So tell me...

[wyverna]

So my sister was coming home last night and she got followed by these guys in a car. They then stopped and asked her to come over and speak to them. Being sensible, she ran like hell, but obviously was really upset when she got home. It wasn't just some guys asking for directions because it's happened before and they'd been following her for a while.

I guess what I'm asking is, if you're a girl walking after dark do you always like to make sure you've got someone with you? Or do you feel comfortable on your own?

Personally, I get quite paranoid on my own.

[getupkid53]

Girls should never be alone in the dark. In 90% of all cases, they don't have to be alone. Leaving a store, or work, there is usually someone around. Or at most places, a security guard or something of that nature. I live downtown in Minneapolis, so I've dealt with my fair share of thugs and fruitcakes. I never, ever let my fiance be alone after dark.

[wyverna]

Girls should never be alone in the dark. In 90% of all cases, they don't have to be alone. Leaving a store, or work, there is usually someone around. Or at most places, a security guard or something of that nature. I live downtown in Minneapolis, so I've dealt with my fair share of thugs and fruitcakes. I never, ever let my fiance be alone after dark.

Yeah, and most of the time my sister isn't. It's just because she was only at the top of the road, and thought she'd be okay. She's had the fright of her life, though, I don't think she'll be on her own again in a hurry.

And it's sweet of you to never let your fiance be on her own :)

[lucky_krystle]

i get paranoid on my own too... especially in indianapolis on campus after dark. there have been a few robberies and attacks on campus late at night. i have pepper spray that i clip on my keychain when i have to walk to class or really go anywhere by myself and i usually keep my keys in my coat pocket for easy access.

[Brianfarg]

I live in a pretty safe community, very low crime rate, and all that. However, if a female friend of mine is walking home, I will either walk them home, or drive them just incase.

[lucky_krystle]

I live in a pretty safe community, very low crime rate, and all that. However, if a female friend of mine is walking home, I will either walk them home, or drive them just incase.

my town is very safe too... we only have one stop light, its pretty small, and everyone knows everyone else. but even so, there are still some weird folk out there! i wouldnt walk anywhere cuz i really cant... theres nowhere to walk to! i can take a stroll through the cornfield across the street...

its when i get into indy that i am paranoid and overly cautious.

[getupkid53]

my town is very safe too... we only have one stop light, its pretty small, and everyone knows everyone else. but even so, there are still some weird folk out there! i wouldnt walk anywhere cuz i really cant... theres nowhere to walk to! i can take a stroll through the cornfield across the street...

its when i get into indy that i am paranoid and overly cautious.

and you said you didn't live in a hick town. You live in that town where the mayor is the pastor and the plumber. and the hardware store owner is the local electrician, and the mailman is also the butcher..... haha.

[lucky_krystle]

and you said you didn't live in a hick town. You live in that town where the mayor is the pastor and the plumber. and the hardware store owner is the local electrician, and the mailman is also the butcher..... haha.

haha... well we have 10 churches and 10 pizza joints, 1 stop light, but we have 3 elementaries, 1 middle school, 1 intermediate school, and 1 high school... which seems to be a lot considering our sourroundings.

[SC0926]

i get paranoid on my own too... especially in indianapolis on campus after dark. there have been a few robberies and attacks on campus late at night. i have pepper spray that i clip on my keychain when i have to walk to class or really go anywhere by myself and i usually keep my keys in my coat pocket for easy access.
same here, i have a pepper spray on my keychain..just incase..and yeah i usually try not to be alone after dark, the most im by myself is walking to my car to apt. or vice versa....

[wyverna]

The thing is, though, you sometimes get a little lax. "Oh, it'll never happen to me, I'm in a nice neighborhood..." etc. I mean, I knew to be careful but I didn't really think it'd happen to me/anyone I knew. So when my sister came home last night, it really shook me up as well as her.

[lucky_krystle]

The thing is, though, you sometimes get a little lax. "Oh, it'll never happen to me, I'm in a nice neighborhood..." etc. I mean, I knew to be careful but I didn't really think it'd happen to me/anyone I knew. So when my sister came home last night, it really shook me up as well as her.

when i was growing up my mom was a stay at home mom and she babysat some of the neighborhood kids. one summer we were outside playing and we walked down the street to a friends house and a man in a white van followed us and tried to give us a ride... then he did it the following week to my brother and a few friends. none of us ever got in his car cuz we knew not to talk to strangers, but we were only in elementary school, so we could have been abducted. he was later arrested. its scary to think of stuff like that happening, especially in a small town like mine.

