Speaker Quinn, Council Members, the Alliance Against Sexual Assault and the Center for Anti-Violence Education will share tips to keep residents safe

City Hall, NY— Following a string of sexual assaults in Manhattan, Speaker Christine C. Quinn and the City Council Women’s Caucus today announced they will host a Public Safety Meeting on Monday, April 16 with the Alliance Against Sexual Assault and the Center for Anti-Violence Education to discuss the recent attacks and how residents can protect themselves against assault.

“No one should be made to feel unsafe in the neighborhoods where they live and work because of a predator on the loose,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “Our meeting is a chance for the public to hear from the NYPD and safety experts about these attacks and will empower residents with the information they need to stay safe.”

The meeting will take place at 8:00 a.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. Speaker Quinn and the Council will be joined by the NYPD Special Victims Unit who will provide updates on the attack and experts and advocates who will discuss how community members can protect themselves.

“All New Yorkers should feel safe in their own neighborhoods, and these activities will help us fight back against the criminals and perverts who sexually assault women,” said Council Member Jessica Lappin.
“Unfortunately, despite the recent drop in overall crime in New York City there is always a need for self-defense classes and public safety meetings. The perverted criminals who sexually harass New Yorkers, especially women, are still in our streets,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “Despite the hard work of the police to catch and arrest them, we need to be educated on how to be safe and how to work with the NYPD to apprehend these offenders. The good news is over the years non-profit organizations have taught self-defense to thousands of people, and there is lots of helpful information to be shared through these classes and meetings.”

Speaker Quinn and the Council will also host a free, borough wide, self-defense training, led by the Center for Anti-Violence Prevention at Hunter College on Tuesday, April 24. The class will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Fencing Room in the basement of the West building and will empower citizens on how to protect themselves from becoming victims of sexual assault.

“It is so important to spread awareness when serial attacks, like this one, occur in our local communities,” said Council Member Margaret Chin, who handed out flyers translated into Chinese at Canal and Centre Street this morning. “The more eyes that are looking out for this predator the more swiftly he will be apprehended. The most recent attack occurred in my district and we won’t let it happen again. I urge women across Manhattan to participate in our self-defense class and arm themselves with the tools they need to protect themselves in an emergency.”

“The Center for Anti-Violence Education has been providing self-defense and violence prevention programs for communities especially at risk of violence including women, youth and the LGBT community for 37 years,” said Tracy Hobson, Executive Director. “While we know that it is NEVER the fault of the person who is attacked, we also know that there are skills and strategies that we can use to keep ourselves and our loved ones as safe as possible. We’re happy to be partnering with the City Council to be providing classes on these skills throughout the community.”

“We are concerned about the recent sexual assaults and want to do everything we can to equip students and residents with the information they need to defend themselves,” said Jennifer Raab, President of Hunter College. “I’m proud Hunter College will be hosting the City Council’s self-defense course and I thank Speaker Quinn and the City Council for their continued work on this important issue.”

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