HollaBack CHICAGO

If you are surrounded by people, SPEAK UP.

2011-08-20T21:06:00.000-05:00

I have just spent several hours reading the holla back experiences posted by people in DC and Chicago. I did not respond to any of them individually because the postings were rather old, and I would have been typing for hours and repeating myself. I have noticed a pattern. The pattern seems to be ignoring, walking away, or simply taking it, which to me is actually accepting the behavior. I know from experience that it’s hard to think of what to say or do at the actual moment of harassment. Been there - haven’t done anything, either. And cell phone photography is difficult at best, not very fast and oftentimes not possible. But if you’re on a crowded bus or train, it seems to me that a very loud Stop Touching Me would be appropriate. Stare down your attacker. Report the incident to the bus driver AND the transportation authority. Further, an “accidental” yet well-placed elbow (oh, so sorry, this ride is SO bumpy/this train is SO crowded) to the chest or face or groin area (depending on your location, seated/standing) is in order. STOP TAKING IT. Don’t ignore it. If you are surrounded by people, SPEAK UP.

--Lorraine

Comfortable Girl (Check it out!)

2011-08-20T20:51:00.002-05:00

I get harassed a lot on the street, which pisses me off. I have an illustrated blog called "The Comfortable Girl" and sometimes I illustrate my adventures in street harassment.

Here's one based on an incident that happened yesterday at the mail box at the corner of North and Leavitt.

http://comfortablegirl.blogspot.com/2011/08/guys-are-still-creepy-to-girls-who-wear.html

--LM

I Just Kept on Staring

2011-07-19T12:15:00.002-05:00

I was crossing the street at Ashland and Hubbard and this dude was stuck in gridlocked traffic, windows down, just staring at me. I could feel his eyes on me- watching me cross the street and wait for the bus. I first tried to ignore him, but then I felt myself getting angry- it was like I was letting him control me, and it made me feel frustrated. So I took a breath, looked up, and just stared his ass down. I even moved my feet apart a little to take up more space on the sidewalk. Just stared him full in the face, and tried to give him a look that said I was in control and didn't feel like having him stare at me. He was surprised and he looked away in discomfort. He checked his phone. I just kept on staring. When traffic picked up, he looked up at me again- and I was still staring at him with my intense, no-nonsense, don't-fuck-with-this face. It felt awesome. I think more people should try it. It's kind of like turning the tables. It let the dude know that I didn't appreciate what he was doing, and gave him a taste of his own medicine.

--Arline

How do you Explain Sexism to Children?

2011-07-19T12:11:00.002-05:00

A reader recently e-mailed me to ask for advice or resources. I'd love to help her out so please let me know if you have any recommendations!

"I was wondering if you know of any resources that specifically deal with the issue of explaining sexism and street harassment to kids. I have a friend who is always really trapped between A) wanting to say something but not wanting to 1) use harsh language in front of her daughter, 2) not want to put her daughter in danger by saying something/ teaching her to say something and B) not wanting to teach her daughter that it's okay for men to say things to her or her mom on the street. Yeah, I just thought I'd give it a shot to see if you've ever stumbled across anything."

-Jean

It Wasn't My Fault

2011-05-17T11:12:00.002-05:00

I was walking to the gas station today to get some dish washing liquid. A group of 5 young boys walked by and one of them said "hey shawty what's your name?"

Of course being the person I am I ignored him 1. Because he was ugly and 2. He was young as hell like 15 or 16. Anyway after I ignored his comment he struck back by saying "Damn! You don't know how to speak!" and he kept walking I thought that it was over after that but I was wrong.

When I walked out the gas station the group of boys were not too far down the street they were like 2 blocks away so I knew if I walked by again something bad probably would've happened so I went to the opposite side of the street and once I walked past here came the harsh comments: "You ugly slut!" "You bitch!" "You hoe bet u suck dick!" "You ugly as fuck" etc.

These comments ensued until I was one block away from them. Pissed and frustrated at me thinking before acting I didn't say anything back to them because I figured that it would turn into something worse than just a few harsh words. I ran in the house trying to find a weapon and get some male friends to basically...well kill all them.

I was calmed down by my family members though before stuff started to escalate I regret not standing up for myself...but yet I feel that it wasn't my fault that they got so angry with me. Also, mind you, my hair was messed up, I had on a gray hoodie so nothing was exposed, and some dirty pants...he was fucking desperate if he was trying to holla at me!

~Submitted by Tiffany C.

You still win. You made him run.

2011-04-26T10:49:00.001-05:00

I like to write. And though I'll eventually write something more polished about what happened to me this weekend, I want to get it down now in case this creep is still lurking.

On Friday, April 15, I took the day off and took myself to a movie. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to the movies alone and it just sounded good. I love solitude, but I rarely seek it outside my own home. Now I remember why.

I was about an hour into "Source Code" when a man came up into my row and sat two seats to my left. My heart immediately started thumping. I'm not usually immediately intimidated by unknown men but my body knew something was up. He had not been sitting in the theater earlier (there were only about 10 of us in there) and I was the only lone female. As I tried to relax and focus on the movie, I caught the telltale signs of what my body had already predicted. I heard him unzip his pants, saw him pull his jacket into his lap, and heard the rhythmic brushing of his hand against the material of his jacket. I started to think about the kind of person I am - the kind of person I've always been. I'm quiet, keep to myself, and never call people out in public. I know - have always known - that I'm the exact kind of woman these guys look for. I'm polite. I'd decided I didn't care what this guy, or anyone in the theater, thought of me. I reached into my purse and got my phone. The man stopped moving his hands and brought them out from under his jacket, folding them in his lap and pretending to watch the movie. I knew this wouldn't be the end of it, and I'd already missed crucial plot points, so I turned my phone on and got ready to take his picture. He zipped up, but only partially, and ran. He was holding onto his pants with one hand while he ran out. I sat for a moment, and then ran after him, leaving my coat and purse in the theater. I chased him into a theater across the hall, and this is where I made my mistake: I went down the hall to get security. Had I stayed there, someone would have come along eventually, and he'd have been trapped in there, easy for me to identify. But when I came back with security, it was clear he'd either made his way into another theater or slipped out the back exit. I sat in the lobby of the theater for the next hour, praying to see him walk out. I was going to follow him down the sidewalk with my cameraphone on the video setting.

But I never saw him. Still angry, I called the cops to give a description. He was older - late 50's or early 60's, white, heavy-set, balding but with some greyish / white hair, glasses, a grey/beige sweatshirt and jeans. One of the officers asked if the man appeared to be mentally impaired, and I was humbled a bit. There are truly sick people out there - people we should be helping - and it's possible this man is one of them. But I can still be angry if that's the case, because men who are that ill should NOT be left in theaters unattended. What if this was summer and he'd done that to a young girl? Since I can't know whether or not he's clinically ill, I can only do what is well within my right, and say something - make him aware that his behavior is wrong and hurtful. I was still kicking myself for not getting his picture when my best friend said, "You still win. You made him run."

~Submitted by Kelly K

That's enough of that! You are being creepy!

2011-02-23T15:23:00.003-06:00

Location: CTA Red Line Chicago, Heading North between 47th and Sheridan

On a half empty subway train with empty seats this guy was sitting next to women who were sitting in the window seat trapping them in next to him. Then he would start hitting on them. I noticed this happening from the other side of the train, he did not do it to me, and it didn't really piss me off until one lady, obviously uninterested, asked to get up so she could move away from this guy. He just barely shifted his weight, and did not move out of the way. The woman rolled her eyes and was forced to slide her body over his to get out. She was forced to make physical contact. He got this smug little smile when he made her do this. I lost it. I waited till he sat down next to yet another girl and got up in his face and took a photo. "THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT. You are being creepy!" I said to him. I told him exactly what he was doing and that he needed to stop. I told him no one was interested and he was not "smooth" making girls touch him who did not want to. He got offended and said he was just "talking to them" and yelled at me for a minute but stopped his harassment. He stood by the doors till I got off. I walked right past him and wished him a blessed day.

~Submitted by Caitlin

Technical Note

2011-02-19T08:56:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I am very sorry to say that, due to a technical error, I had not been receiving a lot of the submissions to this blog. I finally found all of my missing e-mails and will be posting a bunch of stories today. I am going to backdate them to the actual date they were sent so if you are looking for a story you sent, look in the archives. Again, I am deeply apologetic for missing so many of your submissions, you deserve to be heard and I dropped the ball.

Please continue to send me your stories, I have resolved the issue with the e-mails so this should cease to be a problem. Thank you for your patience with me.

Your moderator,

Cortney

I Was Afraid

2011-02-18T08:49:00.000-06:00

I'd just gotten off the Blue Line at the Western stop,
on my way to a rehearsal at church last night. This man - slightly
homeless-looking, but not altogether unkempt, shouted at me as I walked
by him: "Hey cutie!" I turned to see who it was (could it be someone I
know?) and he had a "lusty" expression on his face. I made a disgusted
face and walked away from him just in time to hear him shout out
something like "Oooh, sexy lady's mad!" So, pulling my phone/camera
out of my pocket, but not having time or coordination to get the
camera on, I turned around and took a big step toward him and shouted
"Don't make me take a picture of you and put you up on the PERV
website!!" No response from him except wide eyes. I turned around and
walked away, and when I got about 10 paces away I heard him mutter
something inaudible.

I've been to afraid in the past to actually take photos of these
a**holes, but this was a step in the right direction for me.

~Submitted by G

2010-12-20T09:49:00.000-06:00

Hi Hollaback!

This is a message from Wales to let you know about our Government's latest campaign- www.stopblame.org, (featuring a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGI-b60BWN4).

The campaign seeks to challenge the endemic culture of victim blame for rape and sexual assault, asking that we all stop blaming the victim for having dressed in too little, drunk too much, flirted and not put up a physical fight. Time to stop handing him all the excuses he could wish for and start to reattribute blame for these behaviours to the rapist/ assailant.

Please take a look and share with your network.

Happy to provide more information if you need to know anything else about the campaign.

Happy Christmas all,

Anna

He continues unless the woman screams in his face to stop

2010-09-29T09:05:00.000-05:00

There's a guy who takes the 147 headed south during the morning rush. He's about 30-ish, about 5'8", medium build, medium length dark brown hair (slicked down), always wears sunglasses (large mirrored ones), appears to be Latino. He has a very trimmed facial hair - basically a chin strap. He usually gets on the bus at Foster and gets off at Pearson.

On several occasions (including this morning) I've seen him rub against women standing near the front of the bus. This happened to me about three weeks ago, and I can't stand seeing this guy do it to other people. He stands against a woman at the front of the bus even if there is space to not stand so close and presses his crotch against the woman's body. He becomes visibly aroused doing this, and continues unless the woman screams in his face to stop.

~Submitted by Kate

"You better be scared of me, baby"

2010-09-22T16:33:00.001-05:00

I walk home everyday. I have to pass by the Veterans Hospital at Damen and Taylor St. at about 3:30 p.m. I am usually harassed everyday by men waiting in cars parked along the sidewalk. My friend told me about HollaBack and I decided to "holla back" today.

As I passed a car with two men in it, one of the men said, "Hey baby, you lookin' fine." I stopped and politely said, "You shouldn't say things to women as they walk by, it scares them." He responded with, "You better be scared of me, baby." I walked a little further and remembered I should take a photo so I took out my camera and snapped a shot of the creep as he was getting out of the car. He started yelling at me. I shouted back, "I don't know you. Stop being rude." He called me a racist and I said "I don't care if you're white or black, you are a creep. Stop being rude and stop harassing women."

There were many, many people who witnessed the incident. Several workers from the VA were there. I felt very empowered, but now I'm afraid to walk by there tomorrow. I think I'll have my boyfriend meet me and walk me home.

~Submitted by Teri

That's so funny!

2010-09-20T15:33:00.001-05:00

I was walking down Lawrence in Uptown and this guy looked me up and down as I passed and said, "Heeey babyy" after I had already passed him. I turned around and pointed my finger at him and started loudly laughing. He nervously chuckled because he didn't know what else to do. I took my camera out while laughing and saying, "That's so funny! It's so funny how you're picture will end up on the internet for being lewd!" and he stopped laughing after I snapped his photo.

~Submitted by Alma

I wonder if anyone else on the train saw, and just pretended they didn't?

2010-08-27T10:01:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty sure that a guy tried to take a photo of me on his phone this morning while we were on the brown line. He came up to stand behind me in such a way that his arm was around me and his body was to the side of me, and he was sort of crowding me into the side of the train. Of course, the train was crowded so at first I figured that he was just trying to squeeze in and couldn't find anywhere else to put his arm. However, I felt like he kept sidling a bit closer to me, even though he never touched me.

I was feeling more and more crowded and was just considering asking him to move, when I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye. I immediately knelt down and sort of lurched backward so that his arm was no longer around me and gave him a death glare. I would have actually said something if I had truly seen his phone pointed at me, but since I wasn't sure I bit my tongue. For the next two stops he acted normal, so I didn't have a chance to say anything.

I feel a bit frustrated with myself for not reacting more strongly, but I now feel that in the future I'll have more courage to lash out when something like that happens. Incidents like these make me furious. I wonder if anyone else on the train saw, and just pretended they didn't? All I know is that if I ever see that happening to someone else, I promise to myself that I will confront the assailant immediately.

~Submitted by Rebecca

I no longer feel like prey

2010-08-25T09:59:00.002-05:00

I used to live in a high-crime, drug infested neighborhood in Louisville KY. When I walked my dog along my street, I noticed a new guy hanging out on a particular stoop – he made the ugliest, most belligerent catcalls I had ever heard in my life. Worse, there was an edge to his voice that told me without a doubt that he was the real thing and most likely would have no problem taking advantage of an opportunity if there were no witnesses around.

I was a member of the Neighborhood Watch, so I reported him with a description. The police officer said he sounded like one Joseph Schmoe – already convicted in a series of armed robberies and awaiting a sentence of 25 years to life. How charming! A couple nights later he dropped the last straw with a howl and “Ooh baby, I’ll take the dog AND the bitch!!” Something in me snapped, and I started taking martial arts lessons a couple weeks later.

That was two years ago. This story has a happy ending for me, because the martial arts training has had a powerful ripple effect through the rest of my life. Ultimately I was able to build up the momentum to leave the ‘hood behind and move to a sleepy rural town close to my extended family. I’m still hyper-vigilant about my surroundings, but I no longer feel like prey. I can’t say that I’m grateful to this maggot, but sometimes good things arise from bad situations.

~Submitted by Anna

I just act like I assume they're trying to bother someone else

2010-08-03T09:39:00.002-05:00

I've had fewer instances of being harassed since moving to Chicago than when I lived on the East coast, but those few have been really unfortunately memorable. The most recent was just a few weeks ago. My boyfriend and I were walking down the street across from the Paulina Brown Line stop. We had just finished getting our hair cut and were looking for a restaurant to grab some dinner and enjoy our evening out. We were walking along chatting and holding hands, but when I heard yelling and loud comments like "Hey girl! Hey!" from behind, I immediately felt myself tighten up in fear...the familiar feeling of knowing some unpleasant asshole is about to ruin my day with his offensive comments, and especially the fear of not knowing how far it's going to go this time. My boyfriend started to turn around, but I yanked his hand and tried to tell him to ignore the yelling, to just pretend you don't even know they're trying to scream at you. That's my usual coping mechanism - I just act like I assume they're trying to bother someone else, and keep my head down till they give up.

