Sexually Harrased at Maiwond Kabob, Linthicum, Maryland

One late afternoon I was at Maiwond Kabob, off Elkridge Landing Road in Linthicum, Maryland (Anne Arundel County). Maiwond Kabob is known for having hilaal so Muslims venture there often.

As I was waiting to get my order, I went to the small counter where the condiments are located. I began filling one of the mini clear cups with “Rooster sauce” when a black “Christian” male appeared and made a comment about the sauce. I said nothing. The black male then looked directly at me and stated “I’ve never had any of THAT before” with a dirty smirk on his face and just stood there staring and would not move. I continued to not respond and gathered my napkins and condiments and walked to the other side of the restaurant. The woman preparing the food looked on with disgust at the black male.

I wondered if this ever happened to a white nun, a white Amish, an Ashkenazi or Orthodox Jewish or Pakistani or Arab Sunni Muslim. I seriously doubt it. “Black” women are prey to black male strangers no matter if they are Sunni Muslim, how G-d-fearing, modest or religiously clad one is. Black males have a deep seated hatred and disdain for women they presume to be “Black” and show it everyday especially against TOTAL STRANGERS. These black men are supposed to be charged with hate crimes.

I only pray G-d brings down His wrath and show what true justice is to these nasty and disrespectful Negroes.

Huffington Post article: When Black Women Die From Street Harassment

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6014092
WHEN BLACK WOMEN DIE FROM STREET HARASSMENT
Who cries when black women die?
October 20, 2014

I’m not asking that as some type of rhetorical, poetic question, meant to move you toward ferocious finger snaps. I want to know. Who cries when black women die?

Further, who cries when black women are killed?

Mary Spears was killed. The man who killed her did so because she refused to give him her phone number. She told him “I have a man I can’t talk to you,” and yet he persisted. Rather than respect her wishes to be left alone, he shot her.

Who cries when black women die from street harassment? 

I really do need an answer. Because Mary Spears’s right to move about freely in the world was denied to her, her life taken from her, and there are no marches. No one has broken out the bullhorns or their comfortable sneakers. There are no widespread calls to protect the autonomy of black women and their bodies. The community leaders haven’t deemed this unacceptable and a fate no one should ever face simply because they reject a man’s advances.

No, when black women die from that toxic mix of violent misogyny, male entitlement, and hypermasculine posturing, there is no movement to be born. There are condolences to be offered and “unfortunate”s to be uttered, but no tears to be cried. There is no anger that propels action.

You’ve read this piece before. You’ve read it a dozen times over. I’ve written it before. I could have written it a dozen times over. It’s the piece where someone complains about how little outrage there is surrounding something which deeply affects them, and then the reader is left to wonder, “Well, if it means that much to you, what are YOU doing about it?” You may have written that piece before. And we keep writing them because I don’t think any of us are quite sure what to do.

Where black women are concerned, we aren’t just talking about mounting the evils of misogyny, or even racism. We compete with the sacrifices black women make for their community.

I understand that there’s an impulse to not make black men the faces of street harassment, given all of the ideas that already exist around black male hypersexuality, as well as the disproportionate amount of police violence that black men face as the result of the constant criminalization of behaviors associated with black men. But black women have been allowed to suffer too much for the protection of black men. They have paid with their lives.

And here I am, writing another blog post wondering why no one seems to care.

Street harassment is vile. It makes women feel unsafe in public. But when black women die because we have failed to teach boys and men to keep their thoughts and hands to themselves, that they are not entitled to the sexual attention of any and every woman, or that their attempts at proving their masculinity through verbal and physical assaults on women are failures, the concern fades before it has a chance to actually surface. Black women are expected to keep sacrificing.

Who cries when black women die? Nobody. No damn body.

Mychal Denzel Smith is a Knobler Fellow at The Nation Institute. 

In the News: The Washington Post article: Maryland should lead the nation on street harassment laws

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/maryland-should-lead-the-nation-on-street-harassment-laws/2014/11/07/8ba98ede-6517-11e4-836c-83bc4f26eb67_story.html

Maryland should lead the nation on street harassment laws

By Natalie Draisin  November 7
“Shake that a–, girl!” he yelled at me from his pickup truck.

That’s right, from his pickup truck. We weren’t at a strip club, and I wasn’t putting on a street corner show. I was simply walking from one of my graduate school campuses to another in Baltimore.

