Friday
December 02, 2005
SGN.org
Volume 33
Issue 48
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Sunday, Nov 22, 2009
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Opinion: Seattle Housing Authority ignores violence against women |
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| Opinion: Seattle Housing Authority ignores violence against women | ||
| By Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid
- SGN Staff Writer
I was going to write this commentary about how people aren't taking buses in Seattle because (1) the drivers often pass riders, or are surly to passengers, and (2) bus trips can be fraught with various safety issues. That commentary would have been spurred by my own experiences with Metro in these last few weeks, and the aweful experience of having left my purse behind at a bus stop after dashing on a bus to escape to quarreling jerks (one of whom may have used the opportunity to go ahead and steal my purse). That was the commentary I was going to write, but a situation that is becoming all too common placed itself on the front burner of my mind and I decided it was time this issue went public. The issue is the problem of unsafe conditions for women in Seattle Housing Authority buildings, particularly in the high rise buildings. What I mean is women being harassed by men with criminal histories who have been placed in housing buildings or men with mental issues harassing vulnerable female tenants. This problem with mentally unstable and angry men caused me to leave my old building and relocate and is currently causing a dear friend and sister Dyke some major problems with her current living situation. But the bigger problem is how these problems are often either overlooked or ignored by Seattle Housing Authority. In my case, and in the case of this person, not only was the situation allowed to escalate to the point of near violence being done, but the perpetrator was allowed to keep his housing, where the women had to move. Also there have been cases where the woman being harassed has been allowed to become a target of further harassment by other tenants who wrongly side with the perpetrator or have suffered 'warnings' in the form of ten-day notices for "causing trouble". This blame the victim mentality is a way the perpetrator is allowed to victimize the female tenant in yet another, humiliating way. And why is this situation happening 'in the dark', and why is there not a huge outcry about this growing problem? Because, like in the recent situation in New Orleans where it was the poor who suffered the worst after hurricane Katrina, the women are poor and in this city, like in others, the poor have little or no voice. There needs to be some kind of action taken by local activist groups who have feminist agendas. Seattle Housing Authority needs to be called to account for this continuing violence against women and the males who are doing this who need to be dealt with, not coddled in nice, comfy, apartments to continue their harassment. I think a letter writing campaign to Seattle Housing Authority offices or some of the top brass in SHA would help to get some attention place on this matter, as well as some staged protest in front of SHA offices - with the media there - would make them uncomfortable enough to do something. And of course, some safety courses for women tenants paid for SHA would go a long way to making the buildings safer for women in these buildings, who often have their own challenges to deal with, as in the case of my friend. Enough is enough. It's time SHA to take more of an active role in making their lease promise of a "safe environment for all tenants" a reality and not the fantasy it is now, and do it before either my friend, or someone like her, ends up on the news. |
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International Readers |
 
It's new!A blog created by the SGN staff so you can be heard |
"Putting on the Ritz |
The Beauty of Freedom artist's reception |
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