Crime & Safety

Hundreds Show up for Safe Slope Rally to Protest Sexual Assaults

The rally, "Take Back Our Streets," received a huge turnout, taking the streets.

A group of seven women, who are determined to walk the streets at night without fear, started the rally last night as a simple gathering of neighbors to protest the string of sexual assaults in the area, but it quickly turned into a few hundred people walking together in solidarity.

Thanks to Safe Slope’s “,” police closed the northbound side of Fourth Avenue, as the crowd of neighbors, council members, anti-rape groups and community self-defense centers, protested the two suspects who are linked to nine different sexual attacks and at least one rape, filled the usually busy Avenue, from 17th to 25th streets. 

“The rally was a success, but I wish we didn’t have to do the rally in the first place,” said Liza Trinkle, a co-founder of the Safe Slope organization, that has been working with businesses and local residents to organize Safe Spaces at establishments that are open late and a Safe Walk program, a volunteer-run program to walk people home who feel unsafe. “But we did what we needed to do, bring the community together.” 

Find out what's happening in Park Slopewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The rally's starting site, at the Prospect Avenue R train subway station, is near the location of the , which occurred at 8:30 p.m. Police confirmed nine attacks in South Slope, Park Slope and Sunset Park with two suspects.

The rally went up to 25th Street and eventually gathered at the Detective Joseph Mayrose Park, at 17th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Find out what's happening in Park Slopewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Once the protesters, holding candles and glow sticks and chanting back and forth, “What do we want?” “Safe streets!” “When do we want them?” “Now!”, gathered in the park, Jessica Silk and Trinkle, co-founders of Safe Slope, stood on a milk crate and took turns with the mike.

They told neighbors and community members that the rally was meant to start our own conversation about safety, raise awareness of sexual assault, teach self-defense moves, and declare solidarity with one another to be a cohesive community that sticks together and will not tolerate sexual violence.

“We come here because we are proactive, not reactive, and we are providing immediate solutions,” Trinkle said to the crowd.  

Annie Ellman, who is the founder of the , jumped on the green crate and showed the crowd how to defend themselves during a surprise attack:

  • First, use your voice. A strong commanding voice, stating, “Get away from me!” This will help you think faster, be more able to react, and scare your attacker. “You’re voice is your most powerful weapon,” Ellman said.
  • Second, if the attacker comes from behind, jab an elbow straight back into their ribs.
  • Third, if a perp tries to take you down from the front, or is on top of you, use the heel of your palm to strike upwards, hitting the nose at it's base, near the nostril openings. 

“Women are feeling scared, feeling they need support and need to come together to build our strength,” Ellman said while she walked into the park. “It is a wonderful showing of men and women of all different races who believe we all should live in a world free of violence. Our individual and collective safety has to be respected.” 

There are three free classes, sponsored by Council members Sara González and Brad Lander. The first class is already filled, but the second and third ones are on Monday September 19, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at PS 10 (at 511 Seventh Avenue at 17th Street) and Tuesday September 20, at the same place and time.

Other suggestions Safe Slope and other groups made last night were:

  • Never wear headphones or earbuds while walking home, stay alert, be aware of your surroundings.
  • If you are being followed cross the street and change your pace, do not lead an attacker to your home, but rather to an open store or a populated place.
  • You can choose to ignore or respond to a verbal harasser, depending on your comfort level, but always remain aware of the person or group while also looking for potential allies in the area.
  • Do not walk in unlit areas
  • If someone cannot meet you at the subway or bus stop, make sure to have your keys in hand before you leave the train or bus. 
  • If you are assaulted immediately contact the police. 

The evening was a full of other voices, such as first-person stories of sexual abuse, the different kinds of sexual assault and rape, which can be done by a lover, partner or friend. Council members Brad Lander, Sara Gonzalez and Letitia James all stood on the milk crate and spoke to the crowd too.

But one of New York City’s oldest community defense groups, the Guardian Angels, were out in full force, giving support to the new community organizations and the NYPD. 

“We have been telling people to come out and not to let the negative element take over the streets, because the streets belong to the hard-working people, not to the pervs and the savages, ” said Benjamin Garcia, who was outside on the corner of Fourth Avenue and 17th Street by 11 a.m. Wednesday to tell people about the rally. “Honestly, somebody who does things like this is not even human, he is a savage."

Garcia, whose codename is EQ, short for the “The Equalizer,” has been an Angel for 25 years and said he'll be out with his crew in the same place tonight, from 7 to 8 p.m. to patrol the neighborhood. 

"Let’s all work together as one, with the finest police department: the NYPD, and have community watches to remove the people who shouldn’t be there attacking the innocent," Garcia said. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.