Goodness! I couldn’t get to my doctor’s appointment today without being sexually harassed by dumb men! Worst of all, all three were on the clock doing this.

I was walking down P to get to my appointment, and this fool stops his truck, a truck for HD Supply, to yell “Yo, sexy!” at me and give me a shit-eating grin. I will never forget those nasty gappy teeth of his.

“Thank you so much for sexually harassing a woman while on the job,” I said. The sarcasm was lost on him because he gave an even bigger grin, laughed and drove off. I took down his license plate number and company in my notebook.

Further along P, a white utility van (no logo on it) beeps his horn at me. This pisses me off so I started to run after the van. The van stops, but then drives off. I did get his license plate number, but I was so frazzled that I forgot it seconds later.

Finally, I was still on P and walking past Stars Bistro. An older man wheeling a dolly out of the restaurant stopped to look me up and down,

“Mmm, you are one pretty sista, yes you are,” he says under his breath. I stop to stare him down. He thinks this is an invitation for pleasant conversation and smiles.

“I don’t appreciate you sexually appraising me,” I said.
“Sorry, sista, I couldn’t help myself,” he says.
“You need to learn how to help yourself,” I said. “I’m tired of getting hit on by you raggedy-ass guys while I’m trying to walk down the street!”
“Sista, I wanted to compliment you,” he said.

A couple walked by, looked away uncomfortably, and started snickering. As usual, no one comes to my aid when I’m being sexually harassed. To them it’s entertainment.

“You have a blessed day, sista! Asalaam ‘Alaykum!” he kept repeating, while I threw every insult I could his way.

After I returned to the office after my doctor’s appointment, I contacted HD Supply and Stars. I was directed to a voicemail for HD Supply, but I did manage to get in touch with the manager at Stars.

I felt the Stars manager was barely sympathetic, and he told me “Why are you calling this restaurant?” when I mentioned the old man who felt he had to ‘compliment’ me. “Call the delivery company!”
“I didn’t see a truck or company information for this man, so I thought I’d contact you and that maybe you’d have it,” I said.
“Why didn’t you stop in the restaurant right when this happened?” he asked.
“Because I had a doctor’s appointment I had to get to,” I said.
He told me to call back and speak to the day manager, but added, “I don’t think much will come out of it.”

I’ve been harassed so frequently by men who are at work, men who don’t seem to give a fuck about their jobs especially during this time of recession. Usually when reporting them to their employers I get good responses and apologies for the unprofessional behavior, but I feel like I failed today with reporting these men. In the end I realize I’m not the one who failed, the men who harass women while they’re working have failed. These negative outcomes today won’t stop me from reporting men who harass me while they’re on the clock. I will keep reporting these dummies until more employers take this nonsense seriously.

Submitted by “Sick of the Nonsense” on 10/20/2009

Location: 1st: P & 29th, 2nd: P again (intersection unknown), 3rd: outside Stars Bistro

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