The reason for this survey is because of something I experienced. In 2017, upon leaving a study group at a friend's house in Portland, Oregon, I headed over the MAX (mass transit) station. When the train pulled up, I noticed the car in front of me had a single occupant - a beautiful young college-aged woman with brunette hair. When the doors opened, I stepped on, and glanced at the woman again. She was now accompanied by a young man sitting next to her. I was taken a back because I couldn't understand how I didn't see him through the window. I decided to stand facing away from them

As the train picked up speed, I heard a tap on the window. Turning my head, I was astonished to see that the man was gone again. Was I so deep in thought that I hadn't heard the doors to the adjacent car open? The woman waved me over to her. I approached her with hesitance. As I got closer, she began pointing down into her lap. I did not understand her strange gesture until I looked over the back of her seat. At that moment, everything made sense. The young man was resting his head against her thigh. And the woman's facial expression told me that she did not know the man and that she wanted me to do something about it.

That made me nervous because I did not want an altercation. I am not a fighter. I thought, what if he pulls out a knife or something? I decided to sit across the aisle from them. I then reached my hand over and set it on the guy's shoulder. I asked him if he was okay. Immediately he shot up in his seat. I asked him if he would like to sit next to me. Thankfully he did and that was all that happened. They guy closed his eyes like he was asleep and the woman mouthed a thank you to me before turning her attention out of her window.

As the train continued on, I pondered what I might do if she were to get off the train and he decides to follow her. I honestly felt like I had done enough. I did a lot of walking in the day, it was late, and I was ready for bed. But then I heard a whisper in my mind: "What if she was your daughter, and you were some strange man on a train - what would you want you to do?" Ugh I thought. In that case, I decided I would pursue. But only if she were to exit before my stop. When the train pulled up to the next station, the woman left, but the man remained. Relief washed over me. But then suddenly the man got up and left too. Crap, I thought. I shrugged my shoulders and followed them.

They slipped around the back of the train to where the buses were. I thought to myself, "If she gets on a bus and he does too, will I follow them? How far am I going to take this?" At this point I was beginning to feel stalker-ish. As I crossed the tracks, I saw the man engaging with the woman. As I approached, I touched her lightly on the shoulder and drew her towards me. She told me the guy was asking to use her phone. The guy turned and faced away. Then the woman thanked me again and proceeded down the unlit path toward the parking lot. Maybe she has I car, I thought.

The remaining people on the platform got on the buses and left. Now it was just the three of us. The woman had stopped at the end of the sidewalk. I thought, perhaps she is waiting for someone. The man turned toward me and asked if he could use my phone. I hesitated for a minute. I pondered whether he might grab it and run off. Just as I was about to make a decision, he darted across the tracks. A group of three guys were approaching on the adjacent sidewalk. For a minute I thought they were all going to leave. But then the group turned toward the woman on the opposite side of the tracks. I was thinking, if I get stuck here, I am going to have to walk six miles home. But if that was my daughter... I shrugged my shoulders again and proceeded towards her.

When I got near her, I stopped about ten feet away and asked if she would be okay with me waiting there with her. She said that would be okay. At this point the guys had crossed the tracks again and were walking away from us. The woman said, "That was strange, wasn't it?" I muttered out a, "Yeah.." She was now on her phone texting someone. I kept darting my eyes between her and the young men. I asked her if she was waiting for a ride. She said, her dad was coming to pick her up. I stayed with her until a white pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. She said that was him and she took off quite quickly. I watched her until she was safely in the truck and it drove off. At this point I turned toward the platform with concern that I might be ambushed around the corner. Thankfully no one was there. Three 'Out-of-Service' trains went by as I waited. Thankfully another 'In-Service' one stopped and I was able to go home.

This was the first time in my life that I ever encountered something like this. But since then I have learned that many women experience unnerving instances with random strangers. After that night, I began to look at older women like my mothers, younger women like my sisters, and girls like my daughters and I have treated them in kind. I hope for other well-intention men in my community to not idly stand by, but to do the same.