Update



Last night this British man walked up to me and my friend as we were saying goodbye on the curb in a busy part of the west village. He smugly asked us, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere with you," I responded. "Fuck off." He called us both cunts. I spat at him.
He looked my in the eye and replied, "I hope you both get raped." 

I took a picture of him; he slapped me and purposefully knocked my phone out of my hands. When the police came, they told us his comments were filed under "freedom of speech" and that even if he hit me, it's only illegal if I am badly hurt. The police took him away in handcuffs as his friends chanted "Long Live Britian" and asked me for two different methods to contact me. They assured me that I would hear from them within a few days. I did not.

This isn't about just Trump. This isn't about just Brock Turner. This is about being a woman in public. This is about rape culture. The only way I can guarantee that I am not harassed is if I do not leave my home. I'm tired of the whole world being like this. I'm tired of the system being rigged against women and people of color. I'm tired of the cops who said, "We have wives and daughters" when he was trying to comfort us instead of, "We recognize that you're a person independently of your relationships with men." I'm tired of not being able to go outside without wondering who will say something next.  I'm tired of seeing so many people witness these things happen and still being the only one to do anything about it.  I'm tired of being told, "Be careful" instead of the men being told, "She doesn't owe you anything"--which is why I joined the nonprofit A CALL TO MEN, which educates adolescent boys and men on a healthy notion of masculinity, including consent and sexual respect.  Do your part: #EndRapeCulture. Talk to your sons, your male friends, your cousins, your brothers. If you see something, say something. This is not okay. It's on us. 



Update: Two full months after the incident occurred--almost to the day-- I received a call from the DA for the first time regarding this case. The DA informed me that they were pressing charges against this man for assault and criminal mischief. Because he is not a U.S. citizen and lives abroad, he postponed his first trial date. His trial is now set for February.