Turns out it's an entire fucking tour bus full of drunk frat dudes. They were literally hanging from the windows as they rolled up to the stoplight next to us. In sleazy drunken unison they start actually chanting at us, yelling "Kiss her! Fucking kiss her! Yeah!" at my boyfriend. I was desperately trying to get him to ignore them, but he had already looked up. He flipped them off as their bus pulled away, and they returned in kind, still screaming abuse and obscenities and "encouragements" for my boyfriend to use me sexually in public for their amusement. I was so shaken, I didn't even know what to say to my boyfriend, even though we often talk about feminist issues and street harassment experiences, both my own and his female friends'. I felt really angry that they had still tried to get to me despite my male escort - that they had even actually tried to use my boyfriend as a prop in their "let's humiliate women!" game. It totally ruined my whole evening, and we gave up the idea of a night out, went home, and watched movies instead, unable to really talk about what had happened or why it felt so wrong. I'd just like to say, fuck those guys. How can you think it's fun to scare random strangers? And what's wrong with you when you assume that a random guy on the street just walking with his girlfriend will happily join in when you start trying to humiliate his companion? Fuck you.

....

Another incident happened a while ago, but it's really stuck with me. Coincidentally, it also happened in the company of my boyfriend, though he was driving at the time and missed witnessing it. We were pulling out of the parking lot of the Jewel-Osco in south Evanston. I saw an older black man in a white tank top walking on the sidewalk under the train bridge, and as I briefly made eye contact with him out the passenger window, he opened his mouth widely and made an exaggerated licking, swirling motion with his tongue. He stared directly at me while doing this. I looked away almost immediately in embarrassment and disgust, but not quickly enough to avoid seeing him break out in a shit-eating grin. He turned to stare after the car as we pulled around the corner. I was totally nauseated, and I wished my boyfriend had seen it. He was sympathetic when I told him what had happened, but I couldn't adequately explain the creepy, entitled look on the guy's face that had made me wanna puke...like he just knew I was totally powerless and had to sit there and take him mouthing his nasty tongue at me. I think about it every time I pass that spot.

~Submitted by Rae

CTA Responds

2010-08-02T12:31:00.002-05:00

I was sexually harassed on the train one night this week. Not the first time it’s happened, and not the worst time it’s happened – but it happened and I hate it. I’m perhaps more sensitive to these things than some other women – but I KNOW when it’s harassment and not just the usual undesirable bumping/crowding that happens on mass transit.

In this case, a woman got off the train and the man that had been sitting next to her moved aside to let me into the window seat. That didn’t set off any alarm bells – maybe he was getting off the train soon, or just preferred the aisle seat. I sat. At first, he just had his shoulders and legs VERY far apart and was crowding me. Okay, so he’s a jerk, but that’s something I can deal with. However, he began rubbing his foot against mine. YUCK. Then his hand “accidentally” fell on my thigh. I shot him a look and he moved the hand. The foot and leg rubbing continued. His hand “fell” on my thigh again. I looked at him pointedly, and said “Do you mind?” He moved the hand, continued the rubbing, then the hand was on my thigh again. Fortunately, when I stood, he let me out of my seat (he could easily have kept me pinned in there) and I was able to get up and get out of that seat and away from his disgusting rubbing.

Another time, maybe two years ago, it was much worse. That time, I was in the aisle seat. A man got on the train and stood next to me – and began rubbing his crotch against my upper arm. Luckily, in that case I needed only to shoot him a death stare making it obvious I KNEW he was masturbating against me – and he left the train at the next stop.

I’ve seen the new CTA campaigns regarding “If it’s unwanted… it’s harassment” but honestly, I’ve felt uncomfortable reporting harassment. I fear other riders will think I’m overreacting and resent a delay to their commute, We all just want to get where we’re going. I fear further inciting my assaulter – what if he hurts me in an attempt to quiet me?

I talked to some friends. One noted that I should have said something specific, like “Get your hand off my leg” so other passengers might hear and know what was happening. (Rather than my vague “Do you mind” which could be as innocuous as crowding or burping or whatnot.) I looked online and found various reports of harassment, and suggestions like taking a picture with your cell phone.

I contacted the CTA this week – and my initial response was met with a stock answer that didn’t make me feel heard in the least. I then contacted James Higgins directly, getting his email off another victim’s post on a blog. Mr. Higgins responded quickly and thoughtfully:

Thank You for the response. We have a dedicated crew that views video taken on Buses and in CTA stations for the purpose of identifying persons such as you describe. We do have great success and this success starts with people like you. When you see something, say something. Walk up to the operator of the vehicle and request that the “Event Save” button be activated. The Operator presses a button and this stores video of what you think may have happened. Call us if you do this and we will look at the video. Here is my 24 Hr Cell phone number or (Office)

Well, that’s better. I feel heard. However, I feel they put the largest responsibility for change on the VICTIMS of harassment. In my own situations, assuming I can get away from my assaulter (as both times they had me pinned inside a seat on the train), I then have to travel the length of the train car, and announce my concerns loudly to the train operator via intercom, with the operator then responding loudly back so the entire car can hear. This, at a minimum, further humiliates me – and potentially puts me at further risk. Even using my cell phone to call the CTA – again, my assaulter and fellow passengers can hear, and I may be humiliated or put at further risk.

~Reproduced with permission from Lynette

To read more on her suggestion for CTA, check out her blog.

He Snapped a Shot, She Snapped Back

2010-07-30T10:03:00.003-05:00

Olivia's recent post 'Construct Something,' was most moving for me. really articulate and insightful response to such a hateful display. Sickens me that anyone should have to encounter that once, let alone with any kind of frequency or regularity.

Unfortunately, I have one of mine own to share:
He waited for me to go up the flight stairs while transferring from the red line to the blue line at Jackson CTA stop and took a pic of me from behind. I saw the flash and the disposable camera he put back in his pocket. I was too cowardly to say anything but silently took a picture and even Tweeted about it. I think this was the first step of action I've taken during an incident like this. However, this is not the first time it has happened to me while walking alone.

~Submitted by Libby

I've Been Denied the Right to Move Freely in Public Space

2010-07-28T16:00:00.001-05:00

While walking to the train the other day, I noticed a group of young men ahead of me who were standing off to one side of the sidewalk. At this point, there was plenty of room for me to walk by, but once they spotted me approaching, they seemed to all exchange a look and moved to spread themselves across the width of the sidewalk, blocking my path.

Once I reached them, I had to attempt to weave my way through them. While I was doing this, they started at various volumes to say nasty things to me and one grabbed my butt. I quickly passed them and continued to hurry to my train stop. The whole experience was infuriating on so many levels. I wanted to lash out at them and to defend myself, but being outnumbered, I felt powerless and concerned for my safety not knowing what else they would do seeing as, clearly, they had no respect for me or my body. Also, I was on a busy street. There were tons of people around. NONE of them responded to the situation or tried to help. Some looked in my direction, but when I met their gaze, they quickly averted their eyes, avoiding my silent cry for support.

It's incidents like this that have affected my daily life. They have become contributing factors when I'm making decisions about what to wear, if I'll go somewhere, which route I take, what time of day I'll be out, etc. I feel as though the right to walk freely in public spaces is one I've been denied.

~Submitted anonymously

Construct Something

2010-07-22T09:26:00.004-05:00

I got up early today to go to my first day as an intern at Young Chicago Authors. The day unrolled in front of me and I felt so much hope: working with high schoolers, helping them develop their writing and life skills. Good stuff. I got dressed. I headed for the train. Positive. Hopeful. Open.

On the way to the train I ate an apple and as I was throwing away the core I heard a man's voice say, "Yeah, I see you walkin' shorty...I like that haircut. Why don't you walk that ass over here?"

First let me say this: this happens every day. Not just to me. But to almost every female in this city; tall, short, ugly, cute, gorgeous, nerdy, black, young, old, white, freckly, brown, furry, sophisticated, weak, powerful, all of us.

So this was no surprise to me. Had he said "I like that haircut" I would have responded politely, "Thank you" and moved on, as I do often when men feel the strange need to pass on these little compliments. But the way that this particular man chose to address me---"Walk that ass over here"---does not deserve a polite response. I chose NOT to respond and merely gave him a dirty look and continued walking across the street.

Next I hear, "Yeah...well F*CK YOU then."

Um....excuse me?

And here I begin my rant.

Why is it f*ck ME? F*ck me? Really? It's f*ck ME because I chose to ignore your oh so articulate hate-disguised-with-lust? It’s f*ck ME because there are some construction workers (other men) across the street who saw you get “dissed”? It’s F*CK ME because this “little lady” didn’t switch her way over to your place next to the trash can to fill up another cup of your misogyny?? It’s f*ck me?

But because such a Neanderthal wouldn’t understand this kind of logic, I turned around in the middle of the street and said “F*ck me? F*ck me? No, bitch, f*ck YOU!”

Cue the opening of the floodgates.

This morning by the Trash Man (as he will henceforth be known) I was called a bitch, a whore, a whitetrash cokehead, a dog, a cunt. (**For those that live in Chicago and know how it is up here, and even for those who don’t, let me note that this man was not homeless, mentally challenged, insane, or anything else. He wasn’t by the trash can because he was digging through it for food and not in his right mind. He was walking down the street just like me, probably headed to work. So no excuses.)

You name it, it was probably hurled at me across Congress Pkwy today. And why? Because when told to “walk my ass over” to the Trash Man, I didn’t bat my eyes or look afraid or offer sex or avert my eyes or run the other direction or WHATEVER it is that such a man can hope or expect a woman to do after being told such a thing. Because I cut my eyes and rolled my neck, and because when told “F*ck you” I responded in kind, I am a bitch, a whore, a whitetrash cokehead, a dog, a cunt.

Two minutes ago he wanted me.

I told him so, which spurred another onslaught. But the worst part?

The worst part is the fact that the construction workers, the ones he was so “shamed” in front of, didn’t say a word. Not a damn word.

The construction workers sat over there in their hardhats and their orange vests with their sledgehammers and watched, shaking their heads at the Trash Man.

I should have said, “What are you doing? You got on a hardhat; GET TO WORK! CONSTRUCT SOMETHING! Construct a NEW DEFINITION OF MANHOOD! The Trash Man is shamed because I walked past him in front of you. Why don’t you SHAME HIM? ACTUALLY shame him! For the right reasons! Shame him because that’s not how you talk to a woman, or a man, or a person. Shame him because his definition of manhood is telling me to “walk that ass over” and shame him for that manhood’s frailty! What are you doing in your hardhat? CONSTRUCT SOMETHING.”

But I didn’t. Next time I will. Something’s gotta give in this world.

I didn’t write this because I hate men or think that all men are like this or that women should curse out men who try to talk to them on the street. That was not the intent. The intent was to advocate the destruction of tolerance of this kind of behavior. Hold people accountable; not just people like the Trash Man but people like the construction workers too. Not just in areas pertaining to gender relations, but ALL areas. If you’re living in this country, then you need to be an active citizen; not a silent witness. What good are you if you are silent?

CONSTRUCT SOMETHING.

~Submitted by Olivia

This is What We Have Taught Our Boys

2010-06-14T09:37:00.003-05:00

I was in my car stopped at a red light (Irving Park and Pulaski) when I heard some voices whistling and saying things like, "hey baby, hey gorgeous, howya doin' baby." I looked around and saw no men, and no one else was reacting. I figured out that the voices were coming from the car next to me. I glance over and there's two pre-pubescent boys sitting in the backseat of a car (because they were too small to sit in the front seat!) and hollering at me, while the woman driving just stared straight ahead with her hands on the wheel!

I couldn't believe it! So I turned to them, took their picture, and said, "Your faces are going on the internet for having a bad mother who can't stop her kids from yelling at women." And all the despicable woman could say to me was, "I'm not their mother!" If anything, that's MORE reason to bitch them out for being sleazy little bastards.

How awful. I don't remember the last time I felt so awful after being hollered at.

~Submitted by Alma

I Wish I Had the Courage to Stare Back

2010-06-08T09:49:00.004-05:00

I was watching the Tyra show about racial stereotypes and how it feels to be followed in stores based on how you look. An older woman of color said no one understands what it is like to be followed and under suspicion in an affluent area in a store when you are completely innocent and trying to shop like everyone else. Funny -its exactly how I feel when security leers at me and no one else. Then people stare at me and I think they think I must be a thief. I feel humiliated and don't automatically think they'll see he's attracted to me.

At Barnes and Noble in Evanston my bf and I were sitting downstairs in the cafe. I lifted my head up to stretch for the first time in 2 hours of sitting. A man in a baseball cap was awkwardly perched on the balcony. He had his head cocked awkwardly and was leering at me and only me in that perverted way. It was unclear whether he was undercover security... my bf's view was that he was not.

I looked up 20 minutes later and yes still leering. My bf looked again since I was frozen with fear and yes he was still leering. A cop came over to him at that time and it seemed to stop after that. It is possible the cop was wondering what he was up to.

I'll never know if he was working with the cop, but it brought up a range of emotions. It is the most scary thing when someone in authority finds you sexually attractive. I feared had I reported this individual, I would have been told , and I'm speaking from experience, "oh he's just doing his job and surveying the area."

Even though we had our heads down for 2 hours straight in our Macbooks. Security guards because of their authority have caused me the worst type of pain stemming from harassment and the ensuing resentment and I hated revisiting this last night. The leer not only makes me feel unsafe and scared (he could take it out on me if I react) but what does that say about his ethics and the job he's suppose to be doing? I wish I had the courage to stare back at him. At least I snapped this picture. Again, not clear whether he was with the cop but that's both of them in the picture, and you can see baseball cap is leering - I am not facing him but held my camera phone to the side.

As usual while everyone else gets to study for their finals its yet another time I have to be wrapped up in this and repressed even further.

~Submitted Anonymously

Every time I walk toward men on the sidewalk I feel like I need to brace myself for whatever is comment is about to be made.

2010-06-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

I love the neighborhood I live in (Logan Square), but the frequent hollering and harassment that goes on here is upsetting. I've been asked if I needed a ride, asked out, had comments made to me about my body, I've been stared at, and had the occasional "smooching" noise made at me. Every time I walk toward men on the sidewalk I feel like I need to brace myself for whatever is comment is about to be made.

The other day, for the first time I snapped on someone. I walked out of my apartment and headed to a nearby grocery store. It was late afternoon, still light out. I walked about twenty feet when I heard a man say "Can I ask you a question?" I looked over to see a man and his friend standing on a porch a couple apartments down from mine. So I stopped and said "OK." The man said "I was wondering if we could maybe go out sometime." I've never seen this guy before, I had no idea who he was, and to me he looked drunk. I rolled my eyes and kept walking. "You don't have to be rude about it." I heard as I was walking away. I spun around and told him that I was just trying to walk down the street and I was minding my own business to which his friend replied "Well, you're hot so you have to expect it." I yelled at him that I most certainly do not have to expect it (even though I DO expect it because I can't leave my fucking apartment without it happening).

