As usual, the escalator into the Judiciary Square metro station was out, and I had to walk down the steps into the station. I was wearing very high heels, and the handrail was too hot to touch, so I was walking very carefully.

As I neared the bottom, a man passed me and said something to me. I was concentrating so hard on walking down the steps that I didn’t hear him, but when I looked up, I noticed him waiting at the bottom, and staring up at me. I immediately froze (about 5 steps from the bottom), and said: “Get away from me, and leave me alone.” He immediately responded “Bitch, I was just offering to help you down the steps,” and proceeded to launch into a tirade of profanities and threats. As we walked into the station, me a distance behind, he continued to turn around and yell at me. I was so rattled, and shaken, I was relieved to see him head toward the opposite platform than the direction I was going.

Maybe my initial reaction, having not heard his offer of ‘assistance,’ was a bit harsh, but when you’re harassed every single day, you become a bit defensive. No, I don’t need your help, and your reaction to my defensiveness confirms that you weren’t really interested in helping me anyway. A simple, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you,” would have sufficed. I really didn’t need the string of “F*** you, you stupid bitch”s that came after.

Submitted by Jenn on 7/22/2011

Location: Red line, Judiciary Square

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

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