Category Archives: Foggy Bottom

Harassed by a Trader Joe’s Employee

Posted on by
16

Photo by brownpa via flickr

I just moved to D.C. about a month ago and work as an intern with a law enforcement agency. I grew up in a small town and attend college in an equally small town, and trust me, I have run into my fair share of street harassment incidents in both of those places. However, this is the first time in my life I have experienced it to such a great extent.

Today, I went to the local Trader Joe’s to buy groceries for a picnic that my friends and I will have tomorrow. A man who worked at the grocery store followed me discreetly (but not discreetly enough) and asked me several times if I needed help. I dismissed it as “his job” but felt angry that he seemed to think that I needed his help picking out my own groceries. When I got to the check out line, my cashier was the same man who had been following me. He proceeded to stare at my chest for the first minute of scanning my items and then struck up a conversation. He asked me how old I was and if I would ever consider going out with him. All I wanted was for him to finish scanning my groceries and allow me to pay, but he held off on completing the scanning to bug me. I tried to ignore him and he told me that I was beautiful and should smile. As I finally checked out and quickly hurried away, he laughed to himself. Can I just go about my normal day-to-day activities witho ut getting unwanted attention/harassment? I should have reported him, or said something and do not know why I didn’t at the time.

I can honestly say that I experience at least one incident of street harassment and/or inappropriate and unwanted attention every, single day. As a result, I am afraid every, single day when I leave my apartment to go to work. I try and dress “uglier”, I try to avoid eye-contact with people, and I try not to stand near men, but nothing works. I hate having to feel like I should look over my shoulder every other minute and I hate having to feel scared. I am a strong, confident young woman, yet I feel there is nothing I can do to prevent the endless cat-calling and degradation that I experience on a daily basis.

Submitted by J on 6/5/2011

Location: Trader Joe’s 1101 25th Street NW

Time of Harassment: Day Time (9:30A-3:30P)

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.

Gimmicks

Posted on by
3

BE CAREFUL ABOUT this guy who is often found in the area between Farragut Square and Foggy Bottom and uses a variety of costume gimmicks — sometimes he’s the “out-of-work construction worker”, sometimes the “flower seller”, and a friend who works nearby swears she once saw him in some kind of lab coat. There’s also another guy who quietly hangs out near him and sometimes talks with him.

I don’t know how successful he is as a panhandler, considering he keeps up a constant stream of cursing and invective at everyone passing, but especially getting up close to women and bothering them. The picture I took below shows a woman passing him after having to hold up her phone and pointedly ignore his bellowing at her. I know he can be a real danger because my aforementioned friend once responded to him instead of ignoring him and he grabbed her and kissed her on the lips while she shoved him away. I don’t know what to do about this dude!

Submitted by anonymous on 9/23/2010

Location: 20th St. & Pennsylvania Av. NW

Time of Harassment: Evening Rush Hour (3:30P-7:30P)

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.

“I’ve Got Some Room on My Lap”

Posted on by
Reply

Photo via daniel.sound via flickr

The other night I was walking down L & 21st street with my friend. It was about 11 pm and we had just come from dessert, both of us dressed for a night of hanging out and doing pretty much nothing. Then, out of no where, a black SUV pulls up right beside us and rolls downt he window. The car was full of about 5 guys, in their late 20’s/early 30’s, hollering to us. “Hey baby, I’ve got some room on my lap”, “why don’t you girls just come over here and show us a good time”, among other comments. We began to speed up and grabbed each others arms. Then, as we sped up, the car continued to follow us. I got so sick of it, after about a block, that I turned their direction and yelled “Shut up!” at the top of my lungs. I just stood there for a second and they stoped talking. Then they drove off as fast as they possibly could, as my firend and I gave them the finger. I was repulsed but proud of myself.

Harassment as a Sport

Posted on by
1

Photo by Ben Cumming via Flickr

I don’t think I qualify for this exactly, but I think the story should be told. A month ago I saw a perfectly respectable lady harassed by a man in his SUV. He was shouting at her, something about her red hair – which, by the way, was a red in the “normal” range of reds. He was shouting so loudly that he could be heard from all over the block and he shouted a second time as if once wasn’t enough. Here is the thing: some people are harassed in random occurrences, and some are targeted for sport. I was that person. My point is this: when it happens frequently, and to one person over and over again, this “sport” becomes destructive. People need to know that this is happening, that it’s bullying, and that it’s not a joke.

Submitted by LW on 10/31/2009

Location: Adams Morgan, Conn. and Calvert, K St., 9th and G (GW campus), Union Station

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.

An Unfunny Jester

Posted on by
1

 

 

Photo by Dave Hamster via flickr

 

My friend and I were walking back from the Kennedy Center up New Hampshire the night before Halloween. We were coming from the opera and both wearing the clothes we’d worn to the office that day with coats over – we weren’t dressed up at all. We passed a rotund guy with long hair and a goatee wearing what appeared to be a court jester costume – he looked pretty comical, and we definitely noticed him. When we passed him, he leered at us and shouted, “You look gooooood, ladies, you look good!”

I had to bite my tongue to avoid shouting back at him “Yeah, well you look like a giant dick.” It would have felt good, but it’s probably not worth the potential trouble.

Location: New Hampshire, Foggy Bottom

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.