Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“None of his business”

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I had been jogging with my sister in the daytime (5pm) not far from my immediate neighborhood (it was a retired people nice-houses neighborhood, pretty quiet), and I was wearing long sweatpants and a gym danskin sports bra.

We were now walking back towards my apartment when we see a black truck approaching towards us, driving on the empty street left of the sidewalk were we were. Thinking nothing of it, we continued walking forward, when suddenly the driver stuck half his body out the window with one hand still on the wheel, and yelled loudly, “PUT A FUCKING SHIRT OOON!!!” Like a coward, he then sat back in his seat and started to drive away, but I turned back, while he was still in earshot and loudly shouted “BITCH!”, while sticking my finger out towards the truck.

…to my unbelievable surprise, a block or two forward, the same truck appeared in front of us way ahead and then turned to its left to follow the *same* trajectory. I could not believe that it could possibly be the same truck, but surely, the black suv drove past us once more, and the bastard stuck his body out the window AGAIN and yelled “YOU SHOULD REALLY PUT A FUCKING SHIRT OOONNN!!!”

I instinctively yelled “BITCH!” once more, this time with more vigor and fury, (my voice echoed), as I flicked the driver off.

I don’t understand…[it was] none of his business…what should I have done?!?!? I was just working out! WTF!

– FI0008

Location: Champaign, IL

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“I felt confident…until those clowns in the car catcalled”

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I got honked at today as i walked up the road on my way to lunch. i was wearing a summer dress and felt confident in myself until those clowns in the car catcalled out of the window and stared at me. i made me feel embarrassed and intimidated.

– Clarice

Location: Porthcawl, South Wales, UK

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“It makes me so angry that I should be made to feel scared walking 2 blocks home”

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Walking home from an evening out last night with a friend, two guys leaning against a car outside a bar, one made some comment like “mmm” i turned around and said ‘excuse me?’ He looked away embarrassed.

After I said goodbye to my friend at her flat I continued towards mine, now on a pretty dark and deserted street there was a guy just ahead of me on the pavement and as I approached him he said, “Hi beautiful thing, do you want to come upstairs with me?”

Now on my own I was wary to say anything back to him, so turned after I had passed him and gave him the dirtiest look I could. After that I kept checking behind me to be sure he wasn’t following me. It makes me so angry that I should be made to feel scared walking two blocks home on my own in the evening.

One other experience sticks in my mind – A few years ago in the metro with a girlfriend on our way out we crossed paths with two guys as we were walking through a tunnel to our next metro connection. They started whistling and making comments to us as we approached them. We ignored them as we walked past them, and one of them got angry and spat at us, a huge glob of spit ran down my friends back, absolutely disgusting, and we had just tried to ignore them.

– Bee

Location: Paris, France

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“I give him my best death glare”

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I was on my way through a busy bus station on the way to my stop, lost in my own little world and minding my own business.

As I walked past a row of seats I heard a loud ‘all right, darling,’ which startled me and made me look round. An older man in grubby looking clothes, seated alone, is leering back at me, and repeats himself just in case I didn’t hear him the first time. As usual I’m too dumbfounded to retort, so I give him my best death glare and hurry on.

I sit down at my stop, and while waiting for my bus eye the man down the other side of the station warily. He chooses to stare lingeringly at young girls walking past him, but ignores the older women. I can’t remember whether he saw me watching him or not, but suddenly he is sat five or so people away from me on my row of seats. He switches places twice, and I get a bit nervous. I stand up to let someone else sit down, and turn back to see him watching me through the crowd in front of him. I am freaked out by this point, but am simultaneously preparing myself to make a fuss if he comes too close. I choose to sit somewhere different so he can’t see me, and he at last loses interest and gets on a bus. I wish I had thought to take his picture, for as far as I know he could have been a nuisance to women at the station before.

– Hannah

Location: Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

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“You look like a 46 dollar whore, and 40 is for the bike.”

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I was sitting at a red light on my bike minding my own business when I realized a guy sitting on a nearby bench was talking to me. I didn’t acknowledge him because I was alone, but being aware gave me the displeasure of hearing what he was saying.

“You look like a 46 dollar whore, and 40 is for the bike.” Insulting to me and my bike. The whole time, a cop was standing about ten feet away. He didn’t even make a comment. The loser was still flapping his gums together as the light turned green and I rode away.

I was left feeling unsafe, with the unpleasant reminder that some men really do think of me a nothing more than an object. To top it off, men who don’t harass sometimes don’t understand how distressing it is, because they never see it. They don’t realize how scary it is and how powerless it makes you feel.

– MR

Location: Charles Street at North Avenue, Baltimore, MD

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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