strip searches make us all less safe

In early April, the Supreme Court ruled that anyone can be strip searched for any offense upon being arrested. This is devastating news for those of us who are survivors of sexual assault and/or police violence, as well as anyone who is in jail or could be arrested for any reason. We don’t want anyone in jail or prison – our long-term goal is to get rid of the system that locks people up. But as long as jails and prisons exist, we have to speak out against rulings like these. According to the American Bar Association, international human rights treaties ban the procedures that the Supreme Court just approved. Regardless of whether you are in police custody or not, there are basic human rights that everyone has, and basic respect that everyone deserves.  Strip searches are humiliating and unnecessary.

The ruling extends this humiliation beyond the walls of prisons and jails — noted sites of sexual violence where strip searches are already used regularly without cause under the transparent pretense of creating safety.  People imprisoned at Pennsylvania’s Rockview and Somerset facilities recently reported guards performing harassing strip searches, sexual groping, fondling, and making rape threats.  Strip searches are a police weapon used outside prisons too.  Consider the 2003 case of Ana Nogueira, a reporter for Democracy Now!, who was stripped by male police at a demonstration in Miami, Florida.  Nogueira was able to access sufficient resources to successfully win a lawsuit.  That expensive post-violation legal option is now gone, further discouraging free speech among current and would-be activists and journalists.

With the already numerous examples of stripping and sexual humiliation being used by the state, the Supreme Court ruling creates a slippery slope.  It’s not a far jump from strip searches to sexual violence being used as a way to control and victimize people in police custody.  It also allows for a culture of normalized sexual humiliation, making it easier for corrections officers and other prisoners to enact sexual violence.

This practice also inordinately affects people who are already marginalized in society.  People who have histories of sexual and/or police violence  will may have strong emotional reactions and relived trauma while being strip searched.  Queer and trans people may be singled out and humiliated for not fitting social norms and will potentially be at risk for more sexual violence from arresting officers. Trans people in particular may be exposed to additional violence if their trans status is discovered when strip-searched.

The Florence v. County of Burlington Supreme Court decision is a way of scaring all of us so that we don’t challenge state power for fear of being arrested and sexually humiliated.  This is another way that the state uses sexual violence as a means of control. This chilling effect is particularly strong for those of us who are more likely to be victims of police violence anyway, because of our race, class, sexual orientation, trans, HIV or immigration status, work in the sex trade, or any number of other reasons. Philly Survivor Support Collective believes that all of us deserve to live lives free of sexual violence.  We believe that courts, police and prisons do not help us end sexual assault and rape, but rather increase it. We can only hope that this ruling will be a wake-up call for our allies in the fight to end rape and sexual assault, so we can come together in agreement that as long as we embrace policing and prisons as responses to sexual violence, we will never get there.

“We’re Called Survivors Because We’re Still Here”

“Pain is a message. You are probably going to experience a fair amount of it, so it’s important that you know this. No matter how bad it is, pain is not a judgment, or a punishment, or a weakness: pain is a message, from the part of you that wants to live, telling you that something is wrong.

I don’t care which jerk told you to “handle it” “better”; you are receiving a message, right now, from a very necessary part of yourself. The message is, “I want to live. Get me some help.” It’s urgent. That is why it hurts.” (from We’re Called Survivors Because We’re Still Here)

We think this is a great article for people who are, or know, sexual assault survivors …
… so that’s everybody (unfortunately).

It is good enough that we recommend it despite the brief mention about involving the legal system — which we do not support.

Survivors in Solidarity with Prison Abolition — Anthology Call for Submissions — DEADLINE EXTENDED

DEADLINE EXTENDED: June 15, 2012.

Survivors in Solidarity with Prison Abolition

ANTHOLOGY CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

Working Title: Challenging Convictions: Survivors of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Writing on Solidarity with Prison Abolition.

Completed submissions due June 15, 2012.

Like much prison abolition work, the call for this anthology comes from frustration and hope: frustration with organizers against sexual assault and domestic violence who treat the police as a universally available and as a good solution; frustration with prison abolitionists who only use “domestic violence” and “rape” as provocative examples; and, frustration with academic discussions that use only distanced third-person case studies and statistics to talk about sexual violence and the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC). But, this project also shares the hope and worth of working toward building communities without prisons and without sexual violence. Most importantly, it is anchored in the belief that resisting prisons, domestic violence, and sexual assault are inseparable.

Organizers of this anthology want to hear from survivors in conversation with prisonabolition struggles. We are interested in receiving submissions from survivors who are/have been imprisoned, and survivors who have not.  Both those survivors who have sought police intervention, as well as those who haven’t, are encouraged to submit. We are looking for personal essays and creative non-fiction from fellow survivors who are interested in discussing their unique needs in anti-violence work and prison abolitionism.