Then, when I realized it wasn't worth arguing over, I told them to fuck off and kept walking. Normally some idiot trying to ask me out wouldn't make me so angry, but the fact that they thought I should expect to be harassed because of the way I look (I was wearing an old t-shirt and shorts by the way) really pissed me off. I wish I could tell every guy who does this to fuck off, but I realize it's probably not a good idea. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

~Submitted by Marieke

Whistling Barista

2010-06-01T12:27:00.003-05:00

I have been frequenting Unicorn Cafe in Evanston and have been subjected to my fair share of staring and leering behavior, not by students but by older men. They have all been customers, while not excusable, I have not had repeat incidents occur. I am writing because I am sick and tired of the male bearded barista who along with another male customer leer at me. They engage in this bizarre behavior of whistling. They can't wolf whistle of course that would be blatantly inappropriate, but they start whistling a tune every time I come in. I'm guessing they are challenged (the bearded barista) by beauty and women or just plain scared but it comes off as harassing nonetheless; particularly when he does not do it to anyone else. All of a sudden he decides to sing when I come along? Or in his own depressing pathetic way, is he signaling his attraction to me? I wish he would stop. Sure I can go somewhere else but I'm tired of this. I'm not an object.

~Submitted Anonymously

What Just Happened?

2010-06-01T12:24:00.002-05:00

Last summer, in the early evening I was on the Damen (#50) bus, heading south from it's northernmost stop, where I had just been at a yoga class. There were only a few other people on the bus, so I was seated in the aisle seat, with all my yoga gear next to me and my purse on my lap. An old man got on the bus. I think maybe he was drunk, but I couldn't be sure. He ambled around the bus a bit before approaching me and asking me if I wanted some quarters. I politely told him "No, thank you." He insisted. "Here, take the quarters, I'm giving them to you!" he shouted, and he tossed the quarters at me, at the same moment leaning forward, as though he were falling, and touching my breasts.

He then pulled himself back, turned around, and ambled back up the bus aisle and sat himself down in a side-facing seat, so he could still see me and I could see him.

I was left wondering what just happened? The quarters, there were maybe 2 or 3 of them, had fallen either in my purse or to the floor. Had that been an accident? Did the bus brake and lurch and force him to fall towards me? Did he just try to pay me quarters so he could touch my boobs? I was baffled, humiliated, and I felt violated. I wanted to get off the bus early, but he got off before I was able to and I was relieved that he was gone.

He is old and wears tattered, dirty clothes, and his hands are dirty. He's white with longish, scraggly gray/white hair and lots of chin stubble. He is very thin and probably just under six feet tall.

I wish I'd thought of taking his picture, but I didn't find out about Hollaback until a few days ago, so that didn't occur to me.

~Submitted by G

2010-06-01T12:21:00.001-05:00

One evening in March I was walking near Broadway just north of Montrose. I was by myself, on my way to meet up with some friends. I heard a man shout "Yeah, you gotta nice ass!" and I ignored him - maybe he wasn't talking to me? I started walking faster, and I wanted to cross the street and get further away from him (he was following me) so I turned my head to see if any cars were coming. He thought I was turning to see him, so he said, "Yeah I'm talking to YOU! You gotta fine ass walk!"

So then I sped up a little more (I couldn't cross the street there) and when he started to call out something else, I held up my left hand, showing off my ring finger, without looking back at him - I'm married and I have the bling to prove it. He responded by saying "Oh I see, you're married..." and then blah blah blah, I don't remember what he said. And I'd refused to dignify his comments by looking at him, so I don't really know what he looked like, but once again, I wish I would have thought to turn around and take his photo.

-Submitted by G

No One Did Anything

2010-06-01T12:17:00.001-05:00

I was waiting for the 77 bus at Belmont late on a Saturday night. I had been out drinking, but I was not drunk at all...I was actually wearing a pencil skirt and nice non-revealing top because I had been working earlier that day and hadn't changed. An SUV pulled up and this blah looking 35-45 year old man looked at me from his window. Before he opened his mouth I tell him "I'm FINE, you can KEEP driving," but no, he asked if I needed a ride. I explained, "No, you can MOVE ON you are fucking CREEPY" he kept on telling me to look at the baby seat he has in the back. He then showed me a picture of his wife and kid "does that make me creepy?" he kept on asking, while still asking me to get into his car, and I finally yell "YES IT MAKES YOU WAY FUCKING CREEPY MOVE ON, I AM NOT STUPID!"

Ugh, I really do NOT understand. There were a lot of people around too, this has happened waiting for the 77 before except those guys tried to tell me the 77 had stopped running. I also told them I wasn't stupid and that it ran all night- an older (seemingly nice) guy was waiting with me to and he did NOTHING.

What if I wasn't me and I was dumb enough to get in that car? Would anyone have stopped me?

~Submitted by Catherine

Cell Phone Film Maker Strikes Again

2010-05-17T09:05:00.001-05:00

First of all, I am so grateful for Hollaback and its presence in Chicago. This is a very powerful tool for people who've been victimized by street harassment.

Secondly, I definitely spotted the pervy "Cell Phone Film Maker on the Red Line" in my neighborhood on Friday evening! I was locking up my bike kitty-corner to Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville (Clark/Balmoral), and I looked up and immediately recognized him from the picture on Hollaback. He took a corner before I could street-shame him -- what a thrill that would've been!

Anyway, total creeper, I hope I see him again just so I can give him a piece of my mind.

Keep fightin' the good fight!

~Submitted by Miranda

The Police Don't Care About Street Harassment

2010-05-14T15:29:00.003-05:00

Today, I was walking to the Ashland/Lake train stop and talking on my phone. As I was walking, out of nowhere, a 5'10-ish and roughly 220 lbs. African American man in his mid 30s with dreads and a Blackhawks jersey came and slapped me on my bum - REALLY HARD. Like so hard I think it left marks.

I looked at him, dumbfounded. He laughed, grabbed himself, then said, "mmm - nice and juicy."

I thought he may have been trying to steal my wallet or purse, but it turns out that he was just a sick pervert.

After calling the Chicago Police Dept. and telling them there was a perv roaming the streets, they basically told me to go cry myself a river - they don't care. Lovely.

~Submitted by Mari

2010-04-24T13:34:00.001-05:00

I was verbally and sexually harassed on a brown line train on Tuesday at 12:20 pm by a CPD officer in uniform and on duty. His partner did nothing but smile and go along with him.

~submitted by K

2010-04-24T13:30:00.003-05:00

Walking past the Women's Club of Evanston I was on my way to Islamic services with a head scarf on when I was harassed by two painters speaking spanish from their ladders.

The harrassent consisted of bickering in their language and bending and swaying enough to cause myself and others to notice and look up at their pointing and leering at me.

I turned around once I crossed the street and they were still leering. I resent how I intentionally where a headscarf as a sign of modesty but these clowns are so ignorant they find it sexy and feel the need to harass it. I have to point out on this hot, hot day, many non brown women were sailing past and not harassed. As a brown skin minority it just isn't fair that I am singled out this way.

~submitted anonymously

One Cyclist's Story of Street Harassment

2010-03-21T22:17:00.004-05:00

This happened last summer and haunts me still. At my last job, I rode my bike 10 miles to work on the Westside from the Northside, a 20-mile round trip, Monday through Friday. I loved the ride even though I went through some of the toughest neighborhoods in the city where the roads are dreadful and harassment abounds. I got harassed at least twice a day on my bike, a couple times threatened with violence but mostly sexually harassed by men. The absolute worst incident happened on a Monday morning around 7am on Augusta, just west of Pulaski.

While riding west on Augusta, a silver 4-door car pulled out of an alleyway I'd just passed. The car slowed down next to me and the driver (who was alone in the car) leaned over, peered out of his passenger side window and said, "You wouldn't, by any change, want to give me a handjob?" like it was the most innocuous thing he could've said at 7am to a stranger, like he was asking for directions to church. I was appalled and violently angry. Whenever I am harassed, I start to shake and worry I might get violent. So I rode faster, trying to lose him, putting my angry energy into getting the hell away from him.

A couple blocks later, as I was finally getting steadier and feeling less frazzled, he was back. His car crept up behind me and he asked again, the same tone and everything, as though maybe I had just not heard him. I started trembling with anger again and yelled the first thing I could think of, "Not to you!" and rode away as fast as I could. The rest of my ride to work I was seething with anger, amazed I hadn't stopped and used my bike to break his windshield (which had crossed my mind, but I didn't want to damage my bike).

I still think about this guy--20's-30's, dark hair, light brown skin (maybe Middle Eastern or Latino)--who I really wish I had physically harmed. I am not a violent person and I do not like being overtaken with rage. City cyclists already feel vulnerable to cars and that this miserable asshole targeted me still makes me sick to my stomach. Any harassment I received for the following week made me want to punch people's teeth in. I wish I had gotten his license plate number or snapped a photo of him, but everything happened too fast and when you're placed in that situation, the 'fight or flight' instinct kicks in. I flew. But I wish I had fought.

This website empowers me. Public shaming of these assholes empowers me. Thank you, Hollaback. Let's band together and get this problem the attention it deserves.

~Submitted by Mary

A Must Read

2009-10-11T13:57:00.003-05:00

I just came across this very interesting post about street harassment and how men can avoid doing it. It is called "Schrödinger's Rapist: Or a Guy's Guide to Approaching Strange Women Without Being Maced." It is smart and funny and a must read.

Street Humiliator Gets a Taste of Public Humiliation

2009-09-22T17:40:00.001-05:00

This guy outside of Mcdonald's on Milwaukee in Logan Square yelled something at me regarding my ass, so instead of doing what I usually do (be in a bad mood all day, cuss under
my breath, scowl at everyone, regret not doing anything), I took out my
camera and started snapping photos. I then started yelling, "Say something
now! Say something now! You man enough now? What? You can't say anything
now?" and he cowered in fear.

Soon everyone on the street noticed the scene I was making and they were
all laughing along at the poor sucker. A troupe of girls in Catholic
school uniforms were especially amused. A passerby exclaimed, "So now he's
camera-shy!?" It felt wonderful to turn the tables of humiliation onto the
humiliator.

Cell Phone Film Maker on the Red Line

2009-08-14T23:53:00.000-05:00

I was riding the Red Line northbound last night; we were around Sheridan when I noticed that the guy sitting in front of me was taking videos with his phone of a dozing teenage boy. The guy was very obvious about it, holding his phone out and shooting the boy's from his face to his crotch to his calves. When each 60-second clip would end, he would start a new one. I leaned forward and said to him loudly enough for all to hear that he was being creepy. He ignored me completely, so I repeated, louder, "Excuse me. YOU ARE BEING CREEPY." He ignored me and continued to film, so I stood up and pulled out my camera phone and took his picture. At this point he pretended he was talking on his phone. I took several pictures of him, getting close to his face and asking him how he liked it. He continued to pretend he was talking on his phone and at one point muttered something that sounded like "shut up." I kept my eyes on him to make sure he see if he was going to try to follow me as I got off the train at Argyle, but he continued to hold the phone to his ear.

~Submitted by Jesse

Think B4 You Speak!

2009-06-09T12:19:00.001-05:00

This is not a personal story, but one of thousands and thousands of innocents that I am speaking out for. Every day, there are far too many people bullied due to their sexual orientation. What's worse? In addition to bullying, they are subjected to the abuse of the word "gay", a word which these individuals take great pride in.

Hearing slurs like, "That's so gay!" Or even, "Don't be a fag," can horribly break a person down. Most people agree and acknowledge this fact, however, they all continue to abuse these terms.

The reason I am speaking up is because there is a group that is stepping up to STOP the abuse of the word "gay" (and others like it) and to help curb the bullying inflicted on homosexuals, both old and (perhaps more tragically) sad.

This group is named, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network). Earlier this year they held the "Think B4 You Speak" event, urging people to "find another word" to use instead of "gay" or "fag".

Now, with the help of you, thousands of people have stepped up and vowed to stop the abuse of these words...and we're encouraging all of you who have felt the pain of these (and other) types of attacks on the streets of your own home cities/towns, to step-up and make a vow of your own.

Visit www.GLSEN.org or www.ThinkB4youSpeak.com to find out more and help put an end to this horribly painful, ignorant behavior. With your help, we CAN make a difference.

Thank you for your time...

Sean Carroll

Ukrainian Village Street Harasser with a Camera

2009-06-07T01:49:00.000-05:00

I was walking home to Ukrainian Village after going for a jog in Humbolt Park. I was wearing some black leggings from American Apparel, the same thing I always wear when I run. But this wasn't like normal. This time, I was trailed by a man driving a 90s Chrysler minivan, champagne colored. I turned around and realized he was using his camera phone to take a picture of my butt. I yelled, "What are you doing?" and he yells back, "Trying to take a picture of your sexy pants." I said, "What?" because I was having trouble comprehending what was going on... he yells, "I am trying to take a picture of your see-through pants." So I yelled back, "You are fucking disgusting, leave me alone!" and he responds, "You're the fucking pervert! You're wearing see-through pants!" He continued to call me a pervert as he drove away... First, my pants were not see through. They were basically yoga pants. Second, regardless of how form-fitting they were, dude had no right to photograph my ass for his spank material. And then to call me a pervert? Projection, yes? I wanted to throw up. So ladies... if you see this guy in the van with long, greasy grey hair and glasses, get his license number in case he harasses you. Because by the time I realized he was trying to take pictures of my butt, I was too frazzled to get his plate number.

~submitted by Emily

Message from a Reader

2008-12-17T15:01:00.001-06:00

Sexual harassment is around us everywhere we go and ignoring it will not make it go away. Neither will brushing it under a rug. Lawmakers and employers are not doing enough to stop this nauseating behavior so most incidents go unreported giving the harasser a false sense their behavior and harassment is acceptable. What is even worse is when someone actually does speak up and reports harassment they often face retaliatory actions from their harasser, employer and others. These retaliatory actions range from personal threats and stalking to the victim losing their job for reporting the behavior and legal actions against them. Feeling the need to help change these issues, I recently started a grass-roots non-profit organization (The Dogwood Project) that provides aid and support to individuals, both men and women alike, who have reported sexual harassment and now face retaliatory actions. I have also just created a facebook page for the organization. Please come join us in the fight against sexual harassment and for women's rights!!

Thanks,

Lucky

Check Out this Piece at Salon.com

2008-11-26T14:41:00.001-06:00

Porn in a flash:A troubling surge in creepy "upskirt" photography has lawmakers in a twist -- and the body parts of women posted all over the Internet.

By Tracy Clark-Flory

I am Still Angry Two Years Later

2008-11-25T11:20:00.003-06:00

This is a few years late, but I just found your blog. I think it's fantastic and I want to share this story so that if anyone comes across this guy, they know what to do!

In December 2006, I was riding the #77 Belmont bus. I'd hopped it around 9 p.m. at Belmont and Racine and was taking it to the Blue Line at Kimball. The bus was crowded, and I ended up standing. I was wearing plaid tights and knee-high boots. Immediately, a red-faced man between 35-40 struck up a conversation. He was obviously developmentally disabled. He said, "I like your tights. Are those boots comfortable?" I thought he was asking because I'd gotten stuck standing on the bus. Indeed, they were NOT comfortable, so I said, "No, they're not, but sometimes you have to suffer for fashion, haha." He then said, "Do you like to go barefoot?" Honestly, at this point I thought I was being a nice person by engaging with a somewhat slow guy, and there were tons of people on the bus. I do like to go barefoot, so I said "yes." He asked again, "Do you like to go barefoot?" And I said, "Yeah, I like to go barefoot sometimes, in the summer." He asked me to repeat myself. I did, thinking he hadn't heard me. The he said, "You like to do what?" I slowly figured out that he was really trying to get me to say the word "barefoot." At this point I was creeped out, so when a seat toward the middle of the bus opened up, I immediately made a beeline for it. Unfortunately, another seat opened up right across the aisle, and he took it. He kept staring at me, repeating the question, trying to get me to say "barefoot," and I could see that he had an erection and was rubbing it through his jeans. I ignored him. Several of the passengers clearly could see what was happening, and kept giving me sympathetic looks, but no one said anything. Inside my head I was thinking, "Should I get off at my stop, or should I wait for him to get off? How come no one is stopping him?" Finally the bus pulled into Belmont and Kimball, and I got off and ran down the stairs, embarrassed and scared that he would follow me down into the L. He didn't.

