Safety tips for women
When I lived in Marin, I was speaking to a police man one day telling him how safe I felt in our neighborhood and how I left the backdoor unlocked. He said, do me a favor and don’t do that. He said most every crime is a crime of opportunity – a thief sees an open door or window, a rapist sees a woman alone, a burglar sees a target unaware – and he made me think twice about what I thought was good living.
A friend of mine was raped in the early 80s – she had come home and walked inside at 9AM in the morning and left the door open because it was a beautiful day outside. While she was feeding her cat she was grabbed from behind and tied up and raped and then robbed. She was able to identify her rapist but he was acquitted in a New Orleans court because as happens around here a lot – he was black, she was white, and the jury was 11 black and 1 white. He ended up getting sent up for another charge later on, but all total he had raped 12 women.
She doesn’t like to think there was any lesson to learn there – and I agree – but I can tell you this – he saw an opportunity with her door open. Don’t leave your door open unattended! Lock the doors and windows. People who think that this is a shame to have to live this way are fooling themselves that they live in some utopia. It can happen anywhere – don’t give a perp an opportunity. Be aware of your surroundings as much as you can.