Street Harassment

On Thursday, December 12th, 2019 at 11:12 pm, Kyler said:

I think that's the case. Though they definitely think I'm overreacting/being crazy. If they were around (at least my siblings), they'd be petrified to death tbh. Unfortunately, they do hold some power at the moment.

Adults I've gone up to (while being followed/harassed) always say something like "I dunno, just call the police?" But my parents say that's a huge overreaction. I wish I knew more about who they were. I think I may know one of them (who used to be my friend), but...

The advice I usually got from family as a kid in regard to bullies was "fight back".

So... I learned a little bit about how to fight back. Fortunately, none of my bullies were particularly strong. In the end, I was afraid to actually hit them back, so I'd just stand there and let them wail away. Why? The main bully's dad was a cop. He knew I couldn't fight back without ending up in serious trouble. The bully and his friends made up lies about me and even the bully's mother lied to my parents, claiming I was using all kinds of foul language. I ended up in a lot of trouble for things I never did (of course my parents believed the bully's mom over me).

In the end, it was easier to let them hit me (it wasn't actually physically painful; none of them put much effort into it) than it was to slug them back and risk getting sent to juvenile hall. I was never particularly strong as a kid (in fact I was smaller than most others my age) but taking a beating wasn't too scary. You shouldn't have to do that, though.

Moral of the story? The world is a corrupt, unfair place and some people are just plain evil.

Now... your bullies may be more serious than mine were. If they're planning on doing more than giving you a few punches now and then (and I wouldn't suggest attempting to fight them back), I wouldn't take any chances. If you can't walk down the street without being intimated by these idiots, you probably need to talk to the authorities. I think it's pretty bad that your family just dismisses your concerns like that, quite frankly.

Be safe.

EDIT: You shouldn't even be expected to "take a few punches" just because that's what I ended up doing. Assault is assault.

Aww Nitro, that really sucks . Having to go through anything, AND be thought to be at-fault really sucks. It really is no fair at all.

If I at least knew they were interested in doing no more than giving me a couple of punches, I wouldn't mind so much. They probably won't even do that much, but it's the constant fear that they'll do WORSE that gets me the most.

I appreciate you guys sharing your opinions, as well. Not only is it admittedly cathartic to hear you guys express some concern over this, but I am genuinely curious to hear opinions on the matter.

Since my parents have had four younger children after me, I think they sometimes blow off my concerns a bit. It didn't used to be that way, but it has started to happen over the past five-of-so years. And of course, there's the theory that my interest in a certain case familiar to most of you here is the sole reason for my concerns. Actually, for them it's not just a theory; it's a proven law . Even though the first time it happened to me I didn't even know of said case.

I'm going to an appointment tomorrow afternoon and not going to school on Tuesday, so I get a couple days where I don't have to worry. Yay! But then I remember this is literally me concerned about making the five-minute walk home that I used to make daily without thinking twice. Boo.

Nitro, I know all too well what it means to be falsely accused and suspected by everybody.

Bates, I'm sorry to hear about you going through bullying. I wish I could help you IRL. Don't let them just get away with threatening physical harm.

When someone reaches out, listen. Don't shoot the messenger. When something really bad happens, sometimes it's difficult to be direct, but the right people are there to help.

On Tuesday, December 24th, 2019 at 7:03 am, lam said:

Thank you lam. It's nice to see you posting again.

Have you had any experiences of harassment? Sometimes it helps to rant a bit.