Well, the fore mentioned Laney Masturbator came back again, did the samething, same computer and everything. I slowly packed my things like nothing was happening and went into the other part of the math lab. My math teacher,who was there last time also, called security.

We waited for a couple minutes and before we knew it the cops came and dragged his ass out in cuffs! I filled out some paperwork, the cop told me that he lifted the guys shirt up and saw his boner (blegh!).

Also, the guy was on probation AND had already been 86ed from the computer labs at Laney. He confessed and signed a statement moments later, now he will have a restraining order for all Peralta colleges. The police also described similar situations where a man used to just stand by the Laney pool and the teacher would ask him to leave (wrong move! ALWAYS CALL SECURITY/POLICE!) until one day he actually reached through the fence and tried to grab a girl.

Moral of story: These guys start slow and work their way up.

The picture attached : This man at Barnes & Noble in El Cerrito said "Now that is a perfect ass" asI looked at art books by the restroom. I turned and said "What the fuck did you say?" "Nothing, I was just thinking aloud," he said with a grin.

"Well, I know you weren't talking me."

"No, just thinking out loud." I decided seconds after relieving myself of his presence that I wanted a picture. But he kept disappearing! I knew he was up to something, so I kept trying to find him.

Seconds later I heard "SECURITY, THIS MAN JUST GRABBED ME!" I knew it was him and followed him and took a blurry pic as he headed for the exit,

"I just brushed up against you, asshole!" security stopped him and the cops got called, but the guy got away anyways. The security guard told me it happens all the time.

Advice to everyone, I know we've been told to get loud when these things happen, but if you act like nothing happened then make sure the cops get called so the guy doesn't have the chance to escape you will be very satisfied to press charges on these fuckers. Unless public spaces definitely get loud, but in these cases be covert and shit so you can watch him be humiliated.

Monica in Oakland (again)

I went to Lincoln HS in San Francisco. There was a hallway that I had to go through to get to a certain class. Everytime I did, the kids standing there would call me white bitch, spit on me, grab my butt and my crotch so hard that it hurt, kick me and pull my hair. I reported it several times to the school counselor. Each time, her resonse was: "Honey, I can't do anything about it if you don't give me their names."

Growing up in S.F., CA I've had countless, countless incidences, including 3 horrific incidences with my doctors. When I was young I just thought that that's the way things are. Never thought of changing it because of people who responded like the school counselor did.

Now I'm 40, my son is 15, and I teach him how to respect not only women, but all people. It's really so sad that this sort of thing is still happening.

Four Times In One Day!

I recently moved from the quiet subarbs where catcalls and other forms of sexual harrassment occurred maybe once every 2-3 years to the big city of San Francisco where it happens 2 out of 3 times I leave the house.

First, Iwould like to thank you for the article in the SF Chronicle today. It made me feel better about the whole situation to know that there are a group of women, also victims of this, that band together to help support each other. Coming from a small city where I was unaccusomted to this unwanted attention, I was quickly overwhelmed and very depressed after moving. I felt dirty, helpless, scared, and as if I had lost my independence. I would not be able to leave my house without being harassed in some way or another by men unless I was in the company of a man. I was angry and upset that in this day and age a grown woman like myself would not be able to go out alone or with girlfriends and not be given unwanted attention. I quickly became depressed and refused to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. I have since grown more accustomed to city-life and the article today in the paper gave me comfort to know that I was not alone and that we can stand up for ourselves in some way through this website. Here are my harassement stories. 4 times in one day is ridiculous!

I was on the bus seated near the front for safety when an elderly man suddenly got on and stood extremely close to me and just stood there leeringat me. I was very uncomfortable. This endured for what felt like an eternity but he eventually went away. I was upset but not too flustered.

I got off the bus to purchase groceries and while standing outside picking fruit in this middle class neighborhood (Irving Street SF), another elderlyman stepped up behind me so close that I could feel his breath on my neckand began rubbing my back! "Get away from me!! Dont touch me!!" I yelled and quickly stepped away. In what I percieve as an attempt to mock me, he reached out several times in an attempt to touch me again! I quickly began walking away. What followed were racist remarks from him. I was angry after this and felt helpless. I wished that I had pushed him or slapped his hands away but I presume that would be against the law and I could potentially be arrested for such actions. I was quite shaken after this and hated myself for having to move to this city.

