The film “Out in the Night” follows the story of 4 young Black lesbians who experience sexual harassment on street which happened in West Greenwich Village, Manhatten. When they act in self-defense, they are wrongfully accused, arrested, charged, and incarcerated. The man that sexually threatned the women with volience did not get charged accused the 4 women of gang related violence, dismissing the fact these women were threatened with sexual violence, to only stand accused for protecting themselves from a hate crime that was captured on video surveillance cameras in which their rights were violated.
This film gives good reason and evidence to how people of color have been, and still are targeted for the most ridiculous and hidden laws that are only applied when its a person of color. This unethical and obvious radical behavior from the officers that were sworn in to protect the citizen if this country safe has inforced aggressive measures to the neighborhoods of color. Being under constant attack from law enforcement can create a ticking time bomb ready to explode.
Crenshaw’s concept of “Intersectionality” is a term used in the 20th century by “American Black Feminist” such as Cooper, Julia and Stewart, Maria and others just to name a few. Crenshaw wrote “here have been African American women who have articulated the need to think and talk about race through a lens that looks at gender, or think and talk about feminism through a lens that looks at race”. 1989 in her paper written for the University of Chicago Legal Forum.
I believe its important that we look through the lens of race to view the differences of involvement in women of color ,who are not priviledged as the white women. Laws are enforced on people of color that are petty laws and end up dead due to obvious rasism. Certains laws are not enforced in white neighborhoods which clearly paints a picture here of white surpremacy and racism.
These 4 women that were attacked, and charges were reversed to criminals when the truth is the 4 women being the victims. This behavior from city officals is negligence of the police department in investigating the case properly which was handled with and stereotyping with bias to the victims.
