Location:  Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station
Time: Evening Rush Hour (3:30pm-7:30pm)

Street harassment of any kind is a daily experience for me, but this incident that happened a few weeks ago was particularly disturbing. I was walking by the Rhode Island Avenue metro station when a man, probably a teenager or in his early 20s, asked if he could borrow my phone. I said “Sorry, my phone is dead” and put my headphones back in as I continued to walk. Then he started to follow me into the station while asking me to lift up my skirt and saying generally disturbing things to me. I told him to leave me alone, and that he was being creepy. He followed up to the turnstiles, continuing to ask me to lift up my skirt and said he wanted to “drop a wad in my ass.”

I’d had enough. I turned to him and decided to teach him a lesson by yelling at him. I said things like “What the hell is wrong with you? How do you think that makes me feel?” And “Seriously, don’t ever do that again to any woman, anywhere, ever.” He said nothing while I yelled at him. I really hope he learned his lesson. Even though I’m glad I stood up for myself, I’m still very angry about it. That was one of three separate incidents of harassment that happened to me on that day.

Submitted on 12/16/12 by “KL”

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