“I Intervened When I Saw a Man Secretly Taking Photos of a Woman on the Bus.”
Location: On D6 Bus towards Stadium Armory
Time: Evening Rush Hour (3:30pm-7:30pm)
On Monday while riding the D6 back home from work, I noticed a guy playing with his phone, he was sitting directly in front of me and I could see was taking pictures of the girl in the row next to mine. He took one, I did nothing. When he took the second one, I got up and sat down next to the girl and quietly explained what was happening. She was, as expected, distraught. I told her that I didn’t want to put her on the spot, that’s why I went with the quiet approach. I kept an eye on the guy, he was noticeably upset by what I had done but he kept looking at us. I told him to stop taking pictures of the girl and asked him if he would like his picture taken. I didn’t take it further because he was with his two sons. Had he been alone, I would’ve called him out for everyone to hear.
Submitted 10/28/14 by “A.”
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault? Share your story to help raise awareness about the pervasiveness and harmful effects of street harassment. All submissions are posted anonymously unless otherwise specified.
If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system: Whether the event is happening at the moment or occurred months ago, we strongly encourage you to report to Metro Transit Police (MTP): www.wmata.com/
If you need assistance in coping with public sexual harassment or assault, please contact the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) 24/7 crisis hotline at 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7279).