Here are a just a few recent incidents:
- A 14-year-old runaway was allegedly sexually assaulted at Occupy Dallas.
- A 19-year-old student activist was allegedly raped at Occupy Cleveland.
- A man was arrested on charges of indecent exposure to children at Occupy Seattle.
- A female reporter was threatened by activists at Occupy Oakland.
And even more attacks are listed in John Nolte’s “rap sheet” on the Occupy protests. The threats to women are not confined to the periphery of the Occupy movement but exist at the heart of the main Occupy Wall Street protest in New York.
As the Washington Times noted this morning:
Crime in Occupy Wall Street’s encampment Zucotti Park might be worse than the public realizes. According to The New York Post, crime at the park, which included a homeless man allegedly pulling a knife during an argument as well as claims of sexual assaults, is so out of control many protesters have resorted to a “stop snitching” rule. In fact, reports The Post, one NYPD officer said, that much of the crime goes unreported as a result. “What’s happening in there is staying in there,” said the New York City cop.
Despite these concerns, Occupy has been discouraging victims of sexual assaults from consulting police. In New York, organizers have created a group called “Safer Spaces OWS” that attempts to deal with threats to women “without involving the police or the court system unless the person wants that.” At the same time, the Occupy movement has used idealized images of women to promote itself and attract new recruits. The contradiction is striking.