Yesterday evening I was outside WinCo Foods 7330 NE Butler St, Hillsboro, Oregon. I was at the store entrance picking some plants. A very calm, collected normal looking white male came close to me and said inappropriate sexual sentence about their intention to do something sexual to me. I did not want to believe what my ears heard (being an international non-native English speaker i am used to making sure that I understand exactly what people are asking/ saying to me) so i said almost in disbelief, “What?” He repeated the inappropriate sexual words. I was shocked, startled, angry.
“What did you just say to me?” I asked loudly and a few people entering or leaving the store heard me and started looking at us. Then the guy loudly said, “I just said you look pretty.” I told him, “No this is not what you said,” and he started moving away and I almost grabbed his collar but he took off running. I was really mad and shouted, “Stop right there…why are you running away like a coward if you didn’t say/do anything inappropriate.”
People carried on with their business but one kind young lady came to me and told me to come back to the well lit store entrance and be safe, she helped me calm down and made sure that I was ok and feeling safe. I felt insulted, threatened and many thoughts came to my mind like was this man following me? Did he know where I have parked my car? What if they come back with a weapon or something. I reported the incident to police and gave the description of the man.
What the man did was totally unacceptable and inappropriate. I suspect he targeted me because I am a brown female. I am also very petite so he might have thought that I am incapable of confronting a male. I hope this person will never repeat it because they can be charged with 1) harassing someone because of their nationality/color, 2) picking a fight/provoking someone to act violently and 3) disrupting peace at a public place. All these charges can lead them to jail.
– Anonymous
Location: WinCo Foods 7330 NE Butler St, Hillsboro, Oregon
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