I Will Never Stay Silent ~ Standing Up to Abuse

We all make mistakes. This guy made a BIG one.

I was just trying to do my job and all hell quietly broke loose, in a split second and very quietly … Assault isn't always violent, and it for sure isn’t always caught on camera. The audacious and illegal swipe of his hand between my legs as I accepted his offer to shoot pool is a felony.

But for my sake, I had to forgive him. We are all MORE than our worst day and our worst horribly mistaken decisions.

Drawn out for nearly six months, this is the culmination of pressing charges against vile and unacceptable behavior. The local newspaper witnessed my statement, reached out immediately for an interview and came to my home later that week. The resulting newspaper article 📰:

https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/local-news/2020/06/woman-shares-story-of-reporting-sexual-assault-when-most-dont/‍ ‍

IF YOU DO NOT GIVE EXPLICIT PERMISSION, IT'S SEXUAL ASSAULT. Too often we brush aside the times we DID SAY NO & it happened anyway. That only blurs the line further and even enables these incidents to keep occurring. The lack of self awareness for many requires we bring the necessary attention to certain situations to ideally help keep them from repeating further … We need to protect ourselves (and by extension others) as no one else can and KNOW OUR VALUE. Demanding boundaries & setting a clear line not to be crossed is vital so we can collectively start stomping out such disgusting behavior. We CAN leave this world better than when we entered it ... Your story is your power - START TELLING IT TODAY💪🏼💯💥

The term “sexual assault” means ANY non-consensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, Tribal or State law, including when the victim lacks capacity to consent.

Merriam Webster's definition of sexual assault: illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (such as a doctor) in a position of trust or authority.