Book Release: No Zebras: Engaging Bystanders in the Movement to End Sexual Aggression

    BROOKFIELD, CT, June 04, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Imagine for a moment a herd of Zebras. Suddenly a lion sprints towards the herd. Instinctively the zebras run. The herd runs as the lion continues his pursuit, but as you can imagine, the weaker zebras in the back start to lose steam and fall behind. Eventually, the lion pounces on one of his most vulnerable zebras. Pay attention, because here is the takeaway: as the lion devours his prey the herd stops and is watching just a short distance away. One zebra is thinking "Thank God it wasn't me". The zebra next to her thinks, " No wonder she fell prey; she never pays attention." Another zebra in the herd simply looks away from the carnage because it's too hard to think about. No matter the reason, no matter the excuse, a zebra is always a zebra. This analogy explains how bystander behavior works.

No Zebras: Engaging Bystanders in the Movement to End Sexual Aggression is the most concise and comprehensive book on the market today addressing sexual assault, stalking, harassment, domestic violence, child sexual assault and bystander education. It exposes you to the realities of sexual aggression to educate, enlighten, and engage you. Author, Stephen Thompson, a university professor and Sexual Aggression Services Director, established the first university peer-to-peer advocacy program in the country. He has over 40 years of experience listening to the voices of survivors, advocates, law enforcement, and predators themselves. With most incidents of sexual aggression, there are people who suspect what is happening; yet much like the helpless zebra, they watch while one of their own is harmed by a predator. This book gives you the knowledge and skills to eliminate the bystander mentality and actively participate in the fight to end sexual aggression.

Thompson is the heart and soul of No Zebras Productions, widely acclaimed programs designed to engage audiences- military, college, community and more- to help change the conversation around sexual assault, intimate partner violence, bystander awareness stalking and harassment. For years, Thompson has been devoting himself to studying the whys and hows of sexual aggression. He has gone into prisons to talk with offenders, has interviewed police officers, psychologists, doctors, and thousands of survivors. The information he gathered has been studied, along with aspects of body movement as they apply to fighting situations. His unique approach is a result of over 28 years of research and street experience involving hundreds of interviews with survivors and offenders. He has presented over 1,500 programs dealing with sexual assault, stalking, relationship violence, workplace violence, and harassment throughout the country. Steve is an Associate Professor as well as the Sexual Aggression Services Coordinator at Central Michigan University. He's also an assault investigation consultant and criminal profiler for police officers throughout the USA...AND a court qualified expert witness who has consulted with many agencies and the media on some of the country's most public cases.

"In 1995 I wrote the book No More Fear. It sold very well but after a few years I took it out of print because I did not feel it was comprehensive enough. I wrote this updated version after years of practical experience with sexual aggression, listening to the voices of survivors, advocates, law enforcement professionals, and predators themselves. This book, No Zebras, is the result of years of cumulative experience with bystander education and assault. It is a concise, realistic educational tool that I hope will enlighten, educate, and engage readers. "

The author of No More Fear, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Thompson went on to write a comprehensive behavioral analysis of familiar sexual predators titled: "Date/Acquaintance Rape – The Crime and Criminal Profile", Campus Law Enforcement Journal, May 1995. He is the originator of "The Four C's" of Assault Avoidance.

".....you have so much information and experience to offer; your time, energy, and consultation were invaluable to us. Thank you, Steve Thompson, for your breadth of knowledge."
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Jeanne Bolle, M.S., L.L.P.
Counseling Therapist, Ferris State University

No Zebras Productions has its foundation with Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates. SAPA, which started in 1997, developed the original No Zebras No Excuses for its college and university population. The program started as a one-off Freshman orientation in 1998 at Central Michigan University called "It Can Happen to You!"

​No Zebras Productions was founded in 2012 by Stephen Thompson, to better help our clients get access to first-class sexual assault prevention education anywhere in the world.

And we've grown since then. As of October 2018, we are re-branded as No Zebras Productions.

Since 2001,SAPA has developed the foremost peer advocate program in the country, training hundreds of advocates who then go on to change the world in the sexual violence prevention field.

Each student volunteer receives a more comprehensive training than any professional-level advocate, and as a whole, SAPA helps over 200 people every academic year.

As a result, No Zebras Productions, SAPA's flagship program is presented all over the world by this company cast, all former SAPA's, and by the current SAPA's in Mount Pleasant, MI.

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