This is a story that happened more than a year ago, but – as street harassment often is – it’s better told late than never.

I was walking home from a co-worker’s house party on a Thursday night at about 9pm. I generally try to take public transportation when I am walking more than a mile at night (I was going from Mount Pleasant to Dupont Circle), but it was so nice out that I decided to give myself a treat and walk home, it is downhill after all.

Photo by be_khe via Flickr

I am walking with a large bag filled with my lunch containers, water bottle, random stuff from work, I mention this because I am still not sure how the harasser was able to get around this large bag, but I will get to that in a moment. As I am walking I hear a bike coming down the sidewalk behind me. I start to move closer to the right edge of the sidewalk, to be courteous and let the biker pass. Just as I think it’s going to pass, I feel a hand grab for my butt and give me a good squeeze with a little extra fondling for a good few seconds before he biked away, never saying a word.

I was so shocked I didn’t even know how to react and as many people have said on this blog, I wish I had said more. I think I mumbled something about “what the hell” as I watched him ride slowly, looking confident and relaxed, down 16th street. To this day I am still now sure how he got around my huge bag to even grab me, all while on a bicycle, but what I really don’t understand is what gave him the idea it was okay to touch me without my permission!

Location: 16th and Harvard

Submitted by KML

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