I was about to turn into the driveway of my apartment parking lot when a van very nearly backed up into me. I gave a quick toot of my horn, the van stopped, then backed up more, forcing me to back up out of the way, so I didn’t get hit. The automatic gate opened, and the van went in, followed by my car. I pulled into a spot, and got out with my shopping bags.
The van pulled up to a dumpster and a large man got out and picked through the trash. I said to him, “You might want to look behind you, you almost hit me.”
He turned and said, ” What? I can’t hear you what did you say?” I repeated my statement. He began to literally charge towards me. I considered running, but stood quietly, thinking he was hard of hearing. He stopped about 6 feet away and began to yell loudly at me about how my blinker wasn’t on, do I think I own the world, I should shut up, keep my mouth shut, don’t run my mouth, who do I think I am, and… he ranted on yelling all the while.
I said, ‘ I live here in this senior citizen complex. I have a right to be here.”
He is definitely under the 55 age limit. He may live with an older adult. The rules are pretty nebulous at times, according to the whims of the HOA. I asked him to stop yelling and, “Chill out.”
He kept yelling the same things at me, repeating himself. I told him he is rude and should have been taught by his mother how to be polite and treat women with respect. Then I turned my back and walked away while he was still yelling at passersby about the bitch who thinks she knows it all, etc.
I’m 60 years old and I’ve owned my senior condo here for two years, and except for having my bicycle stolen, I’ve felt pretty safe up to now. I’m really jittery tonight. I hate being bullied by men. I’m a survivor of child sexual abuse, and domestic abuse. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, and space out easily. I really need to feel safe where I live, and I feel ok about speaking up, but not about the bullying. I hate going into hyper alert mode where I’m supposed to be safe. It’s funny, I never thought about using my pepper spray, or threatening to call the cops. If he had come closer or reached for me, I would have reacted then.
– Jasmina
Location: Outside my building. Fullerton, CA
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