I was walking to the store when a black pick-up truck rolls by and matches speed with me. The driver’s side window was open and the man inside said, ʺHey baby.ʺ

I kept walking. He asked, ʺYou ok?ʺ I looked over at him and he gave me a thumbs up. ʺYou want a ride?ʺ I shook my head. I get this all the time, every time I walk to the store. I consider it a good day if I make it there and back (about 2 blocks) without getting hassled. Normally they just keep rolling by after getting a flat look and a shake of the head. But not this guy.

ʺDon’t get me confused, bitch!ʺ He yelled at me. ʺYou f***ing bitch, f***ing slut.ʺ He’s screamed this at me. I got scared, but I was kinda just shocked, and I got off the sidewalk and tried to use the bushes and trees as cover. He drove on, albeit slowly, and gave me this death stare as he turned the corner.

I kept walking but when I got to the intersection, I saw he had parked his truck in front of the store I was going into. There’s two little competing convenience stores, one on each corner – I went to the other one of course. I kept thinking to myself – like he thought he was doing me a favor by harassing me, like I should be flattered somehow, the pig. Yet as angry as I was getting, after the initial fear waned, I still dawdled in the store and kept checking the parking lot through the windows.

On the way back home, I took the inside path near the trees and I saw him creep by. I managed to make it into my complex without him seeing me because he had driven on; he was holding up traffic.

– “Going to the Store”

Location: Gretna, LA

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I’ve just shared my story to all my friends and family on Facebook. It was daunting, but worth it. Please take a look.

Some background information: I am a 24-year-old woman who spent a year living in Madrid, Spain, which is where I experienced the worst street harassment in my life. (Not that it matters, but I dressed conservatively for work every day and I stood out as a foreigner where I lived.)

I previously lived in Thailand for two years and did not experience street harassment on such an extreme level. I grew up in South Africa, where sexual violence and rape are more common for girls than getting an education. But the times that I was publicly harassed, bullied or followed as a girl and then teenager, other people stood up for me. They sometimes even physically stepped in, which I am more grateful for now more than ever.

During my entire time in Spain, no one said a word, not once, not even when I was followed by two teenage males on my way to a lesson, or when a man sat making faces at me on the bus, or when someone purposefully blocked my path on a busy pavement. I find that shameful.

My biggest issue with street harassment is not that people do it, but that other people tolerate it and we as a society allow it. If the characters of these men who harass women are so weak, then the people who support it with their silence must be just as responsible.

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

-Individual activism like putting up notes, handing out flyers, etc.
-Joining and supporting communities like Stop Street Harassment or Stop Telling Women to Smile and telling others about movements like these, online or in person
-Spreading awareness and sharing stories with your family and friends in the hopes of changing people’s attitudes or comforting fellow victims
-Standing up for others and speaking out when you witness street harassment in any form

– Adrian Fleur

Location: Madrid, Spain

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Every morning for the last week as I’ve gone to class this guy has stood outside this drive thru burger place and made comments and disgusting noises whenever I walk by. Normally I’ve been able to dismiss it because I am not letting him decide what street I should take to get to school.

Today after class I saw him on my way home and I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I walked by while he was talking to a guy about another girl that passed by. He then said, “Ooh but I like this oneʺ and proceeded to touch my arm. Him being comfortable touching strange women is way out of line.

I immediately said loudly, ʺDon’t touch meʺ. He acted annoyed and put his arms up as if he didn’t know what I was angry about so I added, ʺGet the fk away from me.ʺ I heard him walking behind me but luckily another guy that was walking behind me started to walk next to me. He asked me if I wanted him to walk next to me for a couple blocks and I did.

The harasser made me incredibly angry. I was so angry, that tears started to fall down my face. I immediately thought of the next days to come and if I would get into trouble macing him because I’m sure I’ll see him again and he doesn’t seem like the type to stop all of a sudden. I’m angry and scared at the same time. But I’m also stubborn. So I’ll be walking with my mace in my hand in my pocket for a very long time.

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

Educate that catcalling is harassment and should not be done, nor tolerated. If you see someone being harassed, make sure the victim is OK (like this nice stranger did for me). Stand up against the harasser with words. Never violence.

– Anonymous

Location: In front of Dick’s on Broadway, Capitol Hill, Seattle and in front of Rite Aid, Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA

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Hi!
I just want to share my street harassment story. It was the end of my shift, exactly 5:30 when I arrived at the terminal. It was a Friday so I was already expecting that lots of people would be dying to ride a bus, since we have limited buses only. There is one baby bus but if it’s already full, it is your choice if you wanna ride- but standing, or you’ll fall in line and wait for the next one.

Since I was very eager and excited to go home, I just chose to stand up and ride that bus. I was in the middle of the aisle when the driver and the bus ticket collector advised me to go near the driver’s seat because many people would be standing and I might be uncomfortable if many men would surround me. Thinking that it was an act of concern, I went near the driver’s seat and stood up there. Suddenly, I heard the ticket collector talking to a man, looking at me. And then he said, ʺAsawa ho ng dirver yang nakatayo/ The woman standing is the driver’s wife,ʺ I was so humiliated because everybody looked at me. The driver is almost 50 years old, and I’m just 20. I looked at the ticket collector with a dim face, trying to compose myself. He looked at me, shaking his head and smiling. I took my phone, I acted like I was calling my boyfriend, just to somehow let them know that I’d be calling someone. He backed off. And then I talked to them ʺKuya, mahiya po kayo sa balat nyo.ʺ And then bumaba na ako. I felt so humiliated.

– Anonymous

Location: Coastal Mall/ Bus Terminal, Philippines

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The other day I went to go get something to eat with my friends after class and after we finished we started walking back to my friend’s house. They both bike to and from school so they were together about 50 yards ahead of me. We took a shortcut through the park and my friends decided to go ahead of me a little bit (about 200 yards). I saw them bike past a group of about 7 or 8 guys from my school who were sitting on both sides of the path. I didn’t want to make it obvious that I wanted to avoid walking past them alone (not a great decision) so I just walked right between them. This one guy had a mouthful of water and ʺpukedʺ all over the path and my leg and his friend was laughing and patting him on the back. I continued to walk and one guy called ʺthat booty tho’!ʺ to me and they all just started cracking up.

Personally, this was my first catcalling experience and I’m honestly very surprised about how calmly I reacted. I just kept a straight face and walked away and did not react. I didn’t want to give them any ammunition to use against me. I’m still slightly shaken up from it even though I know this is much less worse than what some other people experience regularly, but I know I’m not the one to blame and I keep telling myself that. I just really hope this never happens again because I get very easily scared and I felt pretty anxious for the rest of the day. I considered momentarily to change the way I dress to protect myself but I immediately realized I shouldn’t have to change my personality or the way I express myself to feel safe in a situation like this.

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

Always stick with a friend that can help you in an uncomfortable position or go to someone trustworthy who can help you and discourage young people from catcalling.

– Anonymous

Location: Berkeley, CA

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea