I live in Chicago and despite all of it’s flaws Chicago is my home and heart and soul. In my city you get people from all walks of life; you get the full spectrum of colors, creeds, and cultures. You get the men and women who help you selflessly and the men and women who will turn up their noses to the plight of others. Chicago is home to the best of us and the worst of us.
Last summer I spent a great deal on my feet and on public transit. Through Old Irving Park, Albany Park, Roscoe Village, and the Lake Shore I was always going somewhere by foot or via bus and train and for a while, and for the most part I had felt safe and secure. I enjoyed my Chicago summer except for one reoccurring event.
I would either be waiting at a bus stop or walking down the street and a car would pull up besides me and whatever man driving said car would roll down his window and try to convince to join him inside. On more than a few occasions I would be coaxed with handfuls of bills. But mostly it had just been men with the audacity to pull up besides me and try to sweet talk and seduce me into the passenger seats of their vehicles.
I found this terrifying but not in the way you might expect. I was insulted and rather ashamed because I had never been solicited for prostitution until last year. I would constantly ask people if I looked like, or walked like, acted like, or gave off a certain ‘air’ that would make men think that I would exchange my body for monetary gain. The answer was always no. But still the thought remained that I had an essence about me that screamed that I was dirty.
That happened countless times last summer. It seems like there was a constant barrage of solicitation and predation. It seemed almost inescapable. I can honesty say that I no longer feel as safe and secure in my home town as I used to.
– DK
Location: Chicago, IL