The worst part is, the very next day, I walked into the Green Eye bar at Western and Homer to meet my boyfriend at the time, who worked there. The FIRST person I saw when I walked in was...Foot Fetishist Man. I approached my boyfriend and said, "Do you know that guy sitting at the end of the bar, closest to the door?" He said, "Yeah, that's Lenny. He's a regular. A little slow, but he's a cool dude." I said, "Um, that's the guy I called you about. The bus masturbator." My boyfriend freaked out and threatened to beat him up, but I told him to cool it.

Now, though, I wish I'd said something. I felt doubly helpless: the other witnesses made me feel like I was imagining things because they didn't react in any way. And, because the guy was obviously slow, I felt like I shouldn't have said or done anything. Just because he was disabled doesn't make what he did acceptable in any way. I should have loudly and clearly said, "Stop masturbating to me. You are sexually harassing me, it's illegal, and I will call the police." The moral of the story: Ladies, speak up for yourselves. I'm still angry about this two years later. And if you ever find yourself talking a guy named Lenny on the bus or at the Green Eye, excuse yourselves and call the cops if necessary.

~Submitted by Sheila

We CAN Fight Back Against Sexual Harassment

2008-11-02T20:52:00.003-06:00

I didn’t have a cellphone with me when this outrageous incident happened but I didn’t need one to cut this slimy guy down to size!

Everyday I have to take the elevator to the 24^th floor where our office is located and most mornings it’s ridiculously crowded. Last Monday, I boarded the elevator and as more people got in, I got pushed way to the back. To my annoyance, I felt the man behind me pushing his private parts into the groove between my buttocks. There was absolutely no room to move forward. As the elevator rose, he quickly developed a definite hard-on.

“Ewww, gross!” I thought. And I turned my head to give him my best angry glare. That’s when I saw who it was: The VP of marketing, one of my bosses. I can’t use his name so let’s just call him Mr. Asswipe. He gives this sheepish smile and a helpless, “Hey, what ya gonna do?” shrug. Well, in this economy, who wants to risk losing their job? So instead of giving him a piece of my mind, I just glanced away and for the next 30 seconds I had to just grit my teeth and bear it.

We all got off on 24 and that would have been it – an embarrassing but forgettable incident - except that at 5 pm when work was over, the asshole tried the very same thing! I don’t know how he did it, but when we all boarded the elevator, Mr. Asswipe managed to position himself right behind me again. This time, the elevator seemed to stop on every floor on the way down and every time, more people crammed on, forcing me back into him. And on this trip, the pig got much raunchier. His penis was not only fully erect, he was grinding it against my backside like some horny teenage boy freak-dancing at the junior prom. Finally I had had enough. I went totally Charlton Heston on him. I elbowed him in the side and snarled, “Get your stinking little prick out of my ass!”

The look on his face was priceless. He turned completely red – and his penis wilted like a wet noodle. He backed off me and looked like he wished he could disappear. Everyone on the elevator was staring at him.

Well, it turned out I didn’t lose my job. The powers that be got wind of what happened and read Mr. Asswipe the riot act. He’s been ordered to attend sensitivity classes and everything. Meanwhile, a coworker told me that the firm can’t fire me anytime in the foreseeable future because they’re terrified that if they do, I’ll sue the pants off them for sexual harassment – which you can bet I would!

Sisters, we CAN fight back against these predators. I hope this story inspires others to do so.

~Submitted by Laura W.

Share Your Stories with Salon!

2008-10-09T12:09:00.001-05:00

I'm a writer for Salon.com and am working on an article about photographic street harassers (guys who take "upskirt," down-the-shirt or otherwise sexual photos of women in public, primarily with cellphone cameras) and the loads of Web sites and message boards dedicated to this so-called hobby. I am looking to interview women who have actually had this happen to them and, of course, am willing to quote anonymously. I can be reached at tracy@salon.com.

An Eyeful at the Public Library

2008-10-08T16:00:00.001-05:00

A few month's ago while walking from the Post Office back to my office building on my lunch break, I noticed a raggedy-looking man masturbating openly by the Ogilvie train station. I was infuriated and completely disgusted. After we made eye contact, he tucked his penis back into his pants and walked away as though this was completely normal.

I didn't say anything to him because I had no idea what to say. And I was half afraid he would throw something at me. I've replayed my response back in my head a dozen times and if I ever find myself in that kind of situation again, I will not be silent.

In a similar vein, I recently discovered that the Chicago Public Library protects the open and rampant use of pornography in its adult computer area. While I was at the Harold Washington branch with my husband back in September, we were subjected to several screens of second-hand hard-core porn - and that's just from where we were sitting! After getting nowhere with the librarian or the security guards, I researched the issue quite a bit and have discovered several acts of sexual violence at that particular branch. The CPL cites First Amendment Rights for this ridiculous stance, but the First Amendment does not, in fact, protect obscenity. And hard-core pornography almost always falls into the category of obscenity.

I've set up a blog to bring awareness to this issue and enact change: www.obscenerights.blogspot.com

Where is our society heading when the open and rampant use of pornography is PROTECTED at the public library? This only serves to invalidate complaints of not liking to be groped or hollered at by total strangers...

~Submitted by Amanda

Abusive Doorman in Cleveland

2008-10-08T15:18:00.001-05:00

I live in Washington DC and go to school in Cleveland, but unfortunately neither of these places has functioning HollaBack sites, so I hope you'll accept this anyway. Chicago is only 3 hours from Cleveland...

I was living in Little Italy last year, my senior year. While I'd experienced some street harassment in previous years, this was the worst.
My roommate and I once had two guys follow us down the street for five blocks, just yelling at us about our butts and telling us to slow down and come talk to them! It got so that I was afraid to wear shorts or a tank top, despite last summer being unusually hot and long in Cleveland (and I worked in the Printmaking department at my school, which was like a greenhouse) for fear of being followed down the street or having something shouted at me. Some guy unloading a truck once shouted out at me "Hey, who're you supposed to be, Lara Croft?" I'm usually a friendly person, liking to smile at strangers and such, but I've had it backfire at me so often that I don't dare do so anymore.

The worst was this one older guy, in his fifties probably, who worked as a doorman at one of the Italian restaurants on Mayfield that I had to walk past to get home. I smiled at him one day, when I was in a good mood, and he took it as an invitation to start talking to me. I stopped and chatted with him a little about the weather and then moved on. Every single time I passed him after that he felt the need to come over and talk to me, sometimes physically insinuating himself into my space in order to force me to stop. He even grabbed my arm once, out of the blue, and on several occasions tried kissing my hand. He'd always tell me in a really patronizing, 'talking to a child' kind of way, how beautiful I was and how much my smile made his day. I started taking the back way as often as I could, when I didn't have so much to carry that it was really inconvenient.

Near the end of the semester (he knew I was a college student) he started getting really pushy. One day he stopped me and asked me if I had a boyfriend. I said "yes, I have a fiance." He congratulated me. A few days later, he stopped me again and said "God forbid he should get cold feet at the altar, but if he did... I'd marry ya!" Yeah. Should my fiance abandon me, I REALLY need a creepy old guy my father's age as a replacement! 'Cuz you know, I'm just not a valid woman without a marital prospect! I walked away. Fast. I told one of my roommates about him once, and she said "Yeah, that guy's pretty creepy...I usually go the back way or ignore him." He even tried catcalling me in front of my parents a few times... ugh... He is one thing I do not miss about college.

It feels really good to get that all out. Senior year was stressful.

~Submitted by Lisa

Assault at a Concert

2008-09-30T12:20:00.001-05:00

I was at a concert at the Aragon with a group of friends. There was a large crowd so when the band begun to play we felt a lot of pushing. A person behind me decided to start grabbing me inappropriately. S/he (don't know because I never got a good look at the person) was grabbing my behind, rubbing his hand and proceeded by touching my vagina.

I didn't know what to do; because I am in a large crowd doesn't necessarily indicate safety, friends I was with were scattered so I couldn't get help. I was trying to dig my nails on his/her hand to see if it would stop but I don't know if I had the right person. One of the girls I was with and I decided to stand over to the side because the pushing was too much. Would you believe this sick pervert was still touching me as I was walking away?!

Thanks to this jerk- I no longer look forward to concerts or being in large crowds for that matter.

I Felt Like a Five Year Old

2008-06-26T12:20:00.000-05:00

Last night as I walked from the six corners, up Damen to to Augusta, I had 4 incidents of street harassment. I'll spare you the details of the two least egregious and proceed with the others...

One was actually by a woman. It wasn't sexual street harassment, but it was harsh nonetheless. She was walking her dog without a leash, and the dog started to jump up on me. I didn't say anything, but I must've had a sour face because the woman said, "It's not that big of a deal, ya fat bitch." Yes, I am a fat, size two bitch who happens to be afraid of large dogs. Put your dog on a leash.

The other was sort of scary, at the new gas station at the corner of Damen & Augusta. A carload of late teen / early 20s guys were on the sidewalk, about to pull out of the station. They started yelling things at me about my ass, and when I walked around the front of the car to get back on the sidewalk, one of the guys grabbed at me, touching my arm to tell me "Come talk to me, girl, take a ride with us." I felt like a five year old, like a stranger in a blue van was offering me candy or something. Maybe I am being irrational, but it really made me afraid. They truly could've opened the car door and pulled me in, if that's what they wanted to do.

--Amanda

A Comment on Responsibility

2008-06-24T14:23:00.006-05:00

I am not sure how to enable commenting on this site and I am not sure if it is even a good idea. However, I got this e-mail a few days ago and wanted to post it. I think "S" brings up some worthwhile points but also shows a certain arrogant male privilege that I would love to have some discussion around.

I just read this post on your site:
Thursday, April 24, 2008
"I Never Feel Safe"
I am a white, 17 year old girl living in the South
Side...
A couple weeks ago I was walking home. It was late,
around midnight. I was listening to my iPod and not
paying much attention to my surroundings"

What the heck is a 17 year old girl doing walking by
herself at midnight, not paying attention to her
surroundings?? I'm all for a girl being able to walk
safely, but this girl is just DUMB. I am a man and I
would not walk anywhere at midnight oblivious to my
surrounds in any city! If I have to point out how
many different types of wrong this post is, then your
website is truly clueless.

You are promoting boldness for a woman to holla-back
or fight back against the "unfairness" of society. It
sound slike this particular poster feels that she has
the right to walk in a city at midnight, unaware of
any dangers around her. Don't you feel that you have
a responsibility to inform an underage girl such as
this one that NOBODY should have put herself in the
position she did? Instead of being so adamant that a
girl should snap a picture of the harasser, maybe you
could educate and tell underage girls that some things
are not safe.

As the moderator of this blog, I just post the letters people send me; I do not alter them and I certainly do not offer my opinions. That is not the mission of this blog. While I agree with "S" that women (and men) should be aware of their surroundings and the dangers of living in a patriarchal society, I also think that we should strive for a society where anyone can walk around anywhere without fear. This is a safe space where fear is not the primary goal. There is enough fear in mass media we don't need it here. I am sure that the young woman who sent that story is very aware of the dangers of her surroundings without me reminding her. This is a site for empowerment against harassment, a space to tell stories that get lost in mainstream media. I hope that all of Holla Back's readers are safe and cautious, but I want them to know that this is not a site that encourages fear and silence. I hope that "S" can understand that there is enough fear in the world, this is one space for women to feel like their voices matter.

June 26, 2008
Reader Gwendolynn writes:

"While yes, "S" makes a valid point on the safety of walking around at midnight not paying attention to her surroundings and how that isn't safe to do whether your a 17 year old female or a fully grown man, he referenced taking pictures as not being the smart thing to do. I disagree. While any response to any form of harassment should be fully analyzed before you should do it, responses such as ignoring it or looking afraid will only perpetuate the problem. Often, that is the response these sickos are looking for. They want to scare us, they want us to know that they have power over us. And, if they start off making gross comments and getting the kind of responses they are looking for without any sort of reprimand - next time they may not stop at comments. Next time they might flash us. And if that works well, they might think they can touch us. I think you can see where this is going. These creeps arn't expecting us to talk back or take pictures. It destroys their image of us as helpless and them as powerful. And at the moment, it seems like the only way we can fight back. Clearly you must look at the situation at hand before you take such measures. Midnight with few people around - probably not the right moment. Middle of the day in a crowded place? Hell yeah. You better believe I'm saying something."

July 24, 2008
Reader Tomi writes:

"As the webmaster pointed out in her response to you, I am perfectly aware of the dangers of walking alone at night. (I am also aware of the dangers of riding in a car, of cutting vegetables with a sharp knife, of doing gymnastics, of leaving my house at all.) Life is full of potential dangers. Does that mean that I should live in constant fear and unhappiness? Should I quit my job at the movie theatre that I like so much so that I can find 9-5 hours? Should I resolve to be home by sunset every day just so that I can eliminate the risk of being harassed or raped in the dark?
That's the point of this website, of this movement. It's a way to fight back. It's a way to help eradicate sexism. (I noticed that in your response to my post, you called it the 'unfairness of life.' Sexism can hardly be classified as an unfairness. There are plenty of unfairnesses in the world that I accept and grow from, sexism is not one of them. Would you call rape a simple 'unfairness?' I didn't think so.) You state that you are all for a girl being able to walk safely, so why shouldn't I? Why do you speak as if it is my fault? I'm the one that puts myself in the situation? No, it's the men who harass me that put me in the situation. If all the young women in the world stayed indoors after dark, we would only prove that we can be controlled and dominated by these men. That we can be scared and pushed around by them. I will not be scared by them, and I certainly will not be silenced.

Also, I would like to remind you of your responsibility to inform men and boys everywhere that harassing women on the streets is not okay. I've already done my homework, you can do yours.

(p.s. Your computer is liable to blow up at any minute. Maybe it's not so safe for you to use it?)"

More anti-street harassment activism!

2008-06-17T21:26:00.001-05:00

Check out Stop Street Harassment.

Not Nice Outside

2008-05-29T22:46:00.003-05:00

Found this site via feministing. Thought you all might appreciate it.

My morning was ruined by a public masturbator on the Red Line!

2008-05-26T20:21:00.002-05:00

My morning (it was a gorgeous morning too) was ruined today by a public masturbator on the Red Line train. He got on around Thorndale, sat toward the back of the train facing me, before moving to the seat diagonally across from me. He was a tall black man who wore sungalsses, a beige baseball hat, black t-shirt, and shorts. Listing blissfully to Mika on my ipod, I didn't really pay attention to him, even though his movement struck me as strangely stealthy.

A stop later, I glanced casually over to my left and realized that he was furiously jerking off! Feeling disgusted and angry with his behavior and for attempting to get off through my discomfort, shock or fear, I decided to not pay attention to him at all and give him the satisfaction of getting a reaction from me. He kept wanking off as we passed Granville, Loyola, and Morse. I didn't want to get up and press the stop button on the train because I knew that as soon as the doors opened, he would have just bolted out of the car (this happened to my friend), but I didn't really want to confront him either. I sat there looking out my right throught the window while keeping him out of the corner of my left eye, just in case he wanted to try something funny (which would have led to me kicking his ass).