My friend and I make this trek almost daily, and we always walk together because the incessant harassment makes us feel too unsafe to walk alone. During my six years in Baltimore and two in the District, I have cringed at countless unwanted remarks like this.

Street harassment is ubiquitous, and it probably will get worse. I think about a group of middle school boys who made sexual comments as I walked by, who probably learned the behavior from the elderly man down the street. Boys learn from men as they make inappropriate remarks, and girls will keep learning from women to absorb them.

Street harassment has sadly become a societal norm.

As women become increasingly fed up with the harassment, we’ve published blog posts and videos to raise awareness and air our grievances. Recently, an organization dedicated to ending this behavior videotaped the catcalls one woman received while walking in New York City. The video, “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman,” was quickly followed by the parody “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Man.”

There have been a lot of courageous campaigns to help empower women to fight the harassment, such as Stop Telling Women to Smile and Stop Street Harassment, but they won’t suffice. My public health studies have taught me that behavioral interventions aren’t enough. We need laws, too.

Some women are advocating for an enforceable solution, such as an anti-street-harassment law. In a New York Times op-ed, Laura Beth Nielsen suggested a law that would prohibit “uninvited harassing speech or actions targeted toward individuals in public spaces on the basis of sex or sexual orientation when done with the intent to intimidate.” Citing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that people can demand equality and freedom from sexual harassment at work, Nielsen said that we should have the right to be free of harassment on the streets, too.

Such a law would not protect just women. It would protect everyone. And Maryland, with its rich history on civil rights issues, including a recent law that protects residents from discrimination based on gender identity, is the right place to start.

However, it’s up to women to drive this fight. Men don’t experience the same degree of harassment on a regular basis, and they may not be aware of the prevalence and severity of the issue. That’s okay. We’re mustering the courage to raise awareness, and now we just have to demand that action be taken in the form of an enforceable law.

To all the women as frustrated with street harassment as I am, let’s stop complaining and start doing something. Behavior change won’t suffice; we need laws to help protect our human right to be free of harassment. Let’s push Maryland to end street harassment.

The writer is a student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Carey School of Business.

Harassed by Black Male at Traffic Light: Prince George’s County

One mid morning I was driving southbound on a major route (I cannot recall the route number)in Prince George’s County which intersects with Patuxent Parkway. while stopped on red at one of the traffic lights, I heard a fair skinned black male yelling at me from the passenger side of a black sedan.

Initially, I thought my gas cap door was opened or something only to realize that this black male was yelling in the middle of traffic for my phone number. Since I already had my shades on I turned back to look straight ahead though I glanced when I saw him throw an object at my car.  Though I saw it, I didn’t hear it, so I concluded he missed my car.

When I arrived at the Target parking lot I decided to take a look-see over the left side of my car. Lo and behold the black male harasser had threw a wad of chewed gum which was stuck at on the front side, appearing moist and strands of gum streaked alongside. Luckily I carry ‘Goo Gone’ (from Home Depot) in my car and had some napkins which I used to get most of it off.

This is what black males do, attempt to destroy personal property and mock you when you reject their advances. Black man, not interested. 

Virginia News: Author and activist Holly Kearl will speak at the Nov. 18 AAUW meeting in McLean

 http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2014/nov/05/focus-stopping-street-harassment/

Author and activist Holly Kearl will speak at the Nov. 18 AAUW meeting in McLean.

#Catcalls, sexual and sexist comments, following, flashing, and groping. Most women in the world have experienced unwanted sexual harassment in public spaces by strangers, or “street harassment.” More than half of harassed women say it began when they were a teenager.
#Holly Kearl, an author and leading advocate for stopping street harassment, will be speaking about this issue – and what we can all do about it – at the AAUW McLean Area November Branch Event on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at the McLean Community Center.
#Kearl is an expert on the topic of gender-based violence, including street harassment and sexual harassment in schools and on college campuses. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization, Stop Street Harassment and a consultant for organizations like the United Nations, the State Department, One World Education, and Change in our Lifetime.
#She also works as a part-time facilitator for the Op-Ed Project’s Public Voices Fellowship at Northwestern University, and an adjunct professor of Women’s Studies at George Mason University.
#Tired of strange men whistling and honking at her, calling out to her, following her, and grabbing her when she was alone in public, Kearl wrote her master’s thesis in 2007 at GWU on gender-based street harassment and how women were using online websites to combat it.
#She has authored two books, “50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers” (2013) and “Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women” (2010) and two national studies, Unsafe and Harassed in Public Spaces: A National Street Harassment Report (2014) and Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment in Schools (2011).
#Kearl received a master’s degree in Public Policy and Women’s Studies from George Washington University and bachelor’s degrees in history and women’s studies from Santa Clara University.

