PERVERT ON WHEELS

Tailgating & harrassment. LADIES BEWARE - old guy in a mini van was following me today and taking pictures of me. Once I noticed from my car, I rolled down my window and asked him to stop but he continued to harass me. I called the police and filed a report against him (unfortunately he was already gone), so if you see this pervert and he does the same to you - do not be afraid to report him. Men should not be taking random pictures of women - its wrong and you never know what these men will do with these unauthorized images. His actions today are alarming to my safety and privacy.

Shattuck

I was walking down Shattuck in Berkeley this morning and some guy looks
straight in my face and tells me, "I see the whore house is open on
Veteran's Day." I was so shocked it took me another block to react. I
walked back to look for him to tell him what a creep he was, but I
couldn't find him. Ruined my whole morning.

Submitted by Vanessa in Berkeley.

News Flash- American Apparel Ad

Today on the blog Jezebel.com, a discussion has started about this ad and the defacement of it.

The graffiti reads: "Gee, I wonder why women get raped."

Thoughts?

Berkeley BART Ogler

I was in the Berkeley Bart station waiting for a train. This was a little after lunch on a Tuesday around 1pm. I was just standing around and noticed that a tall middle aged man in a heavy overcoat was staring at me. At first I didn't think anything of it, so I glanced away and a few minutes later noticed that he was still staring at me. I started walking towards another part of the station so that I would be in a different car away from him, but noticed that as the train was pulling up, he was following me into the same car. I tried not to think much of it, and sat in a seat. I saw that he had chosen a sit diagonally from mine (I sat in one of the seats usually reserved for the elderly) and although his seat faced opposite of me, he situated himself so that he could turn and stare at me the entire time. At first I glanced in his direction to see if he was still looking. Then I decided to look him directly in the face, and I did that for a few seconds. I looked at him, stared back, and then glared. But still, he just kept staring. I didn't know whether to change seats or move to another car since my stop wasn't much further. I decided to stay put, but later regretted it since I felt uncomfortable the entire time. He didn't end up following me after I had gotten off the train, but the entire day I just felt disgusted.

Submitted by L. in Berkeley.

The Comment Experiment

Editors' note:

In an effort to encourage discussion, we have enabled comments on the blog. These comments are moderated and filtered to ensure that Hollaback-SF remains a safe place for people to report harassment.

Please read our Anti-Racism Statement and our FAQs before submitting a comment.

Comments that are in any way threatening to the posters will be rejected.

Also, comments that don't follow our Anti-Racism guidelines will be rejected.

Be conscientious when commenting, we want to encourage discussion without falling into racist and otherwise intolerant or threatening traps.

Thanks!

~Hollaback-SF

Overexposure on BART

On the BART train to SFO/Daly City 9/2/07.

So, I'm sitting on BART, with my bike.

At MacArthur this guy gets on, sits across from me, opens his paper, spreads his legs and gives me a 'free show'.
He's peeking over the top of his paper to see if I've noticed.

I pull out my cameraphone and take a picture while he's waiting for me to "notice".

When he sees that I am taking a picture, he quickly gets up and walks to another car.

At Powell, 2 BART cops get on the train. I tell them about this guy. They apprehend him and he is charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure. I sent the picture to the officers as well.

This guy has done this before. He sat strategically, so that the people on either side of me, in the other seats, couldn't see what he was doing. He was also sitting so that he wasn't in the frame on the BART cameras.

His 'excuse' to the officers...he didn't wear underwear.

Sick of creepy guys in SF.

New Flash: Unheard Cries in Minnesota

Today's News Flash comes from CBS, in a story titled Police: 10 Witness Rape, Do Nothing.

A woman was being assaulted and possibly raped on the sidewalk and neighbors saw the event and declined to do anything, even call the police.

Read the original article.

News Flash: Yoga Poseurs

This week's News Flash is an article in the NY Times called Between Poses, a Barrage of Pickup Lines

This article begins by discussing a comedic video on YouTube named "Inappropriate Yoga Guy" that has gotten people in the Yoga world discussing the problem of leering, flirting and touching in yoga classes.

The article is just the beginnings of a discussion about this new issue, please read it and share your thoughts and/or experiences.

The NY Times: Between Poses, a Barrage of Pickup Lines

Submitted by Hollaback-SF.

Perv at the Conservatory of Flowers

Friday evening I was working out, running up and down the stairs in front of the Conservatory of Flowers in preparation for the Inca Trail next month (whoohoo!) I had been doing this for about 10-12 minutes when I looked across the way and noticed a guy with a video camera pointed straight at me!!! I didn't believe that he was actually videotaping me at first, so I looked away and then looked again a little later, and when I did I saw his hand turn as if he were focusing in. Barf!!!! I promptly ran away. It grosses me out that this pervert will probably be using this as fodder for his lonely jerk-off session later tonight. And really pisses me off that I couldn't finish my workout there. I wish I had thought to point and shoot my phone camera right at him - it probably would have been a long shot, but just to point something at him in return would have made me feel a lot better.

Beware of the pervert at the Conservatory of Flowers!

Submitted by Kate B. in San Francisco.

News Flash

This is the first news article related to Hollaback's mission to be posted on the site. We want to encourage thought and comments, and also to keep you all informed of what is going on in our City and the World in relation to street harassment and assault.

