Goes to Show You Never Can Tell

, , ,

When I arrived at Bellevue College last Saturday, I felt something amiss. The staff, usually calm and friendly, seemed just a tad frazzled as we exchanged greetings.  I went to set up my room for the five-week self-defense course I’d be teaching that afternoon, then returned to the front for my roster.  As  passed the front desk manager, he said, “We really could’ve used you this morning! We had one woman stab another in class.  It was an anger management class.”

That’s generally not what I’d expect in a continuing education facility known more for high tech than high crime. Goes to show you never can tell for sure what can happen even in safe spaces.  And why the first rule of self defense is to be aware and open to possibilities.

Read the story here.

/by

“You’ve got to fight for your life, for sure.”

, , ,

Earlier this week, a woman was attacked while jogging in Seward Park. When she saw a man on an isolated trail and her intuition told her to get out of there, she turned.  However, he ran after her, caught up to her, and attacked. The assailant punched her in the face, and she fought back while screaming. Her voice attracted the attention of another man who rushed over, and the assailant fled.

“[S]he encourage[s] other women who find themselves in a similar situation to trust their intuition and do whatever it takes to fend off an attacker. “You’ve got to fight for your life, for sure,” said the woman.”

And she’s sure the police will find the culprit.  “In the meantime, she said she and her neighbors are organizing a self-defense class for women in Seward Park, which they hope to offer in coming weeks.”

Way to go for proactive empowerment!

Read the story in The Seattle Times.

/by

Girl Off to College?

, , , , ,

Know a girl off to college this year? Show her you care – send her this Campus Safety flyer (will download a PDF file). One of my students remarked, “I wish I’d had something like this when I went to Highline Community College. I might not have been assaulted with a gun to my head.” She was referring to the “pay attention to unusual behavior” directive. Download the PDF for this and more.

/by