Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Harassed on the way to & at work

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I live in a rural suburb outside a very small WV town and that definitely doesn’t stop me being harassed on the street or even at work. I’ve had men yell out their cars at me, even had someone throw beer bottles at me two separate times.

However what happened today was at my work. I work at a fast food place and today took the cake for harassment of half the girls working that day. After one of my coworkers explained that we were out of chicken breasts for about 10 minutes to a customer, he looked her up and down and said, “Sure you have some, right there on your chest” he laughed and then left without buying anything.

Later two older men came in and asked the cashier (who is 17) why her name and number wasn’t on his reciept. The manager asked me to take something to their table later so the other girl wouldn’t have to and they asked me why they couldn’t have my name and number.

If I was the manager at a restaurant and someone treated my workers like that I would kick them out immediately but the manager just told us to ignore them because they were paying customers.

– anonymous

Location: West Virginia

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It never ends

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I am 70, in good shape, look much younger, but thinner than I’d like to be due to stomach problems which is no excuse for being harassed or made fun of on the street. Someone in a car yelled “twig” at me yesterday. I’ve been honked at ever since I’ve been a teen and it still goes on even at my age. I try to ignore it except for one time when I stopped dead, pulled out my mace and yelled “Back off.” He did. I’ve never had to use mace but I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on some bozo in a heartbeat if he deserved it.

When I was young and out for a walk in the daytime, I was touched on my bottom by a guy on a bike. I ran after him and almost caught him. I almost knocked him off his bike as he sped away.scared. I called police when I got home but they didn’t find him. A few days later a girl was almost raped on her way to school but luckily a neighbor heard her screams and yelled out the window and the guy ran off.

On my way home from work , I sat in the back of the bus and suddenly this guy opened a sex book and tried to show it to me. I tried to get up but he wouldn’t move so I poked him in the stomach with my umbrella and he let me up. The bus driver acted deaf and dumb when I reported it so I called the CTA when I got home. The next few days, the CTA had their detectives watching me and they caught the creep. As I was coming down the stairs from the el to the bus, he was following me but I never knew it. Luckily the CTA detectives saw it and they grabbed him and patted him down, taking out his wallet and everything in his pockets. I asked the detectives if they needed me to testify but they said they would handle him. I never saw him again.

– anonymous

Location: Chicago, IL

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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A Trip to the Store

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I live in a suburban neighborhood in Portland, OR. I was walking alone to a corner store a few blocks from my house, when I saw a group of four young men standing in front of the door. I heard them saying nasty things under their breath as I moved past them into the store but I just ignored it. They began following me around the store through the aisles. I made a purchase and walked out, and they followed me. Still, I said nothing and just kept walking.

They began to follow me down the street and started yelling, “You think you’re too good to talk to us, bitch?” Then they began threatening to rape me, screaming, “I’ll stick my dick up your ass! You’ll be even quieter with 4 cocks in your mouth!” I couldn’t believe it, I hadn’t done or said anything at all, my only apparent crime was walking into a store.

I was so scared as they followed me down the dark street, I was shaking. I began looking for houses with lights on inside so I could run up and bang on the door for help. Finally they stopped and began to walk in the other direction. I started running and didn’t stop until I got home where I locked the doors, got out my gun and called my husband. He came home with some male friends and they went back up to the store to look for the men but they were gone. I haven’t walked up to that store since.

I’m scared to walk around my own neighborhood unless I’m carrying my gun. That’s what its come to. I’d like to think this was an isolated incident but similar things have happened to me before. I guess that’s what you get for simply being female. I don’t believe that violence should be answered with more violence, but God help the next man that does it.

– anonymous

Location: Portland, OR

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Going to the movies is soooooo fun!!

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Just the other day I was harassed by a large group of guys hanging around outside of a movie theater in broad daylight. The theater was empty, the street was empty, and the parking lot I was on my way to was also empty. So I felt some concern for my safety.

I turned and walked out of the theater and they didn’t see me until I was walking away from them. By then, they started shouting things like, “HEY GIRL HEY HEY HEY HEY WHAT’S YOUR NAME HEY LET ME HIT IT,” and I laughed to myself, amused by their stupidity. It’s empowering to just laugh at them for being so idiotic, but I didn’t dare turn around so they could see me laughing. I listened to the yelling to make sure the sound wasn’t coming any closer because I was way too chicken to turn around (I avoid confrontation at all costs, I have social anxiety disorder). I kept on walking, calmly, in a minding-my-business-completely-unfazed manner (but so tempted to flip them the bird, dammit, but no. i don’t wanna make the situation worse by giving them any attention, sigh) until I turned the corner and realized the parking lot was so empty. I guess nobody wanted to see a movie that day but me.

And I became worried that the bank next door was also empty because it was closed, so nobody over there could see anything should I be followed to my car. AND my car was parked so far away. So my pace quickened and I kept glancing behind me, key in hand, making sure I WASN’T being followed in the middle of broad fucking daylight. I’ve never been followed before, but I’ve also never been catcalled while completely alone outside with not a soul in sight. It was scary, but I felt like I at least had daylight on my side. I still got in my car and locked the doors and felt better after that.

It fucking ruins your day to know you were being treated like an animal, like an object momentarily occupying someone else’s personal scenery. If there had been any other people around, I would have been incredibly embarrassed, but glad they were there at least. And I’m thankful the situation didn’t turn out any worse than that.

It was funny at first, then scary when I realized I was so alone, and at home I was just miserable because it was the icing on the cake of what was already a pretty miserable day. Soooo yay… And the movie sucked…

– d.w.

Location: Morganton, NC

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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