Summary of where the blame lies according to The Sun Online.

A Scottish survey found that the following percentages of people think a woman is partially responsible in a rape:

If she had been flirting- 32%
If she was drunk- 27%
If she wore revealing clothing- 26%
If she was known to have many sexual partners- 18%

In each case, about 5% of people think the woman was fully to blame for the rape.

The Scottish Law Commission is examining and proposing reform on laws about rape and other sexual offenses.

Read Original Article.

Testing the Waters- New Comments Feature

Due to repeated requests for comments on Hollaback-SF, we will be trying out the comment feature on all blog posts.
Note that the comments are moderated and will go through an approval process to weed out any racist, sexist or other "ist" comments.
We at Hollaback-SF want to foster community involvement and discussion, but we want to make sure no one turns the blog into an unsafe space for the women who post to it.

Happy commenting!

-Hollaback-SF

Personal Anecdote

The following situation occurred last night around 9pm on a Fremont - Richmond BART train. I was sitting with my legs stretched out as I usually do after a tired day at work. There were 5-6 other people in the car I was in. I was in no way dressed provocatively (if anything I looked like total crap) - just wearing a large coat and jeans. At Coliseum station a burly, scary looking man came on, looked around the nearly empty car, saw me and decided to sit in the seat across from me, staring at me the whole time. Uncomfortable, I sat up and faced the window (away from his direction). All of a sudden he shouts, "Hey, do you want to fuck me?" I had my headphones on luckily so I pretended not to hear him. He repeats "Hey you, you want to fuck?" Thank god the next station was my stop. What should one do in such a situation? Should one obviously get up and move to another car, thus acknowledging them? Or should one just ignore them and hope that they go away? I am always scared to get up and move because they may decide to get up and follow. But if I sit and ignore, they may decide to pester me throughout my entire commute (which has happened several times).

Submitted by Anna in SF.

Subway Blues

I used to take the Muni Metro underground to work every day for the past year and a half. I only go 2 stops and even when it is crowded I squish in to the car and get to work twice as fast as I would on an above-ground bus.
Then last week I squish in as usual, moving my back to my front to make room and I settle in for the short ride.
I felt something pressing against my back side and at first I thought it was someone's briefcase or backpack, but when I turned to look the man behind me abruptly turned away and moved into the crowded car.
I have heard many women tell stories of men on the subway rubbing up against them, and now I know how confusing and disorienting it is on a crowded commute train.

I wish I had had quicker reflexes or figured out what was happening before it was too late and he was gone into the crowd. I am now careful to either wait for the less crowded train or to keep my bag on my back, even if it takes up space, because if trying to give people more space means some creep can move into mine, I am not having it.

Submitted by Jessica in San Francisco.

Day in SF

I was driving on 43 ave in SF and making a left turn onto Sloat. A burgundy older model Toyota or Honda was making a u-turn. We crossed paths and the car stops in front of me. I wave to them to go and the driver pulls along side me and stairs at me with a really dirty look on his face. I stair back and say WHAT! He and the other passengers in the car all laugh at me the driver then calls me a stupid bitch. I flip them off and yell fuck you. He then tells me to suck his balls. I left this situation feeling attacked and angry. I had done nothing to deserve this. I wish I had said "what balls?" I felt I had not said enough. I was angry all day and felt frustrated that it had ruined my day when this ass hole probably didn't give it a second thought. I wish i had gotten a picture of this jerk.

Submitted by Nicole in SF

Lifeguard Blues

I took a lifeguard training class this last semester at Laney College and
got certified. Unfortunately there was a creep in my class. One time I was a
drowning victim and he and someone else were supposed to be saving me, while
my hands were held above my head and I couldn't move them he slid his hands
down both sides of my body and tried to pretend he was just trying to help
me. I let this slide because it was quick. Next, towards the end of class I
had my bathing suit straps pulled to the side a little so I could get some
sun under where the straps usually are. As I'm wading in the pool he reaches
and grabs my strap and puts his hand on me while eagerly pushing through the
water. "Your straps..." I just said "no." Then he would linger after classes
to see what I was doing. This guy was a shitty student who had no idea what
he was doing the whole time and was so stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if he
took the class just to be with girls in their suits. I warned my teacher
that if anything went down, like my elbow breaking his nose, that it would
be because of him trying to touch me again. Unfortunately he came very
close... but for some reason stopped himself just before I felt the urge to
backhand him.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

On the Bus

A long time ago when I was taking the bus to work a guy made a comment of
sexual nature about my tattoo then said I look like "that chick from
Charlie's Angels." I tried to explain to him why I didn't want to talk to
him and why his comments weren't welcomed.
Once he realized he wasn't
getting anywhere he just stood there and called me a bitch, that I needed to
suck a good dick then I wouldn't be so uptight, etcetera. I saw my bus, put
my bike on the front and realized that he made no motion to get on the same
bus as me. As I got on he continued talking shit, I turned around and spat
on his shirt. I really thought he was going to jump on the bus and I would
have to stab him with my house keys.
He just stood and asked the bus driver
helplessly "Did you see that? What are you going to do?" "I saw what you
were doing, I'm not going to do anything," she said, and closed the doors. I
was lucky to not be arrested that day, and afterwards I still cried because
I hate those situations, but afterwards I finally didn't have all those
scenarios of what I should have done or said running through my head. I had
a pretty good feeling he did, though, and that made me feel good too.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland.

