As I was walking home from school I passed by a liquor store. There were men hanging out there and they started whistling at me. One man called out excuse me miss. I continued to ignore him and he got mad at me and said, “Hey bitch didn’t you hear what I said?”
I kindly told him that I was on my way home and leave me alone. Then he started coming towards me like he was going to do something. I ran and he chased after me. I pulled out my cell and said, “Hey I’m going to call the cops you keep on fucking with me.”
Him and friends decided to leave. I told my dad and mom they told me I should have not said anything at all d kept on walking. Now I’m so scared. I try to travel different ways so I wouldn’t have to pass by that liquor store.
– anonymous
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Golden Silence says
I’ve been there too many times. That’s their form of “manners,” so to speak. “Excuse me miss” is usually the precursor to being cursed out or hearing a lewd, sexual comment. Your instincts were right. Guys like that who hang out on the corner whistling don’t have good intentions.
Family and friends mean well, but they don’t know how much they’re blaming the victim when they say things like that. I’ve gotten to the point where I stop telling my family and friends my harassment stories because they’d tell me to “ignore it” and “don’t respond back.” Who’s to say that ignoring the harassment works? You tried to ignore it in your situation, but that obviously didn’t work because the fool got angry anyway. This is the problem when we are held accountable for the harassers’ actions, while the harassers get away with this behavior scot-free.
I am so sorry you had to go through that. I can’t stand men who do nothing but hang out on the corner causing trouble all day!
Alan says
I don’t even want to say this, as if I know what you must feel, because I don’t, but the way I can relate to this is in thinking about the people who harass me for money handouts on an almost daily basis. I find myself uncertain whether to acknowledge and move on, ignore, walk in a different direction or just give in and give them some money. Of course the big difference is that I almost never feel personally threatened. In any case, all I can really say is that I am sorry this situation happened to you and hope you can find a way to move on and live without fear.
YW says
Stop the bus here! The guy who harassed you is probably much older, a.k.a a pedophiliac interest in you, and he has shown that he will become verbally and physically aggressive, and your parents tell you to ignore this! First, you are walking from school which tells me their hang out is close to where you live! Chances are you have to walk past this place day after day. Thus increasing the likelyhood of encountering this creep again and again! What would your parents be saying if he beat, raped and/or killed you!