Soapbox

The daily televised news is not something I usually watch. There is nothing uplifting, hopeful or inspiring that I have seen on it ever. I usually feel outraged by the state of the world, or disgusted by today's standards of journalism. I am only able to tolerate listening to radio news, and then it is most often nothing more than background news. This past week, however, events covered in the news have monopolized my every thought.

When I heard of the assault upon 47 women and girls in New York's Central Park this past week, I was sickened. Video tapes of the assault shown on CNN, further heightened my disgust. Women were soaked with water, their clothes torn from them, and their bodies groped by the mob. The story continued, however, that several of the women, when pleading with police officers for assistance, were turned away. I don't get it. Isn't their job to 'protect and serve'? Since when has selective protection been an option?

The story becomes even more bizarre, however. In Friday's radio address, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had the utter gall to state "Make sure you get out into the park, enjoy yourself, have a great weekend." since the majority of officers did a good job of crowd control.

Granted, there were officers that did act in every way to help the women assaulted. The fact that some, however, seemed unaware that violence against any woman is wrong, should be a very strong beacon to the Mayor and Police Commissioner. This is more than a little incident to be 'very concerned' about. This is a completely unacceptable outrage.

What if the women assaulted were the officers' daughters, mothers or aunts? Would their pleas have been taken seriously then? I respectfully suggest the Mayor, Police Commissioner Howard Safir and the officers involved consider how their take on this crime would change if this were the case. To the men in the crowd that committed these acts or watched without helping, I ask you to consider the same. If you would not permit this violence against a woman you love, why is it okay against a woman you don't know?????

Whether it is a mob in Central Park, a few friends in a dorm room or a date, no one has the right to lay a hand on another person without consent. No man has instant access to any woman's body simply because of his gender. If any officer, any Police Commissioner, or any Mayor is unclear what this means, or is unwilling to uphold it, they are in the wrong place. Step down and let someone clear on the concept do the job properly.

all the best,

Catie