Finally, he put his penis away and got off at Jarvis, avoiding the possibility of getting arrested at Howard when I would have called the police on his sorry ass.

Looking back, I should have whipped out my cell phone and took a picture of him (too bad he was careful to wear his sunglasses) so that I could have posted his picture on the web for the world to see. A girl did that on a NYC subway train and the NY Post put his picture up on their front page, which led to his eventual arrest. I probably should have also said something to him in order to let him know that this type of behavior would NOT be tolerated by women in general. I should have said "Sir, put your PENIS back in your pants! Or I will have you arrested!" I am now practicing this in case I bump into another pervert.

It's important to realize that resisting these public offenders is essential because indecent exposure usually degenerates into other acts of sexual assault. If you look at the rap sheets of many rapists, they usually have prior offenses such as being a peeping tom, breaking and entering, or public exposure. Who knows if this pervert I met on the train decides that next time it would be acceptable for him to sit down next to a woman and masturbate, and then even try to touch her or assault her?

And in case someone out there thinks that this type of behavior is harmless, imagine if it happened to your mom or your sister? It would not be funny if they were distressed by this type of encounter.

The next time I will be more prepared. I am now ordering pepper spray online and practicing talking loudly for the next time some weirdo decides to use me to fuel his sick fantasies!

~Submitted by Jennifer

"Hollering at me out of your car does not make me want to have sex with you!"

2008-05-26T20:17:00.001-05:00

I was crossing the street - not a busy street - mid afternoon on a cold winter day. I looked both ways before crossing and nobody was coming, so obviously, I started to cross it. I get halfway across the street and a car stops a good foot from hitting me, and yells at me "Get out of the street, you whore!" I yelled back "Drive a little slower next time asshole!" Though I'm sure he didnt hear any of that judging by how fast he drove off (equally as fast as he did almost running me over). I understood why he said that you know, because prostitutes normally wear winter jackets and scarfs, and crossing the street is somehow my fault.

By the way - for any Facebook users, my friend created a group last year called "Hollering at me out of your car does not make me want to have sex with you."

~Submitted by Gwendolynn

Young Women's Action Team

2008-05-14T22:41:00.003-05:00

I don't want this blog to only be stories of violence and victimization. Women (and men) resist violence and harassment every day. I hope that this blog contributes to that resistance.

I was just made aware of an event on May 22 at Loyola University. The Young Women's Action Team is sponsoring a forum that addresses street harassment and violence against women. It is from 5 to 7. For more info shoot an e-mail to: rpywat@hotmail.com

Also check out the Young Women's Action Team website. They do great work!

Violence on the CTA

2008-05-14T22:06:00.004-05:00

One of my classmates was attacked on the CTA #8 bus yesterday afternoon. Another classmate shared her story with us. Normally I choose not to speak for anyone but since she is still in shock and has not left the police office, I am going to share her horrific story.

Around 4:30 yesterday afternoon Jasmine (name changed) boarded the #8 bus to DePaul for her evening class. She sat in an inside seat by the window near the back and pulled out a magazine for the long ride. Before long a man sat down next to her. He began arguing with a woman in the aisle of the bus. Engaged in her magazine, Jasmine didn't notice until the argument escalated. Feeling threatened, she tried to get out of her seat by gesturing to the man that she needed to get off. This only focused his attention in on her.

I am not sure exactly how their exchange turned violent but he let her out of the seat and punched her in the face. When she fell over, he grabbed her by the leg and started dragging her down the aisle of the bus. By this point she and many passengers were screaming at the bus driver to stop and help out. The bus driver did nothing. He just proceeded on to the next stop while several passengers called the police. The man who attacked Jasmine escaped at the next stop, while the bus driver, again, did nothing. A few people chased him off of the bus in an attempt to restrain him until the police arrived. He managed to hop on an "L" train before anyone could catch him.

Jasmine has spent the past 24 hours dealing with police and recovering from her injuries and the general humiliation of being dragged through a crowd of people.

Again, this is my telling of her story and I hope that when she is feeling better she will tell it herself. Something is seriously wrong when CTA staff and passengers are so desensitized to violence and harassment something like this could happen and the perpetrator could escape! People should not be subject to violence during their commutes. It is just that simple.

"I Never Feel Safe"

2008-04-24T12:57:00.002-05:00

I am a white, 17 year old girl living in the South Side, so you can imagine how much attention I get just for being present. But I can't leave the house without some nasty guy slowing down in his car to holler at me, or some guy on the red line sitting across from me so he can try to look up my skirt.

A couple weeks ago I was walking home. It was late, around midnight. I was listening to my iPod and not paying much attention to my surroundings when I noticed that a car had slowed down next to me and the driver was trying to get my attention. I said "Can I help you?" and he said "Hey girl, you fine as hell. You wanna come home with me tonight?" I promptly told him that I was a lesbian and did not desire his company at any point in my life. He said "You like girls? I like girls too. I got plenty of girls I can share with you. Hot little white girls like yourself." At this point I told him to fuck off and put my earphones back in. After a while he got frustrated and sped off.

I was walking down my street last summer in the middle of day. I was going to visit a neighbor who lived about three houses down. As soon as I started walking down the sidewalk, two boys started following me. They kept watching my ass and pretending to grab it while saying "hey baby, hey baby." I got sick of it after about 2 seconds and turned around to say "I am not your baby. Get the fuck off my sidewalk." They didn't continue harassing me.

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine was visiting me. We were on the red line heading downtown. A man was sitting across from us and staring openly. In the beginning I didn't say anything. I get stared at a lot, mostly just because I am out of place. But after a while, this guy tried to start a conversation. My friend and I were polite. We said hi and contributed to his small talk. Then he looked at me and said "So, Velma." (He thought I looked like the character from Scooby-Doo. I was wearing a plaid skirt and thick-rimmed glasses.) I could tell he was trying to look up my skirt and I squeezed my legs shut as tight as possible. "When we gonna kick it?" "Excuse me?" "Come on Velma, you think I'm fly, I think you fly, let's fuck." I grabbed my friends hand and proceeded to tell him we were gay.

I never feel safe.

~Submitted by Tomi

Summer Is Upon Us!

2008-04-24T12:33:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates this winter. I didn't get very many e-mails and I didn't do much to promote the blog because of my own busy schedule. But summer is quickly upon us and most women know what that means. Skimpier clothes and more street harassment. Now I don't want to suggest that women are not harassed during the winter because they certainly are. I had plenty of stories from friends being harassed in Lakeview and I even experienced a few cat calls while I was wearing my enormous winter parka and, in my opinion, looked pretty gender neutral. Regardless of what we look like, women are always the sex class which means that in the eyes of some people, we are always sexually available. In this way weather, clothing, body type, location, etc do not matter when considering street harassment.

That being said, women certainly exerience more street harassment during the summer. I am going to try to commit myself to maintaining and promoting this blog with more ferocity because we MUST hollar back and end street harassment so that women (and men) can feel safer on their streets.

"Damn girl looks like a sister"

2008-02-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago I was off the Kedzie stop on the green line for a job
interview and this guy walks by me and says something like "Hey baby
how you doing." I didn't look at him or say anything, and he walks
past me. Then from behind me I hear him say "Damn girl looks like a
sister." This kind of thing happens frequently. Yes thank you all very
much I'm aware that I have a large ass.

The best was when one of my co-workers referred to me as "thick as
hell" and proceeded to inform that if I went to his neighborhood I
would be like "A piece of fried chicken on a string" and all the guys
would be jumping to get a bite at me. Really, was that necessary? The
next time we worked together I made it perfectly clear that I did not
want him to talk to me anymore and he has not bothered me since.

Now that I know this exists I'll probably be a frequent poster since
this kind of thing happens daily.

~Submitted by Molly

Creepy Guy Does NOT Get the Message

2007-11-02T22:04:00.000-05:00

I was coming home from law class at about 8:30pm on Monday the 29th. I noticed a man sitting near the adjacent door wearing an overcoat and green leather "cabbie" hat, neatly dressed. This man began to make suggestive "compliments" and hand gestures to two young women as they left the train. The young women looked a bit embarrassed but said nothing. Unfortunately, I became the next target of his attentions.

He points to me, then gives me the "thumbs up," and says, "you, you're a bit old but I wouldn't mind fucking you either!" (I'm in my late 30s, not dressed suggestively or revealingly - but neither were the other women he spoke to) I say nothing, but I move a bit further away and put in my earphones to communicate I'm not interested in any interaction.

He becomes angry that I don't acknowledge his comments, shouting "I'm talking to you, bitch! I just paid you a compliment, and you didn't say thank you!! Didn't your mama teach you to say thank you? What are you, a wiseass or a smartass? Fucking bitch, you listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

I say nothing and continue to ignore him, but stand my ground because I am sick of this type of behavior. I feel I'm too old to have to deal with this crap and I refuse to run away and be forced to move. I just pretend he doesn't exist.

He gets up and walks over to a young woman, and I hear him ask her if she knows me - she shakes her head.

There were perhaps a dozen other people on the trains car, who (of course) said and did nothing.

~Submitted by Lenka

Resisting Violence Against Women in Chicago

2007-11-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

Paving New Roads: Communities Engaged in Resisting Violence

This is your opportunity to hear about innovative, creative & grassroots strategies in Chicago to end violence against women & girls!

Groups from around Chicago will be holding hands-on workshops with concrete ideas, tools and strategies to resist violence, including…

Media Justice & How to Deconstruct the Media
Performance as a Means of Activism & Resistance
Engaging Young Men as Allies: Lessons Learned
Using Platica & Storytelling around issues of Violence & Reproductive Justice
Creating Alternative Responses to Violence against Girls & Women of Color in the Sex Trade & Street Economies
Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Anti-violence Work
Violence & the Prison Industrial Complex
Queer Youth Resisting Violence
Educación Popular y Violencia de Género

Participating and presenting groups include: Access Living, AquaMoon, Broadway Youth Center, Casa Segura, Females United for Action, FIRE, Latinas Organizing for Reproductive Equality, the Rogers Park Young Women's Action Team, Take Back the Halls, and the Young Women's Empowerment Project.

The event will take place on Saturday, December 1st, 2007, from 11:30 - 4 pm, at DePaul University SAC - 2320 N. Kenmore

The event is FREE and open to the public, but space is limited, so if you haven't already, RSVP today to pavingnewroads@gmail.com

This event is sponsored by Women & Girls CAN, the Community Accountability Planning Group and DePaul University Program in Women & Gender Studies.

Proof that some men who harass are cowards!

2007-10-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, September 27, around 6pm, I was waiting at the
Montrose stop on the Blue Line to go downtown. I had just missed the
train, so it was just me and a guy, who was wandering the platform,
muttering to himself. After a minute or two, he wandered over and
stood uncomfortably close to me, looked me up and down, making eye
contact and muttered something unintelligible.

I looked him in the eye and asked "Can I help you?"

He said something else I couldn't understand. At that point, I noticed a younger guy with a bicycle had come onto the platform. I decided to go stand next to him and
see if this other guy would follow me. He did, but didn't stand as
close. The train came and of course, he got on the same car as I
did. I sat at one end and he was standing at the other. There were
some other people on the car, but it wasn't full. I looked over at
the guy a few times to make sure he wasn't coming my way.

It was then that I realized he had found a new victim! A woman was sitting
and he was standing over her, muttering quietly to her. I caught her
eye and saw fear and discomfort. At that moment, a great wave
of anger rose up in me and a voice inside me shouted "Do
something!"

I suddenly remembered my new camera phone and reading
about taking a picture of street harassers. I whipped it out, jumped
out of my seat and walked quickly over to him in a rage.

"Get away from her!" I shouted. "Stop bothering her!"

He stopped and looked at me. I lifted my phone and got his face into focus. Suddenly he
was able to communicate clearly and put his hand up, saying "I don' want you to take a picture of me."

"Then get over there and leave us alone!" I said and pointed to the end of the car where I had been sitting. Then I sat down next to the woman. He obeyed and shuffled
down to the other end of the car.

The woman thanked me repeatedly and got off at the next stop. He got off a few stops later.
I have never done anything like this in my entire life but I am so sick of this shit! I grew up in Chicago and have been street harassed since I was 9 years old. Enough is
enough!

The sad part is, that after I ordered him to the other end
of the train car, I looked around at all the other people on the
train, fully expecting a round of applause or at least some nods and
smiles of approval. No one would meet my eye. Everyone was looking
down or out the window, acting like nothing had happened! There is
no way that every single person on that car did not see and hear
everything that took place, but not one acknowledged it.

~Submitted by Shari P

Holly Holla's Back

2007-09-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

I went to grad school at UIC. One nice fall day, I was walking between the east and west campuses. I think I was on Polk, a few blocks east of Ashland. This older man said hi to me, so I said hi back. He seemed perfectly nice, and I keep trying (stupidly) to give people the benefit of the doubt so I don't turn into a misanthrope. So much for that. So he is making small talk (beautiful day, pretty leaves, and such), then comments about the small community hospital nearby and says it's a shame it's closing. What are the neighborhood people going to do, that sort of thing (oh, I don't know - go to Rush, or UIC, or County, being that this is the MEDICAL DISTRICT), ok, he's concerned about his community, that's good. Then, completely out of the blue: "suppose you and I were dating, and we were having intercourse, and I pulled out and flung the condom against the wall. Bye!" and walks off. WTF? It was a verbal flashing.

On the inbound blue line, these guys get on at Pulaski and start harassing people. They are probably in their early 20s and trying to look cool in front of their friends by being complete dicks. The ringleader is just walking around shouting at people, who are all trying hard to ignore them. So he starts to shout at me, and I just cannot take it. I think that their goal is to make people afraid, shut them down, and I just wasn't going to play along (though I am normally not at all confrontational). I said something loudly like "stop shouting at me," not really expecting him to stop and go away - I just had to holla back. So when I get up and wait for the Medical Center stop, he stands behind me and says something like "I'm gonna part your legs and make you scream." I say, "whatever," and he says "did she just call me a n-----?" (he is black and I am white). Um, yeah. You're harassing me, threatening to rape me, and so I call you by the worst term I can think of. I am not stupid! (nor do I use the n-word). I don't know if he really thought I said that or if it was just something else inflammatory for him to say. I wasn't scared since I was getting off the train right then. It was morning rush hour, loads of people around, cops & security probably not too far off. But what if it had been night? No one around? I supposed I wouldn't have holla'ed at all.

I worked at a counseling center in Uptown. I was accompanying a client back from the bank one cold winter day, when this guy honks and waves me to his car at Lawrence just west of Broadway. I figured I must know him - why else would he be waving to me? There are lots of people who work at my agency, it was probably one of the doctors. So I go over there and he asks if I want to get together and go to lunch. What? Um, no! I was so confused. Tries again to get me to go with him, and I just walk away. When I got back to my office, I tell my coworkers, who practically fall down laughing, saying he thought I was a prostitute. He couldn't possibly have thought that though. What prostitute wears a calf-length, wool German navy coat, with a black and white middle eastern scarf over her head, tied under her chin?? I looked like a cold woman who had someplace to be!

