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I believe it is in Kentucky that they are working on a system where people can text and send photos to the police dept. about crimes.

Is New York to big to implement something of the sort? We won't know until we try, will we?

Despite my reaction to that terrible ad, I still can believe groping is a problem and a more direct ad would serve better.

If most of the perpetrators are pre-meditated gropers, why not target them a bit more with a photo. It's hard to imagine such a photo. If the photo was disturbing, I'm not sure I'd want to see it all over the place, among reasons is that I don't want to be desensitized to it.

I think plain words would be best. Large letters, a clear phone number.

This is just an idea to toss around, but perhaps if there must be a photo, it could include onlookers who are obviously displeased with the groper and look like they might step in.

I think that is the kind of thing a would-be groper should be afraid of, and I bet it is something they are afraid of - surly New Yorkers stepping in to kick their ass if they see someone being grouped.

Sorry to jump in so late, but I think the campaign is flawed. "Expose you" is just wrong.
Imagery is probably not a good idea.

Huge block letters:

GROPE ME AND I CALL THE COPS
[phone number]

I'm a minority
and I'm always disgusted and embarrass to hear about men violating women. This topic is important to share to find solutions.
Ive been on many crowded subways and never saw or heard of groping taking place.
However,I know gropers are like pick-pockets;theyre sneaky,pathetic,losers that should be taken seriously as criminals.

I think it gets a little weird, because if you were raised as a feminist, you were raised to think you didn't have to act like some delicate fragile thing - instead you were raised to think that you could handle a variety of challenging situations. Obviously, no one wants to be groped, but I think we want to avoid the impression that women are "victimized" in this way, because a packed subway car isn't exactly sexual assault, and gropers are disgusting, but it kind of ends there. I know this goes against the orthodoxy, but in a packed subway car, I feel pretty safe that if things get out of control, I can say something in defense of myself and New Yorkers would react in a way that would protect me (Kitty Genovese notwithstanding.) It just seems like there's this weird dissonance in the politics of it. It's like: we women are tough enough to handle Title IX, and to be doctors and to join the Marines. But God forbid someone is too close to us on the subway? Or grabs us on the subway? I thought we were supposed to know how to handle minor stuff like that.

This is nuts. People bump into people all the time. What if I as a woman bump into another woman's breasts as I walk past her in the crowded train, am I groper too than? In a can of sardines, a brush that is most likely accidental is just that and we are encouraging oversensitive people to catarwaul more. Aren't there more serious things to worry about?

Obviously, if someone actually opens their pants and shows their true self, that is exposing themself but they are right that the phrase, I'll expose you only will provoke more of a reaction.

maybe it is emasculating to the groper if you refuse to acknowledge that he touched you. Or if you laugh at him. For instance, what groper could continue if he tried to touch someone in the subway with his "member" and he was laughed at by the woman who tried to touch him? Although maybe they are into humiliation. Maybe gropers should individually register their preferences with the city government so they can be categorized by weirdo-ness, and we would know how to deal with them.

I hate to say it, but I agree with #28 and #29.
I can imagine some kafka-esque story about a guy wrongly accused of groping, who has his pic put up on the internet and his whole life deteriorates after that, he gets fired, his wife leaves him. And meanwhile the accuser becomes a celebrity victim. It's kind of like those superman episodes where everyone erroneously thinks Superman did something bad, and they turn on him. Like Isaac Babel's trial.
FYI, I have been groped many times in Paris, but never in New York. It was offensive, slimy and enraging. But as a Parisian friend of mine pointed out, getting upset just encourages it more. They LOVE that. So I learned to react like the Parisian women, which I think later safeguarded me in New York. Also helped to wear full-body armor at all times in the subway. (kidding on the armor bit.)

Ummm, yeah 28 is right... the actual poster looks just like a woman shoved her way in between two people. In fact, it could be viewed that SHE is rubbing up against the man next to her.

While I know that women get groped, I also wonder if there is a bit of oversensitvity too. Might some of the cases of groping just be an overcrowded train, like the one in the poster? If that is the best example that the T can come up with, I'm not impressed.

I think this ad should be more explicit. Brian describes this photo as a guy trying to rub up against the woman.

My initial reaction to this story was "great, I know a lot of people treat women badly, hopefully this will help."

Now after looking at this ad, I'm left thinking, "gee this photo could easily be of me and maybe a lot of that 63% of women who say they were groped just think they tried to shove their way between two people."

Ruth: Everyone on the train feels alone. That's just how New York City is. Anonymous and a bit alienating.

I think the show said 61% of women in NYC have been groped on the subway.
Next time yell!

