Does the DC Council believe rape, violence against women, and sexual assault are DC values?
Although former DC Mayor Marion Barry, Jr. may deserve a statue for his significant contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and the District of Columbia, I oppose the statue because rape, violence against women, and sexual assault are not my values. Nor do I believe they reflect DC’s values or represent our community. Unfortunately, all 13 members of the DC Council think otherwise.
It was less than nine months ago that we, as a nation, began a serious debate about whether Confederate statues must come down. It was a long overdue, but necessary, conversation. In its wake, on November 7, 2017, the District of Columbia Council — by a 13–0 vote — passed a resolution to remove a statue of Confederate Brigadier General Albert Pike from Judiciary Square. In the resolution, the Council explained, “Our public spaces should be reserved to memorialize those who have made exceptional contributions to civic life in a manner that reflects our values and represents our community.” The Council continued, “Societal values can change over the course of time and, accordingly, the public support in 1901 for erection of a statue on public space may not exist in 2017 for the continued presence of that statue.”
Exactly two weeks later, the Council — also by a 13–0 vote — approved a new, $300,000, eight-foot, bronze statue of Barry. Of course, the “Mayor for Life” cannot and should not be compared to confederate leaders; however, despite his contributions, his actions must be judged by today’s values, much like we are reexamining the actions of Bill Clinton, Harvey Weinstein, and Donald Trump.
Barry was a powerful man who used his power to terrorize women. Linda Maynard testified in court that Barry raped her at a hotel in the Virgin Islands in March 1988. Her testimony is harrowing. Not only did Barry force her to have sex with him as she was fighting him off, Maynard testified that, afterwards, he left $50 in her purse.
And, that wasn’t the only reported case. In their book Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, DC, Harry S. Jaffee and Tom Sherwood detail how Barry viewed women. As now-Congressman John Lewis explained to them, “[Barry] was abusive. He knocked women around.”
And there is more. In 1964, Sherwood and Jaffee report, a female civil rights activist accused Barry of sexual assault. She worked at the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an organization Barry was the first chairman of three years prior. At the time, now-Congressman Lewis was the SNCC chairman and believed the charges were serious enough to hold a special executive committee meeting. In the end, Barry paid no consequences.
Not only did Barry never pay the consequences for his treatment of women, the DC government is honoring him with a statue and a ceremony. On Saturday, March 3, 2018, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the entire DC Council invite the public to a ceremony outside the Wilson Building to dedicate this larger-than-life statue. Our 13 Council members have spoken. They believe our public spaces should be reserved to memorialize those who reflect our values and represent our community. They also believe that public space outside the DC government building should be reserved for an accused rapist, batterer, and sexual assaulter.
It is true, as the Council noted, that societal values change over time. However, when the DC Council approved the resolution in November 2017, the nation had already declared that sexual harassment and sexual assault would no longer be tolerated. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand had already said Bill Clinton should have resigned, Harvey Weinstein had already been fired from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and more than 100 Democratic members of Congress were signing a letter asking the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against President Trump. In addition, less than three weeks later, Time Magazine named the #MeToo Movement as Person of the Year.
Rape, violence against women, and sexual assault are not our values. And because they are not my values, I will not attend the March 3rd ceremony. But our Mayor and our 13 council members will. What message does this send to our community, the country, and the world?
