Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Day 3: #EndSHWeek 2014

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Today was the third day of International Anti-Street Harassment Week!

Here are a few highlights:

The week got coverage in major media outlets like the New York Times | BuzzFeed | Ms. Magazine | Chicago Public Media

We held our second tweet chat with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center on the first day of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

HollabackPHILLY, a project of Feminist Public Works, launched amazing new anti-harassment ads for the Philadelphia transit system in Pennsylvania.

Safe Delhi/Jagori hosted a Street Cafe in Delhi, India.

Safe City Nepal held a dance performance and handed out flyers at various locations in Kathmandu.

Bristol University Feminist Society organized a discussion about street harassment in Bristol, UK.

Observatorio Paremos el Acoso Sexual Callejero held a screening of War Zone with a discussion led by Humanities professor Victoria Guerrero at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, in Lima, Peru.

In Massachusetts, Hollaback! Boston held a film screening of the documentary War Zone

Zerlina Mazwell gave a campus talk at the University of Illinois about rape culture, sexism and racism, and street harassment.

Brooklyn Technical High School held a talk on street harassment in New York.

Several of our volunteers, the organizers of the Rally Against Rape and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority handed out anti-harassment flyers at the Rosslyn Metro station in Arlington in Virginia.

The University of Scranton in Pennsylvania held a “Violence Free Zone” workshop focused on forms of gender violence, how to intervene, and resources.

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See the photo album of events.

Our next Tweet Chat is tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET with Everyday Feminism and Fem2Pt0 who will talk about the connections between street harassment and sexism, homophobia and transphobia.

We have a new Tweet Chat scheduled for 3 p.m. ET tomorrow with Every Day Health and Hollaback!

And at 8 p.m. ET there will be a chat by Secular Woman about harassment at conferences. Woo!

#EndSH

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“Hey turn around come back over here.”

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I live across the street from a park and take my dog on regular walks around it. A lot of the time I feel pretty safe when I have my dog with me, he’s a rottweiler and very protective of me.

One day I decided that we would go on a walk around the entire park which means walking down to the end of my street to the closest main road and continuing on the main road until the other side of the park. It was summer and very hot so I decided to wear shorts. When we turned onto the main road a car drove passed but very slow. I didn’t pay much attention until I saw them stop and turn around and drive passed me again very slowly.

I was pretty freaked out and started walking faster. They did this yet again but this time drove in the bike lane right next to the sidewalk, they rolled down their windows and three guys all stuck their heads out and stared at me, whistled, starting calling for me saying, “Hey turn around come back over here.”

I was scared. I started running, this had never happened on a walk with my dog before. I didn’t even bring my phone with me that day so I had no one to call, no one else was around. I was worried they would follow me back to my house. Luckily we ran fast and got home as quickly as we could.

– Taylor M.

Location: Greenbriar Park, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Share your street harassment story for the blog.

 

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New Ads against Harassment on Philly’s Transit System!

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Cross-posted with permission from HollabackPHILLY

It’s that time of year again! The sun is shining a little bit more, we’re all outside walking around and trying to enjoy the (slightly) warmer weather — and the harassers are back in full force. But they’re not the only ones who are back! HollabackPHILLY, a project of Feminist Public Works, launched a new, expanded transit ad campaign – with more ads in the interior subway cars, ads on the subway platforms, and even ads in bus shelters across the city. Keep an eye out for the ads – show them to your friends, use them to start conversations with potential male allies – and let us know if you see an impact.

And, always remember – we’ve got your back!

To see a full slideshow of the full lineup of 18 ads, visit FeministPublicWorks.org. And please fill out this brief survey to let us know what you think about the ads!

Editor’s Note: Read about the ads they launched last year for International Anti-Street Harassment Week. Big congratulations to them for receiving a grant to let them do an expanded version this year!
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To the Man Who Shouted “I Like Pork Fried Rice” at Me on the Street

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By Franny Choi, cross-posted with permission from the Poetry Foundation (audio version available there)

you want to eat me
out. right. what does it taste like
you want to eat me right out
of these jeans & into something
a little cheaper. more digestible.
more bite-sized. more thank you
come: i am greasy
for you. i slick my hair with msg
every morning. i’m bad for you.
got some red-light district between
your teeth. what does it
taste like: a takeout box
between my legs.
plastic bag lady. flimsy white fork
to snap in half. dispose of me.
taste like dried squid. lips puffy
with salt. lips brimming
with foreign so call me
pork. curly-tailed obscenity
been playing in the mud. dirty meat.
worms in your stomach. give you
a fever. dead meat. butchered girl
chopped up & cradled
in styrofoam. you candid cannibal.
you want me bite-sized
no eyes clogging your throat.
but i’ve been watching
from the slaughterhouse. ever since
you named me edible. tossed in
a cookie at the end. lucky man.
go & take what’s yours.
name yourself archaeologist     but
listen carefully
to the squelches in
your teeth & hear my sow squeal
scream murder between
molars. watch salt awaken
writhe, synapse.
watch me kick
back to life. watch me tentacles
& teeth. watch me
resurrected electric.
what does it
                                    taste like: revenge
squirming alive in your mouth
strangling you quiet
from the inside out.
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Source: Poetry (March 2014).

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Day 2: #EndSHWeek 2014

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Today was the second day of International Anti-Street Harassment Week!

Here are a few highlights:

A Bitch Media article about the Stop Telling Women to Smile wheat pasting night happening later this week.

Hollaback! Bahamas held a Chalk Talk to engage people in conversation about the sidewalk chalk messages they posted last night. Their Chalk Walk yesterday made the newspaper and there will be another article tomorrow.

Safe City Nepal held a Torch Rally with placards, “We demand street lights for women’s safety”, Bhadrakali-Shahid Gate, Kathmandu.

In Belgium, Hollaback! Gent put up one of the banners they made about street harassment. This one focuses on bystanders and reads, “If mean words stream, you can come in between.”

The #LondonLoves campaign featuring anti-harassment messages at London Landmarks is underway.

In Canada, Women in Cities International held a workshop about street harassment with girls.

In Arizona, Hollaback! Tucson hosted a “Meet Us on the Mall” event at the University of Arizona. They had info about street harassment, feminism, Transgender Day of Awareness, and more + goody bags and picture booths.

The first tweet chat took place today. Four feminist activists co-lead a tweet chat about #streetharassment, especially the young age it starts, how it impacts us, and what we can do about it: @ZerlinaMaxwell @nualacabral @RaquelReichard @Besito86

Community Against Violence in New Mexico was on the Paddy Mac show on 101.9 K-Taos Solar Radio Show and in the Taos News

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See the photo album of events.

Our next Tweet Chat is tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET with SSH, National Sexual Violence Resource Center and PreventConnect as we talk about how street harassment connects to sexual violence and rape culture and what we can do about it. Use #EndSH

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