Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for 2011

Woman stops the harassment of her 13-year-old daughter

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I was crossing the road with my 13-year-old daughter, we were at the crossing waiting for the lights to turn red so we could cross.

A male hung out of the passenger side of a car shouting, “You in the white turn round” (my daughter was the one in white). I yelled back her age, and his driver friend looked mortified. I memorized the license plate number in a manner so that they could see and yelled NONCE (not of normal criminal evidence apparently). I was so angry.

He shouted that he “didn’t know!”

Oh so it’s ok to yell at females in the street and ask them to turn round so males like him can get a better look?

– Anonymous

Location: near my house

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Leerer at the ice skating rink

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I was ice skating and became aware of an adult man staring at me, and then moving to get in my way, and continuing to watch me for a very extended period of time. I went over and told him to stop, that I didn’t like it and it made me uncomfortable. Several minutes later a man, his ‘coach’, came out of the building and right over to me to ball me out, saying the guy was in a lesson and I had no right to talk to the man.

– Anonymous

Location: Wollman Skating Rink, New York City

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Power in storytelling: interview with filmmaker Nuala Cabral

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When you search for videos about street harassment, Nuala Cabral’s film Walking Home is the second clip that comes up. Since 2009, it’s been viewed more than 23,000 times. I featured it on my blog soon after it went online and had hoped to interview Nuala for my book on street harassment. Things fell through at the time, but thanks to International Anti-Street Harassment Day planning, we’ve reconnected. This week Nuala graciously agreed to answer interview questions for my blog.

1. Stop Street Harassment (SSH): What’s a three sentence bio for you?

Nuala Cabral (NC): I’m an educator and filmmaker, currently teaching television production at Temple University, where I recently obtained my Master’s degree in Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media. I’m the co-founder of the cooking blog Cool Cooks and co-founder of FAAN Mail, a media literacy and media activism project based in Philadelphia.

2. SSH: What inspired you to create your film Walking Home?

NC: Street harassment is a personal, political and universal issue that is often dismissed and tolerated. This is problematic and I wanted to do something about it. I’m a filmmaker– so I made a film. I like to use video and film to explore my frustrations and questions about the world.

Walking Home attempts to question and disrupt the acceptance and the pervasive silence around these everyday interactions.

3. SSH: Wonderful. I love seeing people tap into their talents to bring attention to this issue. How did you decide what to cover during the film?

NC: Walking Home is for the walkers, the talkers and those who say nothing. And thinking about these audiences shaped my decisions about my approach with this film.

I wanted to portray a diverse range of people, because street harassment is universal, just like all forms of violence. Including voices of several women explaining their names, signifies universality and solidarity. The smile “command” is something I definitely wanted to include.  Self-entitlement operates in interesting ways and I wanted to open that door for discussion.

4. SSH: It seems like you have. Since 2009, Walking Home has been viewed more than 23,000 times on YouTube and linked to on numerous websites. What kind of responses have you received from viewers?

NC: One man mentioned that unfortunately the men who need to see Walking Home will never see it.   But actually some male friends have said that the film has caused them to reconsider the way they approach women. Many of the responses come from women who have experienced street harassment; Walking Home resonates with them.  But there is one response that has stood out  (from someone I have never met). Here’s an excerpt: 

“ive been that girl (as we all have been, clearly), still am sometimes.  but that is not what this reminded me of right away.  it reminded me of walking down the street with my parents as a child, my mother looking straight ahead, my father hooting and hollering without care or regard for his wife and child, at one of those ‘nameless’ girls passing by. and he continued to do this for many years in front of my sister and i, though he implored us to respect ourselves.  how could we?

you did not ask for my life story, i do not mean to burden you with it. but your work brought to the forefront of my mind for the first time in many years that hurt, that anger which was never addressed and never healed. it really moved me, exactly what great art does

… i wanted to thank you for this piece. at this moment my heart is so heavy when i think of him doing this and the years of abuse that followed, but im grateful for it because it has reminded me that there is still a wound there. and now that i can no longer ignore it, i aim to mend it.”

