Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for April 2010

Yuppie Harasser – Power Play

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Today, a 20 to 30-something white male in a business suit harassed me near the corner of 14th and T Streets NW in Washington DC at about 9 A.M. He was clearly going to work and was in a hurry. The man decided to cut the corner and walk in front of me and my dog. At the same time, my dog saw a bird behind the man and walked towards the man. I stopped my dog, but my dog’s first reaction to walk towards the man caused the man to have to pause. Apparently stopping was too much of an inconvenience for the man. He glared at me and came closer to me. I apologized for my dog and told him I was working on the dog’s behavior around birds. Then, the man kept walking the other way, towards his destination, and after he was about 10 steps away, he yelled back at me at the top of his lungs, “There’s something else you can do. Control your dog!”

First I felt humiliated but then I felt angry, helpless, and disgusted. There was nothing I could do to tell him that his behavior was inappropriate and infuriating. I also became very aware of the power differential between us. He’s a male and I’m a female. He was wearing a business suit (a sign of his higher class status) and I was wearing workout clothes which did not necessarily reveal anything about my class status. I thought for a split second that if I were a male in a business suit I would have followed after him and told him that he was a coward for yelling at me while he walked away. I was shaky and unsteady on the inside. Then, I tried to focus on my dog. My dog had sat down politely and was waiting for my next cue. I thought about how I wanted to enjoy the nice morning and spring air with my dog and didn’t want the harasser to ruin my morning. I took some deep breaths, tried to acknowledge my anger and move on. I suppose I partially succeeded for the r est of my walk, but I am still feel angry enough that I immediately came home and looked for this website to share my story.

– E

Location: 14th and T Streets NW in Washington DC

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Dry humped on a Japanese train

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I had a horrible time in a Japan train. I had accompanied my hubby who was on a business trip..I ventured out shopping alone and returned by the train…..i was already in a state of panic seeing the crowd when i got pushed and shoved in the compartment…i could barely see let alone move….the compartment was that packed….i was mashed between two middle-aged local men….anyway won’t make it long…the remaining part of my journey was a nightmare…i was dry humped, had a moving palm on my ass crack and my crotch till i was shoved out…..was shell shocked and almost in tears at the violation….it was relentless.

– anonymous

Location: Japan

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“Thank You”

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Thank you for addressing an issue that is SO overlooked and neglected. For the longest time, I thought I was the only one that thought this was wrong, but I feel so much better knowing there are other women out there fighting against this.

As a female, I don’t know how many times I have been walking down a street and been scared out of my mind by loud honks, whistles, yells, and screams. It is hard to explain the problems with this because people just think that you are “showing off”, being a “bitch” not accepting these “compliments”, or trying to make yourself appear like an attractive person, when that is NOT the issue at all.

I believe every girl has encountered this but we accept it because we see it in the movies, in reality, on tv, and it is positively reinforced as normal treatment and behaviour toward women.

For everyone who thinks that behaviour is a type of “compliment”, it’s not, its badgering and insulting. It is degrading, humiliating, frightening, angering, and incredibly deeply disrespectful. Every time a friend and I have this happen to us, it reminds me that we, as women, still have so far to go yet.

So many times, I want to yell, “what am I? A circus act?” These honkers and yellers all take something away from us when they do that – that being our dignity, our independence, and our right to walk down a street like any normal human being. We may not have stones thrown at us, but those honks, those screams are heckles, not compliments.

Thank you for recognizing this as an issue and informing the world that it needs to stop. No women deserves this treatment.

-Ally

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Made to feel cheap for standing at a bus stop

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It was around 2 o’clock Easter Monday, and I was standing at a bus stop in Dublin City Center looking at the timetable when a man came up and slammed something against the glass structure of the stop separating us. Glancing up, I realized he was holding a 50 euro note, winking, and nodding with his head for me to come along. It took me a good 5 seconds to realize what he was propositioning.

Too horrified to do anything, I looked around in mute fear when he ran off laughing. I was wearing the (respectable) clothes I had worn to to a family Easter meal. When I got over my shock, I was disgusted with myself when I realized I was insulted he insinuated I was only worth 50 euro. I know I shouldn’t find my value in one pervert, but still. One should not be priced when merely walking down the street, and one certainly shouldn’t be made to feel cheap for standing at a bus stop.

– a.ryan

Location: Dublin, Ireland

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Getting chased in Hollywood/Vine

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I have TOO MANY stories about street harassment to share but I decided to share just this one because I can remember it the most.

One time while I was on the Metro in the Hollywood/Vine area (Los Angeles, CA) some guy was making perverted comments and whistling at me. I was tired because of a long day at my internship and in absolutely no mood to deal with this. I kept walking and he kept saying, “You know you like it… you know you like it..” or something to that effect. I flipped him off.

He angrily ran after me but I was able to escape to the bottom platform where the subway was and where there were plenty of people. Luckily he didn’t follow me down there, but it was definitely the scariest of my experiences.

– I.C.

Location: Hollywood, CA

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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