Cautionary Tale: Ruphenol

A few years ago (2001 maybe -- I remember Ann Richards of Texas had just died), a bunch of girlfriends & I attended a YMCA event at the SF waterfront. After, some of us went to a nearby restaurant for food & wine and ended up chatting with a small group of unctuous but friendly men there. One them was a small-time wannabe SF politician who was running for Board of Directors for the SF-Brisbane Municipal Utility District. I think one of them was a small-time drug dealer (I put a lot of the pieces together later).

In a collossal act of poor judgement (I had recently gone through a painful breakup from a relationship so wasn't thinking clearly), I went out for another drink with two of these guys when my girlfriends called it a night. I had just one drink with these guys, and the wannabe small-time politico guy (let's call him Joe) slipped a dose of ruphenol into my drink (roofies, the date-rape drug). He did it when I went to the rest room. (Another act of monumental foolishness: I had left my drink with these guys for a moment.)

How do I know he did that? I added up the clues later.

When I returned from the restroom I took a sip of my drink; it tasted kind of weird and I didn't finish it. I remember thinking it tasted slightly salty and looked a little bit foamy. One of the guys was older (late 50s-early 60s) and is a local businessman; I don't know if he was in on what his pal was doing. We all left the bar, and the businessman went off on his own. Joe bummed a ride from me. Getting into the car, I felt nauseated & like I was going to pass out. I NEVER get that way from drinking, and I hadn't had much to drink. Felt like my head was hit by a sledgehammer.

He kept trying to fondle and grope me in the car. At one point he had his dick out of his pants. I had no idea what was going on; I was like a zombie, which is so frightening. Finally he kind of gave up trying to get his rocks off and ordered me to drive (in my condition!). He had me drive him up to Van Ness near Sutter, and then he hopped out of my car at a red light. I immediately turned down an alley, parked my car and passed out. Several hours passed, and then I started to kind of come to and wonder what the hell was wrong with me. Finally, around sunrise I managed to drive home, and spent the entire day in bed, too nauseated to move. I spoke with someone at a rape trauma center and we determined it must've been ruphenol.

All in all, I was very lucky for having been so careless. Please be more vigilant than I was that night. By the way, I looked him up on the internet back then, and I'm pretty sure his website said something about his wife being very ill with cancer. What a nice guy.

Some Advice on Cabs

What this post is really about is cab drivers. I know after a long night of drinking in the rowdy clubs of SF a clean, warm cab feels like the safest place ever but this is not necessarily so. Understand that cabs are leased out to drivers, drivers are independent agents. Some are awesome and friendly, some are just downright dangerous. I have had two friends in the last year who were violently attacked and raped by cab drivers. In the second attack , the cab driver actually stopped to pick up accomplices in the assault. It's horrifying to think about but it's a reality.

Do NOT ride alone in a cab, especially at night, and ESPECIALLY if intoxicated. Don't let your guard down you are essentially riding with a stranger. Cabpool with your girlfriends.

Cheers and be safe San Francisco!!

Submitted by June from San Francisco

Sf Stories

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Masturbating on BART

I was on an early train to Oakland Airport this last Saturday. I was kinda
dazed out, but aware of my surroundings, since I had to get off the train
soon. So, I get this eerie feeling that someone is looking at me. Across
from me is a guy who is looking dead at me. I think to self "oh, we caught
eachother's eye... oh well..." but I still had the weird feeling- I look
over and he is looking at me and "adjusting" himself. I gave him the benefit
of the doubt and considered it an akward moment. But, my instincts wouldn't
quit- I looked at the reflection in the window and saw him masterbating
while blatently staring at me and making noises! I gave the ol' "Fuck off"
look and moved seats. Not only did he continue to stare at me, but this
fucker had the nerve to get up and try to start a conversation with me...
even tried to ask to sit next to me! I told him to go fuck himself (which he
already was in the process of doing) and he still tried... I told him to
"Get the Fuck outta here!". Oh but wait... when my stop finally arrived, I
saw him scurry away from the clear doors that seperate the BART cars- he had
been watching me from the other Bart Car!!! If I had a Camera I would have
broken it in his face. VERY SORRY THERE IS NO PIC OF THIS ASSHOLE!!!

Grocery Store Attempt

I go to the Pak N Save at 40th and San Pablo to shop, this time my boyfriend
was wandering about the store when this guy asked if he could get my phone
number at the checkout counter. It was really sad because this guy stank of
drink and it was barely noon.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

harassment from San Luis Obispo

On March 13, 2007, in broad daylight, I walked the final block to my car alone, after leaving a friend. We were walking to our cars in downtown SLO in broad daylight after leaving our job at the Court. We have had numerous training sessions in personal safety etc due to the nature of our job. I was aware if my surroundings and felt confident I was not followed to my car. However, as I climbed into my van and was setting down my purse with my right hand and simultaneously reaching for the door with my left, a man suddenly appeared blocking me from closing my door. I did not have the presence of mind to take a photo, but I got a real good description of him as his face was very close.

