After last night, I am now seriously thinking about getting some kind of body-worn video camera. As I wrote yesterday, it had been a great day: after the filming had stopped, I had decided to trundle around Westminster for a bit, before taking the Jubilee line to Bond street, then the Elisabeth to Woolwich. From there I hopped on a bus, composing my blog entry on the way. I was heading to Kidbrooke, intending to pick up some supplies there before coming home. To be honest I was feeling rather happy: I was proud to have shown such solidarity with my fellow disabled people, and was looking forward to seeing the completed film.

However, my mood was suddenly shattered. I was heading through a nearby park when a group of teenagers started making noises at me, trying to wind me up and annoy me. I don’t know why they do it, and I know I shouldn’t respond, but the way they laugh and jeer and mock me, totally out of the blue, feels utterly insulting. I am a proud, independent man – why should I be the butt of some little shit’s game? Then, when I try to tell them to shut up, they do it even more, making me feel powerless and frustrated.The teenagers I encountered yesterday seemed even more vindictive than usual though, following me, taking more and more pleasure in making insulting, offensive remarks. Things became worse and worse, until in the end I had no choice but to tell myself to swallow my pride and continue on my way to the shop. Yet the deep-seated feeling remained: Any other 42 year old man would tear their proverbial heads off, so why shouldn’t I?

Such incidents have to stop. If I had some kind of body-worn camera, perhaps I could record them and show the footage to someone. Lyn once gave me a Gopro, but sadly it remained unused as I had no kind of mounting for it, or any way to turn it on and off. Yet the issue I’m having with these teens is getting worse and worse: there must be something I can do about it, as I refuse to let these cocky, arrogant little scumbags continue to mock and insult me.