Ple

REPORT FROM GOLDFLOWER

Kathy Thomas Is At Home

Kathy Thomas was released from prison on an appeal hond on Monday, September 11. Her bond was set at $15,000. The administrator at Marysville told Kathy's attorneys that she is only the second woman to have heen released from that facility on an appeal hond since she has heen there.

Kathy plans to return to her job at the Cleveland Catholic Diocese.

Kathy Thomas was convicted of killing her common-law husband on June 20, 1978. She was sentenced by Common Pleas Judge James P. Kilbane to 15 years to life in prison. Her appeal is expected to take about 2 or 3 years.

(NOTE: Judge Kilbane is up for re-election in November. His opposition, Andrew Lee, is a respected black attorney in Cleveland.)

SELF-DEFENSE GUIDE

REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN WHO DEFEND THEMSELVES in response to physical or SEXUAL ASSAULT, by Elizabeth Schneider and Susan Jordan with the assistance of Cristina C. Arguedas, published by the Center for Constitutional Rights, 1978.

The basic premise of this 30-page pamphlet is that "(T)he acts of men and women are subject to a different set of legal expectations and standards" and that ''(T)he law clearly does not permit a woman to protect herself to the same extent a man may protect himself."'

Elizabeth M. Schneider represented Yvonne Wanrow in her appeal in the Washington Supreme Court, and Susan B. Jordan represented Inez Garcia in her appeal and retrial, and they are co-counsel for Yvonne Wanrow in her retrial. Cristina C. Arguedas, a second-year law student, worked with the Wanrow defense team. Schneider and Jordan state that:

Our analysis assumes that an act of homicide by a woman is reasonable to the same extent that it is reasonable when committed hy a man. We do not argue for a separate legal standard for women. However, sex-based stereotypical views of women, especially women who act violently, and a male orientation built into the law prevent an equal application of the law.

They outline the possibilities of defending women on ''self-defense'', a defense we all thought we had a right to, but are just learning that, in fact, we have

not.

Case law

allows the use of deadly force to prevent forcible sodomy between males, but has not yet sanctioned a woman's right to repel a rape.

While sexual and physical assaults plague women from all economic and racial backgrounds, the judicial and law enforcement systems are even less responsive to women from minority and poor communities.

Most of Representation of Women Who Defend Themselves is instruction for attorneys in preparing a plea of self-defense or impaired mental state, and has อ whole section on "Trial Tactics and Strategies", but every serious feminist should have her own copy, available from the Center for Constitutional Rights, 853 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10005, for $1.00. Next time, it might be you.

.. Louise Thompson Working Feminista

Page 2/What She Wants/October, 1978

4

OFF MY BREAST

DIGGING DIRT IN MICHIGAN

Bring 6,000 wimmin together on 200 acres of land and the experience is bound to be overwhelming for most of us.

I was so enchanted with the land that 1 took my vacation and went early this year, trading lahor for the chance to spend time talking with the quaking aspen trees, who help to heal me from the ravages of the world. As I sat in surprising serenity, maked beside the creek each afternoon in the heat of the day, the Goddess taught me that nothing is perfect. The trees were gorgeous, making delicate patterns with the blue of the sky overhead. The water was calm and quiet, sparkling in the sun. The air was soft, and I was alone except for the wild noises of the woods. The mosquitos dive-bombed my ears, and the flies bit. I ignored the irritations and enjoyed the rare beauty around me.

I worked half of every day. Monday morning I got up at dawn, and after breakfast, I began to move dirt. It was the second time this particular dirt had been moved. The first time it was shoveled out of the ground to the sides of the hole we meant to use as a fire pit for cooking. A few of us did that on Sunday. Now I was up early the next morning to scatter the earth, mostly sand, and get it away from the sides of the pit. If any of us in the small group of wimmin who collected to do the digging had had any experience with dirt, we might have saved half the energy and scattered it in the first place, or we could have put it in wheelbarrows. But we had only one wheelbarrow, and no one was willing to haul.

