If You See Something, Say Something About Pervy Passengers
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Commuters crowd an L subway train, Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan.
By Christina Carrega
It has been 10 years since the MTA and NYPD teamed up to prevent straphangers from being groped, flashed and harassed while riding the subway or waiting on station platforms.
In 2006 — two years before how-to pamphlets and signs were created to help passnegers report sexual misconduct — The New York Times published anecdotes from seven of the millions of women who ride the subway and experienced sexual violations.
Twelve years later, women — and some men — continue to endure unwanted touching, peeping or photographing up their skirts and other forms of physical sexual misconduct, as well as verbal abuse during their daily commute.
On Monday, the Eagle reported about pervasive perverted behavior on the No. 7 train, including multiple reports of forcible touching and indecent exposure, in recent weeks. There have also been at least 10 other subway sex attacks reported across the city since October, according to police.
Despite the prevalence of recent reported offenses aboard the no. 7 train, the number of reported offenses has actually decreased compared to the same time period last year, the NYPD told the Eagle.
A no. 7 train chugs through Queens. Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 16, 2017, seven sex crimes on the were reported to the NYPD. During the same time period this year, five were reported, according to statistics provided by the NYPD.
“A crowded subway car is no excuse for unlawful sexual conduct and NYC Transit has a multilayered effort to combat these crimes including working closely with the NYPD Transit Bureau and a public awareness campaign encouraging victims and witnesses to report these inexcusable crimes,” an MTA spokeswoman told the Eagle.
The two-page brochure — translated into Spanish — gives commuters tips on protecting themselves in the subway and when walking and encourages them to follow their instincts.
There are also two flyers — translated in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean and Haitian Creole — that tout the slogan “unwanted sexual misconduct should not be a part of anyone’s commute” as well as subway car announcements that broadcast the message to straphangers.
Officials also encourage subway riders who witness sexual misconduct to call the NYPD’s Sex Crime Report Hotline to report past attacks or incidents at 212-267-RAPE (7273). All calls are kept confidential.
