Groped on Muni in the Morning
Photo by Jamison Wieser
Reader “A.F.” (real name withheld) sent us this disturbing account of being groped on Muni.
This morning, I was zoning out on the N train, when I realized that the guy in front of me was groping my crotch. His fingers were moving up and down in a way that didn’t seem accidental (though it might have been, I’m still not entirely sure, as it was a crowded train). I blurted out: “you just groped me.” Reaction? Complete silence, from him, and from the rest of the train. He got out at the next stop.
There are plenty of articles and unofficial polls about how frequently this happens. There’s no way to prove it, but I wanted to say or do something. Does anyone know if there are any official statistics collected on this issue? I was surprised that Muni’s website had no information on this topic.
What would you do? Or if you were on the train, watching?
The Bay Citizen reported earlier this year that sexual assault on public transportation is vastly under-reported. And sadly, A.F.’s account is one of many reports that we’ve received from readers about being groped on public transit.
Would you report this to the police if it happened to you? What do you think bystanders should do?
