Friday Question of the Day – Street Harassment

The problem with certain men…, originally uploaded by Now and Here.

It is clear from a previous discussion that street harassment is a real problem in DC. For obvious reasons, I’m sure it becomes worse in the warmer months. While I definitely advocate self defense classes, I thought for street harassment the best thing to do was to simply walk away, or nod and walk away with your head held high. I guess I’m wondering if folks feel that a self defense class is useful for dealing with catcalls? The class below mentions “prevention”. Sadly, from the stories I’ve heard, it seems impossible to prevent harassment. For those who have dealt with street harassment, would you feel more comfortable dealing with the situation after taking a self defense class?

“Dear PoP,

Thought your reader might be interested.

Get ready for Spring: Dealing with street harassment

With Spring, unfortunately, comes a huge increase in street harassment. Get ready for Spring by expanding your skills for dealing with the “hey babys” that may come your way.

Can you “ignore” street harassment? Of course you can. And you already know how to do that. This class will give you other options, making ignoring it only one in a range of skills to choose from, especially when ignoring it doesn’t seem safe.

The class will cover the range of self defense skills–prevention and awareness, verbal self defense, and physical techniques-that you might need in dealing with street harassment. Most of these skills can also be transferred to other irritating or dangerous situations in the rest of life.

* Saturday, April 18, 1-4 pm
* For women and teen girls ages 16+
* In NW DC near Howard University, Georgia Ave., and the Green Line
* $44.Register with a friend or family member and get $5 off each

www.defendyourself.org“