Into the Wilderness: Story 32
On Wednesdays and Fridays, Catina travels into New York City for a city semester focused on art history, art production and the artist’s life. She has loved these classes, meeting artists, seeing artists’ lofts firsthand- they are all messy- exploring great art and the business of art. Catina is not an early riser by nature, but she gets up early for these classes and gets into the City.
Today, Catina’s class visited The MOMA. As with most museums- or all?- these days, they have security measures inspecting or scanning bags and bodies. Catina, who has visited countless other museums with no problems, was refused entry because of a small taser we had bought her.
You may ask why Catina has a taser. If you go back to the beginning of this blog, you’ll be reminded that Catina is a victim of sexual assaults (yes, plural). This incident, which we didn’t know about at the time, started our healing journey. Today, Catina walks on college campuses by herself at night. The taser and a sound alarm help her manage the anxiety of being a lone female in today’s world.
The MOMA escorted Catina out as if she were a criminal. Catina was ready to throw the taser away or hand it off to the guards for safekeeping. She had forgotten it was even in her bag. The guards refused to talk to her, and the professor was even worse. She told Catina this was her fault and left Catina and took her students to whatever designated room for class. Catina wasn’t asking for the teacher to resolve the situation, but the teacher could have taken 30 seconds to walk Catina outside and let her throw the offending item away.
Catina sat outside, crying. She had called me and her aunt who both guided her to throw it away, buy a ticket herself and try to catch up to her class. The advice of the teacher, with whom Catina was texting? “Just go home.”
Catina experienced extreme trauma at a crucial developmental stage, a trauma she committed years of therapy to heal. Her story of recovery is inspiring and brave. Earlier blog entries tell this story. While the professor does not know this, the professor could have spent less than 30 seconds helping to resolve the situation and preserve Catina’s dignity. Instead, the entire class, with the professor, watched as Catina perp-walked out of the MOMA escorted by three guards.
Tasers are legal in New York City. While they cannot be carried into schools and government buildings, they can be brought into private businesses unless posted otherwise. When a business does not permit, consumers are allowed to check bags or ask for storage.
In states across America, men and women are openly carrying automatic rifles into fast food chains and grocery stores. In NY, gun owners with a license to carry can carry concealed guns. As long as the gun is concealed, it falls within the law. MOMA may not allow guns with license to carry- I don’t know- but the absurdity of clearly stated law with options in various circumstances compared to my daughter’s experience today is striking. My daughter was escorted out of MOMA with a taser barely bigger than her palm.
What concerns me most about this unfortunate incident is the trauma effect- the PTSD- this incident could unleash. Overcoming violent trauma at such a young age shows incredible resilience on Catina’s part. But as with any PTSD, triggers happen and can bring back unwanted memories and feelings. She has come so far.
What also disturbs me is the teacher’s lack of curiosity or concern. As a postscript, two days later, during another City class, the professor pulled Catina aside and told her she would not tolerate it and would leave Catina behind. What would she not tolerate? The needs of a traumatized, neurodivergent, healing victim? Or perhaps, the right of every woman and man in NYC to carry a legal device? And it’s clear she had already demonstrated what she would do. She had already left Catina behind. She asked Catina to make an appointment with her.
After the semester is over (because I do not want my concern to impact Catina’s grade), I do plan to write the Dean of Students about this, though last time I wrote and called about an issue, he did not call me back. My daughter attends a university that costs $60,000 per year, a staggering amount that has been hard to cover with my change in employment. This same university- Drew University in Madison, NJ- prides itself on its student-centered approach. They claim students are number one and that they have extraordinary services and support for students. I certainly didn’t see that in action today, and sadly, I haven’t seen it in another student incident I will write about soon. I expect more from expensive universities who self-proclaim values and ideals that are not upheld by actions.
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Walk the Moon 