So I moved dirt and thought about it a lot. The meadow looked nice with the ferns and the small trees, larger trees in the distance, all works of the Goddess. Some small wild part of me hated the ugly hole in the midst of the natural meadow, but we needed to feed a lot of wimmin. So I shoveled to make the edges of the hole safe for wimmin to stand

on.

I was lucky to be shoveling dirt at dawn. I could quit when it We were all volunteers, got hot. helping set up when we felt like it. Only people in bondage have to work in the heat of the day.

The sun climbed higher in the sky, and other wimmin came to join me. We worked hard setting up for that festival. The power line was brought in, stages built, tents erected, latrines for disabled wimmin hammered together, piles of rock moved by hand, a parking road built, all in less than two weeks by less than two dozen wimmin. I was fit for nothing more complicated than digging dirt, but other wimmin knew a whole lot, and we got it together; despite the heat and the tornados. And then, suddenly, thousands of wimmin began to arrive, and the stream just didn't stop.

We were amazing, we wimmin. I complained a lot at the time about the confusion, but in retrospect, the job was done better than anyone else could have done it with so little money, so spontaneous a group of workers. I never did such hard physical labor in my life, or felt so free.

6,000 wimmin could be quite a community if we organized ourselves. We even had a veterinarian when a womon's dog was sick. I was surprised at how well everything worked. The electrical stuff held together, and there was lots of food. Wimmin were arriving continuously from everywhere, and suddenly there was so much work and all of it being done by wimmin who had just arrived and wanted to help.

Friday night the Goddess sent a terrible storm. I was lucky to be mostly dry with good wimmin companions. Two other members of the WSW Collective were dropped off in the dark in the rain and wandered around for an hour and a half hefore they found shelter.

Saturday night 6,000 wimmin cheered as the full moon rose. Flashlights danced in the dark. There were candles, and the Goddess made the moon rise. I am so glad I was there.

Sweet Honey in the Rock, a group of four black wimmin who sing a capella, were magnificent, and they ended the music festival. I was lucky to spend some time in their workshop Saturday afternoon such heautiful color in their faces as they sat in the shade of a tree singing with us. I do not feel competent to write a music review of the festival Į just soaked it up. Praises to Oven Productions for bringing Sweet Honey in the Rock to Cleveland this coming December.

I walked off the land Monday morning at dawn. I had spent the night in my sleeping bag under the stars in a grove of quaking aspen trees. They were talking quietly when I got up. I put one foot in front of the other, went to my car in the "merchants' parking lot, and drove away,

I know I will be a better activist in the year to come because I got some heautiful energy at the Third Annual Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. I'm still not sure if I even met all the members of the WWTM Collective. There didn't seem to be very many, Goddess bless them for the work they're doing. Nothing is perfect, but in between the irritation and the complaints we all will surely let them know about, I think most of us had fun, tasted freedom. and saw the beauty in us all, we wimmin I hope they can do it again next year.

Barbara Louise

CWW Giving Bankers the Blues

On July 6, 1978, Cleveland Women Working released a report which charged Cleveland's five largest banks with "affirmative inaction. This came as no surprise to most women and minority workers at Cleveland Trust, Central National, National City, Society and Union Commerce.

In response to CWW's demand for government investigation, the Office of Federal Compliance Programs of the Department of Labor is scheduled to begin looking into positions, pay and promotions available to women and minority workers in the employment practices of these banking institutions. Non-compliance with government affirmative action programs can carry severe penalties. Federal deposits may be withheld or cancelled.

These are a few of CWW's findings: Women comprise 63 percent of the banking workforce, but only 16 percent of upper level Official/Manager jobs.

Women held only 8.9 percent of the top 20 percent of jobs, but 86 percent of the bottom 20 percent,

Minority workers comprise 14.5 percent of the bank workforce, but only 3.8 percent of all Official/ Manager jobs.

Minority workers held only 2.7 percent of the top 20 percent of jobs, but 24.3 percent of the bottom 20 percent.

For further information, contact Cleveland Women Working, 1258 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Ohio 44115, 566-8511,