Rape Crisis HOT LETTER
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
3201 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland 44104 391-3912 (answered 24 hrs., 7 days)
CRCC NEWSLETTER has started a new column which presents success stories from women who were able to get away from an attacker without being raped or badly hurt. We are doing this in an effort to spread the word that it is possible to get away from an . assailant. It is also helpful to hear what kinds of techniques have worked for different people.
If you have a success story you would like to share, we would like to print it in our newsletter. Please send your story to CRCC NEWSLETTER, 3201 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Or call us and tell us about it. Thanks.
The Rights of Rape Victims
To have the same credibility as a person who reports any other crime.
To be treated with respect and dignity.
To be treated without prejudice against race, class, lifestyle, age, sex or occupation.
To be made aware of and to receive available services whether the crime is reported or not.
To have access to persons who can provide support.
To be made aware of all of the medical and legal options available.
To be asked only those questions which are relevant to the case.
To defend her/himself by any means necesary to avoid attack without fear of prosecution.
SELF-DEFENSE CLASS. The next selfdefense class will be on CWRU campus and will be for women from Case Women's Center and the Visiting Nurses Association.
SELF-DEFENSE INSTRUCTOR WANTED. Because of the increase in the demand for our self-defense class, we find that we need at least one more Instructor.
We are looking for someone preferably with some martial arts background. Kathy Cowles, our current instructor, wil conduct an instructors' class in February, 1978. The position is part time with the hours depending on when classes are scheduled. The pay is $10 per hour. Anyone who is interested call Rape Crisis Center, 391-3912, and ask for Jeanne Van Atta.
ANNUAL MEETING. The Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees and Staff of the Rape Crisis Center was held at Dr. R. Balester's home on Sunday, November 13. The newly elected officers of the Board are: President, Carol Wall; Vice President, Janna Dieckmann; Secretary, Vera Stern; Treasurer, Rose Cira. Outgoing president Susan Johnson who served in that capacity for almost two years, was presented with a dozen roses in gratitude for her dedication and hard work as an active member of the Board.
The following poem is by black authoress Ntozake Shange, from her book, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. For Colored Girls... is a choreopoem currently playing on the Hanna Theatre stage. The complete poem, of which the following is an excerpt, chronicles the life of a black woman from childhood to mature adulthood with the joys and pitfalls encountered along the way.
a friend is hard to press charges against if you know him
you must have wanted it
a misunderstanding
you know
these things happen
are you sure
you didn't suggest
had you been drinkin
a rapist is always to be a stranger
to be legitimate
someone you never saw
a man wit obvious problems
pin-ups attached to the insides of his lapels ticket stubs from prono flicks in his pocket a lil dick
or a strong mother
or just a brutal virgin
but if you've been seen in public wit him danced one dance
kissed him good-bye lightly
wit closed mouth
pressin charges will be as hard
as keepin yr legs closed
while five fools try to run a train on you these men friends of ours
who smile nice
stay employed
and take us out to dinner lock the door behind you wit fist in face to fuck
who make elaborate mediterranean dinners &let the art ensemble carry all ethical burdens which they invite a couple friends over to have you are sufferin from latent rapist bravado & we are left wit scars
bein betrayed by men who know us
& expect
like the stranger
we always thot waz comin
that we will submit
we must have known
women relinquish all personal rights
in the presence of a man
who apparently cd be considered a rapist
especially if he has been considered a friend
& is no less worthy of bein beat within an inch of his life being publicly ridiculed
having two fists shoved up his ass
than the stranger
we always thot it wd be
NO
RADE
CENTER
CRISIS
SCHEDULE FOR TRAINING RAPE CRISIS VOLUNTEERS
Those who would like to help us provide services for women who have been victims of rape and related offenses will be interested to know that our next training session begins on January 22.
Anyone who works with CRCC is required to attend six training sessions. All sessions are held on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call Carie Zander for more information.
January 22 Orientation and Self-Defnse
Discussion centers around what rape is, the kinds of rape and types of rapists. Basic selfdefense techniques will also be taught.
January 29Police Procedures
Suggestions are offered on how to work with police effectively. A police officer will explain the police investigative process. CRCC staff will discuss the counselor's role.
February 5 Medical and Hospital Procedures
The medical needs of rape victims are explained, including Information about VD; pregnancy and medical evidence collection. The roles and rights of the patient, advocate and medical personnel are discussed.
February 12. The Law and Legal Procedures
CRCC staff members describe their role as advocates in the legal system. A lawyer will explain the Ohio law and the steps in the legal process. A mock trial will be conducted in which a witness is questioned by a prosecutor and a defense attorney.
February 19 Counseling
A discussion will be led by CRCC counselors about methods of counseling women, children and families in a non-judgmental way. Crisis theory and psychological reactions to rape will be explained. A movie about incest will be shown.
February 26 Hotline Procedures and Telephone Counselling.
Telephone counseling and the responsibilities and importance of hotline work will be the main subjects to be covered at the final training session. Some case histories will be discussed in conjunction with role playing in small groups..
who never shoed up cuz it turns out the nature of rape has changed we can now meet them in circles we fregent for companionship we see them at the coffee house
wit someone else wè know
we cd even have em over for dinner & get raped in our own house by invitation
a friend
Ntozake Shange
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CRCC Newsletter for a Holiday Gift
What She Wants/December, 1977/page13