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Sri Lanka attacks sow fear and division; Plus: what you need to know about stalking and resources for support

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0:08 – The terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka have rocked a country still wounded by deep scars of a decades long civil war. We’re joined in-studio by Ras Ceylon (@RasCeylon) is a local Hip-Hop artist, educator and organizer of Sri Lakan descent, for a very personal account of the conflict.

0:34 – San Francisco is grappling with caring for the homeless – with thousands of dollars and impassioned residents campaigning for more services and against them. The conflict has alighted over the new Embarcadero navigation proposal, that is before the Port Commission this week. We speak with Jennifer Friedenbach (@fbach4) is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness (@TheCoalitionSF), and Supervisor Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) of District 6 in San Francisco, who has introduced legislation to create a navigation center in every district.

0:50 – In a major landmark move, San Francisco has reinstated over 88,000 drivers licenses that were revoked as a penalty for late fees. We speak with Amanda Kahn Fried (@amandakfried) Chief of Policy and Communications, Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector. The Financial Justice Project is part of their office, initiated the renewal of revoked licenses as part of the project that evaluates and reforms fines and fees that are painful for the city’s poorest residents.

1:08 – We spend the hour talking about stalking. In the United States, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men will be experience stalking in their lifetime. We discuss the root causes, enabling, restraining orders, lethality & what you can do, plus take listener calls.

Our guests are Jill Zawisza the Executive Director of W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent, Inc. (@WOMANinc), which has operated since 1978 as a community-based, multi-service agency, serving survivors of domestic violence in San Francisco and the larger Bay Area; and Laura MacInnis is a staff attorney with the Family Violence Law Center (@FamilyVLC) based in Oakland.

STALKING RESOURCES:

Woman Inc  – 24 hour toll free hotline

  • English: (415) 864 – 4722
  • Spanish: (877) 384 – 3578
  • They also offer counseling and support services

Family Violence Law Center

  • 24 hr hotline for Alameda County – (800) 947 – 8301

Bay Area Women’s Center

  • Offers temporary shelter available and
  • Two 24 hour hotlines – (989) 686 – 4551 or (800) 834 – 2098

Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic (CROC)

  • You can call 415-255-0165 to schedule an appointment for an upcoming CROC Clinic.

Stalking Awareness Resource Center 

  • Office Phone – (202) 558-0040
  • If you need immediate assistance, the Victim Connect Helpline provides information and referrals for victims of all crime – 855-4-VICTIM (855) 484 – 2846.

California Victim Compensation Program (CalVCP)

Available to assist eligible victims with crime-related expenses. Victims of domestic violence can apply for CalVCP assistance in four ways:

  • 1. Contact a local county Victim Witness Assistance Center. A victim advocate at the center can help victims complete and submit an application as well as provide other assistance. Most victim witness centers are part of the county District Attorney’s office. A list of California Victim Witness Assistance Centers can be found on CalVCP’s Local Help pages
  • 2. Call the CalVCP Help Line at (800) 777-9229
  • 3. Download an application from CalVCP’s How to Apply page
  • 4. E-mail CalVCP at [email protected]

The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence

Stalking: A Handbook for Victims by Emily Spence-Diel.

ACTIONS THAT CAN BE TAKEN/WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE BEING STALKED:

Things you can do (from Victims of Crime’s Stalking Resource Center)

Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. No two stalking situations are alike. There are no guarantees that what works for one person will work for another, yet you can take steps to increase your safety.

  • If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
  • Trust your instincts. Don’t downplay the danger. If you feel you are unsafe, you probably are.
  • Take threats seriously. Danger generally is higher when the stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the relationship.
  • Contact a crisis hotline, victim services agency, or a domestic violence or rape crisis program. They can help you devise a safety plan, give you information about local laws, weigh options such as seeking a protection order, and refer you to other services.
  • Develop a safety plan, including things like changing your routine, arranging a place to stay, and having a friend or relative go places with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the stalker shows up at your home, work, school, or somewhere else. Tell people how they can help you. Click here to learn more about safety plans.
  • Don’t communicate with the stalker or respond to attempts to contact you.
  • Keep evidence of the stalking. When the stalker follows you or contacts you, write down the time, date, and place. Keep emails, text messages, phone messages, letters, or notes. Photograph anything of yours the stalker damages and any injuries the stalker causes. Ask witnesses to write down what they saw. Click here to download a stalking incident and behavior log The log, as well as any gifts or letters the stalker sends the victim, can be collected and used as evidence. The evidence will help prove what has been going on if the victim decides to report the stalking to the police or apply for a protective order..
  • If it is safe for you to do so, contact the police. Every state has stalking laws. The stalker may also have broken other laws by doing things like assaulting you or stealing or destroying your property.
  • Consider getting a court order that tells the stalker to stay away from you.
  • Tell family, friends, roommates, and co-workers about the stalking and seek their support.
  • Tell security staff at your job or school. Ask them to help watch out for your safety.

IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS BEING STALKED:

  • Listen.
  • Show support.
  • Don’t blame the victim for the crime.
  • Remember that every situation is different, and allow the person being stalked to make choices about how to handle it.
  • Find someone you can talk to about the situation.
  • Take steps to ensure your own safety.

RESOURCES FOR ONLINE HARASSMENT/CYBERSTALKING

 

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