He said “I don’t want to embarrass you but I noticed when you were walking that your slip was showing”. I paused and froze, trying to assess if this was some really lame pick up line or if her was just really stupid to approach a woman at her car, alone and discuss her undergarments. He stood leaning in to the door of my car with his cell phone (black and silver flip phone) open and near his right ear as if he had been talking to someone. As he spoke he held it away from his head. He then said “It’s a very beautiful slip, do you mind if I ask you about it?” Again, I was still frozen and thinking what my options were, realizing he had me trapped. He then stumbled over his words a bit and said”…I’d like to get one for my girlfriend…is it a half slip or full slip”. I looked at as if he were nuts, told him “half slip” and he backed up a little as I lunged for my car door, shut it, locked it and looked in the review mirror. He had disappeared. I started my car & backed up out of the parking space as fast as I could and looked around and saw him no where to be found. He had vanished as quickly as he had appeared. Here is his description:

Medium Build, 5’11ish, 25-30 yrs old, blond/sandy blond short hair (crew cut), blue eyes, looked as if he had been out in the sun, fair skin, no jewelry or piercings, looked “clean-cut” and at first I thought he was a college student. He wore a dark blue/black t-shirt and possibly jeans (but I didn’t get a good look as he was leaning into the car). He had no noticeable accent or anything else distinctive.

I reported the incident to the local police and my job. After sharing this with my friends and coworkers we discovered other people had similar experiences. An article posted today in the Tribune, the local San Luis Obispo county paper, where they have picked up on our name for him “the slip stalker”.

I wanted to log this on your site because the details in the article don’t include the man’s description and leave out some of the details that I think show the man has become bolder since his other incidents.


Submitted by Cindy in San Luis Obispo

Creepy

he looks at every girl's ass. no joke.

Submitted by Miss Electric in Oakland

Halloween 2006

On Halloween 2006, my boyfriend and friend and I were
unlocking our bikes outside of a party when I felt a hand on my ass.
Before I could even turn around to see who had done it, my boyfriend
had pushed the man down on the ground so hard that he knocked over one
or two of his friends (it was a group of four guys) and hit his head
on the sidewalk.

The guy who had been pushed threw a can at my boyfriend's head and
started to come towards to fight, but his friends grabbed him and had
to drag him all the way across the street. I grabbed my heavy bike
lock, and holding it like a weapon, yelled at him that he wasn't
allowed to fucking touch me. Meanwhile my friend used her cell phone
to call the cops (who didn't answer). The guy made like he was going
to come back across the street, but we quickly rode away.

Fuck all these guys.

Submitted by Megan in San Francisco

Old Story

A few years ago when I was still new to the city, my mother
was visiting. The two of us and one man were the only ones riding the
bus one night at about 9pm downtown. At the last stop on the line, the
man walked up to the front of the bus, then turned around and came to
the rear exit where we were waiting to get off. As the door opened he
pushed past me "hurrying to get off the bus", and rubbed his crotch
roughly against my body.

I was horrified, but I couldn't think of an appropriate response that
wouldn't have made my mother flip out. (She is dreadfully worried
about me and my safety, past the point I think mothers usually take
it.) Instead, I turned and scowled at him as he went down the BART
stairs. He actually SMILED at me as I shot him my nastiest look.

The worst part about the story was the very next day we passed him on
the street in an entirely different part of town. I thought I would
never have to see him again, and seeing him the very next day felt
like someone punching me in the gut. He smiled at me again, and I've
seriously never been as paralyzed with anger/fear. I was so pissed
that I missed a second opportunity to call him an asshole.

One of the worst

This was one of the worst encounters I had ever met. This man saw me and my three friends walking towards BART. He immediately stopped in front of us to tell us how good we looked, and asked us what race we all were. We obviously were rushing to BART and as we went down the stairs, ignoring him. He put out his hands from side to side and basically stood on front of us so it as if we were trapped. I told him if he didn't move, I'd rip him a new asshole. Him being drunk responded with "Who are you calling a asshole? I'm not an asshole. I'm being nice to you girls.". As we were going through the BART terminals, he was drunkenly trying to hop over them. I took the picture. How could I not? He was being ridiculous. He then yelled at us until we went all the way to the train. It was fucking annoying. If you go to 24th and Mission, watch out for this asshole.

Submitted by Miss Electric in San Francisco.

Report these guys!

I too have been harassed by guys at construction sites, driving company trucks, doing landscaping, or otherwise in the middle of their workday. Get their description, note where you are and the time, get a license plate if possible, and CALL THE EMPLOYER AND FOLLOW UP WITH A LETTER. Tell them you will never hire them, will tell all your friends not to hire them (if that's an appropriate threat), but mostly be sure to let the management know that they are responsible for the illegal actions of their employees while on the job, and that their employee has just committed assault (assault can be verbal, battery is a physical encounter). Get the jerks fired, and make the companies clean up the act of all the guys they hire. USE YOUR POWER!

Submitted by Mary Beth in the Bay Area

Have a minute? Take a Great Survey!

I love your Web site! I love it so much that my Master's thesis on street harassment is in great part focusing on Web sites like the HollaBack chapters and the Street Harassment Project.

