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‘Creepers’ on the rise?

Posted by: Stephanie De Pasquale on March 18, 2009 at 11:13AM CST

When I had lunch this past weekend with a couple of friends from college (one of whom is a senior this year), they recounted the disturbing events of their previous evening.

They had headed out to The District with a group of girls. While they were seated at the bar in one establishment, a man who walked up next to one of them was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, despite the fact it was well past midnight.

The man then proceeded to get closer and closer to my friend until he had somehow weaseled his leg onto her bar stool. She was creeped out and tried to ignore him, which became impossible when he began rubbing her shoulders. Keep in mind that she had never seen this guy before and that they had not exchanged a single word.

She sternly told him to take his hands off her, but he kept trying to get closer and closer. The bartender eventually stepped into the situation and the guy left, or so they thought. When they departed — thankfully in a group — he was standing outside.

The girls said they’ve been running into these “creepers” at a disturbingly frequent rate lately.

Now I know there are plenty of nice guys out there who are much more tactful when it comes to getting chatting up a woman at a bar, but have any of you ladies recently had similar experiences? Are you noticing an increase in the frequency of encounters with these so-called “creepers?”

I once interviewed a woman who said she enjoyed going to Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Grill in Bettendorf because she didn’t have to worry about feeling like she was in the middle of a meat market, so maybe there are a variety of factors at work.

And how about you guys? Have you ever run into a woman at at bar who was so pushy it made you uncomfortable?

Send This | Categories: Bars, Nightclubs, Nightlife, The District

(12) Comments

Posted by: Melissa C on March 18, 2009 12:22PM CST

Wow. That is creepy. I giggled at the term "creepers," though, because that's what my family calls it when your undies "creep up" requiring a readjustment. HAHA!
I wonder if the bar owners have noticed this, too. Most bartenders I know will run interference like the guy mentioned above did if they see one of their customers in an uncomfortable situation.

Posted by: Penelope on March 18, 2009 12:56PM CST

Tell them to be carefull!

Posted by: Watchfulmom on March 18, 2009 3:30PM CST

Even notice the ugly ones seem to have the most guts too? Safety in numbers! Glad it didn't turn out bad.

Posted by: Stephanie De Pasquale on March 18, 2009 4:00PM CST

Mayor Melissa, that's what I call them too, but apparently the word has a new meaning these days.

Posted by: RI-grrrl on March 19, 2009 2:28AM CST

It would be great if people listed several bars and nightspots that they tend to find none of these people, and perhaps a list of the worst.
watchful- that's funny and true.

Posted by: Stephanie De Pasquale on March 19, 2009 4:02PM CST

I spent a lot of time at Fusion in Davenport last summer when I was reporting on the female impersonation shows there. I loved going there because I knew nobody would mess with me because I didn't have what the guys were looking for and the ladies were all very polite.

However there were other places I've been to for work where I would wear a fake engagement ring to (this is before I got engaged) to help ward off creeps...particularly the ones who were old enough to be my father.

Posted by: Stephanie De Pasquale on March 19, 2009 5:01PM CST

Zack Wenthe, the downtown manager for Renaissance Rock Island, read the blog in today's Go&Do. He said this is not the kind of behavior he wants in his downtown. Wenthe plans to talk with bar owners and bartenders to make sure they are more vigilant in addressing such situations.

But coming from someone who has been at establishments all over the Q-C for work, this kind of thing can happen anywhere and it's not a knock on The District in any way that the incident happened to occur in a bar there. I'm actually headed there tonight for a story and am not concerned in the least bit.

Posted by: Watchfulmom on March 20, 2009 12:45AM CST

I never took it as a reflection of the bar at all when I first read it. That's the thing about businesses the door is unlocked. Anybody can come in. If anyone is bothering you just say something and they normally take care of it. You were simply giving the ladies a heads up is what I saw.

Posted by: marismom on March 20, 2009 4:11PM CST

Anyone entering a bar/club looking like the Unibomber should be pointed out to the bouncer and removed.

Posted by: Watchfulmom on March 25, 2009 4:57PM CST

LOL marismom I was thinking unibomber too.

Posted by: Stephanie De Pasquale on March 26, 2009 10:47PM CST

What's really funny is my friend actually described him as looking like the unibomber, but I didn't want to really blow it out of the water and freak people out by throwing that in there.

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A look at local entertainment in the Quad-Cities from Entertainment Reporter Stephanie De Pasquale.

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