KTLA News: "Commission on the Status of Women discusses women’s safety" (1979)

we don't want to live our lives uh which is the way many of us have grown up as women in our society so that we're limiting our Behavior so that we're restricting our activities that's a very intimidating way to go about your life because of your fear of being assaulted however we can live our lives with a level of assertiveness and awareness that makes us know that we're making choices I know that I'm going to continue doing the activities and participating in the the kinds of things that I do now whether they're at night and whether they're in lousy neighborhoods or whether I'm wearing bathing suits or or clothes from my ears to my toes but I want to know that I'm making choices into my as to the kind of behavior I'm using that limits my vulnerabil ab ility and gives me maximum control over my environment to defend himself or herself in the event of an attack but our commission believes the greatest defense for women who are victims of violence and aggravated assault is for all of us to become part of the decision making process and to change the existing attitudes of all people toward women we're trying and you're doing a wonderful job if the same sort of energy and thought we're putting into the other counties and and therefore more responsive to potential and actual victims of rape incest spouse and child abuse and crimes against the elderly ultimately it appears we must deal with systems we must Network cooperate and sit around a table and hash things out Pasadena is a small City gifted with fine public agencies and communitybased services despite its size it is a microcosm of the totality of urban society and therefore can readily serve as a model for urban problem solving the commission sponsored ad hoc committee on crisis Services was born last June when staff of Crisis service hotlines expressed to us yeah um we've already had numerous conversations on this subject and uh um what we have been told is that the fear for individual safety for the offic is so great because of of the statistics of U of officers in the line of duty being harmed or or killed in family violent situations um that there is a lot of individual discretion given to each officer who comes on a scene and each case is just a little bit different than the one they went to before and um and so this is a problem and we will continue to work on this because it's not an excuse though I don't think I mean that's uh yes there are are a tremendous number of percentage wise of of uh police officer killings on domestic calls but I'm thinking more in terms of after the parties have been subdued and the police officer looks to the woman says hey lady do you want to do anything about this why don't you just go home to come um have told such different stories about what an officer had said of course they've seen all different officers and um and how they've handled it and so monitoring that um The Haven house has the shelter has done that and has a full record of those kinds of things yes and so uh we are you know we're working on it but uh you know the important thing is to standardize um some procedures and particular training in sensitization in this area um in the meantime is really important so that women do feel that they have an advocate when a police officer comes on the scene thank you are there other questions or comments we established research and demonstration Center here in Southern California the LA Commission on assaults against women which operates a Rape Crisis Center and has people deal with their vulnerability and there we want to talk uh present the issue of choice as a key factor um and that is that we of the ways in which they can uh be free of victimization so again our approach emphasizes the reduction of the risk of assault the assertive stance or one which relays the message that I take care of myself