The shambles that is Reclaim the Night on Facebook

[Wandawomble]

I’ve already seen them doing a vote as to whether they should shut down women talking about what a woman. What a mess and so very very sick of this gaslighting.

Reclaim the night or these streets?

There is a Reclaim the Streets, Reclaim These Streets and Reclaim the Night which was the original one launched around the time of Jack the Ripper wasn't it?

I'm sure it's deliberate.

(I hear refunds are being issued by Just Giving now.)

Reclaim the streets was a 90s community thing though wasn’t it? Not a woman’s thing. Of course it’s deliberate. Much cuckooing the name.

Much cuckooing the name.

Seems to be a theme.

The time of Peter Sutcliffe, I don’t think they go back to Jack the Ripper ohholy

Oops meant streets but fascinating to know about the other one!

I have just joined the Reclaim These Streets Facebook page, I don't think I'll last long there.

Really shocking for me are the calls to support sex workers. In that women are not supposed to oppose lap dancing clubs because women want to work there.

The feminist anti porn/prostitution position is massively misrepresented as being against the women involved in porn and prostitution. I have never come across a feminist who doesn't support women, just that women in my position think porn and prostitution damages the women involved because it treats them as objects. And that we should aspire to a culture that treats women as people.

And that no jobs should be demeaning. Sexual activity should only ever be undertaken because a woman wants to, not because she needs to do it to earn a living.

And men who pay to leer at naked women or pay to have unwanted sex with women are beneath my contempt. Men can be so much better than this.

Peter Sutcliffe of course. Thanks Delirium.
I'm getting confused with all the similar sounding names.

I'm donating to the Suzy Lamplugh Truzt and Women's Aid.

I think the crowdfunder for RTS on just giving is being investigated.

The Facebook page sounds awful new - like we need more women telling everyone who stops by that sex work is work.

And in a wholly unexpected move, it appears that a number of chaps and TW are suggesting that the admin group needs more 'diverse' voices. No doubt that'll be the next stage of the take-over once they've kicked out any actual feminists.

Yes it has become a bit of a mess.
Im hanging in there for now but the sex work is work and casual use of swerf and terf are making me uncomfortable.
The post about the strip club was just awful and the mods seem to turn commenting off before people can comment with evidence.
Someone commented that their friends worked as strippers and found it empowering.
I wanted to reply if its empowering how come the people with the actual power don't need or want to do it?
Then theres the fact that sex work is such an empowering choice but at the same time sex workers are so marginalised and victimised. Which is it because it can't be both unless I'm missing something.
Glad I didnt give anything to the fund.
My local group seem much more sensible and like we might actually get something done rather than infighting.

we'll just have to go underground
does anyone remember how to do telephone trees?

@JosieJarker

Yes it has become a bit of a mess. Im hanging in there for now but the sex work is work and casual use of swerf and terf are making me uncomfortable. The post about the strip club was just awful and the mods seem to turn commenting off before people can comment with evidence. Someone commented that their friends worked as strippers and found it empowering. I wanted to reply if its empowering how come the people with the actual power don't need or want to do it? Then theres the fact that sex work is such an empowering choice but at the same time sex workers are so marginalised and victimised. Which is it because it can't be both unless I'm missing something. Glad I didnt give anything to the fund. My local group seem much more sensible and like we might actually get something done rather than infighting.

Interesting, my local group have 'questions designed to weed out the TERFs' before you can join so I've given that a miss.

The main issue I had with the main page was that every second post was a man cookie-hunting: I'm Nigel and I think raping people is really bad, can you tell me how I can learn more about not raping people. Nah mate, you're alright.

Well I suppose paydays are empowering.

Its mad isn't it. The state of modern discourse.
Many people with this position really mean Work is empowering because you get paid.

That is a shame about your local group hold.
There are defo some twaw in mine but at the moment dont seem to be taking over.
We're planning a walk/demo, identifying dangerous areas in the city to engage with the police/council about, other stuff that might actually make a difference to womens safety in the city or raise awareness about the problems.
Which the main group dont seem to really be doing anything useful at this point.
Agree about the man cookies, its an open group so anyone can comment or like, there have been a lot of laugh reacts to women sharing some quite awful and disturbing stories.
I will not be sharing mine there even anonymously.

