Summer brings boost in catcalling, street harassment, say downtown bartenders

For restaurant and bar workers in downtown St. John's, summer brings a steady stream of customers as people are eager to make the most of the warm, sunny weather. But some women in the service industry say they're also seeing a surge in catcalling and street harassment.

Stacey Seward works as a bartender at Erin's Pub on Water Street and regularly walks home. At least once a week, she said, someone — either walking by or in a passing car — yells or honks at her.  

Sometimes, she said, "cars will slow down and circle around you, and come back and be really creepy. And it [has] a very malicious feeling to it."

You don't know what their intentions are — it's instinct to be afraid.- Stacey Seward, bartender

Seward considers herself to be a strong person and said it's important not to live in fear. But, she said, it's hard not to feel vulnerable.

"When you're walking and it's just you, and there's someone in a vehicle and you can't see them — and you don't know what their intentions are — it's instinct to be afraid." 

'Sometimes I'll carry rocks in my hand'

Seward said these experiences catch her by surprise — they make her feel powerless and often angry. 

"Over the years, sometimes I'll carry rocks in my hand to throw at cars that go by," she said.

Seward said she's rarely actually hits a vehicle. The rocks are more her way of lashing out against the street harassment.

"As a woman who's walking home, there are things that you do instinctively without even realizing it," she said. 

For instance, Seward doesn't wear headphones at night, and sticks to well-lit areas. She said each summer, the harassment seems to get worse and worse.

Not alone

Bartender Julia Parsons can relate. She told CBC via email that management at Martini Bar on George Street encourages its bouncers to walk female employees to their vehicles after work.

If there are no men working, Parsons said her female coworkers stick together at the end of their shifts, and take turns walking women to their vehicles. 

One night, Parsons said, a man even followed her to her car, and repeatedly asked if he could go home with her. 

"He kept asking if he could come to my house and I said, 'No, my boyfriend is there and I live with my parents.' And he still wouldn't leave me alone," she said.

Parsons was 19 years old at the time and estimates the man was in his late thirties. 

She said harassment like this is much worse during the summer months.   

Call police

Const. Geoff Higdon of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary urges anyone feeling harassed to call police "and an investigation will be carried out."

Higdon said that if a passing car makes you feel uncomfortable, it's important to call police and provide them with as much information about the driver and vehicle as possible.

Similarly, anyone who witnesses an incident of street harassment should also contact police.