In addition to reading through all of the postings, part of my research includes an online anonymous survey about people's experiences with street harassment and visiting/using the Web sites.

Street Harassment Survey

Thanks! Holly from Washington DC.

Responses to ruin THEIR day

I have found that a great response to guys exposing themselves, leering at you, or making cat calls is to yell "You should be ashamed of that tiny little thing!" Wait till you see their faces! (However, they also get pretty pissed.)

If you want them to slink away, instead of YOU having to, you can SHOUT: "Stop harassing me!" It makes everybody look (good protection), and makes THEM embarrassed instead of us.

Submitted by Mary Beth in the Bay Area

What kind of American am I?

At 7 in the morning, after I've already been working for an hour, a
construction worker calls out "Hey baby." I didn't have my camera, so I flipped
him off double-time and told him "Fuck you."
He says "That's all I get? Fuck you? What kind of American are you?"
What the hell kind of question is that? How much more stereotypical can
you be? How does it feel to be the most typical turd of all time? Another
beautiful day tainted by an ass.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland.

BART

Dude: Hey baby. What'cho doin' tonight?
Me: Obviously not taking a nap with you on bart.


This guy totally sucked.

Bus Tactics

Taking the 14 in San Francisco is no easy task. Not even at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. This guy here will perversely call you 'mommy' until you want to kick him in the face, or get on another bus. Watch out ladies. Don't sit across from this one.

Submitted by Miss Electric in Oakland.

One more

These guys will cat-call anyone with legs. This construction site at 66th and Shattuck in Oakland will get you down, no matter what time of the day it is. Women beware - 10am is never too early for these dudes.

Submitted by Miss Electric in Oakland.

Perv near parrot hangout on Filbert steps

On a beautiful Sunday several months ago after brunching at Il Forniao in Levi Plaza, my girlfriend and I decided to take a walk up the Filbert steps nearby to see the parrots and work off some calories. I’m very familiar with the area and the birds as I live in the city and have done freelance work with clients in this area for over 10 years.

At the top of the steps is a large tree that the flock was hanging out in. We’re smiling and watching them as other folks are coming and going enjoying the birds as well. At one point, my girlfriend and I were the only ones there. It’s then that we notice a guy standing in his open apartment window, naked. At first he walked by the window and I thought...whoops. Ok. Dude in his apartment not noticing he is visible to others. Then we both notice that not only is he naked, he is sporting a boner and stands in the window, leaning on the sill. This is no accident. Wonderful. Just what I want after brunch. He proceeds to stand there gazing at us with his boner fully visible. We try to ignore and enjoy the day, the view and the parrots.

He steps partially behind a yellow curtain or something and starts jacking off. The boner was gone when he steps over to the window again. We decided we had had enough and proceed to leave. My girlfriend shouts up...”Do you do this often?” in an attempt to shame him. As we head down the stairs, we wave and give him the finger.

Well, last Sunday we had brunch at Fog City and take a walk up the stairs to work it off and check for parrots. No parrots, but dickhead was walking around naked again despite the fact that 2 elderly gents were at the top near the tree looking at the view and a neighbor one house over was in his garden working. Apparently, this is what he likes to do on Sunday. We didn’t give him any notice this time. Since others were around, we’re thinking this guy just likes to jerk off in public in front of anyone, male or female. Yegads.

Since this dude lives there, it can’t be the first (or second) time this has happened. It’s clearly a habit. He lives on the second floor of the blue building. He MUST be doing this to neighbors or they surely MUST be seeing some of this. Why haven’t they called cops? Next time we have brunch down there, we’re bringing the digital camera and capturing this asshole on film since neither of us has a camera cell phone.

I’m also going to look into what the police can do about this despite the fact that he’s in his own home. There have to be some laws around standing there flogging it in your window when you are visible to others. Moms with little kids go up there, tourists galore go up there, to see the parrots since all the... Ahem... ‘exposure’ due to the movie “Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”. Not exactly a boon to tourism.

Be warned if you go up there to see the parrots. You’re going to see a whole lot more.

the Pee Peeper

Invasion of privacy, to the maximum.

Now this didn't directly happen to me, but it did a co-worker. A hard working co-worker who was just trying to pee.

We had a store meeting at the Holiday Inn on Van Ness in SF. As I was setting up for a employee vote, my friend comes running out of the bathroom, interrupting the Muzak playing in the lobby. "THERE IS A PERVERT IN THE BATHROOM! I JUST WENT INTO TO PEE AND HE JUMPS OUT AND STARTS WHACKING OFF!" We all look confused and pause for a moment. I think to myself "this can't be true" so I grab the funniest guy I know, another co-worker. I say to him "Hey....go to the bathroom. Just do it. Knock on the last stall..." So he does without question. He comes out hysterical. Indeed there was a perv whacking off to whoever would come into the bathroom. How long does he spend there in that hotel lobby bathroom a day I wonder?

We can't even take a piss in peace anymore....

Submitted by Miss Electric from Oakland

dirty man

Richard is a dirty old man in Martinez. He snoops through everyone's garbage, and if a woman gets too close to him he snatches at her breasts. Most women say he laughs while he runs away. He follows young teen girls in his truck and leers at them with his tongue hanging out, but has harrassed women in their 70's and 80's as well.

