holla-ing back at street harassers

Submitted by: Jordan
Location: Broadview/Danforth, and The beaches

The first story happened a few years ago. I was standing outside of the LCBO having a cigarette and waiting for some friends who were inside buying alcohol. I was minding my own business, ignoring people and was probably alone for a total of 10 minutes. It was the summer, and there was a group of men in a sportscar with the top down. They decided (unanimously apparently) to start hollering and yelling at me in a manner that was inherently sexual and violent. I was literally 10 feet away from these guys, and could clearly identify them. I tried to ignore them, but they kept on going and were getting louder and louder...so I reciprocated. I screamed (and I mean straight out screamed) "I AM 16 A**HOLES" and glared at them hard. They IMMEDIATELY stopped hollering and turned their heads as a method of trying to deny their previous actions. People walking by me on the street laughed.

I used to be harassed fairly often when I was younger, and this second occurance happened in my niehgborhood. I was walking back from the drugstore, and it was stop and go traffic on Queen street. Yet again, minding my own business when some random man in an SUV starts saying some shit to me, mainly along the lines of 'hey baby' or some other unwarranted BS. I snapped right back with a very loud "F*CK OFF", which yet again got me some laughs from passersby. The moron in the SUV then called me a bitch. Logic is apparently not the strong point of street harassers.

Acknowledge, Assess, and Act

Check out this really useful informational blog: The 3A's of Street Harassment Disruption! A link will also be provided in the side panel here.

harassment still finding itself close to home

Submitted by: KAV
Location: Yonge & Davisville

What annoys me so much about this particular event is that it happened right outside my apartment building. There's been construction going on here for almost two months now that consistently wakes me up early in the morning and makes my floor vibrate throughout the day, so I'm already irritated with the noise and disruption in my place due to the construction that's being done.

Today I was walking home from the TTC stop and three or four of the construction workers were standing on either side of the sidewalk facing in - I had to walk through them. As I walked past I heard one of the construction workers say "hi", and assuming that he wasn't talking to me I kept walking. It soon became apparent however that he had, in fact been talking to me when he then turned in my direction and in a pervy, suggestive tone told me "don't be shy..."

Don't be shy to do what, exactly?

I guess he didn't expect that I'd just finished a presentation in my feminist literature class... I turned around, walked back and said "Did you really just harass me outside my own building??" The guy looked shocked and embarassed and started to stutter something about how he "was just saying hi!" I turned around and walked back into my building.

I refuse to be intimidated to leave my own apartment. I can't decide whether I should wait and see if this happens again before I report it.

when street harassment happens right at home

Submitted by: EJM
Location: Broadview/Danforth

This morning I was riding my bike to my office and passed a bunch of parked cars. Man in his mid-late 30s leaning against the side of his car make kissy sounds as I passed him. It took me by surprise and I wasn't even sure what had happened until I was a few car lengths away. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to tell him off.

***

This past Christmas I shopped online quite a bit, mostly to avoid the cold. I accepted a delivery one morning from a UPS man - mid-20s, olive complexion, slight accent. He asked my name and I answered since I assumed it had to do with ensuring he had the correct recipient. Instead, as I finished signing and thanking him for the delivery, he gave me a skeevy smile and said "You're very beautiful *name*" then headed for the elevator.

I double locked the door for the rest of the day.

This man knows my name and where I live. He harassed me in my own home. I felt unsafe reporting it to the company since he has my address (or at least might remember approximately where I am and find me).

I finally reported this the other day. They say they contact ALL commenters within 24hrs of writing; it's been three days. I don't use UPS anymore.

Follow-up on June 12 entry

Thanks to Stephen for looking up this information relating back to our Curbside Pick-Up at Bathurst and Queen entry! With the help of some online sleuthing, he found out where these creeps work:

Pylon Paving (1996) Inc
905-670-2552
905-670-2552
6149 Shawson Dr, Mississauga, ON, L5T1E4
Category:
Paving Contractors
no email address found

http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Ontario/Mississauga/Pylon-Paving-1996-Inc/2482867.html?what=Paving+Contractors&where=Toronto+ON&le=e17924f823e17924f824e17924f822e17924f821

Everyone is encouraged to send the link to this entry to the Better Business Bureau, Tourism Toronto, etc.

Stop Street Harassment Book Available!

The evidence is unmistakable, the numbers alarming. Over 80 percent of women experience gender-based harassment from unknown men in public, including whistling, sexually-explicit comments, groping, stalking, and assault. One study of 800 women, for example, reported that 75 percent had been followed and 57 percent sexually touched.

