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

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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!!!