Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“It is a shame that women are made to feel this way”

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I am 5′ 8 and 230 lbs. I am now a vegan, have been one for three weeks, and I have been cycling in order to lose weight.

I was just harassed while riding on the street. A piece of shit in a black car honked at me. He yelled, “Yeah baby” as I was riding on the road. I gave him the finger.

I read another account on here of a woman who refuses to exercise outside because of misogynist men like this piece of shit harassing her. It is a shame that women are made to feel this way. It is the fabric of misogyny that we have to deal with.

But f**k that! I f**king refuse to compromise my physical health because some sexist PIECE OF SHIT wants to act like he is 12 years old.

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

I think we should outlaw this behavior and we should be able to report it.

– Anonymous

Location: Ontario, Canada

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See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea

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“Where it was darkest was where I was harassed”

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I was walking on a sidewalk in downtown Washington, D.C. when a group of four men closed in on me. One guy extended his arm to try to get a “high five” with a “hug” and wouldn’t let me pass until I acknowledged him. It was either to jump into traffic or remain cornered by his group so I pushed and punched him with my fist. Luckily I was carrying keys so I scratched him, then ran away.

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

The side of the sidewalk I was on had a broken street light. Where it was darkest was where I was harassed. It’s stupid that I should have to avoid dark sidewalks, but it’s also unfortunately as I learned, a truism.

– EL

Location: Washington, D.C., USA

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

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Poem: “Bitches”

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dude on the street says i am a f**king bitch

you a f**king bitch!
you ain’t too good for me
keep on walk’n bitch!

so i keep on walking
and walking
because it was daylight
and my dog was beside me
and i had faith, even if small,
in witness testimony
if dude decided to kill this bitch

because we all know what happens
when bitches refuse

bitches,
we wake up in this city
with a fight right outside our door

bitches,
we get dressed
knowing the eye-f**k disrobes the thickest layers
and the world
of all its pretense to justice

bitches,
we brush our teeth and ready our faces
not for the catcall or the hand on the arse
or worse
but for ourselves

bitches,
when we leave the house
we know the real issue isn’t us
but the men who feel entitled to our time, our bodies, our lives
and threaten to make our world contract
like a blast rewound

but a blast rewound is a blast in motion

bitches,
lets break the rotation of this storm

when the streets hold you hostage
turn around and bounce a bomb into
the eye of that storm
explode this cyclone

when the red fire of his words
hits the hillside of your flesh
fling that grenade
take in all the oxygen and
starve that fucker of hate

bitches,
we are not on the supply side
of male demand

we are soldiers in lipstick
with our own game to kill
in this average city
where breathable sidewalks
become battlegrounds
and we
its bitches

Michelle Marie has been harassed in the USA, Egypt and Costa Rica. She said, “I wrote this poem because I am sick and tired, sick and tired, sick and tired (I am sorry if it sounds angry but I am pissed as hell)”

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“Why must men do this to women?”

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This happened when I was in a public transit bus around noon. I was sitting right beside the window on the right side of the bus. There weren’t a lot of people in bus since it was a Saturday and this bus takes you to a university. The bus stopped at a red light and I noticed two men who wouldn’t stop looking at me. They looked old and intoxicated. They were pointing at me and exchanging words to each other. I tried my best not to look at them. One of them knocked on the window and said something. He then proceed to give me a ”kissy face’ and licked his lips.

I started to ignored him but he wouldn’t stop knocking on the window. It was a loud continuous knock and the rest of the passengers wouldn’t stop looking at what was going on. I was so embarrassed and angry at the same time. This actually makes me question my appearance. Is it because of the way I dress or how I do my makeup that makes men want to street call? Why must men do this to women? This is so wrong.

– Anonymous

Location: Winnipeg/Manitoba/Canada

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

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“A Gentleman’s Guide to Rape Culture”

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Hello! I want to point out this article, written by a man, which is titled ʺA Gentleman’s Guide to Rape Cultureʺ.

It is very interesting and I especially like this paragraph in which he describes, through a very explanatory metaphor, how a woman feels when she meets a man on the streets:

ʺ[…]Because when it comes to assessing a man, whatever one man is capable of, a woman must presume you are capable of. Unfortunately, that means all men must be judged by our worst example. If you think that sort of stereotyping is bullshit, how do you treat a snake you come across in the wild?

…You treat it like a snake, right? Well, that’s not stereotyping, that’s acknowledging an animal for what it’s capable of doing and the harm it can inflict. Simple rules of the jungle, man. Since you are a man, women must treat you as such.ʺ

– EZ

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