New Haven Running

"That lady has a fat ass. Shake it! Shake it! Shake it!" I couldn't STOP shaking it because I was running down the sidewalk minding my damn business. It's especially humiliating when someone's harassment keeps in rhythm with your steps and movement of your body. Should I have stopped and gone back half the block to tell the kid to close his ugly mouth? But there were A LOT of young men on that porch...

"White bitch got back!" Got em that time because there was a young girl in the group laughing along, so I called her out and asked her how she'd like it if strangers were yelling "black bitch" anything at her. She was definitely humbled and her little instigator boyfriends were embarrassed and didn't have anything else to say.

I just moved to New Haven six months ago, and I regularly run a few miles around town for a workout. Every few weeks one of my runs will be interrupted by high school aged boys (different groups) who are compelled to harass me. Interestingly enough, they always wait until I'm fifty yards down the sidewalk before they can get the balls to say anything. Sadly enough, not once has another boy in the clique tried to shut his ignorant friend up. To have had 14 and 15 year old boys feel entitled and excited to humiliate and degrade me as a 25 year old adult on a sidewalk on a sunny afternoon in my own damn neighborhood was really fucking disheartening. I don't have a problem cursing out/flipping off a random single man on a sidewalk who has shit to say, but when it's a gaggle of teenagers I already know I can't win.

Submitted by Allison

Amateur Photographer

I was headed out to a bar in New Haven Sat night. Walking a few blocks from my apartment I noticed a sketchy looking guy pointing his phone at me. I was almost sure he was trying to get a picture of me so I flipped him off. It felt good to be able to do that but chances are he already snapped the picture. I hope i don't end up on some sex site because of the perv. I didn't think to take my phone out and take a picture of him too, but I should have!

Submitted by Casey

Satisfaction Guaranteed

It was 7:00am on a weekday and i was walking past a school bus stop. There were a few kids standing around waiting for the bus. I didn't think anything of it. Until one of the boys, around 8 years old, began gesturing inappropriately at me and yelling, "satisfaction guaranteed!" over and over. He kept making the jerking off gesture with his hand and thrusting his body back and forth while looking at me. I attempted to walk by but he just followed me up the block, yelling and thrusting. This boy could not have been older than 8. Finally when i had enough and got the courage to say something i turned around and said, "do you even KNOW what you are doing?!" He said, "no, they told me to do it!" and pointed to the older boys standing back at the bus stop laughing. I told him what he was doing was very inappropriate and disrespectful. His eyes swelled up with tears. He was clearly scared and did not think i would reprimand him. I so badly wanted to talk to the older boys and call their parents but i didn't think it was my place. The whole experience left me feeling dirty as well as disappointed in our youth.