An Open Thank You Letter to Decent White Men Of Washington, D.C.

I wanted to extend my sincere thank you for all the times you have assisted or intervened on my behalf when a black “Christian” male stranger sought to harm me in NW, Washington, D.C. 

Whether it was leaving work, going to lunch or to the bank machine, or riding in the DC subway system, more likely than not,  a white man came to my rescue. I ask that you do not stop as America has degenerated so much, I believe that if it were not for you, a black male would have already killed me by now. Once again I sincerely thank you.

A covered Sunni Muslim Black American Woman

Huffington Post article: Street Harassment Should Be a Crime

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6165166

Catcalling and Street Harassment Should Absolutely Be a Crime
J.J. Colagrande 11/19/14 11:17 AM ET
This article might be a little bit late to the catcalling party, but this issue isn’t a party, nor is it going anywhere. In fact, this issue should continue to be examined, articulated and pressed forward with the legitimate chance of actualizing legislation to ensure that catcalling and street harassment is a prosecutable crime.

This is not a first amendment issue.

This is not merely a matter of creepiness or rudeness or uptight citizens. To have the viewpoint that it’s okay to scream or even speak complimentary or rude remarks regarding a stranger’s physical appearance is antiquated and barbaric and incredibly politically incorrect. In the very least, catcalling and street harassment is chauvinistic, misogynistic, sexist and rude. In the most, it’s an invasion of privacy, a disturbance of peace, sexual harassment, and a slippery slope towards a possible assault or abuse, either physically or mentally. This isn’t a feminist issue. It’s a societal problem.

We have to protect our daughters, sons and each other.

The fact that anyone (not necessarily just a pretty woman) can’t walk down a city street without having to be engaged is wrong. It is public disorder and borderline chaos. If a judge or prosecutor doesn’t see catcalling as disturbing the peace, they’re living in another era. No one wants a felony for catcalling or street harassment, but having law enforcement police the issue isn’t asking too much, it’s asking for a little.

What’s wrong with issuing a few tickets?

Consider it like driving without a seat belt. The more tickets a cop issued, the more society buckled up. This should be common sense, not a wedge issue.

Hollaback is the preeminent non-profit organization committed to this. To keep an eye on the evolution of this issue, or, to get more information, check out their website.

And be nice out there. This isn’t funny or a joke. This is simply about respect.

Linthicum, Maryland: Black “Christian” Male Scratched My Car Because I Ignored His Advances

One day around 10 a.m., I was in the parking lot of a business off Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum, Maryland. As I approached to access the driver’s side of my car to get something, I noticed a dark skinned, shiny black male STRANGER standing at his car which was an older model gold Honda with black trim and was parked to the left of mine.

The black “Christian” male proceeded to stare and “eye rape” me. I passed him, entered my car and said nothing to him. After I retrieved what I needed and went back inside the business establishment, something told me to check on my car. I returned a few minutes later and lo and behold I had a fresh long scratch along the driver’s side door.

I notified my insurance company and told them what happened. Instead of putting forth effort of getting the surveillance tape they said they could create a claim for vandalism but I would be stuck paying the deductible.

This is what black “Christian” males do: invade your space, do not respect personal boundaries, disrespect religious women and destroy other’s property just because a decent woman rejects his advances. Like I said today’s black males have no honor or integirty and will harm you and/or your property. Then actualky wonder why no one wants to be in  the same public spaces as them?

Harassed by a Black Man at 7 Eleven Gas Station: Route 198, Laurel, Maryland

One day I was paying for gas at the 7 eleven near the Target off 198 in Laurel, Maryland (Anne Arundel County). The cashier was South American and polite as I was completing my transaction, a dark skin black male Christian whispered in a very invasive and sinister tone “Yah like those Latinos, don’t you?”

I literally froze and thought grab your receipt and immediately leave the store which I did.

Although I had my hijab on, my space and personal boundary was invaded by a black male STRANGER who had nothing to do with my transaction. If I didn’t have part of my hijab covering my ears I believe he would’ve touched them with his slithering mouth.

My lifelong experience is that black males are the primary harassers and predators and continued to be an ever-present menace to public spaces.

Black man leave me alone.