Monday, March 11, 2013

DC residents: Make your city safer for women


I don't live in the District, which means I get elected representatives, but also that I I don't have a voice in affairs of the District. So I'd like to ask those of you who do live in the District to agitate the City Council to improve the MPD's treatment of rape survivors, so that it's no longer comparable to that of the police in India. Here's the documentation:

HRW report: linked here ("prepare to be shocked, outraged, and depressed"). 
Summary, linked here
Daily Beast.
NBC4: Jan. 24 story

And here's an update from a friend of mine who experienced this bull$hit firsthand:
As a sexual assault survivor, the MPD response has been troubling, to say the least.  Rather than expressing concern about the gravity of the findings and vowing to look into these allegations, Police Chief Cathy Lanier has consistently gone on the offensive and attacked HRW.  The MPD tactics have included denial; withholding information (probably in violation of Freedom of Information Act laws); leaking an embargoed copy of the report a week early, presumably to make it old news by the time it got published; accusing HRW of a publicity stunt; accusing HRW of faulty methodology; and challenging the credibility of victims that have come forward, saying that in several cases the police have evidence that contradicts these accounts.  In an incredibly low move, Chief Lanier has repeatedly said that HRW, and by extension we survivors that have spoken out, are being irresponsible because she believes the effect of this report will be to discourage victims from coming forward. HRW, in turn, has refuted the MPD's counterclaims in a fact sheet that accompanied the release of the report, available here.  

In terms of where things stand now, there are a couple of important updates.  While the mayor has been absolutely silent, the DC city council was quick to respond, with the chair of the judiciary and public safety committee vowing to hold a hearing on the issues detailed in the HRW Report. The city council has contracted a law firm, Crowell & Moring, (who is working on a pro bono basis) to independently review the data in the report and to report back to council with recommendations. There is no date yet set for the hearing, but I've heard that the council wants to move quickly and that this will likely be scheduled in the next couple of weeks. Chief Lanier and HRW have also both gone to the Department of Justice and asked for an investigation to be conducted; DOJ has not yet made a decision about whether to do so.  As a result of the media attention, MPD has established a mechanism via their website where sexual assault victims that reported the crime to police and feel that the response was problematic can ask the MPD to take another look at the case.  Prior to this, I was contacted this summer by the head of the criminal investigative division to see if I would be interested in having my case re-opened.  In October I was re-interviewed by MPD and a new investigation was conducted. I've been told in the last few weeks that the investigation has been completed and that the case will be presented anew to the U.S. Attorney's Office, but that it is indefinitely on hold until the result of the rape kit comes back because the kit was never submitted for testing two years ago. I retain a tiny bit of hope that there will be a criminal prosecution, but it's unlikely, especially given how much the police botched the investigation in the first place. 
And here's what you can do:
It would be helpful if you can contact the council and the mayor's office to express your concern about the MPD's handling of sexual assault cases and encouraging adoption of the recommendations included in the HRW report. There should be additional media coverage of the hearing, and it is another opportunity to submit letters to the editor, post comments under online articles, and to blog and otherwise share this information. The overall goal is to create enough public outrage, especially among DC residents, so that the council has no choice but to take decisive action to implement the key recommendations and demand accountability from the MPD. 
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