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Three London Harassment Recollections

March 30, 2010 By Contributor

#1: Bus stop on Tottenham Court Road near The Astoria, approx 3 a.m.: I was standing waiting for the bus with my friend when a couple of guys came over and shouted at us, “I’ve never seen a white girl before, I want you to sit on my face!” and did gross hand actions related to oral sex. So disgusting and offensive!

#2: Elephant & castle, approx 9 p.m. : I was walking from the bus stop to my house and it was dark and i had to walk through this deserted area as the only way to get home. A man followed me off the bus into this area and was harassing me for my number, which i refused to give so I kept walking. He followed me but i didn’t feel i could go home because then he would see where i lived, so i walked this really roundabout route until i eventually lost him and could run home. When i got home i kept looking out the window to see if he was there 🙁

#3: Topshop, Oxford Circus, middle of day: I was shopping on the main floor in Topshop on my own, looking at the jewelry when i felt this man sort of thrust into me from behind. Because it was so busy i thought he must just have been jostled and bumped into me by mistake, so i overlooked the fact he had also put his hands on my hips when he did it. So i walked away to another area and a few minutes later it happened again. So I decided to walk around topshop in the most erratic pattern ever to see if he was really following me and sure enough everywhere i went he was there lurking a few feet away. He must have ‘bumped’ me about 3 times at which point i just left. I didn’t feel I could even tell the security guard because i didn’t think they would believe me so i just left feeling really gross and somewhat confused. At the time i was still quite young & immature and didn’t know how to react – just sort of felt embarrassed and thought perhaps i was mistaken. If it happened now, I would turn around and start screaming in his face.

– anonymous

Location: London, 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.

“Fat Cow” meets Arsch Lecker

March 30, 2010 By Contributor

I was in the Bahnhoff of a small city in Bavaria on the second floor, headed for the restroom. This guy turns the stairs and walks toward me. He catches my eye and I can see him suck in a breath and get ready to say something. I’m tired, I have to pee, I have to pay 2 euros to take a piss at McDonald’s, and this guy triggers my memory of a man who followed me in Munich. It’s an automatic reaction to nip this in the bud. I jerk my head no–sharply, while looking him in the eye. Maybe I put him off his game, because it took him a few beats to recover from the shock. He walks by and murmurs “fat cow.”

I’m shocked, so I keep walking. I assert my right to not talk to a complete stranger in a public but isolated train station with a curt nod and he thinks it’s okay to insult me? Because I nodded at him!? I really wish I’d have said something back-those words hurt, even two years later. Because I am fat, very fat. But I’m not bovine, or slatternly, or glutinous, or anything else implied by “fat cow.”

Was this my punishment for asserting myself, for denying him access? What an arsch lecker!

– anonymous

Location: Bavaria, Germany

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.

“Can I walk with you?”…No.

March 30, 2010 By Contributor

A block southeast of Newport on the Levee, just past the peace bell, this creepy, really old white guy asks me and my cousin, “Hey ladies, can I walk with you?”

We never seem to see this coming and are always flustered when it does happen. We just sped up and said something like no. Thankfully there wasn’t a car coming. I thought the man was mentally disturbed. There were people behind him in the building who had to have heard him.

– anonymous

Location: Newport, KY

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.

Weekly Round Up March 28, 2010

March 28, 2010 By HKearl

Stories:

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

On this blog, a woman in Dawson Creek, BC, Canada tells how an older man stalked her for years when she was a teenager, a woman in Edmonton, AB, Canada, had a man follow her for several blocks before demanding she go out with him, a woman in Bogor, Indonesia, shares how men harass her while she wears a veil, a woman in France talks about the numerous times men harassed her during a few hours period last Saturday, a woman in Washington, DC, shares how men gawked at her and then pretended they thought she was ugly after she said “Ew” to them, a woman in Virginia was harassed on her way to work on the bus by a very vulgar harasser, and a woman in Washington, DC, was harassed on her way to buy coffee.
On HollaBack NYC a man shares how he and his female friend were photographed by a creepy guy on the subway and another woman yells at a bold harasser and gives advice to women on what they can do to report harassers.
On HollaBack DC! a man harassed a woman about her hair as she waited for the bus and another woman and her friend are harassed by a man masturbating near them while they chatted on a park bench.
On HollaBack Chicago a woman tells how a man propositioned her while she was riding her bicycle at 7 a.m.!

In the News:

Arlington (VA) County police issued a warning because 11 incidents of indecent exposure have been reported on a bike trail across the last two months.
UK’s Hackney Post features the new anti-street harassment campaign in the UK.
In the Washington City Paper, Amanda Hess answers the question “But how do I know if I’m a street harasser?”

Announcements:

The submission deadline for an anthology on Queering Sexual Violence is extended until May 1, 2010.
The Safe Delhi Campaign is looking for volunteers and interns.
Blank Noise in India is looking for new logo submissions
RightRides/New Yorkers for Safe Transit is hiring
If you’re interested in becoming a RightRides driving team volunteer, email volunteer@rightrides.org – orientations will be occuring throughout April.
HollaBack NYC is looking for volunteers with various skill sets to help them take their work to the next level.
Share why you “Holla Back” for the HollaBack NYC website.

Upcoming Events:

If you’re in the Washington, DC, area, HollaBack DC! is hosting or participating in several events across the next few weeks, check out the info on their site.
Sign up for Washington, DC, based Defend Yourself’s annual class on dealing with street harassers, being held on May 22.

Resource of the Week:

The Safe Delhi Campaign – working to make cities safe for women

“Can’t even go on a coffee break…”

March 26, 2010 By Contributor

Yesterday I was walking across 17th St. (at the intersection with K St. in Washington, DC) on my way to meet someone for coffee. As I stepped back up onto the sidewalk from the street, a guy on the corner said to me, “Hey there, beautiful.”

I just ignored him and continued walking by. After I got past him, he said, “F*** you!!” I was scared to turn around and say something because what if he decided to get violent after using such violent language and tone?

I ignored him again and was a little shaken by the time I got to the coffee shop.

– anonymous

Location: 17th and K Street, Washington, DC

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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