Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“Hey, mami, come back to my apartment!”

By

One morning, my family and I were walking from our resort to the beach in the town of Tamarindo  in Costa Rica. A truck full of men drove by, honking at my sister. Because my sister is Deaf, she could not hear them, and thus gave them no response. My dad or mom signed to my sister that men had just honked at her.

A few minutes later, the same truck drove by again, honking once more and, this time, yelling things in Spanish. Because I speak some Spanish, I knew what they were saying (they said things like, “Hey, mami, come back to my apartment! Let’s f*ck!”). My dad was angry and told my sister to button up her shirt all the way, even though she was dressed appropriately.

I was 13 at the time, and this incident of street harassment was once of the first I had experienced. It ruined the rest of my day, which should have been a pleasant day at the beach.

– Erica

Location: Tamarindo, Costa Rica

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.

Share

Harassers don’t care if you’re sad because you just broke up with your boyfriend

By

Yesterday I had to ride the bus home after dropping my Jeep off at a car repair place in Santa Monica. I was with my son walking back home on Sunset Blvd when a truck drove by screaming and yelling yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh Baby… It was disgusting not only because my 17 year old son was walking right in front of me, but I had just broken up with my boyfriend of 2 years and I was feeling so horrible at that moment.

I didn’t feel sexy, I didn’t want to be cat called at. It made me very upset because it doesn’t seem to matter what your day may be like men feel that they have the right to scream at you and upset you even more than you were already feeling! I don’t usually take the bus, but my son commented to me after the guys were screaming that, Mom, this sort of thing would happen to you all the time if you took the bus.

I believe that to be true and I feel so sorry for all the women who have to go through this! It is not right! We have the right to walk the streets without being harassed in this manner!

– Tanya Salcedo

Location: Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, CA

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.

Share

“It’s horrible to feel like you’re an object to be felt up”

By

I was walking my friend to the train station on a busy Friday night with lots of people on the street. A couple of guys walked past and one grabbed my arse. I turned around & saw him and his friend laughing.

I started walking towards them and shouted: “What the hell do you think you’re doing you f***ing arsehole.”

I wasn’t afraid, I was just disgusted and very, very angry. They continued laughing and walking away, they did not seem bothered at all. It’s horrible to feel like you’re an object to be felt up by any passing peasant.

– Anonymous

Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK

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.

Share

Taking action to stop harassers!

By

I have been walking to work with a friend and she has been shouted at, verbally harassed, had drivers slow down whilst passing her and, when in my car, other drivers make rude gestures and shout at her…and I thought we were some way down the road to equality.

The worst behaviour has been from the contractors working on the roadworks outside our office. After reading some of this website last night, I went over to the workmen, whilst they were staring and letching at my friend and told them to stop as it was threatening and unwelcome. I then went back into the office, called the company involved and reported the complaint to the director and backed it up with an email. I have received an email response stating that they would investigate my complaint and proceed with disciplinary action where appropriate.

My friend was scared and didn’t feel able to say anything to the contractors; I asked her if it was OK for me to speak up for her and she said yes. We wait to see if their behaviour changes…

Thanks to this website I decided to do something and speak up, instead of just thinking about it.

– CJ

Location: Walsall, United Kingdom

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.

Share

N-word rant at the bus stop

By

There is this white homeless guy I sometimes see at my bus stop, and while he says crazy stuff nothing compared to what he said this morning.

The homeless guy asked people for money and mostly got ignored, but when a black man passed by and ignored him, this guy went off on this lunatic diatribe.

“Bro…Bro! C’mon!” He builds up from there.

“N****rs are always looking out for one another,” he says, and goes on and on using that word. Mind you, I’m a black woman, so I was beyond offended. I turned around and gave this man the nastiest look I could muster.

Then he says this: “Ma’am, n****rs can be white people too! I call white people n****rs too! What about your boy [President] Clinton? What about your boy Clinton?”

I had to tune him out at this point. Not only was he crazy, he was racist as hell and I didn’t know what he was capable of.

As he went on his n-word rant, I loudly said “Where’s the bus?” and did anything to tune his crazy ass out. Thank god the bus came seconds later.

That was not how I wanted to start my Monday morning.

– anonymous

Location: Bus stop in front of Court House Metro, Arlington, VA

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.

Share