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Turmoil at Rape Crisis Center

The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center was formed eight years ago to give direct aid to victims of rape and to provide a united voice to women to cry out against their oppression. The logo chosen by the collective, a nightingale, symbolized the right of women to speak out against rape rather than suffer in silence.

As the Center grew, its collective structure was changed to a hierarchical one, for reasons of increased efficiency and because many funding organizations require a traditional structure. The Center now has three levels-Trustees, paid staff, and volunteer advocates. However, the change from a collective to a stratified structure has caused serious problems, including lack of communication and outright hostility, which have decreased the direct service aspects of the Center. There is inadequate coordination among the three strata, and the situation at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center has deteriorated into an “us against them” posture.

Rumors have recently been flying through the women's community of internal conflicts which could have a potentially disastrous effect on the Center's direct service function. Allegations of racism, homophobia and misuse of funds have been made against some members. In an effort to understand the chaos, WSW talked with several members of the paid staff and volunteer advocates. However, both Janice Rench, Executive Director, and Barbara Hartford, President of the Board of Trustees, declined to comment at this time on the problems at the Center.

In July of 1982, three of the four paid staff members at the Center filed grievances against its Executive Director. The grievances concerned deteriorating working conditions and morale problems affecting both the paid staff and the volunteer advocate staff. In accordance with the grievance procedure adopted by the Board of Trustees, the grievants met with the Grievance Committee of the Board and presented their positions. The Executive Director made her presentation to the Committee at a later time. After the presentations, the Committee made the following recommendations: 1) that no one be fired or reprimanded at this time; 2) that job descriptions be rewritten; 3) that a facilitator be hired to work out problems between the paid staff and the Executive Director; and 4) that one or more Board members come into the Center on a weekly basis to mediate problems between paid staff and the Executive Director.

According to Trilby Blockum-N'goma, former Justice System Education Coordinator for the Center and one of the grievants, “The Grievance Committee was a cruel joke with the staff being used as the vehicle of jest. The one and only black woman asked to sit on the Committee didn't even learn about the meeting that was to decide the fate of each one of us, supposedly because the notice was sent to the wrong address. When the recommendations were given to us, it was also suggested that we resign. Of course, we refused, but it became clear that each one of us would be forced by mental harassment into leaving”. Despite the recommendations of the Grievance Committee, Volunteer Coordinator Marie Hasek, one of the grievants, was fired by the Executive Director on August 30. She had been with the Center for 41⁄2 years. Trilby Blockum-N’goma resigned on October 4, and WSW has been told that the third grievant will also resign very soon.

As of the beginning of October, none of the Grievance Committee recommendations dealing with interpersonal relations at the Center had been fol-

lowed, and in fact the grievances have not been discussed by the full Board. New job descriptions were adopted by the Board on September 22, but without any real discussion, especially regarding staff

POWER

WOVEN

workload, one of the major probems.

Clearly, the situation at the Rape Crisis Center is serious. Lynn Clark, a volunteer advocate, blames the Center's troubles mainly on the fact that since the move to a business structure, the viewpoint at the C'enter is far less feminist. The orientation is now more toward the business aspects of the Center, which the Board contends the volunteers do not (continued on page 13)

Take Back the Night

Live in

FRICHT

CLEVELAND WOMEN

TAKE BACK

THE NIGHT

1930

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win f

in

WOMEN

UNITE!

NIGHT

On October 2, over 150 women and children joined in the fourth annual Take Back the Night March. Waving posters and chanting the traditional slogans, marchers filled the streets with an enthusiasm beyond their numbers, turning the heads of passersby as they marched down Euclid and back up Prospect, center of Cleveland's porn shops.

The program and music at the Cleveland State Law School following the march was especially informative this year. Trilby Blockum-N’goma, Justice Systems Coordinator of the Rape Crisis Center, spoke on rape as the "American way” and urged us to break our own patterns of passive-submissive behavior to protect ourselves. Deb McCormick, volunteer at the Rape Crisis Center and self-defense instructor, gave a brief talk and demonstration of self-defense (see photo), assuring us, through her words and moves, that

Stoo

Photos by Louise Luczak

1979 1980

THE NIGHT

anyone can learn self-defense and dramatically increase her chance of resisting rape. All of the speeches were interpreted for the hearing impaired by Dianne Fishman. The program ended with fine music by Deb Adler, local singer and guitarist who has lent her time and talents to numerous benefits and women's causes.

October-November, 1982/What She Wants/Page 1