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Street Harassment Program Comes To Richmond
“Hey baby – how you doin?”
Ever been harrassed on the street? Now, a national network committed to stopping that harassment is setting up shop in Richmond. That national network – Hollaback! recently expanded into 13 new locations including Richmond.
The network consists of 24 sites run by local activists dedicated to the movement.
“By reaching out to our community and making this problem visible, I think we can change the way that people think about street harassment from something regarded as a daily inevitability, to something we can fight and end,” said Hollaback! RVA Web Coordinator Victoria Meader.
Richmond’s Hollaback! volunteers have begun raising money for a new project called HollaSpaces in which a zero tolerance stand against harassment will be taken by staff of participating establishments. They will offer training to members of the participating establishments and create action plans for dealing with harassment and aiding the victims of harassment. It will be a means of creating safe spaces for targets of harassment and instill a sense of community and solidarity.
In Bristol, UK, the Hollaback! team is working on an anti-street harassment task force with local officials. In Atlanta, the team condicted a community safety audit, and in Buenos Aires, Tegus, and Mexico City, the teams helped to coordinate their cities’ first SlutWalks, which were designed to bring awareness to women’s right to feel safe in public space.
“The growth of the movement demonstrates the pervasive nature of street harassment globally,” said Hollaback! International Movement Coordinator, Veronica Pinto. “At the same time, the response of activists around the world is incredible as we see the determination of folks who are fighting for their safety, fighting for their streets, and fighting for the right to be who they are.”
Other new Hollaback locations include Birmingham, UK; Bristol, UK; Chandigarh, India; Chicago, IL; Des Moines, IA; Lawrence, KS; Istanbul, Turkey; Puerto Rico; Querétaro, Mexico; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Wellington, New Zealand, and West Yorkshire, UK.
Find out more information visit http://richmond.ihollaback.org.
