Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Guess who

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Guess who I saw again on my way to work this morning? This guy from this story: http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/long-hair-lewdness-short-hair-rudeness/

Since it’s been less than two months since I last saw him, I thought I’d never see him again. Wrong!

I got off the bus with a few folks, and for a second I was walking side by side with one woman, so it looked like we could’ve been together. Of course, this punk says, “Good morning, LADY,” not “ladies,” because we know I’m too “ugly” with my short hair for him to treat me with respect. Rolling my eyes.

I moved towards the curb to continue walking so I didn’t have to walk directly past him. Then he starts yelling, “Oh, my god! Oh, MY GOD!” obnoxiously. I opted to ignore him because I was just not in the mood to deal with him again.

If he’s out there again tomorrow and he gets aggressive with me like he did the first time, I’ll call the police. (Today’s incident wasn’t worth a call to the police.) I’ve wondered if I should print out the first story with his photos and hang it up near where he stands, as a way of informing others about him and hopefully scaring him off for good.

– Tired of Being Harassed

Location: Arlington, VA

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10 instances of verbal harassment in one trip

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Walking to the supermarket in Perry Barr, West Midlands, England, the verbal harassment was constant, maybe 10 instances.

– Rhian

Location: Perry Barr, West Midlands, UK

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Leerer at the Doctor’s office

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While waiting in line today to check in at my doctor’s appointment on the first floor of a clinic, I stood to the left of my husband.

In front of me, while in public (with people around sitting in waiting chairs), in the daytime, waiting in line to check in was a 40 or 50 year old white tall skinny guy with nasty dark eyes and a big bald spot on the back of his head. He was looking around casually, but when he saw with the corner of his eye that I was behind him, the bastard turned his body so he was no longer giving me his full back. He then eyed me and wouldn’t stop staring at me. I saw that he demeaned me with his eyes as he looked too low below my chin.

Being an athletic girl, I brought my knuckles out and cracked them loudly. I looked at him in the eye, and then I elbowed my husband to pay attention. It’s so pathetic, I almost always have to tell my husband when something is up. I always notice before him. It doesn’t help the problem. I actually had to whisper in my husband’s ear to notify him of the problem occurring in front of him.

The asshole kept on staring at me in a disrespectful manner basically until he was called in to check in….and EVEN THEN he kept on staring, the bastard….WTF…I was wearing baggy gym pants and a sleeveless shirt with straps but that shouldn’t matter

– FI0008

Location: Champaign, IL

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Race and street harassment in North London

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I read this blog regularly and I often notice posts in which a black woman has experienced harassment by black males and that there is a power dynamic of some sort at work there which they can see very clearly. After walking home today, I wondered what white women’s experiences are of this and if/how/why they differ: I have a 5-minute walk home in London from my tube station, through generally quiet suburban streets. It’s very much a multicultural area but I find myself experiencing a disproportionate amount of harassment from young black men.

Today, walking home, I see a guy walking towards me on the same side of the street and I can tell, even before I get near him, that he’s going to say/do something. Right on cue, he moves right over to my side of the pavement [sidewalk], taking up all the space so I can’t get past. I’ve had a good day until this point and am so annoyed I shove into his arm with my bag to get past. He doesn’t do anything, just keep walking, not even that shocked – maybe it happens all the time. Then, turn onto the next street and there’s another guy walking towards me, giving me that same attitude with eyes up and down my body, leering, swaggering. I don’t need this on my 5 minute walk home.

Both these guys were black and I would guess in their late 20s to early 30s, and both had the same attitude towards me which I’ve encountered countless times in London. I don’t know – I’m willing to accept the suggestion that it’s a coincidence. Maybe I ‘project’ something that makes me a likelier target for harassment? And maybe this is exactly what they do to anyone, regardless of race, and it feels ‘racially-oriented’ whether you’re black/white etc. It just feels – call it feminine intuition or whatever you will – that this is a specific, somehow different, attitude to me as a white woman.

I don’t like saying that. It feels like I can’t say that I experience this because it’s me being ‘discriminatory’ in some way. It really feels like this is a taboo subject but it seems to happen so often to me that I am, in some awful way, starting to distrust young black men generally, which is horrible. Has anyone else felt this? Maybe it’s just an attitude that comes from a small group of young guys, influenced by whatever, who are more visible in their harassment because it is so aggressive? I don’t know – I just feel frustrated that I’m not enjoying living where I live because of these incidents….

– Anonymous

Location: North London

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Harasser outside Borders

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I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I’ve been repeatedly harassed by a panhandler for almost two years. This man has been around for several years, but the first time he really singled me out was in November 2008. He was standing in front of Borders, supposedly collecting for a food drive. I have since heard from various sources that his food drive is bogus. To everyone else, he was saying, “Would you like to donate to the homeless food drive?” But as soon as he saw me, he started shouting insults and foul language. I went into Borders and told the manager, and she called the police. Meanwhile, she went outside to talk to him, and he insulted her as well. He disappeared before the police showed up.

A few months later, this same man bothered me again in front of Borders, calling me “retarded-looking”, among other insults. Ever since then, I’ve tried to avoid him. But then, on April 14, 2010, he singled me out again. This was on my birthday, and I was going to a restaurant where I had a dinner reservation when I saw him sitting on a bench in front of a textbook and supply store in the same part of town as Borders. I crossed the street as soon as I saw him, but he shouted across the street at me, “Retarded-ass woman!” I was so upset that I wanted to call the police right then, but I didn’t want to be late for my birthday dinner (even though I couldn’t enjoy it very much).

After that, I’ve continued to try to avoid this man whenever I could, often walking way out of my way when I happen to spot him. My most recent encounter with him happened last Thursday, when I was eating at a pizza restaurant and he sat down at an outdoor table and stared at me. I told the person who was working at the cash register, and he went outside to tell him to go away. The panhandler left, but I saw him stick out his tongue at me. I asked the man at the restaurant whether anyone else has had trouble with this man, and he said he’s never bothered anyone in the store, but he’s “sort of crazy”. People at Borders have told me that I’m not the only one he bothers, though.

I have written two letters to the Ann Arbor City Council about this man, one right after my birthday and another two months later, but I have not received as much as an acknowledgment in response. I also know that Ann Arbor has a law against panhandling within twelve feet of the entrance to a store, and he constantly violates this law, but the City Council won’t do anything about it.

– Anonymous

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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