The thing that I find painful is that a lot of women who seem very new to the world of protest are posting the most intimate, painful things on a public site, under their real names, under the gaze of a bunch of TRA manipulators, who intersperse these posts with "we must crack down on TERFS because this groups isn't safe for me otherwise". Because what a women's action site really needs is to ban a bunch of women. It's absolutely heartbreaking in every aspect.

It being an open group makes all the talk about safe spaces kind of redundant.
Women are sharing stories of csa and violent rapes that any man can laugh react to, but sharing resources about the Nordic model makes people unsafe.
That makes no sense.

There's an existing thread about this www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4193924-Reclaim-These-Streets-have-been-captured with the hope that anything that seemed concerning would be in one place.

Reclaim the Night - feminist demonstrations against male violence

Reclaim the Streets - cycle campaign?

Reclaim These Streets - safety for women on the street - pollitics unclear but coopted by Sisters Uncut, SWP etc..

Cross posted with you ArcheryAnnie and I've been uncomfortable with the sharing since the start, obviously if it helps people thats ok but its obvious that the wrong kind of people will be reading and getting a sick kick out of it.

Lots of women joining and donating who will assume it's reclaim the night and will not be aware of the idpol stuff etc.

I think I learned so much from the relationships board on mumsnet about having good boundaries and expectations of men, before I even got here.

What's their solution to an adult male troll laughing at all posts? It's to get his mum to publicly call him out.

Funny, but FFS, expecting his mum to deal with his adult behaviour.

Reclaim the streets was a 90s global thing - I think it was even going until fairly recently. It was more of a (Generally - but there’s always some element of idiots) non violent campaign - kind of like flash mob street parties. It was to highlight lack public spaces for pedestrians, kids to play etc.

Sadly they are being mistaken for this shower of ***. So people think ‘oh that’s been around for years’. Mistake? Or false legitimacy?

I couldn't join that group. As soon as I saw men were there I declined. I'm in a radfem alternative group and women are feeding back about men calling women cunts and the woman being booted for provoking it, insistence that the group needs to be public whilst women are posting intimate stories of rape and assault, men mansplaining and #notallmen all over the place and blatant money grubbing. Someone said that there are no adults in charge and that is exactly what it seems like.

I worked in the 3rd sector for a while.

You do find some people who want to ‘do something’ and set up a group of organisation - not much experience or understanding. It generally starts out with pity or outrage - and the attitude that ‘I can fix this’ rather than ‘we need to do something’. Won’t listen to advice or ask people who have experience.

No proper plans or goals. Lacking the maturity or actual understanding of the people they want to ‘help’ (and by help I mean ‘oh you poor poor thing! Here take this - no, not that - this. This is what you want - yes it is - well piss off you ungrateful bastard...’). Attracts people more interested in themselves - who aren’t keen to mop the wee and vomit from the church hall floors when you’ve been hanging out coats and food to the local shelters. You can’t be bawling when a teenager comes to you for socks and warmth, and they are too scared to go home in case mum has made another suicide attempt. It’s not pretty banners, making up chants and slogans and having your face on the telly.

It’s ego trip and a flipping distraction. There's the genuine and the ones you can’t see lasting their next infatuation or ‘project’.

I have met with some brilliant charity workers and organisers - some amazing charities have been set up by school kids who have insight and common sense beyond their years. I loved working in that industry - and it is really exhausting, heartbreaking but also Inspiring.

I went on Reclaim the Night matches in Leeds when I first went to uni in 1980. Peter Sutcliffe hadn’t yet been caught, a second year student had been murdered on her way home from the library and the police were telling women not to go anywhere on their own after dark.

The university set up the Women’s Safety Minibus as a free taxi service to get women home safely after a night out. I remember on one occasion the minibus stopped to pick up one woman and some male students rushed over and tried to get in too.

These days I expect the women passengers would be described as transphobic for not letting them in.

What is the radfem alrernative group?
I'd love to join.