Nightmare on Castro Street

Nine people were killed at the notorious Castro Street Halloween Party last year, causing the city to cancel this years festivities. Last year wasn't the only Nightmare on Castro Street, in 2006 I had one of my own.

I lived up the hill in Noe Valley and got dressed up with friends in our adorable Edwardian flat.  I dressed as a sorority girl/dyke in the closet with the letters DKE on my sweatshirt. I trekked down Castro St. with my roommates and girlfriend into the sea of people.

My friends and I were snaking through the dense crowd when I suddenly felt someone's hand grab and hold onto my crotch from behind. Almost instantly his other hand was holding my breast. I started screaming, and the crowd around stepped back, creating a circle of space around us. The guy behind me didn't let go. I yelled at the crowd for help. They just stared back at me. I told them I didn't know this guy, but nobody did anything. They just stared. I finally wrenched myself out of his grip and turned around to face the 6'4" drunk, and he immediately grabbed my wrists. I tried to pull away, but his hands just gripped me tighter. I kept asking the crowd to help, and suddenly someone did.

Out of nowhere, my 5'2" girlfriend seemed to leap through the air. She landed on my attacker and he fell to the ground. She perched on top of him, and began slugging him in the face, over and over again. The crowd stood therein disbelief as this mighty 25 year old woman beat the hell out of this big strong man. I started to get really scared as his friends started yelling at her. I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her off him. We took of running through the crowd, and didn't stop until we found police on the outskirts of the Castro. They were no help. We sat down on the curb at that gas station on Market St. I asked her how she did that, as I cried and thanked her. Jenn explained she had taken self defense classes, which had taught her how powerful and strong she was. She saved me from that Nightmare on Castro Street.

Comments

[peacegoddess]

Wow, that's what friends are for! I went to Castro 3 years ago and it was unreal. The BART was packed in so tightly that I couldn't breath. If only we could transform all this energy on Halloween night into something for positive change. Instead of handing out candy, lets give voter registration cards or political buttons. Instead of getting drunk and walking across the streets of San Francisco, lets join hands in a march for women's lives.

[efemme]

That is a kick ass story that was so nice to hear after my trip this past weekend to Santa Barbara.
As we drove along the beautiful coast, I thought I would regret making the decision to move to up to Berkeley. The beach was beautiful, the weather pretty much perfect and everyone was riding their beach cruiser bikes along the streets.
Why then, later that night did I find myself in a microcosm of hell wanting to get into the car and get the hell back up to Berkeley?
As the streets crowded with people, I realized I had never seen so many half naked women and gawking men in my life. One guy was yelling to his friend "Dude, shes already drugged" while another was peeing on the leg of a girl passed out. My group of friends ended up taking a lost, half naked, 16 year old cowgirl along with us for the entire night after several guys started approaching and grabbing her.
Although this Halloween tradition began as a social and political protest in the 70's it has now become a breeding ground for alcohol abuse, sexual harrassment and even assault. I found myself sickened by the comments made by many of the men, including one that was shouted at me from the top of a roof by a guy in purple spandex: "the slut parade doesnt begin til next week". I was walking back in my pajama pants and sweatshirt from getting coffee.
Like Peacegoddess suggested, why cant the 20-30,000 young people that congregated to the streets in IV to get drunk and not remember the night, instead take up the streets and walk together for creating positive changes?

[mmminteresting]

Wow. These stories are indeed horrible. It reminds me of going to Lake Havasu for Labor Day weekend when I was in college. It was an experience I never want to recreate.

Many drunk guys and drunk girls in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but continue drinking.

So many guys were groping all us girls. I'm so glad I didn't have too much to drink that night because I was able to not only defend myself, but also take them on.

At one point I was so frustrated that I started hitting the guys back (on the chest or arm) who were groping me. I started shouting "Alright, who else wants to touch me!?" And then hitting them.

I don't think I've ever been to such a meat-market. And it just inevitable that some girls were raped there.

How did we get to such a place in our culture that some men feel free to touch women's bodies and we are 'bitches' when we tell them to stop?

It's like our bodies are not our own... So very frustrating...

[norcal]

After reading these stories, only one phrase comes to mind.... "Pepper Spray". Big, 1980's Aqua Net sized can of pepper spray. Sexual assault is assault and being a drunk moron isn't and excuse. Since it's assault, it should be dealt with like any other assault.