“It’s Unacceptable to See This as ‘No Big Deal'”: Public Masturbation on Bike Trail
Location: Metropolitan Branch Trail and R Street, Washington, DC
Time: Evening Rush Hour (3:30pm-7:30pm)
I was just biking on the MBT. On the trail, a block north of R St, there was a man standing on the trail masturbating. He was doing this on my way riding northbound and later when I was biking southbound again in a 30 minute window. I didn’t know what to do, but I safely got away, and didn’t know what to do when I got home. After calling 311, who told me to call 911, and then calling the non-emergency police line, I got rerouted to 911. They asked for a description and the location and called a dispatcher. All this made me realize: It’s unacceptable to see this as ‘no big deal’ and to say ‘It’s not an emergency!’ I wished now that I had called sooner to get a dispatcher to the scene. I also have posted this on the Women & Bicycles page, and my friend suggested that I look into your work!
Submitted 12/22/15 by “TVN”
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If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system: Whether the event is happening at the moment or occurred months ago, we strongly encourage you to report to Metro Transit Police (MTP): www.wmata.com/
If you need assistance in coping with public sexual harassment or assault, please contact the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) 24/7 crisis hotline at 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7279).