[getupkid53]

haha... well we have 10 churches and 10 pizza joints, 1 stop light, but we have 3 elementaries, 1 middle school, 1 intermediate school, and 1 high school... which seems to be a lot considering our sourroundings.

Are the pizza joints in the churches. It would definitely make service more interesting?

[nobodysmonkey]

I don't get paranoid. As long as you are aware and have common sense, you're fine.

[lucky_krystle]

Are the pizza joints in the churches. It would definitely make service more interesting?

no but they are next door. i am sure the arome of fresh pizza finds its way into the church congregation about 30 minutes before worship service is over... damn that would suck!

[cris545]

I rarely get paranoid but if I feel that the street is unsafe I'd call someone on my cellphone just to talk with me while I get to where I'm walking, its kind of stupid but it feels safer than walking by yourself with nobody knowing what you're doing or where you are.

[roxy]

I rarely get paranoid but if I feel that the street is unsafe I'd call someone on my cellphone just to talk with me while I get to where I'm walking, its kind of stupid but it feels safer than walking by yourself with nobody knowing what you're doing or where you are.

if you are on your cell phone you are less aware and a better target. you should walk with your head up, hand on pepper spray already if you have. it sucks to take all these precautions but if you look confident you are better. also if someone asks for the time, even if they are legit just keep walking. fumbling around for your watch or cell phone also leaves you vulnerable.

we took a safety in the city class, we learned all these defense techniques.

i live in boston. the area is pretty nice. really busy due to a lot of bars and especially during baseball season because i live next to fenway park. there are usually people around and bouncers at the bars but i still get freaked out when i am walking somewhere alone. if i am down the street i make my two friends come pick me up and walk me back to campus. i would rather be safe. i would do the same for anyone that asked as well. we also have crazy homeless people that havent done anything yet but you never know. too many bad possibilities.

[noodledancer]

generally i'm cool with walking alone after dark, but i don't like to do so in san francisco unless it's a relatively short distance. i walked alone all the time during undergrad, but my roommate didn't like to (she's tiny though, 4'9" & like 85 lbs). i just try to be aware of my surroudings & walk with purpose.

[lovely864md]

I am the most paranoid person everm and I live in happy little surburbia. If I'm walking in the dark, I have to have someone with me, or I probably won't go at all. There's really nothing for me to worry about, but I hear horror stories about girls getting raped and murdered in the town right next to me and it freaks the hell out of me.

[punklet2101]

Yeah, I never walk alone in the dark...

[Greg]

call the cops next time it happens

[ClapClapSnap]

something my mom saw on tv once...

i guess if someone tries to grab you or hurt you, you're supposed to yell "FIRE" instead of "help" because if people around you think they're in danger too they're more likely to notice...plus people don't always believe someone yelling help...i dunno though...

also i heard like...if you're walking up to your car in a parking lot, and theres a car parked next to yours on the drivers side... just get in on the passenger side because its safer...and while you're walking up to your car look underneath to see if its clear...


i used to do this stuff when i worked at the mall because it freaked me out walking to my car in the parking lot at night by myself..my dad works at the post office so he got me pepper spray and stuff like that so i wouldn't feel completely unsafe...

[roxy]

something my mom saw on tv once...

i guess if someone tries to grab you or hurt you, you're supposed to yell "FIRE" instead of "help" because if people around you think they're in danger too they're more likely to notice...plus people don't always believe someone yelling help...i dunno though...

also i heard like...if you're walking up to your car in a parking lot, and theres a car parked next to yours on the drivers side... just get in on the passenger side because its safer...and while you're walking up to your car look underneath to see if its clear...


i used to do this stuff when i worked at the mall because it freaked me out walking to my car in the parking lot at night by myself..my dad works at the post office so he got me pepper spray and stuff like that so i wouldn't feel completely unsafe...

those are really good tips too. i worked at the post office over the summer and took so much of that pepper spray stuff just in case.

[ClapClapSnap]

those are really good tips too. i worked at the post office over the summer and took so much of that pepper spray stuff just in case.

hahah yeah i remember i went to some party downtown back in the day...and my dad made me bring pepper spray in my purse...ahh parents are funny sometimes
and when i went away to school...my brother gave me a butterfly knife to keep in my room...i'm like, "are you crazy?!"

but it's all for a good purpose i guess...

i'm really trying to remember other stuff my mom has said to me...
ahh oh yeah! when you go to your car at night...if you put your key in to unlock the door, just turn it, so the interior lights turn on. that way you can look in your backseat [or like behind your seat and in the back if you have a SUV or something] that way you know nobody is chillin in there waiting for you...

