Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“Well, that’s why you’re by yourself”

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Today, I was walking down Commercial Drive, heading home after having dinner with a friend. A group of men were hanging out outside of a sports bar. One of them ordered me to smile. Now, anyone who knows me well knows that ordering me to smile is a surefire way to annoy me. So I turned and looked at the man.

“Why?” I asked.

“Why not?” He replied.

“It’s my business what I choose to do with my face,” I said, in a calm but firm voice. Then I turned and kept walking.

“Well, that’s why you’re by yourself,” he yelled after me. I gave him the finger without turning around. I am amazed that some men feel so free to comment on a woman’s facial expression and apparent relationship status.

– Margaret

Location: Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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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Street Harassment Snapshot: December 5, 2010

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Read women’s stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week and find relevant announcements and upcoming street harassment events.

Story Submissions Recap:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world. Share your story!

Image via TIME

In the News, On the Blogs:

Upcoming Events:

  • Dec. 11, 2010: Webinar about writing street harassment op-eds with journalist Elizabeth Mendez Berry, HollaBack ED Emily May, and me, noon – 1:30 p.m. EST. Contact Kira for info (kira DOT zmuda AT gmail.com)
  • Dec. 14, 2010: Stop Street Harassment book giveaway and chat about street harassment during AAUW’s Cocktails and Convos at Nage, Washington, DC, 5 – 7 p.m. EST

Announcements:

Ten Tweets from the Week:

  • rightingteacher Vigorous defense of street harassment from one boy, much concerned about his right to leer and whistle, less so girls’ right to feel safe.
  • CatCall Tried to forget the grossest #catcall ever last night: no words just 2 men grunting & moaning in the most explicit way as I walked by. Eww!
  • SurvJustice @StopStHarassmnt I love your cause, street harassment needs to stop and not be excused or ignored
  • driftmako @bridraffen it isn’t intended to “work,” like most street harassment it is about the man performing/exerting power over you
  • meredithmo A bit of good, old-fashioned street harassment, English-style, circa 1959: http://ow.ly/3jIzA
  • iHollaback Hollaback (verb): To respond in a badass way to street harassment, to tell your story (via @nytimes http://nyti.ms/eB6QlR )
  • snakkula Does it ever really work for dudes when they whistle and catcall at girls when driving by? This should be evolutionarily removed by now
  • Bleeohmy Oh my walking down the street and a police officer tells me ‘is my duty to please that booty’ I’m pretty sure that’s harassment.
  • SpookSquad Not just in Tulsa either! RT @hkearl @MRambrose I forgot that street harassment turns into cruising car harassment in Tulsa, OK
  • BillyWerner ladies: please wear a miniature camera & take photos of dudes that catcall u. i am assembling a group of people to beat them to death
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“I was crying too hard to drive”

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Today I was in my favorite chain of gas stations in town. They are always well lit, clean and have 5 attendants on the clock at all times.

I went to the ATM,and got out my money (hovering close to the screen to block the view) and walked to the counter. Some guy got into a spat with a woman behind him because she would not buy something he wanted, she said “Son, we don’t have the money for that” and turned to go get into the far line away from me.

As I walked this dirty looking guy walked up behind me, and stood in line. I only noticed him because he was watching me closely, and he was the guy that snapped at his apparent mother.

My first thought was he might think of taking my money he looked at me so intensely, so I tucked my purse under my arm and zipped it up.

As the clerk came to me and I started counting the money, I felt the guy behind me get very close to me, close enough to feel his breath on the back of my neck. He finally bumped my ass, and I could actually feel his hand through my slacks!

I turned around abruptly and screamed at him, “Do not touch me! I don’t know you! You have plenty of room to stand here, you do not have to be so close to me!”

He jumped back and started calling me names and saying, “That guy behind me pushed me.”

I yelled back, “I don’t fucking care you have no right to touch me, back up right now!”

He looked about my age (early 20’s). I looked around the store at this point everyone was staring like I was a crazy woman. I even saw his mother and she was looking at him like…I don’t know like she expected it? Kind of a “Oh my god not again.” I turned back around, because now I knew everyone was staring at him. He kept calling me names, under his breath and i finished paying for my money order, and left.

I was so humiliated! I even stood up for myself, but by the time I was out of the store and driving home I actually had to pull over in another gas station and have a panic attack there locked in my car because I was crying too hard to drive.

– BME

Location: Tulsa, OK

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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“You are delicious”

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I always, I mean always witnessed men saying, “You are delicious”, “I want to lick you pussy”, with me and my sister, and every female. A few times I was touched, so was my sister.

– KS

Location: City: Goiania, State: Goias, Country: Brazil

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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Unsafe in downtown Cleveland

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The other night, I went out for drinks with a couple of friends in downtown Cleveland. As we were walking back to our car, a man starts shouting out a car window that he likes one of our asses. He goes on and on and then finally yells as the they turn the corner, “I will not eat your pussy if you do not suck my cock.” I was worried they were going to drive the same way we were walking, but thankfully they turned the other way. I was worried they were going to stop.

– Anonymous

Location: Cleveland, OH

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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