Another Uptown incident. We had an employee appreciation lunch at some hotel, so I had dressed up a bit. Had on a dress with above-the-knee skirt, but quite modest. One of my clients was leaving my office at the same time as me, so he walked me partway home. When we got to Lawrence and Broadway, I was just about to tell him it was time to part company when I noticed this guy stopped in his fancy car at the light. He was just smiling and smiling at me, in such a creepy way. I let my client walk me a little further on, until the smiling guy was gone. I didn't tell my client about him - might have been inappropriate - but I sure appreciated his company at that moment. Oh, how I hated Uptown. When I moved to Lakeview and couldn't walk home anymore, I waited for the bus at Clark just south of Lawrence, and guys were constantly checking me out. And I was always dressed for work, nothing revealing! And so often it was middle-class men in nice cars. Why are they cruising Uptown? Ugh. Not to mention the married medical director of the agency, very high profile in his profession, who asked me if I had any other body parts pierced (I have a nose ring). Ick!

~Submitted by Holly.

Indecent Exposure

2007-09-16T00:08:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday morning, September 9th, I boarded the Red Line at Grand and headed North to church. At some point after Addison, I looked up and caught the eye of a creepy-looking man facing me. He gave me a look–the look that creepy men give women… I immediately averted my eyes and pretended that I was REALLY interested in my iPod.

I could feel that he was still staring at me, and when I looked up, there he was, unzipped, pulled out into the open, and playing with himself.

I gasped and turned around, finding two nicely dressed girls trying to figure out why I am all of a sudden staring at them. After 10 seconds of my incoherent babble, one girl saw it and gasped and turned as well. I got up and moved to a seat that I couldn’t see him. In my peripheral vision, I could tell he was laughing.

One girl said she had a similar experience at 2 a.m. once, and said, “But you’d expect that kind of thing at 2 a.m. This is Sunday Morning. GOD’S DAY!!! People are in church right now!!!”

The man was probably 40-ish, short dark hair, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He exited the redline at the Granville stop around 11 a.m.

~submitted by MM

Drive By

2007-09-15T23:51:00.000-05:00

Two goons that work in the Clark/Lake CTA stop building made rooster noises at me (i have an orange mohawk so it looks like the comb of a rooster...i have gotten this before). I confronted them and they got quiet but snickered behind my back. (they got my middle finger)..they did it again on my way home from work yesterday but were HIDING from me, if you can believe it. I ignored them this time but plan on getting in their face with a camera phone next time.

The site reminded me of a few stories I had the misfortune of experiencing while living here in my early 20's.

When i was 21 or so I was riding my bike in my neighborhood (a few blocks from Wrigleyville) I got harassed a lot on my street, lots of men sat on their porches or hung out of windows making stupid noises or kissy sounds. Vile. I stop at a corner and dismount my bike, lifting my leg over the seat. I'm wearing short shorts cause hey it was hot out. I get a squicky feeling and see a man crouched on the corner, staring at me. I glare at him and pull the legs of my shorts down. He says " what, I already saw what I wanted to see" referring to the fact that he had a clear eye level view of my crotch as I dismounted my bike. I don't know why i didn't throw my bike at him or slap him but all these years I wish I had done more than feel sick and shoot eye-daggers at him.

I'm walking home after shopping (Clark/Belmont area) and a car full of hipster punker guys pulls up by me. One leans out and asks me what im doing, blah blah. I say "nothing with you" or something along those lines, still walking. His buddies are grinning at their hilarious pal's antics. They keep slowly driving by me and he says something like "hey come on what are you doing, where are you going...come on" So I look at him and say "I will fucking break you in half, leave me alone" Haha! The window leaner gets IRATE, especially because his buddies started to laugh at my comment. Leaner's true contempt for women bursts forth as he screams "I'll cut you, you fucking bitch!" I say "fuck you" or "yeah right" or something stupid and they drive off, Window Leaner still screaming. I thank the driver for having the brains to know when it's just not funny anymore. I walk home shaking and actually pretty afraid they were going to follow me but glad I said something to get a rise out of the little creep. Ah , Chicago. It's so nice to walk home afraid that standing up for oneself might result in being attacked later.

~submitted by missmonster

creepy non-prophet

2007-09-03T11:57:00.000-05:00

Today I was on the Addison bus eastbound, right in front of Wrigley Field, when I was harassed by a very creepy, very smelly, very old man. The man shook a rosary in my face and told me "You know what happens to women who reveal their cleavage..... hellfire... abuse.... rape." The ellipses indicate the parts that were too slurred for me to understand.

Now it was about 90 degrees in the shade today, so I was wearing a fairly low cut tank top -- nothing spectacular -- just a simple tank top. Apparently that is all it takes for me to become the target of some sleazy old man's diatribe against young women. He clearly felt that because I am a woman I must want his opinion of my attire, or something. Anyway, it was very upsetting and no one on the bus even acknowledged that I was being harassed.

~submitted by Cortney

helpful guy

2007-08-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

I saw one of these guys in action. I was on a bus going downtown when a woman in her early 20 got on board and sat at the back of the bus. A few stops later, a guy around her age got on.
There were quite a few empty seats up front, but he went straight for the back. A few minutes later I saw him sitting behind the girl, whispering to her. She had this look on her face like she was embarassed.
About 5 minutes later she said "come on man, could you leave me alone?" By then he was sitting next to her, and she looked upset. She saw me and gave me this "please help me"look. I got up and acted like I was surprised to see her. I said "Tracy?? Hey girl, its me ... uh ... David." I walked over to her seat and said, "How have you been doing?I ain't seen you since high school." The guy sort of sat back. I was like, "Come up front, girl. Lets catch up on old times." She followed me to the front of the bus and whispered "thank you" as we walked.
We got off the bus together and she told me that she'd missed her stop because the guy wouldn't let her get off. He was telling her the things that he wanted to do to her.
She thanked me again and told me that if it wasn't for me, this might have turned into something serious. "Most people wouldn't have done anything,"she said. I actually felt good.

~ submitted by Bobby

Gross.

2007-08-15T21:30:00.001-05:00

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=20859142

~submitted by SJ

Get outta my hair!

2007-06-27T02:38:00.000-05:00

Another humiliating experience on the redline :
Saturday night around 10:30 pm, I'm waiting at the Lake Street subway for the train. Lots of folks are milling around.

A guy sidles up to me and mumbles a sexual invitation. He smiles and makes a comment to a couple of buddies. I tell him I'm not interested and walk away, followed by his "mmhmm, awww yeah, look at her ass" etc.

About two minutes later, I feel someone behind me. One of his buddies is about 4 inches from me with his nose up towards my hair. I walk away again, hearing the guy say something about "oh yeah, she sure smells good" and a few other vulgar comments about what other parts of me he'd like to smell. As I walk away, cheeks burning, another guy does quietly tell the guys to "come on." The sniffer's friends berate him for freaking me out and making me walk away.
The guys continue to follow after me making nasty comments about how maybe I think I'm too good for them, and I continue to walk down the train platform until the train comes. Then, when it does come, I bolt about three cars down to make sure I don't have to endure another 20 minutes in the closed train with these assholes.

As much as it pisses me off that I never came up with a better way to deter these guys than to ignore them and walk away, it sucks that none of the other 100 people on the platform did anything either.

~Elana

Yucky Beach

2007-06-22T23:01:00.000-05:00

Marcy had a bad experience.
Beware! Gross picture.

Chicago memories & lessons learned

2007-06-21T00:46:00.000-05:00

I was born and raised in Chicago, and my harassment experiences in this city have been pretty traumatic. I left Chicago to go to college in Alabama and Florida. The harassment down South didn't hold a candle to the aggression I get here in my hometown.

I was born with a deformity in my legs, so I'm used to people staring or yelling mean things.

I have been scared by harassers many times on public transportation.
1) On the Red Line trip home from the loop, an older man sat next to me (despite many empty seats) and kept asking every few minutes how close the 79th street stop was. He was sweaty and wearing huge dark glasses, so I knew something was wrong. When the train finally reached 79th street, I happened to turn around to watch him leave and saw him put his penis back in his pants. I realized he kept asking about 79th street to get me to turn around so he can jerk off at my face.

2) On the Blue Line a tall, fat man once again sat next to me, despite the train being FULL of empty seats, and offered me candy. (I look dangerously younger than my age, 31.) He kept trying to chat with me until I reached my stop. Since he was sitting in the aisle seat, he tried to physically stop me from leaving and asked me if I was a virgin. It was so embarrassing because a man that I had talked to before I got on the train was sitting directly behind me and did NOTHING to help me.

There have been several other incidents on public transportation in the ten years I have been
back in Chicago, and I regret that I DID NOT REPORT ANY OF THEM. However, I have learned to always sit in the aisle seat on the trains, NOT the window seat. That way I can choose who sits next to me! I've also learned never to sit in the back of the bus--assholes congregate there because it's harder for the bus driver to see what's going on in the rear view
mirror.

~Niya

extra-mean

2007-06-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

I was riding my bike, and I came to a red light at a major intersection. I moved into the
leftmost of the two lanes so that (1) I don't block any cars that want to turn right on red and (2) I don't get cut off and killed by the cars that want to turn in front of me.
It's not unusual to get honked at by drivers zipping along in that left lane lane, even though they should be slowing down anyway because of the red light. Most of the time
drivers honk their horns because they don't know if the cyclist saw them and/or they don't know how cyclists ride in traffic and don't know what to expect.

So a guy honked at me, and I turned to yell a firm, slightly annoyed "What!" with my best I-know-what-I'm-doing-dangit look. As we both came to a complete stop, he rolled down his window and leaned way over from the driver's seat. Uh oh, I thought, there's a confrontation coming. Except he yelled the last thing I'd ever expect:
"Hey, nice legs--why's the rest of you so ugly?"

I'd never felt more insulted. Not only did I get honked at for riding a bike on the street like I'm supposed to, not only was I objectified by a stranger, but he went out of his way to call me ugly! I think I called him an asshole and blinked back tears for the next few blocks. I'm glad I finally found a place that encourages people NOT to just shake this kind of interaction off.

~submitted by Jennifer M.

metra-bator

2007-05-31T22:05:00.000-05:00

Last month I was riding the Union Pacific West Metra line. A guy sat across from me and put his back up against the window, legs up. I was busy talking on my cell phone so I wasn't really paying attention to him, but he kept looking at me smiling ... very creepy!! Eventually I noticed he was moving his hands so I glanced his way and he was MASTURBATING right there on the train in front of me.
I got up and ran to get the conductor, but he was gone. The conductor said that there had been other complaints. This guy is a typical young guy maybe in his early 30s, brown hair, average height (not that big of a guy). Hopefully he will get caught.

~submitted by Mary K.

Dress up = Feel up?

2007-04-14T11:49:00.000-05:00

Last Halloween I was out as the token male with my girlfriend and a large group of her female friends. We were at a bar party and all of the women were dancing in a big group. I was seated at a table nearby and spotted at the edge of the dance floor a guy in a devil costume putting his hand down and behind him so that women would bump into it. Right when I noticed it, my girlfriend bumped his hand and he actually grasped her thigh just a little bit. She brushed away his hand and moved away, barely skipping a beat, but of course I was livid. Not because (insert 40oz of machismo) "he touched my woman", but just because he was a dick and I couldn't believe what he was doing. He and I had some words and the group of women that I was with decided to move to a different part of the dance floor.

Not much point to that story other than to highlight that I'm just sickened by predators. And they are everywhere.

~submitted by Kenner

Whole Foods Fool

2007-04-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

I'm at Whole Foods with my new roommate. We have no food in the apartment, so we decide to get dinner and some overpriced fruit-n-snacks there. In line at the hot-bar, a man sidles up to me and slurs alcoholically, "What're you getting?" as he squeezes my arm.
"Please stop touching me!" I say, scooting away.
He's now next to my roommate, and he sticks his finger into her rice! And LICKS IT!
An employee had heard me yell at the guy, and he approached me to ask what was going on. I tell him what happened, and when I look up, dude is travelling around the bar, sticking his fingers in every dish and licking them, staring at me!
My roommate announced, "I'm gonna punch that guy," and took off after him and the employee who was ostensibly chastizing him. I stayed away, afraid he'd wait for us after he got kicked out (which I assumed would happen, considering his behavior).
Later, in checkout, the manager told us he gave the guy a "final warning" that if he ever behaved that way again, he'd not be allowed into the store again. Hello? Touching women and germ-ifying the ENTIRE hot bar isn't grounds for being removed?
The checkout lady told us he had been "overly forward" with her and had touched another woman checking out while he waited to PURCHASE A BOTTLE OF WINE.
I assume he drove home.

no means no

2007-02-18T10:40:00.000-06:00

One time I was waiting for the 6 bus, and a man sat next to me. He started up a conversation, asked me what I was studying, etc. It seemed innocent and friendly but got weird when he sat across from me on the bus and proceeded to ask me if I had a boyfriend, if age mattered to me in dating, how he only dates artists, if I liked to drink, and so on. He was really freaking me out, and kept telling me that I had a great smile and that I just put him at ease, and I was a little worried that when my stop came he'd follow me (he didn't). But come on creeps, you're old enough to be my father! What's up with that?

Another time, I was walking back to my dormitory from my friend's. I feel this guy tap me on the shoulder, but I figured if I kept walking that he'd leave me alone. But he rammed his body into me in order to get my attention. He then started rambling about how if I were his girlfriend he'd fight for me, and how he'd take care
of me, whatever. And then he asked me for money to help him buy some food. I told him I didn't have any money. He kept telling me that I had to have some money, he was really hungry, and I told him again that I was sorry, and that I didn't have any money. I reached into my pocket, because I had picked up a nickel earlier in the day and gave it to him, saying it was my only money (which it was.). Then he had the audactiy to yell, "You didn't even look in your purse"
I was pissed.

~submitted by R. B.

an unwelcome Valentine

2007-02-18T10:35:00.000-06:00

I REALLY regret not having a camera phone.

At 5:30P at the Thompson station a man boarded the Brown Line.

He put his hands on a young woman and myself while also having his hand on his exposed self; using the hooded sweatshirt and pocket in his coat to attempt to shield his actions. After alerting the young girl and the people surrounding me, they witnessed the behavior as well and stopped the train at Sedgwick. The man attempted to run but was prevented by a blocked exit.

This man is 5'8-10", 160-65 lbs, in his early thirties, medium complexion, possibly hispanic.. He has a smooth, shaven face, thin/straight nose. He was wearing black cords with gold zipper (sad I had to see that), dark navy hooded sweatshirt with pocket in front--he wears the hood over a navy baseball hat with a white emblem, black leather jacket that zips up the front with a short fur collar (pocket may be cut out of jacket so he can reach under). Wide eye separation with the lids drawn just slightly down--a bit sleepy. Soft spoken--but determined, only when really pushed did he stop and leave.

In this city, I have never witnessed this. I am thankful for the conductor and for a fellow passengers in the CTA law department who chased the man and got the description as well.

What frightened me most is that I yelled at him VERY loudly on the Sedgwick platform when he exited the car, and he did not seem phased by my yelling and the attention.

~submitted by Sue

impertinent questions

2007-02-14T18:40:00.000-06:00

In the fall of 2005 I was waiting for a train at the Red Line Chinatown stop when some (I can only assume) cracked-out guy in his 20's approached me. He started out by asking me for some money and I said no, but the conversation quickly turned to my relationship status. He asked if a boyfriend, husband, kids, etc. despite that I was only 20. I don't remember my response, but he then he started repeating "If you don't have a boyfriend can I be your boyfriend? If you don't have a boyfriend can I be your boyfriend?" over and over like a damn weirdo. He went on like that for a few seconds, and then asked "can I eat you out?" I was totally shocked so I just said no, but he asked again and again! I said "no! I don't want to talk about that!". Then he asked if I had ever been eaten out and I told him again that I didn't want to discuss it (I should have just told him to get out of my face but he was really creeping me out). He looked off wistfully and said "it feels pretty good....." and then wandered off to go find some other girl to scare- I hope she pushed him in the tracks.

