that the
person who assaulted her did not harm anyone else at OWS. Community
members honored this demand by asking that this person stay off site,
and, when he refused, monitored his activity, ejected him from the
space and escorted him to police custody.

These efforts provided the survivor with the time and space to
carefully review the options available to her. Following two days of
discussion with family, friends, supporters, and anti-violence
advocates, the survivor decided to make a report to the police and to
push for a criminal investigation and prosecution. Supporters from OWS
accompanied her to the police station, and will continue to support
her throughout the legal process.
We have been saddened and angered to observe some members of the media
and the public blame the survivor for the assault. A survivor is never
at fault. It is unacceptable to criticize a survivor for the course of
action they chose to take or their community for supporting them in
that choice. Additionally, we were troubled at the time of her report
that responding police officers appeared to be more concerned by her
political involvement in OWS than her need for assistance after a
traumatic incident of sexual violence. A survivor is not at fault for
being assaulted while peacefully participating in a public protest to
express their political opinions. We are aware that this is one of
several known cases of sexual assault that have occurred at OWS. We
are dismayed by these appalling acts and distressed by the fear among
many Occupiers that they have caused, as well as their negative impact
on our ability to safely participate in public protests. We have the
right to participate in peaceful protests without fear of violence.