Safer Spaces

While out walking around and looking for things to write about, I hear a lot of things that I don't hear otherwise: stories about ghosts, news about the city, and straight-up harassment at women.

While I often don't hear the harassment directly, even second-hand accounts make me uncomfortable. Sometimes, the woman telling the story is laughing about it; however, mostly she's rolling her eyes, getting a little angrier as she goes.

In a place like Fell's, there's plenty of opportunities to see drunk people try to hook up. It doesn't take an expert in body language to understand when someone's not interested, yet, it seems like some guys still think it's a game of hard-to-get and it gets kind of scary when they don't get their way.

Turns out, there's already a group whose call-to-action is to address exactly this situation. As Hollaback! Baltimore states on their website:

1. If you’ve been harassed, you’re not alone,
2. Street harassment is used to exert control over others by making them feel scared or uncomfortable. It is much more than individuals just acting inappropriately.
3. There are street harassment “hotspots” in most cities often centered around high pedestrian traffic areas.

Truth be told, Fell's Point is definitely a hotspot. From talking to a few women, it seems like they already understand this and, even more disappointing, they try to mentally prepare for creeps beforehand. That's unfortunate.

Hollaback! recently launched a campaign to identify Safer Spaces, places where someone can go if they feel uncomfortable or threatened. Again, from their website, a Safer Space agrees to:

• Post the “Safer Space” poster provided by Hollaback! Baltimore in a prominent place for all employees/staff/volunteers and attendees/customers to see
• Take complaints of harassment, discrimination, and violence against customers or staff seriously
• Remove any offending parties from our space
• Ensure our staff, particularly those responsible for security, are aware of our policies
• Use the resources given to us by Hollaback! Baltimore to better understand the issues at hand as well as the best methods for dealing with them
• Inform victims of their right to share their story publicly and anonymously on Hollaback! (via the website or free phone app) by handing out informational postcards

Poster Design: Kristen Argenio at Ideal Design Co.

It'd be pretty great if all the bars in Fell's agreed to become Safer Spaces and even better if they  promote it as a joint agreement with the residents of the community.

Who's up for some leafleting?