~submitted by Katie

good cop, bad cop to the rescue!

2007-02-14T18:37:00.000-06:00

I was in Wrigleyville on Clark with a few girlfriends heading home from the bar. A guy walked by and grabbed my ass and then grabbed my friend's ass. Of course, we were both furious, and we told the other girls what had just happened. One of them got so angry that she walked up to a nearby policeman, who was eating a burrito and talking to his friend. We asked him if he could do something, but he just stared at us blankly.

His partner, however, saw that we were having a problem, and responded immediately. We told him that we didn't want to press charges, but asked them if they would give the boy a bit of a scare. He made his worthless partner put down his burrito and get in the car with him (for which his friend chastised us). When we turned around 10 minutes later, the cops still had this guy in custody - lights flashing and all.
It was brilliant.

~submitted by Megan

FORE!

2007-01-30T09:40:00.000-06:00

When I was 12 years old I was a caddy at a suburban country club. I was assigned to caddy for a group of gentlemen, and one of them is a bit of a local celebrity sports radio personality with the initials of C.C.

This sports radio guy came up to me at one point, and told me he thought I was really cute and asked me when I would graduate from college. College? I hadn't even graduated from Junior High yet! I was kind of horrified because of the way he looked at me..like I was some sort of prey.

Another experience at this same suburban country club is even more icky! A man in his 60's who I was caddying for (at age 12 mind you!) put his putter between my legs from behind when I was holding the flag while the foursome were putting. I was so embarrassed, and I moved immediately. I didn't know what to say at that time so I simply avoided him for the remaining holes. It turns out he had a history of specifically requesting girl caddies. I told the 'Caddy Master' and after that point the requests for girl caddies from this guy were denied. You would think that it may have dawned upon the "Caddy Master' to deny these sort of specific requests immediately-like a red flag!

It sickens me to think back about these incidents, and that there are men out there who think that objectifying and sexually assaulting young girls is ok.

~submitted by Joan

sunny day, sweeping the clouds away ...

2007-01-29T22:01:00.000-06:00

I was waiting at the Fullerton stop when a 30-something guy in a nice suit began looking me up and down and whistling under his breath. I ignored it as I usually do, and instead of getting on the Red Line I got on the Brown Line, because I assumed he wouldn't follow me.
He did, and he sat right next to me. Under the guise of asking for help, he got me to start talking by saying "I'm looking for a street. Can you help me?" And continually avoiding saying the actual street to keep me engaged. Finally he whipped out his cell phone and said "I'm looking for BEAUTIFUL STREET!" I had to laugh because it was funny, but then it started getting worse. He kept talking about how beautiful I was, and even after I began ignoring him he continued. Finally he managed to get down to the point, which was apparently that he was a "licensed massage therapist" and that he "really wanted to see my feet." I was creeped out enough to get off the train.

Then, about three months later, I was walking down Halsted when I heard "Hey, I'm looking for a street, can you tell me where it is?" I turned around, recognized the man and said "You've done this to me before!" He looked extremely shocked and said "What am I looking for?" I replied "Beautiful Street" and continued on my way. He seems harmless enough, but he won't take no for an answer.

~submitted by Irene

Western Stop Weasel

2007-01-23T21:16:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad to have found this site. In fact, I wish it had been in existence July 2005, when I was walking to look at a potential apartment just off the Blue Line Western stop, at about 5:30 p.m.

I was walking up Western, past the McDonald's, when I spotted a young man (late 20s/early 30s) jogging toward me. Clean-cut athletic type. About ten feet before he passed me, he says in a clear, confident, and "non-threatening" voice:

"Hey. Can I suck your titties?"

I was so shocked and enraged that my mouth fell open and I stopped dead in my tracks. Mr. Ass-hat just kept jogging (I imagine a smirk on his face). I turned around and yelled back, "Piss off, ass!!!" Though I'm sure he heard me, he didn't look back.

At the time I was sort of angry with myself for not saying more/kicking him in the balls/reacting immediately. But looking back, I am proud that I at least said something.

~sumitted by Lindsay M.

a call to arms: red line/ brown line creep!

2007-01-17T09:19:00.000-06:00

Hey I saw the posting about the short old guy rubbing his boner on chicks on the train. He has been doing this for years, way back in 2001 during my freshman year of college he did the same thing to me in a really crowded train car (same black leather jacket back then)- I was so young and to scared to say anything. I got off at fullerton and watched as he got on the next car so he could poke it at some other unsuspecting lady. I have thought about him often wondering if I would see him again or if I would meet someone else who has had the serious
displeasure of feeling his stupid little dick on your leg.
Come on girls he has been getting away with this for at least 6 years on the same friggin train! He is shorter than most of us- we have to take him down! To the chica who can snap him - I will buy a bottle of champagne after his sentencing!!
~ submitted by Jenn

getting gas

2007-01-02T13:58:00.000-06:00

Happy 2007, all.
This happened waaaay back in '06, but I didn't get a chance to post it.
At a gas station in Hyde Park, where I was housesitting. A guy came out of the payment-part of it.
Said hello. I said hello.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Good."
"You look good," he said.
Okay, I thought.
"Okay," I said.
"You got my number?" he asked.
"No thanks. Happy New Year, though."
"Aw, you look SO good! Look how good she looks!" he called to his friends. They looked at him in much the same way I was.
"She looks GOOD! You got my number yet? 'Cause I would HIT that!"
Ad nauseum.
Here's hoping his New Year's resolution is to cut this out and that this was his final binge.

Redline/ Brownline Creep!!!

2006-12-16T09:39:00.000-06:00

I am writing to warn my fellow Chicago women of you a creepy old man I encountered on the El last night. I got on the brownline. It was really crowded, and we were all smushed up against eachother. This old guy got on and ended up smashed up against me. I felt something against my leg. At first I tried to tell myself that he just had something in his pocket, but eventually I got the distinct feeling there was something else going on. He could tell I knew what was going on, and he left the car I was on at the Sedgwick stop. I said something to someone else on the train. This other woman overheard me. She said that he did the same thing to her a couple weeks ago. She was watching him, and sure enough he was moving his hand and she could see the outline of his boner. She and I both got off the train at Fullerton to transfer to the red. We saw him on the platform. I went over to confront him. I called him out for what he did. I told him to keep his boner to himself and not rub it up against innocent women. He tried to deny doing it, and the other woman backed me up. When I went to find a CTA employee, he took off. But another woman overheard us and came over. It turns out that at Sedgwick he had just changed cars and proceeded to do the same thing to her. We found a CTA worker. He brought a couple cops up, so we could give them a description. The creep is still at large.

Unfortunately I was not able to get a picture. I tried to, but he evaded me. So I am passing on his description. He is an older man, I would say around 60. He is short, probably about 5'2". He has a Russian accent. He wears a black leather jacket. He has scarring on his face, but no facial hair. He has a stocky build with a belly, but is not obese. He is bald on top, but has grey hair ringing his head. He has dark eyes. If someone matching that description tries to do the same thing, don't be afraid to call him out. He is clearly a serial predator. I was too freaked out and worried I might be wrong to call him out on the train. I am just glad I had another chance to do so on the platform.

~submitted by Jennifer

Yesterday & Today: Harassment Ruins Family Fun

2006-12-12T10:33:00.000-06:00

I developed much earlier than most girls my age and I can remember vividly one of the first times I was sexually harassed. I was 12 years old and my family and I were on vacation. We were staying at a campsite that had a really cool waterslide, the thing was that you had to ride on these mats and go down on your belly. I don’t remember why, but those were the
rules.
Anyway, my siblings and I were enjoying the waterslide when a couple of creeps decided to join us. One in particular always waited until my older sister and I went down so that he could follow us. The guard on duty made sure the next person went a considerable time after the first so there would be no collisions. Unfortunately my sister and I did not weigh as much as this pervert, and he always caught up to us and deliberately went fast enough to “accidentally” go between our legs. This weasel even had the nerve to ask my brother if I was 18 years old… um, no, I’m 12!!!!! I’m just a kid trying to enjoy the freaking waterslide on my family vacation!!!! The next time up I tried waiting till he went down first so I could go down and actually have fun, but after waiting 10 minutes, I decided I would go and hope someone else went after me. NOPE!
The creep jumps on the slide right after me and proceeds to go between my legs. I promptly got out of the pool, put my mat back, and never went back to that slide for the rest of the vacation. Unfortunately, I was too young to think that I should tell someone about it. I’m 21 now and I am still pissed he ruined what could have been a really fun and memorable
vacation.

I now go to school downtown and encounter catcalls from creeps all the time, unfortunately it is just part of my daily routine. My younger sister, on the other hand, is not as used to it. She got the whole week off for Thanksgiving break, and because I go to UIC, I never get that week
off. So I asked her if she wanted to go to class with me downtown because we hardly get to see each other and this way we would at least get to spend some time together. Well, we went to get lunch and as soon as we enter the restaurant, all eyes were on her (she is a very beautiful girl; it runs in the family ;) ).
We go up to the counter to order our food and the guy at the register was staring at her, he couldn’t even pay attention to the guy in line in front of us who was ordering. So then it is my turn to order and the cashier is still starring at my sister. (He is in his fifties and wearing a wedding band. It’s always the old, married men…) Anyway, I give my order and he interrupts me to ask me a question about my order, where if he was listening to me in the first place he wouldn’t have even had to ask it. So then after he takes my order, he asks my sister what she wants. Looking down at the floor (she is too creeped out) she answers, “The same as her”, and as we are getting our drinks he proceeds to do a once (and twice) over of her behind. This pissed me off so much for two reasons. First of all, I could tell my sister was clearly uncomfortable with this man who totally violated her with his eyes. I’m more or less used to this, but she’s my little sister, LEAVE HER ALONE! Second, I wasn’t getting the respect I deserved as a customer because he was too busy ogling her. I’m a short person, a few inches shorter than my sister, and that was only exaggerated by the complete disregard he had for me as a paying customer. I felt about 2 feet tall. This guy made us both feel like crap when all we wanted were a couple of gyros. I wish I had said something to him, but even to this day I don’t know what I would have said that wouldn’t have made the situation worse by embarrassing my sister even more. If I had known about this site back then I probably would have taken his picture.

~submitted by Liz

unsafe driving

2006-12-10T09:20:00.000-06:00

I love going for walks in my town. I can walk pretty much walk anywhere and end up where I started. And I also love the fact that summer gets the worst ignorant a-holes in the mood to harass any chick within taunting distance.
That's why when one day in, I believe July, my friend and me were walking our usual route. This car with two guys that looked between 16 and 20 ish slowed down next to us and were like, "Wanna ride?" and we were like "no." and the driver's like "aw, whatsa matter, u got sumthin against studs?" and my friend, who just can't shut up in these situations, says, "no we just have a thing against assholes. They said, "what are you, lesbians?" i sarcastically replied, "yes." And the dumbfucks believed us!
They start driving in reverse and ran up a curb. kudos to the good Samaritans in mini vans passing us by with no help. After following us for 5 min. in reverse, they finally got bored of themselves and took off.

~submitted by izzy

Protecting and Serving: Chicago's Finest

2006-12-06T20:32:00.000-06:00

I was enjoying a night of shopping with a few friends on a cool Chicago night as we strolled down rush street to our next destination. As we crossed over Chicago Ave. in front of a Chicago Police paddy wagon we were suddenly illuminated by the car's spotlight. The policemen inside began
whistling out of their windows as they followed us with the spotlight. We laughed it off, finding it odd but funny. Yet, after some talk we wondered what the police are not seeing when they are too busy shouting catcalls at Chicago women.

Rachel

Harassed in Greektown

2006-12-06T20:30:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to write you as I work as a part-time teller in one of the larger banks in Chicago. I also attend Columbia College full-time.

I deal with customers all day long. As part of my job I need to be friendly and helpful. Many customers take this as an invitation to hit on me and otherwise make sexual advances towards me. This happens not only to me but also to my female co-workers.

Today a customer came in to cash a check. I wasn't even the teller who waited on him but he felt it necessary to inquire if I was married. I told him that my boyfriend of two and a half years was ready with a ring. Then he asks for my number, I told him no. He then offered his phone number and email address and forced me to take both. He proceeded to tell me if I called him I "wouldn't need to be workin' here no more."

Cause obviously I need some dirty old man to be my sugar daddy.

~submitted by Tiffani

shake it like a polaroid picture

2006-12-06T20:24:00.001-06:00

This morning while taking the blue line from UIC Halsted to Clark and Lake someone slipped a Polaroid of their penis into my bag. On the polaroid the disgusting perpetrator wrote in black sharpie: a BIG!!! Merry X-mas. I wish I had seen him do it so I could have bitched him out, taken his picture and sent it in.

I wanted other women to know that this polariod flasher is stalking the streets. And by the way...it's not big!

Your site is awesome, keep it up!

~submitted by Thea

It's hard out there for a concierce

2006-12-06T20:22:00.000-06:00

Although the random comments I get on the street really irk me, at the moment I am having an ongoing problem at work. It’s not a co-worker; it’s a taxi driver that pops into my office all the time. Every single day I work, this old smelly man comes to say hi but not just a friendly hello. It’s, “Hello beautiful! Oh, my. You are so sweet. When will you let me take you out? I love you.” I’ve tried everything from telling him my boyfriend works with me (he does) to being mean to him. And he always wants to kiss my hand. It’s gross and annoying! He won’t stop and my building’s security say they can’t do anything. Thanks for letting me vent!

~ submitted by Amy

Memories of Chicago

2006-12-06T20:17:00.000-06:00

I just found your website, and reading the posts made me want to write about my experiences. I moved out of Chicago this summer, but lived there for four great years!

*The first year I lived in Chicago, I was walking back from the train to my apartment in Wicker Park, not late at night, but it was after dark. I was talking on my cell phone to one of my friends when some teenager ran up to me from pretty much no where, grabbed my ass and ran away before I could kick his ass. It was harrowing, and made me think about printing out signs and posting them around the alley where it happened, though I never did. If only this site had been around...

*Other than that, I have been subjected to the usual catcalls, though this spring I was walking to the train in the Loop and was crossing an alley where a moving/rental truck was stopped. There was a woman in front of me also, and sure enough, catcalls came out of the truck. I proceeded to give them the finger while crossing in front of them (which is a sort of scary prospect), instead of my usual yelling back telling them to fuck off.

~ submitted by CJC

A Very Special Day

2006-12-01T11:54:00.000-06:00

Is there a world record for getting harassed? In one day I got hit on four times within a twenty minute walk!

1)After leaving my building to walk to class which is merely a couple blocks I crossed an alley and a truck driver literally blocked my path. He used some stupid pick up line and wouldn't leave me until I yelled at him explaining I was late for class.

2)Five minutes later, a guy crossing the street changed the direction he was walking to follow me and ask for my phone number.

3)After ignoring creepo number two I walked past The Hilton when one of the workers asked if he could take my picture for a magazine.

