I was returning to the parking lot where I parked my car and I saw a man standing right near my car. When I got closer, he told me he was homeless and asked if I could give him some money for food, and I gave him some money. He thanked me, but then it gradually turned into sexual harassment.
After he thanked me, he hugged me, which at first made me feel slightly uncomfortable but he prolonged the hug so long I started to get more and more uncomfortable. He said I was beautiful in a way that made me a little uncomfortable and I started saying over and over that I needed to go. I managed to get in my car, but as I was getting in he made a kissing face and said something about how he wanted to kiss me, and at that point I started to feel scared. He stayed so close to the car that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to drive away without hitting him. I managed to leave in my car but felt icky and uncomfortable my whole drive home.
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
Teach men in particular about what sexual harassment is, why it’s wrong, and what it does to women. Teach them how to intervene in these situations and create situations where men start talking with each other about sexual harassment. Make it more socially unacceptable to harass women than to talk about being harassed.
– CD
Location: Parking lot near H Mart, corner of Essex Street and Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea
