July 25, 2011
1. Newblog2011: 07/25/11 Continuing dangers at the shelter
When I walked into the common area this morning at 6:30 a.m., the first thing that happened was that the male half of the newly formed shelter couple that was harassing me last night saw me and said to another male resident “Maybe we can have leftovers.” Before I went into the basement to get my laundry, I said “I don’t know anything about leftovers,” which perhaps wasn’t the nicest thing to say but was the politest thing I could think of at the time.
At about 6:45 a.m., I went into the kitchen and the same guy then leaned on the counter just outside the kitchen in the common area. The female half of the harassing couple walked into the common area outside the kitchen, saw me and starting giving loud, phlegm-producing coughs. She then spit into the trash can in the common area. The kitchen wasn’t built with a door; it’s an open archway into the common area, so I happened to turn around when I heard her coughing and then saw her spit.
The male resident who works at the Price Chopper walked into the kitchen. I asked him how he was. He gave me a nominal answer and then went back out the open door of the kitchen to talk to the male half of the harassing shelter couple. The two of them then had the following conversation:
Male half of harassing couple: Hey man, how you doin’?
Price Chopper employee: I’m ok, except for the ticks.
Male half of harassing couple: When you can’t burn a tick out, you just have to squash it.
As far as I know, the male half of the harassing couple is still married to someone else, a woman who has never been to the shelter. It’s interesting how people who don’t seem particularly interested in sorting out their own lives seem to think that it’s a worthy use of their time to harass me every day.
As of yesterday, someone who works at the shelter has still been buying harassing things and leaving them out for residents to use. The results of those buying sprees aren’t as pervasive throughout the house as they once were, but I wish that the perpetuation and encouragement of the harassment by shelter staff would stop. It’s dangerous to encourage harassment at any time, but it’s especially bad for staff to do that for people in a living situation which is already stressful because there are a lot of people living in a relatively small house, many of whom have criminal histories and/or emotional and substance abuse problems.
The shelter is another place that has a list of rules that residents are supposed to live by; one of the rules is that residents are supposed to use respectful behavior. The problem is that the big harassers are encouraging the destruction of women’s rights. That means that denial is the response given by people who support the destruction of women’s rights to reports by women who object to being harassed. The harassing behavior is excused or even applauded, and the abused women then have to contend with being treated as if they are the ones with the problem.
1. Newblog2011: 07/25/11 Continuing dangers at the shelter, Copyright L. Kochman July 25, 2011 @ 10:40 a.m.
1. Newblog2011: 07/25/11 Continuing dangers at the shelter
When I walked into the common area this morning at 6:30 a.m., the first thing that happened was that the male half of the newly formed shelter couple that was harassing me last night saw me and said to another male resident “Maybe we can have leftovers.” Before I went into the basement to get my laundry, I said “I don’t know anything about leftovers,” which perhaps wasn’t the nicest thing to say but was the politest thing I could think of at the time.
At about 6:45 a.m., I went into the kitchen and the same guy then leaned on the counter just outside the kitchen in the common area. The female half of the harassing couple walked into the common area outside the kitchen, saw me and starting giving loud, phlegm-producing coughs. She then spit into the trash can in the common area. The kitchen wasn’t built with a door; it’s an open archway into the common area, so I happened to turn around when I heard her coughing and then saw her spit.
The male resident who works at the Price Chopper walked into the kitchen. I asked him how he was. He gave me a nominal answer and then went back out the open door of the kitchen to talk to the male half of the harassing shelter couple. The two of them then had the following conversation:
Male half of harassing couple: Hey man, how you doin’?
Price Chopper employee: I’m ok, except for the ticks.
Male half of harassing couple: When you can’t burn a tick out, you just have to squash it.
As far as I know, the male half of the harassing couple is still married to someone else, a woman who has never been to the shelter. It’s interesting how people who don’t seem particularly interested in sorting out their own lives seem to think that it’s a worthy use of their time to harass me every day.
As of yesterday, someone who works at the shelter has still been buying harassing things and leaving them out for residents to use. The results of those buying sprees aren’t as pervasive throughout the house as they once were, but I wish that the perpetuation and encouragement of the harassment by shelter staff would stop. It’s dangerous to encourage harassment at any time, but it’s especially bad for staff to do that for people in a living situation which is already stressful because there are a lot of people living in a relatively small house, many of whom have criminal histories and/or emotional and substance abuse problems.
The shelter is another place that has a list of rules that residents are supposed to live by; one of the rules is that residents are supposed to use respectful behavior. The problem is that the big harassers are encouraging the destruction of women’s rights. That means that denial is the response given by people who support the destruction of women’s rights to reports by women who object to being harassed. The harassing behavior is excused or even applauded, and the abused women then have to contend with being treated as if they are the ones with the problem.
1. Newblog2011: 07/25/11 Continuing dangers at the shelter, Copyright L. Kochman July 25, 2011 @ 10:40 a.m.