My next errand this day was to go down to Civic Center. As I was stepping out of the Muni/Bart station, a man walking towards me grabbed my upper armas I passed him and gave it a firm squeeze. Then he leered at me with a peverted expression! It happened so fast I had no time to react. By the time the event registered and I turned around to even see what had happened he was at least 40 feet away and leering at me. I was on the verge of tears. I felt dirty and violated yet there was nothing I could do about it. I felt so helpless. I refused to cry so I continued on my way.

Less than 5 minutes later I passed another man on the street and he looked me up and down and said "Heeeey" It is difficult to describe but even the way he said it was peverted and believe me when I say I was not overly sensitive at this point and mistaking a friendly hello for harssment. This man looked at me as if he was undressing me with his eyes. At this point, I could take it no more and broke down on the streets of downtown to cry. I felt so awful inside and incredibly overwhelmed by the 4 harassments I had endured.

It is sad that in this day and age, things like this should still happen in modern day society.I read in the paper that many men criticize hollaback.com as they say it is just a way of communicating and innocent compliments may be seen as harassment, well I disagree. They do not know how it feels to be a victim of this.

Furthermore, there is a clear difference between an innocent compliment and harssment. Once at San Francisco Shopping Mall, a man approached me and said "I hope this does not alarm you but I just would like to tell you that you are beautiful." and then he walked away. He did not invade my personal space, did not attempt to touch me, and did not look at me in a peverted way. It was kind. I do believe there is a difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It feels good that there is a place where I can tell others about this.

Julia from San Francisco, CA

My Front Yard

This happened 5 years ago, before hollaback. I was young and a newlywed. My husband and I rented a beautiful little home in Laguna Beach. It was small, but in a wonderful neighborhood with high hedges and a picket fence in the front yard. Every morning my husband would leave for work, I would shower, then go out front to get the paper.

One morning I walked out and to my surprise, a guy wearing jogging shorts, t-shirt and tennis shoes had come thru our gate and was standing in the front yard relieving himself. I shyly said, "excuse me". He looked over his shoulder at me, then turned around. He had the front of his shorts down and was exposing himself. I immediately went in and locked the door. We had a big window in front, so I opened the drapes and looked out. He was just going out the gate when he glanced back and saw me. Then he looked up and down the street and came back in the gate.

I was terrified. He walked up to the porch and started taking off his clothes. Off with the shirt and shorts and he was naked with shoes and socks. He grabbed hold of himself and started masturbating. I couldn't move, I was only in my bath robe so I knelt down. He just stood there masturbating right in front of me. Every time I looked up he would smile at me. After he finished he took his time putting his clothes on and left. I called my husband and he came home and we called the police. Although the evidence was all over the porch they were of little help.

The officer said, " well. these guys come out of the woodwork in warm weather." I wonder what it is that makes guys do this? I have never been that frightened in my life. We moved 2 months later.

JB

I don't want to sit on your lap, creep.

I am so glad I found this site and think that it is very important for everyone to know about what really happens to women and how unsafe it is everywhere.

You can hardly go anywhere without having to be on the defense against some very sick people. I went to Prescott Arizona for my Dad’s graduation. When went out to eat, I am trying to remember what it was called so I can get as specific as possible. I know they had glasses from another restaurant there called “The Office.”

As we got out of the car a man in a wheel chair started talking to my aunt and my grandparents. I stuck beside my dad because he creeped me out. In front of ALL of my family, parents, brother, aunt, grandpaents, this man came up behind me and hit the back off my legs so that I fell in his lap. I got up and got in front of my dad. I think they didn’t notice or were just trying to get insdie to escape the crazy man. And he tried it AGAIN!

I was scared and didn’t know what to say or do. I wish I had said something to the creep, I felt used and gross because I let him do that to me.

Laura – Riverside, Calif