Submitted by Sandy in Martinez, CA

Letter from the Editor

Thank you to everyone who had responded so positively to this site. It has been an overwhelming experience to read the praise from men and women alike, and to see the posts come in as more and more of you holla back.

I posted here the harassment stories that I received while out of town, and also some of the letters of thanks. I find it reassuring that there is a vast network of all types of people who find this site a much-needed space for discussion.

If you missed the story in the Chronicle, please take a look at it here.

There is also a podcast to go along with it here.

Keep up the good work and keep spreading the word about Hollaback!

02/09/07 south of market

so friday night i've been out with the girls drinking and dancing south of market. it's 2 am and i'm tired and decide to take off and find a cab home. the rain is coming down so i pull the hood of my puffy white coat over my head. i'm dressed like a skank because i wanted to, because it was girls' night out, and because i look good.
which some old man insists on pointing out to me as i walk down the street checking up and down for cabs, my hand out whenever one drives by. he keeps up for a little while even though i'm ignoring him and then at some point gets braver and comes closer to me. at which point i turn, look at him, and say "you're STILL talking? i am SO not interested." that rudeness apparently works because he disappears.

then at the corner i find a male-female couple standing under an umbrella scanning the streets too, so i ask them if they want to share a cab. they're cool about it and start feeling protective of me when some other fool walks right up and tries to put his arm around me. we just cross to another corner and i call a preset number on my phone for desoto/yellow cab/whoever's answering, since we're not having any luck waiting.

now some people would say that i shouldn't have:
1) been dressed like that
2) walked down mission street @ 5th
3) been out alone at 2 am
4) had 3 drinks and attitude

and maybe i got lucky.
but a guy could do each of those things and not have the expectation of being whistled at or accosted.

i know i could have been safer: next time i'll call a cab and wait at the club in my hot little skirt and fishnets. then i'll just get eyed by the bouncers and patrons instead.

but i still feel righteous and appreciate that being rude will shut down some unwanted attention.

and i'm getting a cell phone with a camera so i can photo these motherfuckers for your website.

thanks!

Submitted by C in San Francisco.

Man grabs ass in bookstore...

This man at Barnes & Noble in El Cerrito said "Now that is a perfect ass" as
I looked at art books by the restroom. I turned and said "What the fuck did
you say?" "Nothing, I was just thinking aloud," he said with a grin. "Well,
I know you weren't talking me." "No, just thinking out loud." I decided
seconds after relieving myself of his presence that I wanted a picture. But
he kept disappearing! I knew he was up to something, so I kept trying to
find him. Seconds later I heard "SECURITY, THIS MAN JUST GRABBED ME!" I knew
it was him and followed him and took a blurry pic as he headed for the exit,
"I just brushed up against you, asshole!" security stopped him and the cops
got called, but the guy got away anyways. The security guard told me it
happens all the time.
Advice to everyone, I know we've been told to get loud when these things
happen, but if you act like nothing happened then make sure the cops get
called so the guy doesn't have the chance to escape you will be very
satisfied to press charges on these fuckers.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

Laney Masturbator (again)

Well, the fore mentioned Laney Masturbator came back again, did the same
thing, same computer and everything. I slowly packed my things like nothing
was happening and went into the other part of the math lab. My math teacher,
who was there last time also, called security. We waited for a couple
minutes and before we knew it the cops came and dragged his ass out in
cuffs! I filled out some paperwork, the cop told me that he lifted the guys
shirt up and saw his boner (blegh!). Also, the guy was on probation AND had
already been 86ed from the computer labs at Laney. He confessed and signed a
statement moments later, now he will have a restraining order for all
Peralta colleges. The police also described similar situations where a man
used to just stand by the Laney pool and the teacher would ask him to leave
(wrong move! ALWAYS CALL SECURITY/POLICE!) until one day he actually reached
through the fence and tried to grab a girl. Moral of story: These guys start
slow and work their way up.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

Admiration

This is not a submission for a blog, merely my praise for a form
of direct action against patriarchal (and heterosexist) norms. I just
want to say that I think what you are doing is amazing!

As a queer male, I experience street harassment differently that
women do (mostly do to my pink hair, rather than the way I hold my
wrist), but the comments I receive about my sexual preference are are
always done as a show of power, as if to say that they know they are
superior because of their sexual preference.

Many of my female friends, however, put up with an immense amount
of shit, something that still bewilders me in a city like San
Francisco, and it's incredible to see that there is now an outlet to
fight back. So many straight men do this because they think there are
no repercussions for their actions, but if this site actually stops
these creeps from doing it again or stops women who might meet them in
other circumstances to think twice before considering a prospective
date, than that is the strongest weapon ever.

The power of catharsis is also an important factor here and this
site gives an outlet for for women to publicly air their grievances.

Basically, I just wanted to say "kudos" to you on creating a
powerful forum for combating some of the most fucked up
institutionalized hierarchy in our world today.

Cheers.

