I was sitting on my front stoop reading my email on my phone, taking a break from my darling daughters who were inside coloring. I saw a twenty-something man cross the street in the middle of the block towards me, and asked me something like ‘hey, baby, wanna go out tonight?’ I responded simply, ‘no thanks’ and kept reading my email. He kept at it – but I cannot remember exactly what he said. I ended up saying, ‘I’m married, and a mom, and am not interested.’ As he walked away up the street, he said ‘well, let me know if you ever leave your man!’

This is the second time that something along these lines happened in my neighborhood (the last time was a couple years ago, and someone followed me for a couple blocks. When I used the ‘I’m married’ line, he said ‘that doesn’t matter, we can have a thing on the side.’)
Because both incidents happened in my neighborhood, I find them particularly disturbing. I love my ‘hood, but it is still on the edge of ‘gentrification’. And if I’m not careful, I could get pegged by my neighbors as a horrible evil gentrifier. Also, both guys saw me at my house, meaning they know where I live. So I didn’t feel free to give either of them a piece of my mind, for fear of retribution.

Submitted by Anonymous on 6/21/2010

Location: R St NE in Eckington

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

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