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The following article appeared in the Bitch Magazine. The Not So Silent Menace by Jessica Hulett February, 2003 �Hey baby, wanna come sit on my face?� �You look fine!� �C�mon sweetheart, smile!� �Nice hooters!� Compliments? Hardly. If men knew what was good for them, they�d never utter any of these phrases to the women of the Street Harassment Project, a New York City-based activist group founded in 1999 and dedicated to fight the harassment of women in public spaces-the only group devoted specifically to the cause. The SHP�s mission statement defines street harassment as �a form of terrorization of women in which men attempt to impose dominance and women are supposed to react with subordination.� The group raises awareness through story collection and distribution, street theater, weekly meetings, workshops, and flyers. One the groups well-known distributed materials is a small card designed to mimic the porn-ad cards tucked under windshield wipers- but instead of advertising a sex chat-line, this one says, �Hey Guys Wanna Get Laid? The Stop Harassing Women!� While most us encounter garden-variety leering and comments on our daily routes-not that that�s not disturbing enough-street harassment can also escalate into situations similar to what happened in the summer of 2000, when more than 50 women were swarmed and sexually assaulted in New York�s Central Park after the city�s annual Puerto Rican Day parade. Since police rarely intervene when a women is being harassed, we need to watch our own backs and those of other women, taking back not just the night but also the bus, the park, and the side walk. Herein, Leah, Lisa, Laura and Erin of the Street Harassment Project share some of their tactics. Talk About It �One of the odd things about street harassment is that it�s everywhere but it�s invisible,� says Lisa. �People don�t talk about it. They treat is like the weather a lot of the time-it�s just something that happens if you go outside.� Sharing experiences with other women and offering support will help us realize we�re not alone. Talk to the men in you life, too: Many nonharassers don�t realize what women are faced with when they leave the house every morning. Educating good guys will make them want to support us. Help Raise Awareness �I think there are women who want to dismiss [street harassment] and don�t want to analyze the situation as a societal problem because then they�ll have to face the fact that they are being oppressed,� says Leah. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Print out flyers from the SHP website and hang them all over town. Educate your classmates, coworkers, and kids. Make sure everyone you come into contact with understands the term �street harassment� Carry Yourself With Confidence �Use body language to confront harassment before it happens� says Laura. Take up space, stand up straight, look people in the eye. If men look you up and down, look then up and down. All of these things tell a would-be harasser not to mess with you. Walking with your head down and not being aware of what�s going on around you makes you an easier target. Help a Sister Out If you see a woman being harassed, step in and confront the harasser. Not only is there safety in numbers, but having the strength to stand up for other women can help them gain the confidence to stand up for themselves. And once the karma wheel is turning, they�ll do the same for someone else, until we all someone watching our back when we are in public. See how nicely that works? Always do Something �Women should do whatever they feel comfortable doing, but it�s usually better to do something than to do nothing,� says Erin. Maybe you�re not the confrontational type (yet). Giving a harasser the finger or yelling �Fuck Off!� is better than not doing anything at all. We�re at risk of being harassed, threatened, or assaulted whether we fight back or remain silent. Use your common sense-being aware of your surroundings will help you judge your personal safety, and then you can react accordingly. Every small step you take will make you feel like your more in control. JESSICA HULETT is a New York City based horoscope writer with delusions of rock stardom and a fierce addiction to teen melodrama.