Discussions of sexual assault, domestic violence, police violence, prejudice within courts, and imprisonment cannot be separated from experiences of privilege and marginalization. Overwhelmingly people who are perceived to be white, straight, able-bodied, normatively masculine, settlers who are legal residents/citizens, and/or financially stable are not only less likely to experience violence but also less likely to encounter the criminal injustice system than those who are not accorded the privileges associated with these positions. At the same time, sexual assault and domestic violence support centers and shelters are often designed with certain privileges assumed. We are especially interested in contributions that explore how experiences of race, ability, gender, citizenship, sexuality, or class inform your understandings of, or interactions with cops, prisons, and sexual assault/domestic violence support.

Potential topics:

·      What does justice look like to you?

·      Perspectives on police and prisons as a default response to sexual assault

·      What do you want people in the prison abolition movement with no first hand experiences of survivorship to know?

·      How did you overcome depression/feelings of futility when dealing with these systems?

·      Critical reflections on why the legal system has or has not felt like an option for you

·      Perspectives on the cops/PIC participating in rape culture

·      Restorative justice and other methods for responding to sexual violence outside of the PIC? (if you are a settler be conscious of appropriations of indigenous methods)

·      How have you felt about conversations you’ve had about the PIC?

·      How sexual assault inside and outside of the PIC is treated by organizers against sexual assault, domestic violence, and the PIC

·      Police and prison guards as triggers

·      Responding to sexual assault and domestic violence when communities weren’t there for you

·      What the legal system offers survivors and what it doesn’t

·      Rants at manarchists, the writers/directors of televised cop dramas, and communities that let you down

·      Survivor shaming for reporting and for not reporting to police

Please submit first-person accounts, critical reflections, essays, and creative non-fiction to survivorsinsoli@gmail.com by June 15, 2012. Early submissions are encouraged. First time authors encouraged.

If you have questions, we welcome emails to survivorsinsoli@gmail.com with “Question”in the subject line. We are looking for both shorter pieces of writing and longer pieces, but if your piece is more than 20 pages consider sending us an email to run the idea by us.

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VISIT THEIR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO: survivorsinsoli.blogspot.com/

Catharsis: Trans Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS due 7/31/12

Call For Submissions 4/3/12 **Please Share & Repost!**

Catharsis: Trans Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence is seeking written submissions from trans women who are willing to share their experiences of sexual violence and assault. The goal is to create a book-length collection of personal essays and stories from trans women about their individual experiences. Through compiling these stories, we hope to counteract the tendency of broader feminist dialog to deal with the subject of violence against trans women as hypothetical, ethereal, and comparatively minimal. We also hope that such a compilation would reinforce the place of trans women among all women and help to bring support and healing to our often overlooked communities.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS JULY 31ST, 2012!  

What We’re Looking For: Stories of personal experience from self-identified trans women who are survivors of rape, sexual assault, or other sexual violence. Submissions should be roughly 2-5 pages in length and focus primarily on individual experiences and feelings. Because every individual processes these experiences in different ways, the “tone” of the collection will be left to the contributors. Anger, humor, grief, healing, indifference, etc. are all welcome themes. Those wishing to remain anonymous will have that wish respected and not be named in the final publication. Anonymity will be granted to the degree at which it’s requested, so please make your needs clear with your submissions.

Why Trans Women Only? The perception that trans women are less often targets of sexual violence is incredibly pervasive, even among allies to the trans community. This erroneous assumption is deeply rooted in cissexism, transphobia, and transmisogyny. While sexual violence affects many communities and is often taboo or “invisible” in those communities, trans women’s experiences are uniquely derided and ignored. This results in the isolation of trans women survivors, a culture of silence within broader trans communities, and a false pretense for the exclusion of trans women from feminist conversations about rape and assault. The purpose of this collection is to give voice to and encourage dialog around the specific reality of sexual violence against trans women. We are interested in work by trans women of all backgrounds, regardless of transition status, race, class, education, ability, age, orientation, or occupation. Any survivor of sexual violence that self-identifies as a trans woman is encouraged to contribute. To send submit your story, go to the Submission Form or mail your submission to:
Sawyer DeVuyst
Catharsis Project
195 Morgan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11237

Anyone wishing to assist this project is encouraged to **forward this call for submissions widely.**

If you want to help further or have any questions please contact reddurkin@gmail.com

Support Decarcerate PA and prison abolition

Decarcerate PA is a grassroots campaign made up of organizations and individuals throughout Pennsylvania working to maximize public health and safety by putting a halt to the state’s broken and bloated prison system.

We signed on to their new platform calling for 1) No new prisons in PA, 2) Decarceration, and 3) Reinvestment in our communities.

“Thirty years of limitless spending on prisons has been more than enough. This massive social experiment is over, and the conclusion is clear. Mass incarceration destroys families and communities. It disproportionately targets poor people and people of color. It means fewer jobs and more environmental devastation. It makes us less safe and more afraid.” ~Decarcerate PA

Read their platform for yourself and show your support by signing on!

And come to the launch party on March 30!

