Photo by Mac Babs - Bárbara Bessa. via Flickr

I was walking from a friend’s house on 14th and Randolph to my apartment close to the Giant. Amusingly enough, I had decided to take Holmead to avoid the catcalls on 14th. Not a wise choice, as Holmead is a backroad compared to brightly-lit, well-populated 14th. A man pulls up in a white SUV, follows me for a couple of blocks during which I kept saying “Goodbye!”. He did not take the hint, even after I explicitly told him to leave me alone. Fed up, I walked onto the street, pull a notepad out of my handbag, and while fishing around for a pen, he offers me a pen in an accent. He then asked me if I wanted his number. I calmly told him, “Damn right I want your license plate number and if you know what’s good for you, you’re driving off and act like a good boy and leave girls alone, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.” I start jotting down the plate number and he starts sputtering and spewing, “You’ll see what happens to you when I com e back around!” He then turned onto Meridian and sped off toward 14th. I walked until I couldn’t see his car anymore and made to the alleyway like a bat out of hell, sprinting home through alleys and occasionally hiding in crevices to check out the terrain. In my flip flops. This is no way to live! Thanks Hollaback, my roommate told me to report it here. I’m surprised I didn’t think to report it to anyone (I do have the plate number), since this is the kind of thing women are supposed to endure when living in the “Village” as opposed to the relatively catcall-free climate west of the Rock Creek Park.

Submitted by Anonymous on 7/13/2010

Location: Holmead and Meridian NW, Columbia Heights

Time of Harassment: Night (7:30P-12A)

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