MAAARRRIIIOOOOTTT!
Imagine this : You are attacked at gunpoint in the presence of your two children, ages 3 and 5. Your attacker threatens to assault one of your children if you do not comply with his wishes. You have given him your wallet and begged him to leave you and your children alone. You are raped in front of your children.
Imagine this happening to your wife, your daughter, your sister, to any woman you know.
This happened to a woman in 2006, in a Marriott-owned parking garage. The attacker was convicted and, after striking a plea deal, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. (See this article: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13048639). He had 20 other arrests on his record. Another more detailed article here: http://www.connpost.com/ci_13048604 .
>>Marriott’s lawyers claim: the hotel’s lawyers say that the victim “failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities,” according to court documents cited in the stories. ( http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/08/hotel-claims-rape-victim-negligent-in-attack-in-its-garage.html ) Another article mentions this here: http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/08/14/victim_blaming/index.html)
If you travel frequently or are planning to travel, I urge you to boycott Marriott and its brands: Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Marriott Conference Centers, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, Marriott ExecuStay, Marriott Executive Apartments and Grand Residences by Marriott.
If you have reservations with any of the above listed entities, please consider canceling your reservations and booking elsewhere. And be sure to tell Marriott why.
Marriott Corporate can be reached through the Web site, but physical letters of complaint are likely to carry more weight. Mail to: Corporate Headquarters, Marriott International,
10400 Fernwood Road, Bethesda, Md. 20817
Please feel free to share this with your mailing list.
>>>
OKAY... obviously no gnashing of teeth and pitchfork mobs were started by the use of someone else's message to my favorite forum. So, for those of you who hadn't clicked on any of the links and Read Them... let me summarize the other language and tactics of Marriott and it's legal team that have me serious about not paying money to Marriott until they pay this lady a whole hell of a lot of money and perhaps pay for her to move to a totally different region.
>> In its defense, the Marriott hotel's legal team claims that the acts were beyond their control and that the woman failed to properly "mitigate their damages," one of the above article's says.
>> The woman, identified in court papers only as Jane Doe, claims in the suit that Fricker had been in the hotel and garage acting suspiciously days before the attack, as well as the afternoon of the attack, and the hotel failed to notice him, apprehend him or make him leave. During the attack, security personnel did not see or stop him, the suit claims. ...
The hotel also subpoenaed several people involved with the family, including a Pilates instructor, friends, tennis partners and the children's baby sitter. The woman's attorneys argue the individuals subpoenaed do not know anything about the attack, that the subpoenas inadvertently identified her to those people and that it was merely an effort by the hotel's attorneys to intimidate her. << THAT move pisses me right the hell off!
So, since the security personnel did a half-arsed job of taking notice of potential issues within the Marriott property it is okay to try to notify unaware acquaintances of the woman's failure to prevent her own rape?
As Casmyr on Ravelry said:: I guess the thing that really irritates me is: why did they think to try to defend the case at all? (I’m assuming that the woman brought the suit against Marriott){<< she assumed right}
The response that would have elicited the least amount of ire is: Marriott settles. They know they have liability; they approach the victim to settle before it ever goes to court.
Basically, they KISS HER ASS and take steps to ensure that this NEVER happens to another woman (or man) ever again. Increase security, install more and/or better lighting, more/better camera surveliance, whatever-not-my-area-of-expertise.
They can then go to the press and agree that is was a horrible thing, should never have happened, and look what we are doing to make sure it never happens here on our watch again. They would have gained a lot of public support that way, I think. At least, I would be okay with staying there again.
Instead, they drag out the old “blame the victim” card.
That’s right, assholes. See how well that works for you now.
Imagine this happening to your wife, your daughter, your sister, to any woman you know.
This happened to a woman in 2006, in a Marriott-owned parking garage. The attacker was convicted and, after striking a plea deal, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. (See this article: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13048639). He had 20 other arrests on his record. Another more detailed article here: http://www.connpost.com/ci_13048604 .
>>Marriott’s lawyers claim: the hotel’s lawyers say that the victim “failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities,” according to court documents cited in the stories. ( http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/08/hotel-claims-rape-victim-negligent-in-attack-in-its-garage.html ) Another article mentions this here: http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/08/14/victim_blaming/index.html)
If you travel frequently or are planning to travel, I urge you to boycott Marriott and its brands: Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Marriott Conference Centers, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, Marriott ExecuStay, Marriott Executive Apartments and Grand Residences by Marriott.
If you have reservations with any of the above listed entities, please consider canceling your reservations and booking elsewhere. And be sure to tell Marriott why.
Marriott Corporate can be reached through the Web site, but physical letters of complaint are likely to carry more weight. Mail to: Corporate Headquarters, Marriott International,
10400 Fernwood Road, Bethesda, Md. 20817
Please feel free to share this with your mailing list.
>>>
OKAY... obviously no gnashing of teeth and pitchfork mobs were started by the use of someone else's message to my favorite forum. So, for those of you who hadn't clicked on any of the links and Read Them... let me summarize the other language and tactics of Marriott and it's legal team that have me serious about not paying money to Marriott until they pay this lady a whole hell of a lot of money and perhaps pay for her to move to a totally different region.
>> In its defense, the Marriott hotel's legal team claims that the acts were beyond their control and that the woman failed to properly "mitigate their damages," one of the above article's says.
>> The woman, identified in court papers only as Jane Doe, claims in the suit that Fricker had been in the hotel and garage acting suspiciously days before the attack, as well as the afternoon of the attack, and the hotel failed to notice him, apprehend him or make him leave. During the attack, security personnel did not see or stop him, the suit claims. ...
The hotel also subpoenaed several people involved with the family, including a Pilates instructor, friends, tennis partners and the children's baby sitter. The woman's attorneys argue the individuals subpoenaed do not know anything about the attack, that the subpoenas inadvertently identified her to those people and that it was merely an effort by the hotel's attorneys to intimidate her. << THAT move pisses me right the hell off!
So, since the security personnel did a half-arsed job of taking notice of potential issues within the Marriott property it is okay to try to notify unaware acquaintances of the woman's failure to prevent her own rape?
As Casmyr on Ravelry said:: I guess the thing that really irritates me is: why did they think to try to defend the case at all? (I’m assuming that the woman brought the suit against Marriott){<< she assumed right}
The response that would have elicited the least amount of ire is: Marriott settles. They know they have liability; they approach the victim to settle before it ever goes to court.
Basically, they KISS HER ASS and take steps to ensure that this NEVER happens to another woman (or man) ever again. Increase security, install more and/or better lighting, more/better camera surveliance, whatever-not-my-area-of-expertise.
They can then go to the press and agree that is was a horrible thing, should never have happened, and look what we are doing to make sure it never happens here on our watch again. They would have gained a lot of public support that way, I think. At least, I would be okay with staying there again.
Instead, they drag out the old “blame the victim” card.
That’s right, assholes. See how well that works for you now.