Street Harassment

How does street harassment effect you and the community you live in?

"Harassment makes me feel like I must look like prey or like something people can access easily. It can also make me question myself on what may have made me prey. I also began to carry an angry guard to be on the defensive, even to people who mean no harm. When my community doesn't act or defend me I feel alone or if anything was to happen and my loved ones are not around I would be fighting alone. I wonder how they would feel if there child was in my shoes."

"Street harassment affects me everyday of my life when I ride public transit, am waiting for the bus, or running errands. Even at work! I get approached and treated like I'm not human. Because of street harassment and my previous experiences I feel vulnerable and scared as a Black young woman, especially when I'm alone which is a lot of the time. It affects the community greatly. I know I'm not the only one who feels the way I do. Other women feel like I do. Men feel entitled to any women at any time. It really negatively impacts young boys because they grow up thinking that's ok. And youth are the future. I think the way to stop it or lessen it is to teach young children how to respect each other by setting example."

"I feel very vulnerable, especially when I'm not having a good day and my brain may not be right. I'm pissed off at having to be hyper vigilant whenever I am in public. My community is split – my friends and chosen family understand, but years of shame and victim blaming from my biological family is hard to let go of. While I wouldn't put that on another person I do sometimes ask myself, 'did I make myself small enough? Guarded enough?' I don't know how much the men I interact with daily actually think about the very real and very constant street harassment the people in my life face."

"I feel very helpless when I'm being harassed. When I try to stop them, it's treated as a joke and that my feelings don't matter. I feel like I'm not a human being. It's been happening to me for a long time and I try to learn how to avoid attention. Trying to keep myself safe all the time makes me unhappy and like I'm not actually living. I have so much worry because of harassment."

"I don't want to accept things as they are. I want change. Not feeling comfortable makes me feel like I can't be myself. Street harassment makes me want to stay in the house and be on my lonely. I feel like nothing will change."

"Street harassment really pisses me off. My friend was raped in 7th grade by some 9th graders. She came to school crying and everybody said it was her fault. They said she dresses like a hoe and she should cover up. But me and my friends comforted her and made her feel safe and protected."