HOME STATEMENT OF PURPOSE   HISTORY < NEWS ACTIONS & EVENTS HARASSMENT ARCHIVES FLYERS LINKS JOIN US > Document the facts - share your experience of street harassment

The Street Harassment Project is a New York City based activist group that works against the omnipresent harassment on the street and in other public places of women by men. We feel that street harassment in its varying forms is an expression of male supremacy and sexism and a form of terrorization of women, with the ultimate effect of threatening any public activity. We believe that all women are subjected to street harassment; and that some groups of women, including young women, women of color, and women perceived as lesbians are subjected to forms of street harassment which reflect those prejudices as well. And we reject the idea that this situation is inevitable and unchangeable, and that this behavior represents innate male nature. We began as an outgrowth of Feminist Living Lab's monthly Consciousness Raising group in 1999 following a meeting where we screened Maggie Hadleigh West's documentary Warzone and discussed street harassment. We met a few times that year and raised some money for a graphics project. When we decided to try to revive the group this summer after not meeting for a while, the date we set coincidentally was the Thursday after the sexual assaults which occurred in Central Park after the Puerto Rican Day Parade. A large group of motivated women and girls turned out, and we quickly organized a rally for that weekend in coalition with Riot Grrrl NY and Lisa Oelfke of the Violence Against Women Act Coalition. We have met weekly since that new beginning, participated in several other direct-action protests with organizations like Riot Grrrl NY and BASTA [Bringing All Sisters To Action], and formed working groups for different projects. Our Graphics working group has produced a set of cards for public distribution. Our Street Theater working group has performed songs, chants and skits about street harassment in various public spaces. We have completed a Statement of Purpose outlining our beliefs, goals and procedures, and begun to collect stories of street harassment from women and girls for purposes of documentation and possible statistical analysis. Please contact us if you are interested in taking a stand against street harassment! We meet weekly in Manhattan as well as organizing and participating in various actions and events around NYC. We are a female-only group, but we will work in coalition with profeminist male supporters. We are interested in connecting with other feminists everywhere to share experiences, strategy and information. The cards and other products of the Graphics working group are available for distribution here. Our Statement of Purpose can be read on our web site, and is also available as a brochure. For more information email us, or leave a message on either of our hotlines.