I was walking to my aunt’s house from my college. I was a couple blocks away when two guys in a beat-up car were driving towards me. The driver waved while the guy in the passenger seat leaned out and screamed, “Hey cutie!” at me. I was all alone so I just ignored them and kept walking. I spent the remainder of my walk looking behind my shoulder whenever I heard a car coming because I was terrified they would circle back and harass me more.
The rest of my day was ruined because I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened and how scared I was. I felt really violated and angry because I have a right to walk wherever I want, whenever I want and not feel intimidated or scared, but those guys took that from me.
Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?
For dealing with harassers, I guess I’d say do whatever you feel safe and comfortable doing. I ignored mine because I was alone and didn’t feel that I would be safe if I responded. I think there needs to be strict laws passed and greater community awareness about street harassment.
– Anonymous
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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