Take Action!
Read below for different ways that you can Take Action!
Project Unbreakable
This photography project was created in October of 2011 by Grace Brown. Grace works with survivors of sexual assault, photographing them holding a poster with a quote from their attacker. Grace has photographed over a hundred people, received over eight hundred submissions. TIME magazine has also named it one of the top 30 Tumblr blogs to follow. The project will have a photo day in NYC on July 15th for those interested in participating. Learn More!
_______________________________________________
Are you a college student in NYC?
We launched FlipIt! Students Organizing Against Violence in the spring of 2012, a one-day conference that brings together NYC college students to organize around ending rape and sexual violence on their campus through grassroots arts-based campaigns. Learn More!
Join the Movement: Like Us on FB!
_______________________________________________
Bronx DA Office Lets Rapists Free
Two serial rapists linked to a case by DNA will never be charged for their crimes. Why? Because the DA's office completely dropped the ball by forgetting to file charges prior the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Call DA Robert Johnson (718-590-2000) and tell him to prioritze women's safety and that his office's mismanagement of this case is unacceptable. We want answers.
Read more about this case | Rape Suspect Laughs at DA for Letting Him Walk Free
_______________________________________________
Facebook Refuses to Remove Pro-Rape and Pro-Violence Pages
UPDATE: As of December 19, 2011, Facebook Pro-Rape and Pro-Violence page titles now contain "category indicators" for two categories: [Humor] and [Satire]. Apparently, if you claim you're making a joke, no matter how hateful or threatening, it's completely permissble.
UPDATE: On November 5, Facebook finally removed some of its pro-rape pages. It took a petition to Mark Zuckerberg and a day of furious tweeting (roughly 200 tweets per hour with the hashtag #notfunnyfacebook) for the social media giant to take notice, and do something. Read the story. A Facebook spokesperson said:
There is no place on Facebook for content that is hateful, threatening, or incites violence, and we encourage users to report pages, posts or users who violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Reporting is the best way to surface hateful content for review by our multi-lingual team, who will promptly remove content that violates our terms. We take reports of questionable and offensive content very seriously.
Facebook has been quick to remove group pages featuring breastfeeding or same-sex couples kissing, yet they’ve refused to take down, “Abducting, raping, and violently murdering your friend, as a joke” and "Like This if You Know A Bitch Who Needs A Kick In The C**T.” After over 180,000 signed a Change.org petition and thousands participated in an online “day of action” (#notfunnyfacebook), the company has removed some of the pages. NOW-NYC has been in contact with Facebook to demand action and recommend improvements to their reporting system and community standards. Why did it take so much to get Facebook to enforce its own Terms of Service, which prohibits “hateful” content?
The pages Facebook has neglected to remove are (please note, these may be triggering):
Big Companies Take Notice Before Facebook
In early October, several companies (including Sony, American Express and BlackBerry) removed their advertisements from these pro-rape Facebook groups and pages. Read the story
Do you think pro-rape pages merely express an opinion?!
In the past, Facebook has removed pages like "Third Palestinian Intifada," "The New Anti-Gay Movement," and "Abusing Belfast Rose Sellers" for violation of its Terms of Service. However, when it comes to protecting women from hateful and violent endorsements of rape and domestic violence, Facebook seems to think that pages explicitly endorsing rape do not incite violence or hate against women. Facebook is in clear violation of its own Terms of Service. Facebook’s rape pages are fueling a rape culture that tolerates and excuses sexual violence against women.
Take Action
Promoting rape and violence against women on Facebook is unacceptable. Let's confront Facebook on their own turf -- help us flood their site by reporting these pages (please note, the 'Report' button can be found on the left sidebar of the pages). Then, demand that Facebook enforce its own policy when it comes to these rape pages by Tweeting @facebook, using #notfunnyfacebook. You can also contact facebook at:
Facebook Corporate Office | Headquarters
1601 S. California Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650)543-4800
Learn More | Read the NOW-NYC Press Release
_______________________________________________
Demand Manhattan DA Fulfill his Campaign Promise and Publish Sex Crimes Stats
Just this year Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance almost let Tony Simmons off the hook after admitting to sexually assaulting young girls who were in his care as their juvenile counselor. Now, Marvell Scott is getting just a slap-on-the-wrist after admitting to sexually assaulting a child, whom he hired for sex off of Backpage.com. We're concerned for New York City, and we're concerned about the vast majority of rape and sexual assault cases the public never learns about. That's why we asked for (and got) pledges last year from all candidates for Manhattan District Attorney to publish statistics revealing, out of all rapes and sex crimes reported in a year, the number of arrests made, indictments obtained, top count convictions secured, and felony pleas with jail time obtained. More than a year later, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. has not delivered on that campaign promise.
Call Manhattan Disctrict Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. at (212) 335-9400
Conviction rates alone don't provide enough information to analyze how effectively sex crimes are being prosecuted. Ask Vance to fulfill his campaign promise, and ask all other NYC District Attorneys to publish statistics on sex crimes that include:
Call Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson at (718) 590-2000
Call Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes at (718) 250-2000
Call Queens District AttorneyRichard A. Brown at (718) 286-6000
Call Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. at (718) 876-6300 Learn more about the Take Rape Seriously Campaign
More ways to take action: See our Fall 2011 Feminist News Update!
_______________________________________________
Project Unbreakable
This photography project was created in October of 2011 by Grace Brown. Grace works with survivors of sexual assault, photographing them holding a poster with a quote from their attacker. Grace has photographed over a hundred people, received over eight hundred submissions. TIME magazine has also named it one of the top 30 Tumblr blogs to follow. The project will have a photo day in NYC on July 15th for those interested in participating. Learn More!
