Where the Streets Have No Name

The New York City Council is finally probing street harassment. Lawmakers are exploring different avenues for "banning" cat calls and other lewd gestures.

'New York men who told the AP they have called out strange women on the street said they were doing it just to be friendly and seemed genuinely surprised that any attention can be unwelcome.

"We say hello, that's all, nothing derogatory," said Tony Alibrandi, 54, a construction worker taking a lunch break with several of his fellow workers. "We see a friendly face, we say hello."

Terrence Beam, 41, said he had no problem with lawmakers investigating "whistling and howling and that sort of thing."

"Yeah, because that would be harassment," he said.' (via Auburnpub.com)

Groups like Hollaback, an anti-street harassment group dedicated to ending cat calls, whistling and other harassing gestures by mobile technology, are organizing to expose harassers.

http://www.ihollaback.org/ 

San Francisco with it's peace, love and harmony vibes don't mean you won't get hollered at walking down the street. Check out MISSION CAT CALLS written by a real life SF Mission resident who quotes the cat calls she experiences.

http://twitter.com/missioncatcalls

And in Cairo, Egypt activists have organized to create a "harassmap" of neighborhoods and corners where perps and perverts lurk to harass innocent passersby.

Looks like there's a global effort to get rid of this age old behavior and for most of us, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Whew.