Another Voice of Support

Just when my hopes were getting down about the way things are in DC (the street harassment and violence) Emily sent this message:

I just wanted to say hey, and thanks for writing this blog. You give me hope and make me feel like when I am confronted with things, I can stand up and say something about it.

There was a teenager who got stabbed on the Green Blue Line a couple of days ago (I think dcist.com had a link to it) and nobody did ANYTHING. [Editor's note: Thank you M for producing the link to this.] He was pleading with someone to call 911 and nobody did. A lot of that IS the bystander syndrome, and I think one way to combat it is to talk to specific people. I do this when I'm getting on the Metro and people won't move in to the middle of the car. Instead of yelling "please move in", say to one person "Hey, you, with the green jacket. Please move in. Thanks!"

Anyway. Thank you. Thank you for talking about this bullshit, and thank you for continuing to talk and for not getting too discouraged.

Thank you for this heartfelt message. My actions may not have made those kids realize the error of their ways, nor did it make others witnessing it realize that things need to be done, but kind words of encouragement are louder than the negativity. Thank you.