Bravo

Kudos for starting the SF branch of Hollaback. You are a most welcome
force to be reckoned with. I have a bunch of gray hair now, and mostly
that makes me invisible to the guys who spent 40 years giving me shit
on the street, in bars, in my workplace, and every other space I ever
walked through. I can't tell you how much it means to finally hear
young women say no to the incessant bs from guys who pretend that it's
some kind of compliment. Good work and thank you.

ht in Oakland, CA

4 in 1

I recently moved from the quiet subarbs where catcalls and other forms of
sexual harrassment occurred maybe once every 2-3 years to the big city of
San Francisco where it happens 2 out of 3 times I leave the house. First, I
would like to thank you for the article in the SF Chronicle today. It made
me feel better about the whole situation to know that there are a group of
women, also victims of this, that band together to help support each other.
Coming from a small city where I was unaccusomted to this unwanted
attention, I was quickly overwhelmed and very depressed after moving. I felt
dirty, helpless, scared, and as if I had lost my independence. I would not
be able to leave my house without being harassed in some way or another by
men unless I was in the company of a man. I was angry and upset that in this
day and age a grown woman like myself would not be able to go out alone or
with girlfriends and not be given unwanted attention. I quickly became
depressed and refused to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. I have
since grown more accustomed to city-life and the article today in the paper
gave me comfort to know that I was not alone and that we can stand up for
ourselves in some way through this website. Here are my harassement stories.

4 times in one day is ridiculous!

I was on the bus seated near the front for safety when a man
suddenly got on and stood extremely close to me and just stood there leering
at me. I was very uncomfortable. This endured for what felt like an eternity
but he eventually went away. I was upset but not too flustered.

I got off the bus to purchase groceries and while standing outside picking
fruit in this middle class neighborhood (Irving Street SF), another
man stepped up behind me so close that I could feel his breath on my neck
and began rubbing my back! "Get away from me!! Dont touch me!!" I yelled and
quickly stepped away. In what I percieve as an attempt to mock me, he
reached out several times in an attempt to touch me again! I quickly began
walking away. What followed were racist remarks from him. I was angry after
this and felt helpless. I wished that I had pushed him or slapped his hands
away. I was quite shaken after this and hated myself
for having to move to this city.

My next errand that day was to go down to Civic Center. As I was stepping
out of the Muni/Bart station, a man walking towards me grabbed my upper arm
as I passed him and gave it a firm squeeze. Then he leered at me with a
peverted expression! It happened so fast I had no time to react. By the time
the event registered and I turned around to even see what had happened he
was at least 40 feet away and leering at me. I was on the verge of tears. I
felt dirty and violated yet there was nothing I could do about it. I felt so
helpless. I refused to cry so I continued on my way.

Less than 5 minutes later I passed another man on the street and he looked
me up and down and said "Heeeey" It is difficult to describe but even the
way he said it was peverted and believe me when I say I was not overly
sensitive at this point and mistaking a friendly hello for harassment. This
man looked at me as if he was undressing me with his eyes. At this point, I
could take it no more and broke down on the streets of downtown to cry. I
felt so awful inside and incredibly overwhelmed by the 4 harassments I had
endured. It is sad that in this day and age, things like this should still
happen.

I read in the paper that many men criticize hollaback.com as they say it is
just a way of communicating and innocent compliments may be seen as
harassment, well I disagree. They do not know how it feels to be a victim of
this. Furthermore, there is a clear difference between an innocent
compliment and harassment. Once at San Francisco Shopping Mall, a man
approached me and said "I hope this does not alarm you but I just would like
to tell you that you are beautiful." and then he walked away. He did not
invade my personal space, did not attempt to touch me, and did not look at
me in a peverted way. It was kind. I do believe there is a difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It feels good that there is a
place where I can tell others of this.

Julia in San Francisco, CA

Good for you

Too bad a website like this is needed, but lots of creeps out there. Lots of luck. From a man who respects women.

Brian in Petaluma.

Thanks for your website

Hello,
Thanks for your website. I thought I was too overreactive to being harassed
in public.
It's a validation to hear other women speak up.

V in SF

Stealth Grabbers

Like most other women, I’ve experienced my share of
street harassment. I thought it might end when I
entered middle age—no such luck!

One of the most memorable experiences occurred a
couple of decades ago when I lived in Arizona. One
hot summer morning, I took my dogs for a walk in a
quiet, suburban neighborhood, clad in standard Arizona
hot-weather clothing of shorts and a halter top,
although these were not particularly revealing. Two
high school age guys rode by on bikes, and then they
apparently turned around, and in a stealth move, one
rode up behind me and grabbed at my breast, then sped
away.

I was so angry, and tried to think of what were my
alternatives if he decided to repeat the action. I
had the dogs, and wouldn’t dare endanger them by
trying to respond physically, nor, I decided, would I
have time, since the guys were on bikes. Obviously,
you have to consider your safety first in determining
what, if anything, you can do. I was a mile from
home, and I imagined that, conceivably, they could
keep attacking me in this way if I did nothing. I
decided that my only defense was my lung power.

Sure enough, one of the guys again swooped up from
behind me on his bike and grabbed at my breast. This
time I yelled at the top of my lungs, “You fucking
assholes, if you try that again I’ll call the cops!”
The words weren’t a part of my usual vocabulary, but I
decided they were essential in this instance.