_______________________________________________
Are you a college student in NYC?
We launched FlipIt! Students Organizing Against Violence in the spring of 2012, a one-day conference that brings together NYC college students to organize around ending rape and sexual violence on their campus through grassroots arts-based campaigns. Learn More!
Join the Movement: Like Us on FB!
_______________________________________________
Bronx DA Office Lets Rapists Free
Two serial rapists linked to a case by DNA will never be charged for their crimes. Why? Because the DA's office completely dropped the ball by forgetting to file charges prior the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Call DA Robert Johnson (718-590-2000) and tell him to prioritze women's safety and that his office's mismanagement of this case is unacceptable. We want answers.
Read more about this case | Rape Suspect Laughs at DA for Letting Him Walk Free
_______________________________________________
Facebook Refuses to Remove Pro-Rape and Pro-Violence Pages
UPDATE: As of December 19, 2011, Facebook Pro-Rape and Pro-Violence page titles now contain "category indicators" for two categories: [Humor] and [Satire]. Apparently, if you claim you're making a joke, no matter how hateful or threatening, it's completely permissble.
UPDATE: On November 5, Facebook finally removed some of its pro-rape pages. It took a petition to Mark Zuckerberg and a day of furious tweeting (roughly 200 tweets per hour with the hashtag #notfunnyfacebook) for the social media giant to take notice, and do something. Read the story. A Facebook spokesperson said:
There is no place on Facebook for content that is hateful, threatening, or incites violence, and we encourage users to report pages, posts or users who violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Reporting is the best way to surface hateful content for review by our multi-lingual team, who will promptly remove content that violates our terms. We take reports of questionable and offensive content very seriously.
Facebook has been quick to remove group pages featuring breastfeeding or same-sex couples kissing, yet they’ve refused to take down, “Abducting, raping, and violently murdering your friend, as a joke” and "Like This if You Know A Bitch Who Needs A Kick In The C**T.” After over 180,000 signed a Change.org petition and thousands participated in an online “day of action” (#notfunnyfacebook), the company has removed some of the pages. NOW-NYC has been in contact with Facebook to demand action and recommend improvements to their reporting system and community standards. Why did it take so much to get Facebook to enforce its own Terms of Service, which prohibits “hateful” content?
The pages Facebook has neglected to remove are (please note, these may be triggering):
- "Abducting, raping and violently mudering your friend, as a joke."
- "Riding your girlfriend softly and gently, so she doesn't wake up."
- "Wiping makeup off your shoe after a long day of kicking sluts in the face."
Big Companies Take Notice Before Facebook
In early October, several companies (including Sony, American Express and BlackBerry) removed their advertisements from these pro-rape Facebook groups and pages. Read the story
Do you think pro-rape pages merely express an opinion?!
In the past, Facebook has removed pages like "Third Palestinian Intifada," "The New Anti-Gay Movement," and "Abusing Belfast Rose Sellers" for violation of its Terms of Service. However, when it comes to protecting women from hateful and violent endorsements of rape and domestic violence, Facebook seems to think that pages explicitly endorsing rape do not incite violence or hate against women. Facebook is in clear violation of its own Terms of Service. Facebook’s rape pages are fueling a rape culture that tolerates and excuses sexual violence against women.
Take Action
Promoting rape and violence against women on Facebook is unacceptable. Let's confront Facebook on their own turf -- help us flood their site by reporting these pages (please note, the 'Report' button can be found on the left sidebar of the pages). Then, demand that Facebook enforce its own policy when it comes to these rape pages by Tweeting @facebook, using #notfunnyfacebook. You can also contact facebook at:
Facebook Corporate Office | Headquarters
1601 S. California Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650)543-4800
Learn More | Read the NOW-NYC Press Release
_______________________________________________
Demand Manhattan DA Fulfill his Campaign Promise and Publish Sex Crimes Stats
Just this year Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance almost let Tony Simmons off the hook after admitting to sexually assaulting young girls who were in his care as their juvenile counselor. Now, Marvell Scott is getting just a slap-on-the-wrist after admitting to sexually assaulting a child, whom he hired for sex off of Backpage.com. We're concerned for New York City, and we're concerned about the vast majority of rape and sexual assault cases the public never learns about. That's why we asked for (and got) pledges last year from all candidates for Manhattan District Attorney to publish statistics revealing, out of all rapes and sex crimes reported in a year, the number of arrests made, indictments obtained, top count convictions secured, and felony pleas with jail time obtained. More than a year later, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. has not delivered on that campaign promise.
Call Manhattan Disctrict Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. at (212) 335-9400
Conviction rates alone don't provide enough information to analyze how effectively sex crimes are being prosecuted. Ask Vance to fulfill his campaign promise, and ask all other NYC District Attorneys to publish statistics on sex crimes that include:
- Rapes and felony sex crimes reported in NYC
- Arrests made
- Indictments obtained
- Top count convictions by plea or trial with state time
- Felony convictions by plea or trial with state time
- Dispositions involving no jail time
Call Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson at (718) 590-2000
Call Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes at (718) 250-2000
Call Queens District AttorneyRichard A. Brown at (718) 286-6000
Call Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. at (718) 876-6300 Learn more about the Take Rape Seriously Campaign
More ways to take action: See our Fall 2011 Feminist News Update!
_______________________________________________