Does street harassment happen in Phoenix? (how much, Home Depot, contractors)

[breakingfree]

Hi everyone. I'm a young woman currently living in DC and I am considering moving to Phoenix. I have researched everything I could think of so far (climate, demographics, affordability, etc.) but I can't find any information on street harassment. It usually involves men hanging out on streets and other public places harassing women: "Baby, can I talk to you?", sexual advances, and in some worse cases physical threats and stalking if you don't respond to these men the way they want you to. It happens too often in DC and I'm trying to find a community to live in where it's safer for women.

All said, is it a safer, more female-friendly environment there than it is in DC? Your answers are much appreciated.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

That is a new one on me. We have had a lot of threads on the benefits of older cities because they have a lot more people per square mile than Phoenix does.Maybe that happens within those kind of cities. Within the Phoenix area many people drive to go from place to place. Having guys calling out rude comments to women is something that I haven't seen before from street corners. Not saying that it doesn't happen. The only guys that I have seen on street corners were looking for work from contractors or others that want some hard work performed, usually near a Home Depot or some other building suply area. In those area that have men looking for work I haven't seen to many women walking around near them.

If you are talking about guys hanging out loitering causing problems hitting on any girl that walks by, I don't think that is a big problem in the Phoenix area that I have seen anyway. It is a big place though and there may be areas that have pockets of that. Not sure and maybe others within this forum can elaborate on anything that they are aware of. My thoughts are that what you will find in Arizona, and most western states is that most people drive a car, truck, mortorcycle and chances are wouldn't be caught hanging out on a street corner.

[sablebaby]

I'm not too sure how much walking you will be doing here as this isn't a walking city. We drive everywhere.

To answer your question, I think it depends on how confident you walk down the street. I think men (at least the kind you are talking about) like a confident looking women and that will catch some attention for sure. I don't think you'll receive as much harassment as you do now, but I think that depends on the area you walk in. If your in a suburb walking to the mailbox, no it most likely won't happen. If you're downtown then it may happen.

One thing that CAN happen is harassment in your car. A few years ago I had a couple of instances of men following me in their car at night. One followed me from a store and it was very difficult to lose him. I was in an area that I wasn't completely used to and my only thought was to drive to a police station. He backed off when he saw me pull out my cell phone. It was very scary. Another time, about 2 years ago driving to work some crazy guy went bezerk and stalked me for several miles. It was the craziest thing I ever went through. He would stop in the middle of the road, open his door and pretend to get out and then pull his truck up some and brake again. He would honk and wave his arms.

Driving in general is a hassle most days. There's always someone who doesn't care if I see tomorrow or not.

Basically, being female is tough when it comes to safety. Some men think they can overpower us. Lock your doors, park in lit areas, always be aware of your surroundings.

[aughra]

I have two... attractive daughters who drive and also walk alot around areas. They usually arent any where they shouldnt be... and they say they have never had that happen to them. Good Luck

[breakingfree]

Thanks everyone. I've lived on the east coast and used public transportation for most of my life and have dealt with street harassment for many years. If I do end up moving to Phoenix, it'll be a nice change of pace to not have to deal with those ridiculous men hanging out.

And as for vehicular stalking, I'd be extremely alert if that mess ever happened to me, I'd lead those fools on a wild goose chase until I've long lost them.