RE: YOUR Chance to Support Equal Rights in Moscow

[Debbie Gray <dgray@uidaho.edu>]

On Fri, 13 Sep 2002, Saundra Lund wrote:

> No, this is no assumption:  it comes straight from MPD, who is making no
> secret of the fact that they are now warning *women*.
>
> I personally spoke with MPD today.  MPD is now engaged in the
> "educational" aspect of ordinance enforcement.  Officers are approaching
> women who they judge are in violation, they are explaining their
> understanding of the ordinance, and they are telling women to "cover
> up".
>
> If someone refuses to "cover up," or if MPD has to speak to the same
> person more than once, they CAN be arrested.  Not written a ticket,
> but ARRESTED.

So you personally spoke with them TODAY. And we've been hearing all this
about women be harassed long before today, that is my point. The
Muscovites for Equal Rights mailing that goes out says absolutely nothing
about what you said above. It just mentions 'women being harassed'.
Period.

Regarding what you said above, let's see. There is currently a law in
effect. Right now. On the books. Not just sitting around waiting for
someone to vote it out of effect. So that currently makes 'behavior x'
illegal. And it is an arrestable offense, not just an infraction. And the
police DARE to issue warnings and try to educate the public about a law
that EXISTS? How dare they! And, if the law is still in effect and
'behavior x' is still happening and someone has been warned and they
continue 'behavior x' and ignore the consequences... how can they then be
aggravated at the police (you know, the people that are enforcing the law.
Not the people that wrote the law. Police ENFORCE the laws that other
people MAKE. People often lose sight of that fact.)

> Again, this information comes directly from MPD.  There is no assumption
> or rumor involved.
> So, you lose your bet.  No, I didn't speak with Chief Weaver, but I did
> speak to the representative I was directed to when I called.

Not really, because all this stuff was circulating before you spoke with
MPD today. Correct?

> Good
> enough for me, but then maybe you think there's a conspiracy within MPD
> to give out false information to those they serve.

I don't know where that idea came from. First, I am not a conspiracy
theorist. Second, I know enough about law enforcement to have a little
more understanding of their public relations than that. Which leads me to
my final statement that I was annoyed at what MER was spreading as
truth: the rumors of women being
harassed by the police who are to stupid to understand what the actual law
defines as illegal. And I quote from an MER posting:

> Not surprisingly, MPD doesn't seem
> to understand the law as we've had many reports of women being warned
> for showing center cleavage, something that's still ***legal*** under
> the new law.  We've had a first-hand account from a woman who was
> actually warned by MPD, and her account is enough to make anyone's blood
> run cold.

I take issue with the following:

		1) "many reports?" or is it just one?
		2) "Not surprisingly MPD doesn't understand the law?"
		Hmm. I am sure they are making certain they DO understand not only
		the spirit of the law but the explicit definition OF the law.
		3) And what does "Not surprisingly" mean? Oh, I forget.
		It's ok to make ignorant, stereotyping remarks about police
		officers being stupid and incompetent if you are crusading
		for equality, diversity and respect amongst everyone. SNORT.
		4) what is the first-hand account and WHY would it make
		anyone's "blood run cold" if, in fact, the police are
		merely issuing educational warnings. Was the educational warning this
		'poor' innocent woman issued accompanied by a taser shot, some
		oleoresin capsicum spray and a full body-cavity search? Or what?

Also, the uproar that people are making about 'this is basically forcing
the police to sexually harass us'. Ummm. What? Explain this to me? I
believe it was one of the original 'carwash 7' that spouted this confusing
remark... if the breast is not sexual and should be allowed to be out in
the open and not hidden away then how does a police officer or anyone
looking at it in whatever context make that SEXUAL harassment? If I stare
all day long at some exceedingly comely plumbers butt crack, is that
sexual harassment? yes, it maybe unwanted but what shall I do? It's right
there in front of me...

Debbie

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  Debbie Gray      dgray@uidaho.edu      http://www.uidaho.edu/~dgray/
  We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to
  have the life that is waiting for us." --Joseph Campbell
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