The use of community mediation services has grown contentious in the Occupy Baltimore protest, one of many "Occupy Wall Street"-style protests that are occurring in major cities across the United States and the world.  According to a pamphlet distributed by the movement in Baltimore, protesters who feel they are the victims of sexual abuse should report the incident at once, but not to the police forces.  Instead, they should refer their complaint to the Security Committee of Occupy Baltimore; this committee will then attempt to make sure that the perpetrator of the abuse receives counseling resources. 

The pamphlet goes on to admit that victims of sexual assaults do have the right to go to the police instead, but notes that such recourse is not encouraged.

Community Mediation Services Help Form Strong Communities

Part of the motive behind the language in the pamphlet is an attempt on the part of Occupy Baltimore protesters to build a strong community that can take care of its own problems without involving government authorities.  This is a larger goal that civil mediation services often share.  Neighbors who are arguing over a fence line, for example, can often get a better resolution from mediation than they can from going to court and suing one another.

In the case of sexual assaults, however, the recommendation to avoid the police strikes some see as counter-productive.