I've been groped all over town! Subway, walking down the street, by the proprietor of a once favorite restaurant - it's a power issue and it's so unfair. I don't know what there is to do, really, although I would've liked to have felt sure enough of myself to shout to the train look here this guy's got a hard on to embarass the guy and disempower him.

I wonder if tere are any kind of stats on this (or did I miss hearing about them on this show)

I found the wording in the headline of the Boston Ad very off-putting. I think ads should be used but should be direct.

"Touch her and Transit police will be happy to touch you"

"If a stranger touches you, yell!"

"If you had unwanted touching, tell transit security now."

I was touched while in a haunted house by the kid behind me when I was younger, I still remember it to this day and I don't know if I'll ever forget it. I never said anything to my brother, who was with me but I should have, I think that I would have felt better-to this day-if I would have confronted it, and done something about it. People should be encouraged to say something, even though it is scary. Its no fun, to be touched like this. Its also not funny-to Robert who made an earlier comment.

you can't see one of your producers brian?

you can't see their face you mean?

Julie - agree with your point hjs - don't quite understand first bit but agree with mobile pic but not put on net.

sidebar: why /cell/ phone? and at&t promotes /more bars in more places/ ugh. don't get me wrong, i use at&t, but i think their advertising needs design-tweaking.

its just bad Marketing. the Marketing agency should be exposed

No! I think those signs are a bad idea. I have been groped on the subway before and am worried that signs showing this will encourage it more. As one of the last callers just said, the language of that sign is provocative and should certainly be worded differently. Women should stand up for themselves and speak up when it happens. (I hit the guy in the head with my purse). Camera phone sounds like a good idea, but honestly, how can we report this? We get off the subway and the guy disappears.

Years ago I had a beautiful young woman grind against my hand on the pole on a fairly empty train. I moved my hand thinking it was accidental. She moved to my hand than my leg. I didn't know what to do. A young man seated opposite saw my discomfort and was laughing out loud. I didn't enjoy it and the reality is that if I had said anything it probably would have been turned around. My wife, also years ago, had a man take his member out and rub it against her leg. I don't know how you deal with such aberrations.

GREAT IDEA! Posters should also tell others to SUPPORT women when they speak out.

How is it we feel SO ALONE on a crowded train??

When I first moved to New York in 2002 and was still looking for an apartment, someone put a used condom in my handbag while I was riding the train. It could have been the subway or the Metro-North, but in any case it was a public transit incident. I was of course mortified and disgusted but felt that there was no recourse but to thoroughly clean and disinfect my bag. I think a carefully crafted campaign to discourage bad behaviour on the trains and buses would be a great thing.

(of anyone i personally know)

Very important to stop this crime, but not using any sort of joking slogan, like this one in MA. It should be very in very serious language including what repercussions an offender will suffer if caught.

i think that there should be posters but i think that the perverts who do these things may find the words used in that poster actually provacative and may increase behavior;

well since phones don't work on the subway and by the time you get to an MTA employee the groper would be long gone, i don't think this ad is telling us anything we don't already know. i think this should be reported and taken seriously by officials and it shouldn't take an ad campaign for this problem to be addressed.

are some cities more prone to this than others? NEVER heard of this in nyc

michael - wow, thanks. i wish i could think that fast!

some strange men also expose themselves.
i say take a pic with your cell fone and put it up on the net for all to laugh at.

I understand the offensiveness of this to many and that ought to be respected and handled according to the law. But if anyone feels so inclined, you may grope me! I won't mind.

just an fyi... When I complained about a man who was masturbating next to me on the train the MTA token booth that I reported to it was hesitant to take a report since he would ahve to call over the radio relaying the incident.

This type of thing really needs to be addressed at ALL levels.

one-side in the sense that they are both on the same side, not a judgement call. so nobody opposing, although they wouldn't win against the two current guests, i don't think, but, of course, i don't know.

boston's good for a history visit but wouldn't wanna live there

If the person was big than me then I would recruit from the entire train contact the conductor and use my cell phone to photograph the person.

Also people should not get into trains which are too crowded.

It might be better to be late than groped.

nypirg and barcc both great orgs, aren't they? isn't this a bit one-sided? what am i missing?

love the camera-phone idea. maybe that's the solution? don't know.

I once was groped while waiting for the train in Union Square. I was seriously not interested. I don't want anyone but my boyfriend grabbing me.

hi michael, so glad to read your comments. i agree with you and think it's a good policy but how would you handle offenders who are physically stronger at the time of the incident?

gropers need to be confronted at the time of the crime.

If a woman told me she was groped I would stand up for her.

I also see men sticking out there elbows in hopes of touching a woman waliking out of the train.

The real problem is the subways are just too crowded. It is uncomfortable when you are so close to people particularly of the opposite sex.

Women really need to be careful.