Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for July 2009

Good News!

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I have good news!

For the last several months, I’ve been researching and working on a book about street harassment and sending out proposals to different publishers. Today I got offered a book contract! I am so very excited 🙂

People’s stories are central to my book, so if you have a street harassment story you haven’t shared yet and you would like to have considered for inclusion, please email it to me at stopstreetharassmentATyahooDOTcom or you can also submit your story anonymously (also to be included on the blog) via an online form.

If you are an activist on this issue and we haven’t spoken before, please contact me! I’m also highlighting the work of activists in one of my chapters.

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Anti-Street Harassment Summer Camp in IL

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CTADATE: Saturday August 1st
TIME: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LOCATION: University of Illinois at Chicago Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL
MORE: This event is FREE and open to youth and adults.  Registration is REQUIRED.  RSVP to rpywat@hotmail.com.

Anti-Harassment Summer Camp Program

Understanding Street Harassment
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Street Harassment 101

Dealing with Street Harassment
12:45-2:00 p.m. — How to Launch Your Own Anti-Street Harassment Campaign in your Community.

2:15-3:15 p.m. — Self-Defense Workshop by Impact Chicago

3:30-5:00 p.m. — Design a Citywide Anti-Street Harassment Public Education Campaign (including PSAs, Posters, etc….).

If you are an artist, photographer, videographer, graphic designer, etc… we could use your help on August 1st. Please contact Lillian at 773-759-1634. For more information about YWAT, visit www.youngwomensactionteam.org.
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Coincidence or Stalker? HELP!

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I’ve had run-ins with truckers on the interstate here in Ohio before, with them honking their horns and smiling. I just blow it off, it’s not a big deal.

But on my way to work one morning, I was driving down the interstate minding my own business and a man comes up in his SUV and is in the right lane while I’m in the left lane. I always look at the person who is driving next to me, it’s a habit. Who doesn’t? Anyway, he began waving, smiling and starting to flirt with me. I sped up and got off the interstate, that’s when I read his license plate (which is very easy to remember) and he waved “goodbye” while I exited the highway. I thought it was a weird experience, but forgot about it and went on.

Just today, I was headed the opposite way from my work to my boyfriend’s house, driving the speed limit, passing slow drivers if i had too, then all of a sudden I look over and see a man looking at me. I didn’t think much of it, sped up and continued down the interstate. Then the car gets behind me. I look up and see a man waving at me in my rear view mirror. I had my sunglasses on so he couldn’t have seen me looking. Anyways… he was getting into the left lane and was trying to be side by side me to get my attention, I didn’t look until the backside of his car was in front of me. I looked at the license plate and realized it is the same exact guy from a couple of weeks ago!

He began trying to get in front of me, beside me, behind me and on the other side and I just kept speeding up or slowing down and changing lanes as much as possible to avoid him. Finally he stayed behind me for at least 1 /2 mile and then he began waving at me again, pointing and flashing his lights, telling me to get off at the exit he was getting off at!

I could not believe what I was seeing. I watched the guy until he got off the highway and called my boyfriend. He doesn’t think much about it, but my parents do. If I see the man again I’m afraid he will follow me or worse, so the police will receive a call. Tonight I put a knife under my bed just in case!

If you have any advice, please say so! thanks!!!

-anonymous

Location: Ohio

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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Swimming Pool Gropers

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Two years ago, when I was about to turn twelve, my friends and family took me to Dubai. For my actual birthday, we went to a swim park to hang out.

At the park there was a pool that went really deep. So my friends and I decided to race to the back of the pool. As I swam, I got to the bottom of the pool. I was out of breath, so I went back to the top. When I resurfaced, I realized that a bunch of guys (probably in their early twenties) had banded around me, trapping me in their circle. They started saying things to me, but I couldn’t hear them because I was so scared and frightened. I tried swimming to the bottom and away, but each time they managed to grab me and pull me back up. Then one of them behind me started running his hands up my thighs. That is when I started to kick and scream, until finally one of the lifeguards heard me. I don’t really remember how I got out of the water. All I remember is my friend asking me if I was okay and a couple of local cops talking to the men (there must have been five of them). They asked a couple of questions and that was it. My mom came to pick me up, and we moved on from that incident.

I just wanted to tell the story since I have never spoken of it before. Thnx for listening. KK

-Karyn T.

Location: Dubai

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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Street Harassment Photography Contest/Show: Enter Now!

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Calling all photographers!

In October 2009, Washington, DC, will be the site of the first annual Holla Back DC! Make DC Harassment Free day-long summit addressing gender-based public harassment, or street harassment. The conference will attract hundreds of activists, educators, and individuals from the DC Metro area (& beyond) for conversations about the problem and what we can do to make public spaces in DC harassment free.  Prior to the summit, we are hosting an opening reception where selected photographs from this competition will be displayed to raise awareness and prompt dialogue about the issue.

This photography contest is open to all individuals who can capture gender-based public harassment photographs in the DC metro area.  We encourage all entrants to be as creative and realistic as possible with their submissions. You may submit up to three photographs by midnight, August 12, 2009.  We will notify selected photographers by August 19, 2009.

Let your photographer friends and family know and encourage them to participate.  For more information and official rules, please go to: http://makedcharassmentfree.com/contest/index.htm

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(Note: I am one of the conference organizers and we are still looking for a conference site. If you have any suggestions of locations downtown DC that can hold at least 150 people and is low cost to free – so that we can keep attendence to the conference free – please contact me)

(& also, special thanks to my good friend Kira for designing the conference logo)

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