02/01/2021
“Women in construction experience some of the highest rates of sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Let’s not forget women like Outi Hicks in the current moment.
On 14 February 2017, 32 year-old apprentice carpenter Outi Hicks was murdered on the job in Fresno, California.
Hicks began a pre-apprenticeship program while in prison. Once released, she was indentured into a contract with the Carpenters Union, and began working diligently as an apprentice carpenter. A mother of three beloved sons, Hicks was determined to build a better life for herself and her children. She followed all of the rules set before her, earned every certification she could, rode her bike miles to and from work: Outi was dedicated to her craft as a carpenter.
From the time she met her murderer, Aaron Lopez, he was determined to give her a hard time. They worked on the same site, and while his exact position is unknown, he was a non-union worker. Hicks’ position as a union apprentice was just one of the many things Lopez harassed her about. She told her family of how he bullied and said nasty things to her, and even spoke of killing her. But Hicks’ primary goal was to better herself. She was determined not to allow his words or actions to deter her and to make things work, despite the negativity that this man brought into her life.
Hicks’ murder should prompt us to engage in serious discussions around gender-based violence in the construction sector.
On that fateful Valentine’s Day, Hicks was working with Lopez at the Rio Bravo plant in Fresno, California. The two got into an argument, and Hicks turned and walked away. Lopez ran behind her and bashed her in the back of the head with a metal pole. It is thought that the first blow killed her. But Lopez didn’t stop. He kept hitting her, and hitting her until people working in the area were able to climb down to where Hicks’ lifeless body was still being assaulted by Lopez. When they were finally able to pull him off of her, it was too late. Outi Hicks was dead.”
Women in construction experience some of the highest rates of sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Let’s not forget women like Outi Hicks in the current moment.
