I know this isn’t technically DC, but I was driving on 234 in Manassas early in the morning to get to the commuter lot for the Manassas-DC bus. Waiting at a light, a pick-up truck with 3 workers pulled up next to me on the left. I had my window open because I was smoking, and they opened their windows and began staring at me, leaning out, and saying things, trying to engage me. The light takes about 2-3 minutes to change, and they were not giving up. It made me so uncomfortable, and since no one was around, I backed up my car and got in their lane behind them so they couldn’t see me or try to follow me.

It’s sad harassment is such a problem in the suburbs because many people move there to escape it. For the past 15 years I have lived in either Fairfax County or Manassas and encountered just as much street harassment as I do every day in DC. I cannot go to the gas station closest to my house in Manassas, especially at night, because the men out front always harass me — even when my boyfriend is with me — and it’s very scary. Waiting near the commuter bus stop in the early morning or late evening when it’s dark is also bad, and I am harassed almost every time I stand there.

Submitted by Anonymous on 10/23/2009

Location: 234 and Irongate Way

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