One time when I was 19 in Oakland, CA. I was walking down the street toward the MLK Museum and four guys in a car drove up and starting cat calling me. They said things like, ʺHey baby,ʺ ʺYou should be mine,ʺ ʺYou’re sexy,ʺ ʺI want that,ʺ ʺLet me hit that.ʺ I tried to ignore them but they kept following me.
I felt very afraid. I turned around and said, ʺI’m not interested, please goʺ and suddenly the driver got very mad and said, ʺYOU ARE GONNA GIVE ME YOUR NUMBER!ʺ and he acted like he was pulling the car toward the curb. I ran and he followed me in his car yelling, ʺGIVE ME YOUR NUMBER. I WANT IT NOWʺ. Luckily, I was two blocks from the museum and I just ran in, shaking. I was terrified. I didn’t know if they would follow me or wait for me.
I stayed in the museum for hours, hearing my heart race.
Especially, as someone who has been sexually assaulted in the past, it was a huge trigger for me. To this day, almost ten years later, when I see a car full of young men and I’m walking by myself, my heart starts racing.
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
Bring awareness. I think so many people think it’s normal and they think it’s a way of life. They do not fully understand how this affects women and women know they feel bad, but it’s hard to verbalize what happened. It’s a type of trauma sometimes. Sometimes women blame themselves based on how they are dressed, etc. We need to raise more awareness, and let people know what is acceptable and what isn’t. We also need to get women’s stories out there so we can bring a sense of compassion to those who harass us.
– Jasmine
Location: Oakland, CA
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea
