The situation:
In the spring and summer of 2008, an unknown man now referred to as the "Garneau Rapist" broke into the homes of four women and sexually assaulted them. The first attack happened in February to a 24-year-old woman near 111 Street and 81 Avenue. In May, a 47-year-old woman at the same home was attacked. Later that month, a 21-year-old woman was attacked in her home near 111 Street and 80 Avenue. On Aug. 9, a 68-year-old woman living in the Aspen Gardens neighbourhood was sexually assaulted by the same man.
The police response to the situation was to warn women to "lock their doors and windows", while no specific information about the perpetrator was given out. The vague warnings and media sensationalism contributed to a community of fear. Women were afraid to go out at night, afraid to walk home alone, and afraid to be by themselves. Now, over a year later, the police say that they are still investigating but no charges have been laid.
Our response:
The truth is that when a woman is raped, other women react. It didn't feel like it was our community anymore. There was a common thread of fear overwhelming our streets and avenues. Our response to the situation was a poster campaign with messages handwritten by a number of people in this community. Messages like "Start Questioning Offenders instead of Survivors" and "Rapist - turn yourself in!" were scrawled, painted, and imprinted onto poster after poster. The poster campaign is about shaping the space we live in and having a hand in defining our public spaces. Garneau is a community full of feminist folks and when we walk down the street we wanted to be able to see and feel that. It's also about defining where we can get knowledge - in Garneau it exists on street lamps, on fire hydrants, and at bus terminals.
More than that, it's about combatting common rape myths and providing a space for a critique of the police and media.
In the spring and summer of 2008, an unknown man now referred to as the "Garneau Rapist" broke into the homes of four women and sexually assaulted them. The first attack happened in February to a 24-year-old woman near 111 Street and 81 Avenue. In May, a 47-year-old woman at the same home was attacked. Later that month, a 21-year-old woman was attacked in her home near 111 Street and 80 Avenue. On Aug. 9, a 68-year-old woman living in the Aspen Gardens neighbourhood was sexually assaulted by the same man.
The police response to the situation was to warn women to "lock their doors and windows", while no specific information about the perpetrator was given out. The vague warnings and media sensationalism contributed to a community of fear. Women were afraid to go out at night, afraid to walk home alone, and afraid to be by themselves. Now, over a year later, the police say that they are still investigating but no charges have been laid.
Our response:
The truth is that when a woman is raped, other women react. It didn't feel like it was our community anymore. There was a common thread of fear overwhelming our streets and avenues. Our response to the situation was a poster campaign with messages handwritten by a number of people in this community. Messages like "Start Questioning Offenders instead of Survivors" and "Rapist - turn yourself in!" were scrawled, painted, and imprinted onto poster after poster. The poster campaign is about shaping the space we live in and having a hand in defining our public spaces. Garneau is a community full of feminist folks and when we walk down the street we wanted to be able to see and feel that. It's also about defining where we can get knowledge - in Garneau it exists on street lamps, on fire hydrants, and at bus terminals.
More than that, it's about combatting common rape myths and providing a space for a critique of the police and media.