Open letter from the Philly Survivor Support Collective to SCI Rockview Superintendent Marirosa Lamas and PA DOC Secretary John Wetzel

Open letter from the Philly Survivor Support Collective to SCI Rockview Superintendent Marirosa Lamas and Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel:

We are responding to a call from people incarcerated at SCI Rockview’s Restricted Housing Unit (RHU) whose human rights and safety are being violated by the prison’s lieutenants and guards. Prisoners at SCI Rockview are demanding investigation into a recent rise of abusive conditions including a pattern of routine sexual assault by guards, retaliation for using the internal grievance procedure, double-celling, excessive use of solitary confinement, and arbitrary placement on the restricted release list. These abuses violate the human rights of all people to physical safety and bodily integrity, whether we are incarcerated or not.

People incarcerated in the RHU at SCI Rockview have been attempting to access the official grievance procedure but are faced with threats and retaliation for voicing their objections. Because this single recourse has been taken from them, individuals in the unit have called for external support to shed light on and bring an end to the abuses they face.

The Philly Survivor Support Collective is a group based out of Philadelphia that is working to end sexual assault. We support individuals and communities who are healing from assaults, and work together to transform the conditions that allow sexual assault to be perpetrated and those who cause harm to remain unaccountable. We organize to create alternatives to the legal system for survivors seeking justice and safety, because we believe that police, prisons and the legal system all increase the violence in our communities.

The abuses being inflicted on people incarcerated at SCI Rockview have impact beyond the prison walls; they strengthen the conditions that condone sexual assault and allow it to continue to ravage all of our communities. We all deserve to live without being sexually assaulted, and to have access to the physical, economic and emotional resources that allow us to heal from assault when it does occur. We cannot hope to build a world free of sexual violence while people who are incarcerated are subjected to it with no recourse.

We urge you to investigate the abusive conditions at SCI Rockview’s RHU and take action to remove perpetrating officials from this prison. Everyone has a right to physical and emotional safety. Disregarding the abuses faced by people who are incarcerated at SCI Rockview is an unjust and inexcusable act of violence.

– Philly Survivor Support Collective

Call to action: Stop Sexual Abuse at State Prison

In this week’s HR Coalition PA Prison Report, there is a call to action about a system of routine sexual assault by guards in the Restricted Housing Unit (RHU) at SCI Rockview, a Pennsylvania state prison in Centre County.  Prisoners in SCI Rockview’s RHU are requesting that supporters contact Department of Corrections (DOC) officials and demand an investigation into abusive conditions, including sexual assault, retaliation, double-celling, and excessive use of solitary confinement.

Here’s a script to use when calling.

Just remember that the important thing is to call and make sure they know that you’re calling about conditions at SCI Rockview.  They are most likely just keeping track of how many people are calling on this issue, not whether each person made a convincing argument.

“My name is _____________ and I am calling in support of prisoners in SCI Rockview’s Restricted Housing Unit. I am concerned that there are abusive conditions, including sexual assault, retaliation, double-celling, and excessive use of solitary confinement.  I am calling to demand an investigation into these conditions and for corrective actions to be taken immediately.”

Call SCI Rockview Superintendent Marirosa Lamas: 814-355-4874

Call PA DOC Secretary John Wetzel: 717-975-4918

Article about the Philly Survivor Support Collective in Tikkun magazine

Now you can read about us in Tikkun magazine! The current issue (Winter 2012) contains an article about the Philly Survivor Support Collective and Philly Stands Up, “Confronting Sexual Assault: Transformative Justice on the Ground in Philadelphia” by Bench Ansfield and Timothy Colman. Read an excerpt on Tikkun’s website.

Statement

In response to the recent sexual assault on 48th and Springfield, the Philly Survivor Support Collective would like to put ourselves out there as a resource to survivors of sexual assault, including the survivor of this incident, and to anyone who is supporting a survivor. For those of us who are survivors, news of this incident may bring up upsetting memories or feelings about our own experiences. Please feel free to contact us if you are looking for support.

Sexual assault affects not only the survivor but also the surrounding community. We believe that the survivor should be the one who makes the decisions about what makes them feel safe and what helps them in healing, and the people around them should support these decisions.

There are a lot of things that a survivor may find helps them feel safe and supported immediately after a sexual assault and during the healing process. Things like talking, not talking, writing, crying, having people around that they can ask for help or being alone but knowing who they can call when they need help, keeping distracted, telling their story over and over or not telling their story to anyone at all, screaming, having someone cook for them, having someone hold them or having no physical contact with anyone, setting their own boundaries, working with others to hold the perpetrator accountable, working with neighbors to make a safer home or block or neighborhood, drinking beer and talking shit, playing music or listening to music or breaking bottles or sleeping for a very long time, or anything the survivor can think of that might help.  Or there may be nothing that feels like it helps.

Philly Survivor Support Collective is a group in West Philly that offers support to survivors of sexual assault in directing their own healing, creates alternatives to the legal system for survivors seeking justice and safety, and works to transform our communities to end sexual violence. You can contact us at SurvivorSupport@riseup.net, or call (215) 618-2020 and leave us a voicemail.