Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Helmets won’t protect you

By

It was maybe around 11:30 on a Tuesday night last summer. I was unlocking my bike to ride home after a night of bowling with my friends. I was wearing a knee-length floral skirt. A group of maybe four young Hispanic guys approached me. I had my helmet on already, and still they felt the need to comment at me. Because I was wearing a skirt? Because I was bent over? I didn’t look up, but I felt creeped out. I wasn’t sure if I should feel complimented, but I decided pretty quickly, as my heart rate increased and my sense of foreboding mounted, that the whole encounter, brief as it was, was not ok and not complimentary. And maybe this is stereotyping, but now if I’m walking through an Hispanic neighborhood, I am much more aware of males.

I should not have to feel so defensive when out alone, regardless of time or place. It was disrespectful, and no one should have to deal with the feelings of shame that come along with such harassment. No one is asking for it, ever.

– Liz

Location: Dalton Street, Boston, MA

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

Gropers Caught in Boston!

By

Earlier this week, a 52-year old man allegedly groped a young woman’s butt on a subway platform in Boston. She asked the man’s friend if he groped her and he said no. The alleged groper then chimed in saying it was him and that he bet she liked it and that he liked it and he was never going to see her again, so what did it matter.

The young woman reported him to police, who thankfully took her report seriously and arrested him. Good for her, good for the police. BOO to the stupid groper. I wonder how many other women he’s groped?! Hopefully she was the last. [Wordpress won’t let me embed it, but follow this link to see a short news clip about the story.]

Also that same night in a separate incident, police arrested another subway groper. A 37-year-old man groped a woman and then verbally harased her until she got off the train and reported him.

Last weekend MBTA launched more anti-sexual harassment ads on subways and buses, including this one:

Given how many men grope women on subways and buses in major cities around the world, other cities would do well to pay attention and perhaps start their own campaign and educate their MTA workers and police officers how to handle reports correctly, the way the officers did in these two incidents. Good job, Boston!

Share

More PSAs in Boston

By

A year and a half ago, Boston’s MTA started an anti-sexual harassment ad campaign on the subways and buses. The campaign has led to a 40 percent increase in the number of harassers police have arrested.

Now, MBTA is preparing to launch hundreds more anti-sexual harassment posters on buses and subway cars throughout Boston in an increased effort to curb such harassment and encourage more people to report it.

I applaud MBTA for taking sexual harassment on public transportation seriously. My main concern with their ads is that while it’s useful to have info informing women of their right to report harassers, it would be nice if there was also some message about respecting women and not harassing them!

UPDATE (11/4/09): I just read an article that talks more about the increased efforts by MBTA to fight groping etc on the subways and buses and there are some new ads aimed at harassers, notably this one, so now I support their efforts even  more!

Share

Is he masturbating against you?

By

Sadie at Jezebel wrote a post yesterday about the  many times she’s been unsure whether or not a man standing by her on a crowded subway is masturbating against her.

She said, “After the fact, somehow, you’re always pretty sure. But at the time, there’s just enough doubt to make one’s course of action debatable. It’s not like being flashed, or getting stuck alone in a car with some guy jerking off which, while horrible, is pretty straightforward…”

My mother had this happen to her in New York City about two years ago. She also wasn’t sure if the man rubbing against her on the crowded subway was purposely doing so or if it was the result of a crowded car, until the car became less crowded and he was still doing it. And even then, she gave him the benefit of the doubt to the extent that she didn’t say anything to him.

It’s a tricky situation: no one wants to falsely accuse someone, but no one wants to just let that happen to them (or anyone else) either.

I’m reminded of various commenters on the recent Boston Globe article about the subway anti-groping campaign in Boston who were SO concerned that women were falsely accusing men left and right of being gropers when they probably were just getting bumped on a crowded train. From anecdotal evidence, I think most women will give questionable gropers and masturbators the benefit of the doubt so I think the fear of those men is largely unfounded. (And funny how that was their concern, instead of being concerned that enough women are getting groped on the subway that Boston had to create an anti-groping campaign…) The fear of being wrong probably keeps many women from doing anything about the questionable gropers and masturbators unless it becomes quite clear what is going on (like if he’s still doing it after the train clears).

Given this dilemma, what have you done if you’ve had a possible groper or masturbator make physical contact with you?

Sadie said she has been known to dig her high heel into a questionable harasser’s foot – and often he steps away from her. My mom reporter the man rubbing against her to the New York City Transit.

Share

HollaBack Shout Outs

By

Shout Outs to a few of my street harassment activist allies & an announcement about the upcoming launch of a new HollaBack DC blog:

  1. Brittany & Hilary of HollaBack Boston and HollaBackTalk. For nearly three years (May 06 – Jan 09) they raised awareness about street harassment and gave people in the Massachusetts area a place to share their harassment stories. They are on a break from their blogs now and I hope sometime soon their schedules will allow them to return to it. Shout Out to Brittany and Hilary for all their time and effort addressing street harassment!
  2. Emily, co-founder and current facilitator of HollaBack NYC. Without HollaBack NYC, there may not be as many people aware of or talking about street harassment. Its launch in 2005 set the stage for allowing people to have a space to share their stories online, feel empowered, and raise awareness about street harassment in NYC and beyond. It inspired dozens of other HollaBack websites. This week, Emily wrote a great article for On the Issues about HollaBack NYC – check it out. Shout Out to her for making sure HollaBack NYC continues and for all her work to make NYC safe for women.
  3. Chai & Shannon are officially launching a new HollaBack DC blog in April. If you’re in the Washington, DC area or have been harassed while visiting DC, send them your stories as they have started taking submissions in preparation for the launch. A DC resident myself (well, for work), I am thrilled to have them as nearby allies and look forward to seeing all they do in the DC area to combat street harassment. Shout Out to them both for embarking on this much-needed work – good luck ladies!
Share