Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“Nobody on the (crowded) street intervened”

By

Today, I went downtown to get some work shoes, and was followed down the street by a hulking, paunchy, sweaty white man in a full gangster getup. He started walking alongside me, trying to talk to me. I couldn’t hear him, because I had my headphones in, but I told him, “Not interested.” He then followed me for another block, yelling. I still couldn’t fully hear him, because of my music, but I could hear incoherent yelling. I did catch a few phrases like, “You think you’re too cool for nothing, bitch!” and other classy, intelligent discourse.

Eventually, after I didn’t turn around, and tried to walk like my height was a weapon (sometimes this works), he started shouting, “Sorry! Sorry! I was rude!” I still didn’t look at him, because that half-assed apology was a little late, and I just wanted to get out of there. He ended up getting on a bus, and I kept walking, my heart pounding, because that could have easily escalated, and he was much, much bigger than me.

Nobody on the (crowded) street intervened, or checked to see if I was okay after. I ended up abandoning my errand, and just going home, feeling totally defeated.

– Rebecca

Location: Granville and W Georgia St. in Vancouver, Canada

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share

“It never fails to shake my sense of safety”

By

When I was a junior in college at the University of Cincinnati, I had a lots of friends who lived on Ohio Street. One day on a weekend in the morning I was walking down the street from my car to a friend’s apartment when some men leaned out a window of a large house and called at me. I ignored them. No response. They called me a bitch and threw an old flatscreen TV (the heavy kind with a large bulb and black plastic housing) out of the window at me. It landed mere feet in front of me. If I had been walking faster or if they had thrown it more to their left then it would have probably killed me or at the very least rendered me disabled or paralyzed for the rest of my life. It shattered into pieces at my feet. Without thinking I burst into a sprint and ran to my friend’s house and called the cops and filed a report. The experience was incredibly disturbing.

But it wasn’t the only time.

Once a van attempted to kidnap me on a one way street. The door flung open and they tried to grab me. So I walked the “wrong” way. The van flung into reverse, despite being on a one way street, and pursued me. I never got caught but the experience was mortifying. I had an apartment in a gated community for additional safety.

Honestly, I get cat calls maybe once a week. It never fails to shake my sense of safety and make me feel paranoid like I’m being chased. I feel threatened. I feel a lack of security. There’s nothing like feeling threatened the minute you walk out of your house. I have two 60 lb dogs and people think I’m crazy. It’s literally the only way I can go out in public and feel safe when my husband isn’t with me. I’m a white woman in my early 30’s. I can only imagine what other women experience.

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

Emergency Phones, Ample lighting

– Anonymous

Location: Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Savannah, NYC, Chicago, Italy, OKC, Seattle, Everywhere I go

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share

“People should never feel uncomfortable walking around”

By

Recently, as my friend and I walk to my apartment, I noticed a man standing in the corner of the block. I was extremely uncomfortable because he glanced at us-specifically, me. He whispered something to me, but I was unable to hear it because of the noises around the neighborhood. For a second, I thought that it was probably my imagination, only to realize the man was following us as we walked around.

I began to walk gradually slower and make a random excuse that I needed to enter a pharmacy. However, the man simply slowed his steps and walked ahead, while I explained that we were being followed. As we continued to walk slowly and cautiously, the man began to turn around and walk toward us, whispering obscene, unwanted sexual remarks as he walked past us. Honestly, it was a disturbing situation, seeing that he was middle-aged adult and my friend and I are still teenagers. Unfortunately, because I live directly in front of the site, we hurriedly ran into a nearby supermarket, waited for a while for our other friend, and left through the other exit.

This was one of the few times I have experienced street harassment. This experience, however, left me agitated. I was appalled by how someone could even consider making unwanted advances, especially how someone could follow someone and make them worried to simply go outside.

Also, I think it’s important to remember that street harassment does happen simply because one is wearing a provocative attire, as others had claimed numerous times. That day, I have returned from school, still clothed in my gym uniform that consisted of a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. Honestly, I was a mess that day, exhausted and having my hair fly around from the wind. However, regardless of what someone wears, people should never feel uncomfortable walking around.

– Anonymous

Location: Manhattan, New York City (The Lower East Side)

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share

“You can be compassionate while still deflecting those comments

By

I was walking my dog in my neighborhood one afternoon. A group of young men were walking in front of us. They stopped and my dog and I walked by them. One of the guys asked me, “Hey are you going to take me for a walk?” I turned around and said “Nope.” They were all laughing and the one who kept talking to me would continue with his remarks.

When I turned on to my street, he called at me again, “When are you going to take me for a walk?” I stopped and turned around. “Excuse me?” I said. He walked over with a big grin on his face and said “You can walk me if you want.”

I asked him, “How are you going to talk to a perfect stranger like that? I don’t even know you.”

He started laughing a little nervously and asked what my dog’s name is. “Leaving. Her name is Leaving.”

I turned around and started walking home. I heard his friends all laughing in the background. It was a conscious effort not to go down the path of anger.

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

Compassion. It’s a daily practice when it comes to cat calling behavior. You can be compassionate while still deflecting those comments.

– Anonymous

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share

“I felt ashamed for more than that reason”

By

I was in middle school, I think, and I was with some friends hanging out at a park. I had trouble climbing the fence and my friends tried to encourage me to do it without help. An elderly man came by and tried to “help” me over but also groped my ass for way too long. I felt ashamed for more than that reason and grossed out. My friends at the time thought it was funny.

– Anonymous

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share