Sunday, March 05, 2006

Sexual Harassment


According to a national survey conducted 85% of girls (11-18) have been sexually harassed at school. Last week my 14 year old sister Caitlin was the victim of sexual harassment. I wish I could say that with the overly PC attitude that is prevalent in society today that the situation was handled to my family’s satisfaction but it wasn’t. The school touched upon the subject of calling the police, my mother felt that it was uncalled for. However she did want the boy suspended from school, his parents brought in, as well as a few sessions with the school counselor so that he could learn about sexual harassment and what constitutes as sexual harassment. Instead nothing was done.

The first incident occurred in the morning. Caitlin had just entered the school and this 16 yr old boy approached her wanting to “holla” at her. Caitlin chose to be polite, she told him she was not interested and attempted to walk away from him. He then grabbed her wrist trying to prevent her departure. A short time later the same guy approached Caity in the cafeteria as she was bending over fixing her boot, he came up behind her and groped her buttocks. She straightened up and went ballistic on the guy then he grabbed her arm. Just then one of my brother’s friends saw what was going on and ran towards Caitlin and my sister yelled for him to get her brother. When the perv in training, Julio Beltran realized that my brother was on his way he let go and left. My brother then tracked the bastard down and for 5 minutes beat the stuffing out of him uninterrupted. It was all caught on camera.

Once the fight was broken up The Dean began interviewing everyone involved trying to find the cause of the drama. He refused to believe my sister, practically calling her a liar. In his words it was impossible that Julio Beltran had harassed her because he was a “good boy”. The Dean then attempted to convince my sister that it had been a case of mistaken identity. Even showing her photos of boys who had been standing behind her in line in an attempt to shake her story, my sister stuck to her guns. My brother was suspended from school for a week as a result. The perv got off scott- free, despite responding, “Hmm I have to think about that” when asked if he had groped my sister and also adding “that’s the way I play with girls”. My brother added, “Well that’s the way I play with guys who grab on my sister and if you touch her again I’m going to play dentist and knock out all your teeth.”

Another Dean whom I remember very well from when I attended that school as a mega bitch from hell, she never spoke to the students she always yelled at them and put words in their mouths. She tried to do the same with my sister and couldn’t handle it when faced with my angry sister walking out on their meeting after refusing to back down from her story. She even had the nerve to ask how was my sister dressed that day! WTF?!! As if to suggest that it was her own fault that she was harassed! First of all it doesn't matter how she was dressed, respect is respect is respect. My sister doesn't wear low riders, or baby belly t-shirts, or skin tight clothing. She dresses very modestly and the issue should not be as to how she was dressed that day. When my sister left the meeting protesting The Deans attitude The Dean yelled at my sister,”OH GROW UP!!”… Unfortunately she didn’t realize that the lady who had just walked into the room was Caitlin’s mother. My mom looked at The Dean and told her. “Hold on a second lady are you okay, do you need some hormone pills why are you talking to that child like that? She is growing up…one year at a time and right now she is up to year number 14 do you mind? I think she is perfect as she is I don’t need a 14 yr old acting like a 20 yr old. By the way I’m Caitlin’s mother.” And my mother then proceeded to rip the lady a new one from everything from their bungling of this whole matter to the way my mother had witnessed her talking to my siblings. My mother pointed out to them that while Julio Beltran had told the deans that he had never seen Caitlin or Steven before Steven was in his gym class and Caitlin was an acquaintance of his former girlfriend. Unfortunately for The Deans they’ve never met anyone like my mother and she has taken this over their heads. So far my mother has spoken to five other girls that say that the “good boy” has groped them and harassed them as well. One girl said that after she befriended him he went as far as to spread sexual rumors about her. She has a written statement (with their parents consent) from each of these girls.

I hate playing the ethnic card; I like to think that we as people are above all that nonsense but I can’t front, I did notice a difference in attitude in different ethnic backgrounds to the beating. The white people were shocked and outraged that my brother had beaten the boy. They acted as if he should be lynched. They felt that my sister and he should have gone to the Deans and filed a report against the boy. I would like to point out that my sister did file a statement with The Dean that kept saying, “he’s a good boy” but that when my mother asked to see the statement they were not able to locate it. The Arabs, Muslims, and Latino teachers/guidance counselors/deans/ assistant deans of the school applauded what my brother did (not to the whites faces though). They all said they understood why he did it and many of the men said that if it had been their sister they would have done the same. My brother’s guidance counselor even closed her door and gave my brother a standing ovation she told him and my mother that she has 2 daughters and 3 sons and if someone groped her daughter she would expect that her sons do the same.


My mother (as do I) feel that if we let this go by Caitlin may be intimidated about standing up for herself if an incident like this should ever happen again because in a matter of seconds The Deans managed to convey to her that in the real world a woman’s voice does not matter, it is what the man says that is valued and perceived to be as true.

Labels: caity

Posted by @ 11:44 AM
8 comment from:  christina/ohio,  Mr. Khurram,  Mia,  Emory Mayne,  sadiq,  sadiq,  Mia,  TotallyHappened,