TikTok is taking on the role of town crier for Calgarians who are sharing their experiences of public harassment as a lesson of safety for others.
Defined in an article by the National Institutes of Health, street harassment refers to unwanted public attention and ranges from the act of making another uncomfortable to more serious cases like assault.
While the behaviour is not a new phenomenon, the hike in locals voicing their stories on social media is evidence that despite the city’s attempt to intervene, the number of perpetrators appears to be increasing.
In June 2022, the city amended the Public Behaviour Bylaw after an opinion survey found that 45 per cent of Calgarians felt this form of harassment significantly impacted their quality of life.
The addition of street harassment under the bylaw made communicating, attacking, or generally interfering with another’s use of pubic space an offence punishable by a $500 fine. Violators could also be penalized with an upward sum of $10,000 or six months in prison.
To date, 193 calls reporting street harassment have been made to 311. Of the instances reported, just 8 penalties have been handed out, according to an email statement from the city.
Similar to cases of sexual violence, harassment in all forms goes statistically underreported, and one article by the Government of Canada said victims often refrain for fear of retaliation.
But other times, it’s because those on the receiving end of such behaviour aren’t informed of their options until after it happens.
#FYP: Where locals are speaking up
At around 11:45 a.m., Lu Vanderzee, 30, was walking to the bus stop while on their way to the hospital for a routine appointment. During which, they received a “weird” look from a passing driver.
Originally, Vanderzee thought that the gesture was in response to the vibrant, neon yellow-coloured hoodie they were wearing. But as they continued down the sidewalk to enter the intersection of Elbow Drive SW, Vanderzee saw that the driver had parked the car.
“Something in my gut just said ‘you need to cross the street right now,’” they said.
When Vanderzee glanced over their shoulder, they saw a man had stepped out of the car and was following them. In disbelief, they hurried toward the Glenmore Trail crosswalk.
A second glance back — he was still there, now gaining faster tracks.
Vanderzee confided in a nearby optometrist’s office until the man was out of sight. They later called the Calgary Police Service’s (CPS) non-emergency line and filed a report including the man’s description.
The operator said that Vanderzee should have called 911, but they remember thinking that if they had called them, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference in the moment.
“You downplay it,” said Vanderzee.
“I said that they didn’t need to follow up with me or anything, I just wanted to have it on record.”
It wasn’t until Vanderzee shared their story in a TikTok video on May 17 that they began seeing other Calgarians posting similar experiences.
After learning this was not a unique event, Vanderzee said that they wish they had asked CPS to follow up with them to increase the likelihood of the man being reprimanded.
Had they known that street harassment was considered an offence under local bylaw, Vanderzee said they would have submitted a report there, too.
Not a one-off, comments say
The video has over 9,000 likes, and of the almost 1,000 comments, Vanderzee said the section is full of other people sharing their stories of public harassment.
They said that almost all of the comments appear to have been made by women and gender-diverse individuals. Identifying as non-binary themself, Vanderzee said that they have feminine physical traits and felt this makes them more susceptible to harassment.
According to Statistics Canada, women, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, and other minority groups are at an increased risk of being harassed to a level where the perpetrator commits a criminal offence.
Additionally, 93 per cent of women reported in the most recent edition of the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces that they had been targeted with sexual behaviour by a man in public. Almost half of them said it happened on a street, in a park, a parking lot, or while riding transit.
Ever since the incident, Vanderzee said they now carry a travel-sized can of hairspray with them to be used in place of illegal pepper spray in the event of someone threatening them.
They also named increased security presence in public spaces, knowledge about the street harassment bylaw, and awareness about the rise of incidents as beneficial for limiting future harassment.
“I’m really glad I made the video, because I think that there are lots more of these videos coming out now,” said Vanderzee.
“Because once someone does it, more people do too.”
The city offers support for victims of harassment through the Distress Centre, which is available upon calling (403) 266-4357. Street harassment reports can be submitted online or by calling 311. When in immediate danger, always call 911 for emergency assistance.
