Jen’s Story: Rape threats on the road

I was inspired to write after seeing the other report of road-rage-turned-harassment. I flipped off a man in a green truck at the Publix parking lot. I’d been waiting forever to pull out and he took what I felt was my turn. He didn’t like it; he pulled out of the parking lot after me, followed me several blocks away, gesticulating wildly. Finally pulled up next to me and then in front of me at a stop light, blocking me in, while motioning to me a clear message–a series of charade-style gestures making it clear he intended (or at least wanted) to rape me. He rolled down his windows and starting throwing anything he could find at my car, at my windows. I picked up my phone and called the police, making clear what I was doing (I wanted him to leave me alone). He pulled off, but I got his license number.

I proceeded cautiously home, still on the line with 911. The officer (Decatur police, and a woman) arrived and told me I should have a) stayed where I was when it happened (where a man was threatening to rape me), and b) that the whole thing was my fault for flipping him off in the first place and that if I hadn’t given the guy the bird, I wouldn’t have invited him to follow, harass, and threaten me. So I don’t have the right to use the bird in traffic, on account of being a woman, and challenging a man’s authority over me in public is a sound justification for whatever punishment his wounded ego finds just? According to the police, at least.

No Responses

Author comments are in a darker gray color for you to easily identify the posts author in the comments