A female Georgetown student was sexually assaulted and another was sexually harassed this week, during Georgetown’s annual Take Back the Night week. Though the Department of Public Safety issued campus-wide alerts promptly, the language DPS used in the sexual assault alert alarmed some members of Take Back the Night.
“Something that really shocked me was that you had to click the link [to the full report] to find out that it was a very violent sexual assault. The man broke her shoulder ,and she was probably hospitalized,” Amy Hapip (COL `09), a Co-Chair said.
Maren Trochmann (SFS `09), the other Co-Chair of Take Back the Night pointed out that the email that DPS sent out about the other sexual offense included much more specific details about that crime, such as the fact that the assailant grabbed the victim’s buttocks.
Hapip also worried that the wording of the full alert may perpetuate myths about sexual assault. Unlike many DPS PSAs, which list the suspect as “unknown,” DPS only identified the suspect as “a black male” before it listed his physical description. It does not identify whether the victim’s assailant was an acquaintance of hers.
“If it is an acquaintance, that should be reported by DPS just as thoroughly as if he was unknown to her, which they say a lot,” Hapip said. “Neglecting to report that is perpetuating the myth that sexual assault always involves a stranger popping out of an alleyway, because that’s not at all the case.”
Indeed, a Fox News report speculates that the assailant did not force his way into the Wisconsin Avenue apartment because no break-in was reported.
The sexual assault, which took place on Sunday on the 1400 block of Wisconsin Avenue in the woman’s apartment, was a violent incident that ended with the victim’s shoulder being broken.
“It’s terrible, and shouldn’t be happening, but it happens all the time,” Trochmann said. “The rare thing is that it’s reported.”
The assault has since prompted a spate of alerts sent by police and community members.
“SEXUAL ASSAULT SUSPECT SOUGHT,” read the subject line of an email from Officer Michelle Milam. “The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 25-28 years of age, about 5’8″ in height, weighing approximately 150 pounds, and has either a close haircut or a shaved head. He was wearing a light colored jacket and light colored jeans.”
