“On an almost daily basis, I was harassed going to the pharmacy or the bank.”

Posted on November 6, 2012 by renee

Location: Langley Park/Silver Spring
Time: Daytime (9:30am-3:30pm)

Langley Park, Maryland

For the longest year of my life, I lived in an apartment off of New Hampshire Avenue that was about a ten-minute drive to College Park. At first, I was thrilled with the cheap rent and all of my neighbors seemed really nice, but within a month I became so agitated that I would drive over to different neighborhoods just to get groceries or a drink. On an almost daily basis I was harassed going to the pharmacy or the bank. Some men would just leer at me, licking their lips and bending at their knees to get a better look at me. Other times they would say nasty things, thinking I couldn’t understand them [sic]. I tried to fight back, but of course nothing really worked. It got to the point that I started to make some terrible judgments about people, and it’s taken me a long time to stop being defensive out on the street. I remember reading one post where someone said that this happens everywhere, and I know that’s true .. but in some places it is much more commonplace.

Submitted on 10/10/12 by ”MA”

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault?
Submit your story to help raise awareness about the pervasiveness and harmful effects of street harassment. All submissions are posted anonymously unless otherwise specified.

If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system:
Please consider reporting to Metro Transit Police: www.wmata.com/harassment; 202-962-2121.

“Women are supposed to be able to move freely in this country.”

Posted on November 5, 2012 by renee

Location: 16th and L St NW (Farragut North)
Time: Night (7:30pm-12am)

I am on my way home from work, where, ironically, I work with a pro-woman non-profit. I stop at the I decide to grab some food before walking the two blocks to the Metro. This means, I do not walk to the Metro with my coworker. I don’t think much of this, because I am used to walking alone at night. We all have to sometimes, right? As I come out of my office, I see a group of men who I would estimate to be around 20 years of age. One of them walks in front of me with his arms spread out so he takes up more room. I try to walk around him, but he gets in front of me. I realize he is purposely blocking my path. The man calls out, “You’re a dog!” After he says this a couple of times, he stops blocking my path and goes back to his group of friends a few steps away. Then he shouts, “Let me in your pussy!” The friends join in the shouting of both of his chants, and I calmly walk to the Metro station, relieved he has stopped blocking my path. I wonder if these men had any idea that their “fun” came at my sense of freedom and safety. What is so fun about jumping in front of a woman so she can’t walk and shouting derogatory things at her? I really don’t get it. Women are supposed to be able to move freely in this country. Why don’t we work to stop this bullying, abusive behavior?

Submitted on 10/19/12 by Anonymous

If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system:
Please consider reporting to Metro Transit Police: www.wmata.com/harassment; 202-962-2121.

Stalked & sexually harassed while biking to work: “I was stuck between their cars and the parked cars.”

Posted on August 8, 2012 by renee

Location: 10th and Nst (sic) NW
Time: Morning Rush Hour (5am-9:30am)

Photograph courtesy of Flickr user jiangkeren.

So I ride my bike to work every morning, complete with helmet, backpack and business attire. I was getting on my bike on 10th street and riding down around 7:15am, and then at the cross section of N and 10th, this car full of men stops in the middle of the street and start catcalling and saying very vulgar things to me in Spanish. I was biking towards them and decided to continue my route by making a right turn onto Nth St (sic). Then men instead of continuing along slowed down the car and continued shouting at me and even reached out the windows to touch me. The street is narrow and I was stuck between their cars and the parked cars on the street. Frustrated, I decided to give them the middle finger but I lost my coordination and crashed into one of the cars parked on the side of the road, and then they just sped up and left. I hit my leg into my pedal somehow and now have a deep cut on my shin and a lot of bruising. I could have been really hurt and sure I didn’t have to give them the middle finger but they were harassing me enough that I probably would have crashed anyways.

Submitted on 7/16/12 by “Ambar”

If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system:
Please consider reporting to Metro Transit Police; www.wmata.com/harassment, on Twitter at @WMATAharassment, or 202-962-2121.

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault? Submit your story to help raise awareness about the pervasiveness and harmful effects of street harassment. All submissions are posted anonymously unless otherwise specified.

What’s changed since the ’80s?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by renee

Location: 1130 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Time: Daytime (9:30am-3:30pm)

In the mid-1980′s I was walking along Connecticut Avenue, NW during the lunch hour and was punched in the breast by an (sic) man. I was also hit by bums, and received MANY comments from men about body parts. Given the recent comments from women that they have been grabbed/groped by men, seems nothing much has changed in 25 years – sad, but true! It’s infuriating; it’s a violation, and it is damned hard if not impossible to prevent jerks in a crowd from continuing to harass women

Submitted on 7/13/12 by Anonymous

“I put my head down, broke eye contact & hurried my pace”

Posted on July 19, 2012 by renee

Location: 12th & D Street SE
Time: Daytime (9:30am-3:30pm)

I was literally just walking back from the CVS when I thought I heard someone call my name so I turned around. I then saw that the “holla” was coming from a guy in a car who was driving slowing behind me. And now that he realized he had my attention he rolled up next to me as I continued to walk and began making “kissy noises” and saying that I was “hot” and should “show him a good time.” I immediately realized my mistake, and quickly put my head down, broke eye contact, and hurried my pace. After less than a minute of ignoring my harasser he finally sped off and left me alone. I hate that as a woman I need to deal with this bullshit on a regular basis.