Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
My friend and I were at the gas station and we are both only 17. These two men kept whistling at us, they kept getting closer and closer, we had to stay inside till they left. Never in my life had i felt so degraded.
– MT
Location: Springfield, Ohio
Rosamund Urwin writes for the London Evening Standard about her street harassment stories
“The road I live off — Acre Lane in Brixton — seems to host regular auditions for the Bad Boyfriend Club. Most days, a couple of men stand near the McDonald’s uttering “Hey, sexy” and other Oscar Wilde-worthy witticisms at passing women. I’m pretty sure that the success rate of this strategy is lower than Lottery jackpot odds (ie, zero), that no woman has ever ripped off her knickers in response. Yet still they persist, day after day….
Almost every woman I know has similar — or worse — stories. They’ve been sworn at. Hollered at. Leered at. Groped. These incidents occur on the street, in buses, trains, clubs and bars — regular reminders that, as a woman, public spaces never quite belong to you…Let’s reclaim the streets from London’s leches.”
If you live in London and want to help reclaim the streets, you can join Rape Crisis South London for their “London Landmarks Against Street Harassment Event” from 30 March to 5 April for International Anti-Street Harassment Week!
Are you looking for a unique way to bring attention to the problem of street harassment…. especially during the upcoming International Anti-Street Harassment Week (March 30 – April 5)?
You could download these stencils by the Philadelphia-based group Pussy Division and spread anti-harassment messages on sidewalks or walls in your community! (Chalk could be a non-permanent alternative to spray paint.)
The idea is you download the words like “Damn Girl” and “Nice Ass” and also the “No” image and then it’s a two step process to stencil the catcall words and then overlay it with the No.
The leaders shared these tips: “We have them on 12X12 card-stock and found that to be an ideal size. If you wish to use the stencil many times, its helpful to laminate them before you cut out the black sections with an exacto knife or razor blade.”
PDFs to SAVE:
“No” | “Damn Girl” | “Hey Sexy” |
“Smile Honey” | “Sup Baby” | “Nice Ass”
While the occasional lewd greetings from the homeless in Ann Arbor are common enough, today I experienced one of the few incidents that gave me real concerns for my safety. Departing my workplace at the corner of Huron and State streets, on my lunch break, two large middle aged men had just gotten off the bus and we proceeded to walk toward each other on the sidewalk. One was familiar, a vagrant and panhandler who occasionally loiters at the picnic table located on my office’s property. Noticing their attempts at eye contact I took out my phone when the familiar one’s companion spoke.
“Hey baby, wait a minute.”
I had passed him in the time it took for him to utter the sentence and was sandwiched between him and the familiar panhandler who stood in my way also attempting to get my attention.
I mumbled an, “Excuse me,” and went around the familiar person as his companion began to shout a long string of obscenities including but not limited to, “STOP WALKING YOU F***ING BITCH I’M TALKING TO YOU.” I proceeded a block down state street and turned onto Washington as he continued to swear at me in escalating rage, following from a distance. I even heard his friend, the one I had seen before, attempting to calm him down as I reached my destination.
– Anonymous
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
“I’m one person, can I participate in International Anti-Street Harassment Week?”
YES! While there are a growing number of events scheduled for International Anti-Street Harassment Week, March 30 – April 5, many people do not live near one.
So how can you get involved in the week as an individual? There are lots of ways!
1 – Share a street harassment story or talk about the issue with a family member, friend, colleague, classmate, or neighbor. Most people do not realize this is such a common problem and talking about it can raise people’s awareness and may prompt them to do something about it. You can also share your story online for inclusion on our blog.
2 – Share images or video clips over social media. This can also bring awareness to the issue.
3 – Join one of the six Tweet Chats happening across the week! Check out the schedule.
4 – If you have a smartphone, download the free mobile app “Safetipin” and during the week, use it to say if you feel safe or unsafe in different spots in your community and why. The founders of the app have agreed to make a special report out of all of the individuals reports made that week — so take 5 minutes and add your voice and experience!
5 – Read the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers to get ideas for dealing with harassers you see/face. Then share the book with someone else or donate it to your library.
6 – Put up a poster or flyer in your community (such as a bulletin board at a library or post office or on a campus, or put it up in a bus shelter) or write a sidewalk chalk message proclaiming safe spaces for everyone.
There is no action too small to make a difference!