A man who was stabbed while defending his girlfriend after she was harassed by a catcaller on the streets of San Francisco says there has to be a way to protect women from such unwanted advances.
Ben Schwartz, 31, was stabbed nine times by a suspect who attacked him after he confronted the man about repeatedly catcalling his girlfriend in the early morning hours along Larkin and Ellis streets,
he told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Schwartz told the newspaper he and his girlfriend were walking home from a friend's party when they passed the man on the street and he began making vulgar comments. Because he forgot his wallet at the party, Schwartz said they had to pass the suspect three times and the man continued his verbal taunts each time.
"When we tried to get away from the situation and cross the street, we were followed and the harassment got even more intense," Schwartz told the Chronicle. "I was scared for me. I was scared for my girlfriend. I told her to stay on one side of the street, and I went to tell him to stop."
The suspect, according to Schwartz, pulled out a knife and stabbed him, puncturing a lung, while also slashing him on the back, face, neck and arms. The newspaper said the man left the scene before police arrived.
"It barely missed my spinal cord in the back by just a few inches, so luckily this wheelchair is not permanent, thank God,"
Schwartz told KGO-TV. "I punctured my right lung from behind."
His mother, Claire Schuren, traveled from Tucson to assist her son, according to the television station.
"It's a terrifying experience for a parent or probably anybody who hears about it," said Schuren.
Friends set up a
GoFundMe page to help Schwartz with his medical expenses and raised $30,866 in four days, with 1,004 people making donations.
"To those who feel passionate about stopping harassment and feel like women need to be done with this crap, or just feel like the right thing was done, we feel ya," said a statement on the GoFundMe site. "We think if enough people start barking about this more folks will get involved and maybe if enough people start to take notice some permanent changes could be set in place in the future here real soon. We really hoped we helped in some small way of achieving positive change."
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