When I was in college in Boston it was a regular occurrence to be harassed on the street. One night in particular a group of us had gone out and we were heading back to my roommate’s boy friend’s car – there were 5 of us, including two guys. There were these three big guys hanging out out the street on the corner near where we were parked, and they immediately took interest in us. We were friendly at first because we were with two guys – what were they going to do? Well, they started saying things like, “Come on, give us a hug, we don’t bite!” My sister gives them a hug (still not sure why) and I make my way over to the car to get into the back seat and the biggest of the three guys follows me, reaches over and grabs my crotch as I’m trying to get into the car. I was completely disgusted – thank god I was wearing jeans that night. When I told everyone in the car what happened, the two guys thought it was funny. Sick.
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
I think the states need to take a serious step toward prosecuting for street harassment! Post signs on streets – like littering, if you cat call or harass another person, you’ll be fined $500. If you grope or touch someone, you’ll be arrested for assault. I don’t think men even realize it’s illegal to do this – but if there were warnings, it would curb some of the behavior. For the rest that still do it – I think we need to (safely) get out the camera phones and start reporting these people!!
– Kate
Location: Boston, MA
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more ideas
