Article September 23, 1996 Issue

Innocence in the city

Heather M. Hayward

When eleven-year-old Elizabeth and her family moved to a major city, the journey to her new school involved a long subway ride. Her mother commuted with her morning and evening for the first three weeks, to familiarize them both with all the routes she could take. The rush-hour trains were crowded, so it was reasonable to assume that she was well protected. They practiced steps she could take if danger arose.

One day Elizabeth became aware that a man sitting diagonally opposite to her in the crowded subway train was trying to frighten, intimidate, and embarrass her. His covert movements were unseen by the other passengers, but his mocking grin, focused on her, alerted her to moral and physical danger. She was in turn surprised, shocked, and then indignant at his disgusting behavior.

She quickly changed to another train across the platform. He followed, but fortunately the doors closed before he could get inside. He rushed back to the first train and at the next stop tried to intimidate her further by leering at her when the two trains were momentarily parallel. When her mother met her at her home station, she calmly requested that her mother take her to the police so she could report the incident.

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