[cris545]

if you are on your cell phone you are less aware and a better target. you should walk with your head up, hand on pepper spray already if you have. it sucks to take all these precautions but if you look confident you are better. also if someone asks for the time, even if they are legit just keep walking. fumbling around for your watch or cell phone also leaves you vulnerable.



hmm I never thought about that... its true though, I guess I thought I'd tell whoever I'm talking with to call the police or something, although by the time the police gets there it'll probably be too late. Thanks for the tips.

[roxy]

hmm I never thought about that... its true though, I guess I thought I'd tell whoever I'm talking with to call the police or something, although by the time the police gets there it'll probably be too late. Thanks for the tips.
exactly it would be too late. just walk with your head high and looking forward. if you are confident no one is going to approach you.

[roxy]

i'm really trying to remember other stuff my mom has said to me...
ahh oh yeah! when you go to your car at night...if you put your key in to unlock the door, just turn it, so the interior lights turn on. that way you can look in your backseat [or like behind your seat and in the back if you have a SUV or something] that way you know nobody is chillin in there waiting for you...

i drive either a massive suv or a smaller suv. my jeep has the trunk in the back but its really deep and i always catch it in my rear view mirror and pray no one is back there even though i know i looked.

my other suv is huge with the third row of seats. it creeps me out at night if i forgot to look because it is so easy to hide back there.

i have so many tips because of the class as freshmen we were required to take. i just cant think of anymore right now.

[ClapClapSnap]

i drive either a massive suv or a smaller suv. my jeep has the trunk in the back but its really deep and i always catch it in my rear view mirror and pray no one is back there even though i know i looked.

my other suv is huge with the third row of seats. it creeps me out at night if i forgot to look because it is so easy to hide back there.

i have so many tips because of the class as freshmen we were required to take. i just cant think of anymore right now.

i have old kinda little buick, but i still freak myself out sometimes if i think i forgot to check or something...

yeah at the college i went to, they had a class you could take at night for free, and they basically taught girls self-defense

and to pass the class you had to walk into a basketball court in the dark and have some 200lb guy come at you, and be able to kick his ass...i didn't take it though...whoops

[roxy]

i have old kinda little buick, but i still freak myself out sometimes if i think i forgot to check or something...

yeah at the college i went to, they had a class you could take at night for free, and they basically taught girls self-defense

and to pass the class you had to walk into a basketball court in the dark and have some 200lb guy come at you, and be able to kick his ass...i didn't take it though...whoops

ours was part of our freshmen orientation. we had this cop come in and we watched videos and did some moves. even the guys.

thats cool that they had an actual self defense class for free. thats a good test too. we didnt actually get self defense more of tips and a few moves like how to poke the eyes, knee to the groin, and some other things

[ClapClapSnap]

ours was part of our freshmen orientation. we had this cop come in and we watched videos and did some moves. even the guys.

thats cool that they had an actual self defense class for free. thats a good test too. we didnt actually get self defense more of tips and a few moves like how to poke the eyes, knee to the groin, and some other things

thats cool though that they got everyone involved...i'm still kicking myself for not doing that class...


but as for moves and stuff...i had my dad and two of my uncles teach me the "1,2" [knee in the groin, and knee to the face when they bend down] when i was 6...plus a big brother...so i'm kinda used to defending myself hahah

my brother actually taught me this thing where if someone tries to grab you, you can end up having them with their back to you, and you holding them by the wrist and pushing your finger into between their thumb/pointer finger [jesus this is hard to describe with typing lol] so it hurts them like a bitch
but yeah...it's def wicked cool

[lovely864md]

I just remembered something I saw when I was home sick and watching the View (don't ask). If you think someone's following you and you want to use your cell phone to call someone, don't put it up to your ear, hold it in front of you so they can't see it. Also, if someone has a gun and is telling you to get into a car, it's a way better idea to run. The probability that they will even shoot, and in that case even hit you is waaaaaay less likely then the probability of you getting shot if you get into the car. (there were statistics but I forgot them. I think it's a 90% chance of you getting shot if you get into the car?)

[CorporateFish]

Girls should never be alone in the dark. In 90% of all cases, they don't have to be alone
He is correct.