5. SSH: Wow, that is powerful and something that isn’t often discussed: the pain women feel when they witness men in their lives engaging in street harassment. My next question is related, what benefits do you see in using film to work to end street harassment?

NC: There is power in storytelling. Film is a form of storytelling and it offers an opportunity to build understanding across differences, among people who may never communicate directly.  The benefit in using film is that when it’s done well, it makes people feel. And when it comes to street harassment, making people feel is a good start to helping them care about making a difference.

6. SSH: So true and every time I see your video posted, I see it accompanied by comments from people you have prompted to feel and think about this issue. Do you have plans to make any more films or other projects that address street harassment?

NC: Right now I want to concentrate on using Walking Home to support the movement. I am also excited that Hollaback is opening a chapter in Philadelphia and looking forward to supporting their efforts. We’ll see what else develops.

SSH: Great, thank you for your time and especially thank you for making such a powerful film!

If you live in Philadelphia, join Nuala and HollaBack Philly on March 20 for their International Anti-Street Harassment Day activism!

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“I don’t want to be protected, I want to be free”

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Some of my “favorites”.

Out walking with a male friend, got yelled out (whatever generic crap men say). I lost my temper and flicked the guy off, to which I got the reply “You can stick that up my a**” I was furious. And there was nothing I could do.
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A guy followed me home (I thought I had lost him), I was walking to class the following morning, and was greeted by the same car, pulling out of MY apartment complex and driving really slowly with the window down, not saying anything. I live less than half a mile from school, but had to get the school police to come pick me up.

I gave the cops a partial license plate and description of the car and man inside. Their response? Don’t walk alone, better yet get a lift from a friend. Every time I need or want to go home to go on campus someone should come pick me up? How can walking ten minutes to class be so dangerous?
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The cops, sorry two cop cars, stopped me while I was walking to school (not that the dress/appearance argument is relevant, but I am out in pretty mundane clothes and clearly look like a student). I knew there had been some prostitute stings in the area, and obviously had been dealing with men trying to buy sex (and not just being creepers). I was late, I cut to the chase “I’m not a prostitute.” They asked, “Have you ever been arrested?” I attempted to be cooperative, but wanted to get to my meeting. Eventually I told them about getting harassed all the time and offered to show my student ID and asked if I could leave. He just waved me off. Sorry, but at least in Sarasota (besides being the meanest city for the homeless) cops definitely don’t give a shit about woman getting harnessed. I have no idea what the justification is, but I would never expect a cop to be remotely helpful in this area if they even saw some guy bothering me.
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I was biking in a different area, and this truck started following me. He’d go around the block and drive by real slow, again, and again, and again. At first I thought I was confused. Then I thought, maybe he just wants directions. Nope. It was one of the first times I realized how unsafe I was, because I was (no looked) female. I eventually was able to duck behind a building and hide out for a bit, but asked a friend to come pick me up just in case. I was practically in tears.
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The only other time (I recall) having to hide was under similar circumstances. I was visiting a friend and went for a run through their neighborhood, when a man in a blue truck started following me (yelling the usual crap). Luckily there was a fire station near by, I noticeably walked in the next time he came around. The firefighters there were furious and offered to give me a ride home and wanted to know what he looked like.

I was really grateful those guys were there, but I think they didn’t understand that I don’t want to be protected, I want to be free. Easily the majority of the men who harass me are middle-aged white males, and yet one of the fire fighters was surprised. Unfortunately racism still persists in how the problem is even perceived, and exactly the group that is the problem is the group that feels the need to “protect” woman and offers completely ignorant advice about safety.

– R

Location: Sarasota, Florida

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Harassment on buses in Bangalore, India

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Women face many problems during traveling in the bus,while getting inside the rush bus, standing in the rush, while long traveling. Men used to sit at the back and disturb them, even school going girls. I too personally was harassed for repeated number of times. It will affect mentally and reduce the boldness.

– angelin

Location: Bangalore, India

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