The guys rode back by—on the other side of the street
this time—and one yelled, “Bitch!” at me. Yeah,
right—they violate me by grabbing at my breasts, and
I’m a bitch if I object. But that’s when I knew that
I had won. They didn’t come back.

Submitted by Bee in San Francisco.

Hollaback-SF is on vacation!

Hello and thank you for the wonderful responses to the article in the SF Chronicle. I am glad that your stories will finally get told and that we may make an impact on the way men and women hare public spaces. Keep snapping photos and spreading the word!

I am out of the country visiting a friend and will be back on February 26th to update all of the posts I have received. If I can find the time and the internet connectivity to post them sooner, I will.

Please check back soon!

Jessica at Hollaback-SF

Bus Tale

I got one picture of a guy that kept harassing a girl on her cell phone
on the bus. She showed no signs of interest and continued her conversation.
"Hey girl, hey, hi there, you lookin' for someone?" He continued, then
commented to another passenger that she "didn't want none of that" then
continued to stare at her and asked her again if she was looking for a man
when she got off the bus. I handed her a slip with this website on it and
told her it was a place to post pictures of guys that harass her, she
laughed and put it in her front pocket.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland.

The Third of Three Offenders

*note from Hollaback-SF: This is the third of three posts submitted by one woman in less than a 48 hour period. We were startled by and sympathetic to the sheer amount of harrassment that women face every day.
The third picture was this morning as a man demanded I come to his car at
5:20am while walking to the bus stop to get to work. It's not very
good, but I was scared he might try to grab me or something so I took it
hastily and kept my distance. I was dressed in a thick coat, loose jeans and
a scarf and hood over my face, hardly the attire of a prostitute. He
followed me yelling out of his car asking why I took his picture. I was
scared, but confident that I could get away if I needed to. Another car
drove up behind him and started honking, I told that car that he wouldn't
stop following me. They kept honking, he tried to cut me off at a corner,
but I crossed the street and the other car turned with him, still honking at
him, they were really cool. I felt good that the guy was freaked out about
my taking a picture of him.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

The Second of Three Offenders

*note from Hollaback-SF: This is the second of three posts submitted by one woman in less than a 48 hour period. We were startled by and sympathetic to the sheer amount of harrassment that women face every day. Please check in tomorrow for the third installment of this trio.The second picture was a man who I thought was asking
for directions so I stopped to see what he was asking. Again, I was wearing
my gray tube jacket. He instead demanded my phone number and said he wanted
to be "a good friend to me." I asked to take the picture, "You will not put it anywhere, right?" I
chuckled and said yes. I then gave him the address to this website.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

The First of Three Offenders

*note from Hollaback-SF: This is the first of three posts submitted by one woman in less than a 48 hour period. We were startled by and sympathetic to the sheer amount of harrassment that women face every day. Please check in tomorrow and Monday for the second and third installments of this trio.

I've been a busy bee, taking these pictures almost turns this into a game,
it's scary, but at least it's not a passive process anymore.
The first picture was my very first to take of a street harasser ever, so
it's not very good. He looked at me and mumbled obscenities as he walked
past me at the bus stop. I was wearing my big gray coat that makes me look
like a gray, shapeless tube. I saw him the next day in my neighborhood (West
Oakland) and he yelled "Hey!, Hey! I saw you take a picture of me!" I
explained that I take pictures of guys that harass me on the street, of
course he denied it. I gave him a slip of paper with this website on it.

Submitted by Monica in Oakland

Laney Math Lab Masturbation

A few days at Laney, while doing my math homework in the math lab I
re-oriented myself out of math land and into the real world and realized
there was heavy panting across from me. I saw a tilted screen and in the
reflection of the window beside me I saw a guy jerking off through his
sweater. I stopped myself from standing up and saying "Can you furiously
mastubate somewhere else?!?!" I was afraid he would fling jizz at me. I just
told the lab guy and he got kicked out.
I get harassed two or more times a day, it hurts me, it sends me into a
murderous rage and makes me feel like a second-class citizen. I have no
outlet, but hopefully taking pictures and posting them, soon, will help
alleviate some of the pain these incidents cause me.
As for the "Soapbox Harasser" man in SF (posted earlier), I used to live
downstairs from that guy! His address, if anyone cares to egg or TP his
house is in OAKLAND! He has lived there for many
years. That's right, he rides on BART all the way to downtown just to fuck
with people!

submitted by Monica in Oakland

Who's Responsible?

Sorry, but maybe I'm crazy. I have had several indecent exposure experiences. My husband blames me each time. I'm either wearing the wrong clothes or in the wrong place or with the wrong people.
Here is an example: Last Summer there were women in our apartment building who said a young guy was appearing naked (sometimes in broad daylight) and masturbating. He would just run away after he finished. My husband just laughed about it.
One afternoon I was in the laundry room with 2 other women and this guy walked in. He stood in the back for a while. I thought something was fishy about him but what can I do? Anyway, he finally steps out from behind the washing machines. He had his pants down around his ankles. He had been looking at us and masturbating. He was ejaculating right in front of us. After he finished, he pulled up his pants and ran out. Guess what; my husband is mad at me for "watching".
Does he have a clue? Does any guy have a clue? I thought he would comfort me. Men are pigs!

Submitted by Jasmine in San Francisco