Street harassment is generally dismissed as harmless, but in reality, it causes women to feel unsafe in public, especially when they are alone. Until this form of harassment is eliminated, true gender equality will not be achieved. The brand new book Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women draws on academic studies, informal surveys, news articles, and interviews with activists around the world to explore the practice's definition and prevalence, the societal contexts in which it occurs, its global range, and the role of factors such as race and sexual orientation. Perhaps more crucially, the book makes clear how women experience street harassment—how they feel about and respond to it—and the ways it negatively impacts their lives.

In the second half of the book, female and male readers will find concrete strategies for addressing street harassment and ideas for how they can work to end this violation. Everyone has a role they can play to stop street harassment and make public places safe and welcoming for women. What will your role be?

Author Holly Kearl is a national street harassment expert, writer, and nonprofit professional based in the Washington, D.C. area. Her work has been cited by the United Nations, CNN, the Guardian, ABC News, Feministing, and Jezebel. In addition to her book, she runs the website Stop Street Harassment and the companion blog where people from around the world submit their street harassment stories. Holly has written articles about street harassment for Forbes, Huffington Post, Oregonian, and AOL. She also works for AAUW and volunteers with RAINN.

*To order the book, visit Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or Greenwood.com.
*To arrange an interview, contact Holly Kearl, hollykearl AT yahoo.com.
*Attend one of Holly’s events or contact her to arrange an author talk or book signing in your area.

Vote for HollaBack for the Pepsi Refresh Challenge

A note from Chai and Shannon from Hollaback DC!:

We are excited to share that we are in the Pepsi Refresh Everything
Challenge this month. Since 2008, we've been trying to start
RightRides DC, a free, safe, late night ride-share program for women
and LGBTQ individuals to ensure their safe commute to and through high-
risk areas in our nation's capital. Each HollaBack has the
opportunity to make this dream a reality, for free, by voting for it
on the Pepsi Refresh Challenge here:
http://www.refresheverything.com/hollabackdc. Please vote every.single.day in August.

We encourage you to vote for other Refresh Respect Coalition members
that currently include Becky's Fund (http://www.refresheverything.com/beckysfund) and Street
Yoga (http://www.refresheverything.com/streetyoga). Wanna be a superstar? Tweet this, blog
about it, interview us and our coalition partners for your blog,
podcast it, email your networks, Facebook it....make it go viral.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Speak up – you can save other people

Cross-posted from Stop Street Harassment! originally as a comment to a seperate post:

Location: Yonge & Eglinton

Today I took the subway in the middle of the afternoon to go run some errands. I was inside of the train at Yonge and Eglinton station when a man standing beside me touched my upper part and whispered something in my ear. I got scared and I pushed him off…and moved towards the people. The subway was stopped for few minutes at that station when it happened.

The man got off the subway and disappeared. I thought nothing of it… Just that maybe he wanted to flirt, but then I saw him bug another lady on the platform. That is when I decided to report him to the Authorities because I thought that he might escalate his intentions and do something even worse to someone else or someone weaker like a kid. Or attack in the middle of the night. Who knows!! This happened in the middle of the afternoon!! With lots of people around… who know what he is capable of doing when there is no one around.

I am very satisfied with how police and the TTC Authorities handle the harassment. They made me feel confident that I made the right decision. I actually feel happy to live in a place like Toronto. I feel safe because Police are really looking out for you….

So I encourage everyone who might be in a similar situation to SPEAK UP!!! You don’t lose anything and can save other people!

- TS

Crime Prevention 101 with Susan Bartelstone

Overcoming Tragedy and Facing Life's Challenges by Making a Difference
July 01, 2010 ** Live @ 8pm eastern
Wanna join in on the discussion? Call in toll-free @ 866-472-5787

Listen here or on iTunes.

According the the FBI:

*Almost 1/3 of female homicide victims reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.

*In 70-80% of intimate partner homicides, no matter which partner was killed, the man physically abused the woman before the murder.

*16,800 homicides and $2.2 million (medically treated) injuries annually are due to intimate partner violence, at a cost of $37 billion.

*One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

From the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: www.ncadv.org

Curb-side pickup at Bathurst and Queen

Submitted by: Lori-Anne



I'm just standing on the sidewalk at Bathurst and queen having a smoke and these guys try to coax me into their truck...I DON'T need a ride, thanks. I get called a bitch and they move the truck forward once they realise I'm taking a photo. Can I not just stand around and mind my own business without being propositioned? Grrrr.