UGA Students Should Probably Stop Harassing “The Lady On Pope Street”

FifthYearSophomore10 years ago

Dozens of UGA students have angered the town of Athens, Georgia, after photos and videos of unusual sightseeing trips to a local resident’s home surfaced on social media. This odd phenomenon, which has been coined “Visiting the Lady on Pope Street,” has allegedly forced local law enforcement to stake out a woman’s house and issue tickets to onlookers.

So what exactly does “Visiting the Lady on Pope Street” entail?

Groups of students caravan to a house near the UGA campus where they linger out front to see if the “Lady on Pope Street,” an Athens resident, will look out her front window at them, which she apparently does every single time — day or night.

The Odyssey Online explains in further detail:

The lady on Pope Street; on the surface she is just your average person who stares at a passerby through her window as that person drives by. But, unlike all those similar to her that came before her, she has captivated a student body. Apparently this is how everything works: First, you call up a friend or two and throw out a crazy idea at them. “Who wants to go for a ride and drive down to Pope Street to see the Lady on Pope Street?” Second, you and your friend get in the car and make that drive. Next, everything that you thought would happen actually happens. Finally, you take to social media as if you were completely surprised that a lady starred at you through her window.

One anonymous UGA student described what happened on these trips to Pope Street:

It’s unbelievable. It’s one of the most terrifying experiences you can have, and it happens each time without fail. It’s gotten to the point where it is becoming legend. Caravans of cars will drive by Pope Street to see it. It’s not a Greek thing. It’s a whole student body thing.

Here are some of the photos and videos taken by those that have made the trip:

UGA running back Keith Marshall took to Twitter about it on Thursday:

Reddit users have started threads about the phenomenon as well, speculating about the woman inside:

I go to UGA and can tell you that this isn’t staged. There are a lot of rumors about the Lady on Pope Street, but the main theme of all of them is that she seems to be schizophrenic and her husband left her and took her children. No matter what time you drive by, she’ll be at her window and will pop her head out to watch you go by because she’s checking to see if they’ve come back to her.
It’s actually very sad. Creepy too nonetheless.

While many people who have obviously found this all to be entertaining, the overwhelming majority find it disturbing and twisted, pointing out that the terror she feels from these visitors is exponentially greater than the enjoyment they get from seeing her. Hundreds of people have condemned it on social media.

One Facebook user claiming to be her Jimmy John’s delivery driver posted a photo of the house with a boarded up window, begging people to stop harassing his customer. He suggests she might have a mental disorder:

The Athens Police Department told TFM it is aware of the situation, but no charges have been filed by the victim. As of now, Athens Police continue to investigate whether or not any laws have been violated by UGA students..

UPDATE: We are hearing rumors that the woman is not elderly, but much younger. Two separate tips have indicated that her age appears to be around 30.

UPDATE: Another tip from a UGA student. “She’s 35. Also, her landlord said that when she first signed her lease about 5 years ago, it was with a man and a child so that goes along with the story.”

Athens Police reached out to inform us that charges have now been filed, and more could be on the way.

If you have any additional information regarding this story, email tips@totalfratmove.com.

Image via YouTube