STREET HARASSMENT: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
counsels, or assists any person so to expose himself or take part in any model artist exhibition, or to make any other exhibition of himself to public view, or the view of any number of persons, such as is offensive to decency, or is adapted to excite to vicious or lewd thoughts or acts, is guilty of a misdemeanor.” Public exposure is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or by imprisonment in a county jail for up to 6 months. 3 HOW SHOULD HARASSMENT BE REPORTED? e.g. to local police, specific hotlines or other dedicated anti-harassment resources (i)
Palo Alto: If you are in immediate danger, dial 9-1-1. For non-emergency cases of harassment, call the Palo Alto Police Department’s nonemergency number at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be reported to (650) 617-3120.
(ii)
San Francisco: The best way to report an emergency case of street harassment is to dial 9-1-1. The best way to report a non-emergency case of street harassment is to call the SFPD Non-Emergency Information Hotline, at (415) 553-0123.
(iii)
Los Angeles: The best way to report an emergency case of street harassment is to dial 9-1-1. The best way to report a non-emergency case of street harassment is to call the LAPD Non-Emergency Information Hotline, at 1-877-ASK-LAPD (275-5273).
4 WHAT KIND OF PROCESS CAN THE PERSON REPORTING EXPECT? e.g. filling out a report, will it be a permanent record? What kind of information they might need to share, is there a right to anonymity? etc STATE OF CALIFORNIA
It depends. Under CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE 527.6(B)(3), a victim can ask for a civil harassment restraining order, as long as the harasser is not the victim’s spouse, anyone the victim dated, or a close relative of a victim. To ask for a restraining order, the person requesting needs to file court forms with a judge. Details steps for requesting a restraining order, as well as resources that can help a person file, can be found here: Ask for a Restraining Order . (i)
San Francisco: If a person being sexually harassed wishes to stay anonymous, that person should call one of the numbers below, or send a text message to TIP411 (847411), and begin the message with the letters SFPD.
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