4)Finally, before I reached my building a car full of boys started yelling comments to me about how I look like Beyonce and fed up with everything else I gave them a cold look and kept walking. They then proceeded to call me a bitch.

At that same time I crossed paths with an older woman that knew exactly what I was going threw. She gave me a look of concern and sympathy and I replied the with a half smile that said "that's life!" Even though we said nothing to each other I knew that by both of us being women in Chicago, we were connected in the problem of dealing with street harassment on a daily basis.

~submitted by Angel

harassment brings out the best in everyone!

2006-11-30T16:33:00.000-06:00

I was walking down the street with my friends this summer, and a car full of teenage guys screeched but yelling indiscernible phrases. Me, being the incredibly level-headed and calm person I am, proceeded to yell "Ass Holes" at the top of my lungs as they speed off. Unfortunately, this just seemed to get the testosterone running more, and the car pulled into a driveway and turned around. Luckily they did not stop, but only came around long enough for the passenger to yell "Hey babe, wanna touch it?" No. As a matter-of-fact, shocking though it is, I do not. So shut the fuck up!

~submitted by Grace

Free publicity

2006-11-30T10:03:00.000-06:00

I took the bus home this past Friday- the 147 express, from Michigan Ave. to Edgewater, where I have recently bought my first condo. I was sitting in the back corner of the bus- along that back row. Half-gazing out the window, and half eavesdropping on the conversation between this very good looking guy and his female coworker, I noticed that the guy to my left was rubbing his right leg up against my left leg- very slowly, up and down. Immediately, I snapped my head to the left, and in a very stern, yet hushed voice, I say to him "What the fuck are you doing with your leg?" and he immediately stopped. Unfortunately, I was stuck where I was. But sitting there, I kept getting angrier and angrier, and remembered your website, and took his picture with my camera phone. Cute guy and coworker girl thought I took a picture of him, but I explained the whole thing, right while he was sitting next to me. Surprise surprise, he got up and off at the next stop! Cute guy and coworker now think I am awesome, and I believe you'll have 2 new fans of Hollaback.

~ submitted by Emily (picture to follow!)

Ohio Nuns Holla!

2006-11-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share a funny experience I had in Cincinnati last spring: I was volunteering with a community of Benedictine nuns in the Over-the-Rhine area of Cincinnati. While walking to one of our project sites w/ one of the sisters (she wasn't wearing a habit, and I was dressed in just normal clothes), a man biked past us and called out, "Euh girl! You look good!"
I didn't know what to do, but the sister with me just responded with, "Hello, brother. May God bless you today."
She turned to me and said, "I think he was directing that comment at you, but it doesn't hurt to send blessings to everyone."

It was pretty great. She was just so calm and collected about the whole thing.

Once again , your site is awesome - keep it up!!!

~ Julie, 22, Evanston, IL

More from Wisconsin ...

2006-11-30T09:53:00.000-06:00

I know this is for Chicago but I live in Wisconsin about 2 hours aways... I figured this was close enough.

I can remember at 15 years old, walking through town and having older men whistle, hoot, holler, whatever they wanted and it scaring me. Now I'm just annoyed. I am 21 years old and I work 3rd shift at a convience store. Most of the men there are regulars but once and a while I will get someone from out of town, drunk.

Just last week I had a man ask me if he was "making my pussy wet"... What the hell kind of pick up line is that??? I was so disgusted. And I told him. I asked if he thought that was attractive, if he thought I enjoyed something like that comment. And he just smiled. Seriously thinking that it was ok. Well it wasn't. I let him know kindly that it was a rude and a disturbing thing to say to a woman, especially one he didn't know. Yet he continued to say very nasty things to me. Enough was enough. I told him to leave the store.

Even though I felt "violated" by his comment I felt great standing up and letting him know he was wrong. And I felt even better once he had left.

Thank you for having this site. it is nice to vent.

~submitted by Julie

3rd Party Hollaback

2006-11-20T20:33:00.000-06:00

On the bus yesterday, I witnessed another woman being harassed. A homeless man entered the bus and started asking for money, explaining that he lived on the street and needed our help. I got a bad feeling from him and didn't want to hunt through my wallet, so I decided to ignore him and keep reading my novel. The woman next to me was the only person who responded by giving him money; she emptied out her change purse and apologized for not having more. And do you know how this guy responded to her act of kindness? He
got in her personal space (and let me assure you, he did not smell pleasant), leaning over the seat in front of us and started telling her what beautiful "eyes" she had. He was clearly prepared to come on to her until she disembarked, which is exactly what she did at the next stop. She went out of her way to be nice, so why couldn't he respond in kind? Before she exited the bus, I was considering speaking up and asking the guy to leave her alone, while simultaneously wondering why none of the men seated around us would help her out.

It reminded me of an incident at my local Starbucks when a man actaully came to the defense of a woman being harassed. There was a guy sitting near me who seemed a little unbalanced, mumbling to himself and everything, and at one point, he stood in front of a woman who was working on something and started bothering her. She was clearly uncomfortable, but didn't know how to get rid of the guy. So, another man who was sitting near her stood up, and
very discretely, politely, and yet firmly convinced the guy to back off and leave the cafe. I almost laughed when he actually used the line "perhaps you should leave the lady alone." Anyway, it was sweet, and very encouraging to see a man stand up for a woman who was being harassed.

~submitted by Jessica Q

HOLLABACK FAQs

2006-11-19T19:48:00.000-06:00

Question: Are you a bunch of crazed feminazis who hate men?

Answer: Actually, HollaBack is a collective comprised of men and women who believe in building communities where everyone feels comfortable, safe, and respected. Many people, particularly men, are unaware of the frequency and severity of disrespect and intimidation that numerous folks, especially women, experience in public spaces on a daily basis. HollaBack aims to expose and combat street harassment as well as provide an empowering forum in this struggle.

Question: OK, but what exactly is street harassment?

Answer: Street harassment is a form of sexual harassment that takes place in public spaces. At its core is a power dynamic that constantly reminds historically subordinated groups (women and LGBTQ folks, for example) of their vulnerability to assault in public spaces. Further, it reinforces the ubiquitous sexual objectification of these groups in everyday life.

At HollaBack, we believe that what specifically counts as street harassment is determined by those who experience it. While there is always the classic, “Hey baby, nice tits” there are so many other forms that go unnoted. If you feel like you have been harassed, HOLLA BACK!

Question: But aren’t you worried that your site will fuel the latent vindictiveness within women and LGBTQ-identified folks across the country, leading to a massive witch-hunt and rampant Soviet-style denunciations of countless innocents?

Answer: No.

Question: I heard something about your position on antiracism. What’s that about, and what does it have to do with street harassment?

Answer: Replacing sexism with racism is not a proper holla back. Due in part to prevalent stereotypes of men of color as sexual predators or predisposed to violence, HollaBackNYC asks that contributors do not discuss the race of harassers or include other racialized commentary. If you feel that race is important to your story, please make sure its relevance is explained clearly and constructively in your post. Don’t understand? Click here.

Question: But isn’t your idea of “street harassment” just belittling another person’s culture?

Answer: Street harassers occupy the full spectrum of class, race, and ethnicity. Sexual harassment, and street harassment specifically, is resisted around the world. To condense another’s culture into vague assumptions about who and what they are is to generalize dangerously about a wide range of experiences and perspectives.

Question: Confronting street harassers can be dangerous. What about safety issues?

Answer: While everyone is vulnerable to stranger rape and sexual assault, studies show that those who are aware of their surroundings, walk with confidence and, if harassed, respond assertively, are less vulnerable. Nevertheless, direct confrontations with street harassers may prove extremely dangerous, particularly alone or in unpopulated spaces. While it is each individual’s right to decide when, how, and if to Holla Back, do keep issues of safety in mind. Upon deciding to photograph a harasser, you may consider doing so substantially after the initial encounter and from a distance, ensuring the harasser is unaware of your actions.

Question: I am a man who was recently sexually objectified by a woman on the street. I think this is reverse harassment. Why won’t you post my story?

Answer: While a woman making unsolicited sexual remarks to a man is certainly conceivable, the power dynamics of such an encounter are very different in a society where women comprise a historically subordinated group. HollaBack is a project dedicated to combating a particular form of violence that designates subordinated groups (such as women and LGBTQ folks, for example) as targets in public spaces or otherwise vulnerable to unsolicited, nonconsensual encounters with strangers. It is thus not a forum for reporting other unpleasantries.

Question: Isn’t street harassment the price you pay for living in a city?

Answer: No, local taxes are the price you pay for living in a city. We would love to see some portion of our local taxes go towards preventing street harassment, but alas, they don’t.

In fact, street harassment is not confined to urban areas. It occurs in shopping malls, cars, parking lots, public parks, airplanes, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, churches, and numerous other public spaces.

Question: So let’s say a man sees a woman he thinks is attractive and tells her so. Are you saying that makes him a harasser?

Answer: Some do not find comments such as “Hello, beautiful” or “Hey, gorgeous” offensive. Many do. Others may find them intimidating, intrusive, or just an annoying pain in the ass. Keep in mind that many women experience unsolicited comments, as well as violent verbal assault, from men in public spaces on a regular basis. Rather than deliberating the “gray areas” of street harassment, treat everyone you encounter with respect.

Question: If you show off your boobage, shouldn’t you expect some compliments?

Answer: A compliment is not a compliment if it makes the recipient feel bad.

Question: Sure, but if “the harasser” were hot, wouldn’t you like it?

Answer: This has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with power.

Question: You’re just a bunch of prudes, then?

Answer: Like we said, this has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with power.

Question: Street harassment sucks, but it’s only a small part of the patriarchy. Doesn’t focusing on this specific issue detract from everything else we're up against?

Answer: The violence and disrespect experienced daily by countless people in public spaces is a serious problem with real, material consequences. While HollaBack is a project dedicated to this particular issue, it is committed to a coalitional approach and situates street harassment within a larger framework of social and economic questions. Thus, the collective aims to collaborate with a diverse range of feminist, queer and antiracist initiatives.

not a friend

2006-11-19T19:44:00.000-06:00

the scene: around 7pm, wednesday november 8th. i had just arrived at the bryn mawr el stop, and was walking home. i was waiting for the light to turn at the intersection of hollywood and ridge. just minding my own business and bobbing my head to some delicious jams on my ipod, when out of the blue, someone grabs my left ass cheek!

i immediately started screaming at him and called the police. he kept walking. afterward, i realized that i should've followed him, or perhaps snapped a photo on my camera phone, or beaten the living shit out of him, but i was so in shock that i wasn't quite thinking clearly at the time.

this whole situation makes me want to laugh. i know that assault isn't funny, but what the hell?? who goes around grabbing strangers' asses? and i realize that i have a big ass, but that doesn't give anyone license to just up and grab it.

~subitted by Carrie

Antiracism

2006-11-19T19:30:00.000-06:00

Nobody likes being stereotyped and mistreated because of how they look ... remember?

Replacing sexism with racism is NOT a proper holla back.

Due in part to prevalent stereotypes of men of color as sexual predators or predisposed to violence, HOLLABACKCHICAGO asks that contributors not discuss the race of harassers or include other racialized commentary.

If you feel that race is important to your story, please make sure its relevance is explained clearly and constructively in your post.

Initiatives combating of sexual harassment and assault have struggled against the perpetuation of racist stereotypes, particularly construing men of color as sexual predators. There exist widespread fictions regarding who perpetrators are: the myth of racial minorities, particularly Latino and Black men, as prototypical rapists and prone to violence is quite common. This stems in part from a tragic and violent history in which Black men in the U.S. were commonly and unjustly accused of assaulting white women as well as lynched by mobs and “tried” in biased courts.

Because of the complexity of institutional and socially ingrained prejudices, Holla Back prioritizes resisting both direct and unconscious/ unintentional reinforcement of unfair hierarchies. Simultaneously, HOLLABACK aims to highlight interrelations between sexism, racism and other forms of bias and violence.

Further Reading:

“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”

http://www.cwru.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf

“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.” Short, accessible piece on white privilege and male privilege.

“A Black Feminist Critique of Same-Race Street Harassment”

http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/polisci/programs/theory/Fogg-Davis.pdf

Focuses on the experiences of Black lesbians and the need for Black women to hold Black men accountable for upholding Black patriarchy.

“Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color”

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/Organizations/healthnet/WoC/feminisms/crenshaw.html

Considers the intersections of racism and patriarchy, and how the experiences of women of color remain unrepresented within the discourses of both feminism and antiracism.

Wisconsin

2006-11-06T12:10:00.000-06:00

I actually live in WI, but this is the closest hollaback, and I'll feel scummy until I holla back at the douchemonkey I ran into last Saturday night. Saturday night in my town is full of drunks, and hence, not the safest place ever. I'm walking home with my boyfriend, and a little worried because a stumbling drunk man (who I previously saw punch a fence) appears to be following us. He shambles off eventually, but then some other drunk asshat with his two friends half-lurches/half-lunges at me and mumbles, "I fucking love you," then laughs when I make a freaked out face and squeeze my boyfriend's hand really tight. Since I didn't want to get into a fight with this dude (which my boyfriend would have to win for me), I didn't say anything, but for the record, "Scaring girls who are walking home late at night is not fucking cool, you stupid prick!"

~Submitted by Danielle

misty watercolor memories

2006-10-31T23:47:00.000-06:00

No pictures for these, unfortunately, but now that I’ve found “Hollaback Chicago”, I’d like to share my list (yes, I have a list) of experiences in Chicago, which have happened since I moved here 15 years ago…

c.1991 – Late morning. Man walking behind me in the Edgewater neighborhood, near the Granville Red Line station: “You got some big legs! I like them big legs!”

Mid-1990s – Early evening. Drunk man sitting behind me on the Red Line train, going north to Evanston: “Oooh, you got such nice long hair. You wouldn’t mind if I touched your hair, would you? Such nice, pretty long hair.” The minute the drunk man touches my hair I jump up and move to the doorway. Other man standing nearby tells me, sympathetically, “It happens to the best of us.”

Mid-1990s – Evening. Walking along Fullerton Ave. towards Clark St. with a male friend after seeing a movie. Tall young man walking quickly towards us on my left reaches out and grabs my left breast as he passes. I turn around shocked (male friend is totally oblivious to what just happened). The breast-grabber turns back, looking at me over his shoulder. I make like I’m going to run after him and he runs away.

Late 1990s – A sunny, summer weekend afternoon. Sunbathing in a swimsuit on the lawn in the park near Fullerton Ave. and Stockton Ave. Other women and men sunbathing nearby. All of a sudden a guy on a bike “accidentally” FALLS ON TOP OF ME. Stunned, I start yelling, “Get the fuck off of me!!!! God damn you, get off me, motherfucker!!!” over and over while hitting/punching the guy, who takes his sweet time getting up. I try to hit him as hard as I can, swearing at the guy as he gets on his bike and rides off without saying a word. (I wish I had had a knife with me.)

Late 1990s – Another sunny, summer weekend afternoon. A year or so after the previous incident. Same location, sunbathing along with others on a beautiful day. Two men pass by, a tall guy and a short guy. Tall guy yells over to me, “Lady, you sure are HEALTHY!!!” He repeats this phrase a couple of times, while his short friend tries to move him along and tells him to quiet down.

There are more on my list, including various moments on the CTA with strange men A) pressing their thighs into mine, or B) pressing their groins into my ass. But these are the most annoying/freaky. I'm going to ask for a camera cell phone for Christmas so I can be equipped and ready to HOLLABACK next time!

--submited by Margaret