Read this. It may save your life someday. A friend
sent it to me, and I thought it very worthwhile to send.
Also men, print this out and let your wife and daughters read it.
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Last night I attended a personal safety workshop, and
it jolted me. It was given by an amazing man, Pat Malone,
who has been a bodyguard for famous figureslike Farrah
Fawcett and Sylvester Stallone. He works for the FBI, and teaches police
officers and Navy SEALS hand-to-hand combat.
This man has seen it all, and knows a lot.
He focused his teachings to us on:
HOW TO AVOID BEING THE VICTIM OF A VIOLENT CRIME.
The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If
you are close enough to use it, do!
If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick
out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole
and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you,
but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
He gave us some statistics about how much the
occurrences of random violence have escalated over
the recent years, and it's terrible. Something like 99%
of us will be exposed to, or become a victim of a violent
crime. Here are some of the most important points that I
got out of his presentation:
1] The three reasons women are easy targets for
random acts of violence are:
Lack of Awareness.
You MUST know where you are & what's going on around you.
Body Language!
Keep your head up, swing your arms,
stand straight up.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
DON'T walk alone in an alley, or drive in a bad neighborhood
or dark isolated roads at night.
2] Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating,
working, etc, and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list,etc).
DON'T DO THIS!
The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect
opportunity for him to get in the passenger side, put a gun
to your head, and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS
AND LEAVE.
A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot,
or parking garage:
Be aware, OBSERVE YOUR SURROUNDINGS: look around you,
look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. Check
under the car as you are approaching as well. If you are parked next to a
big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack
their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting
to get into their cars. Look at the car parked on the drivers' side of your
vehicle,and the passenger side.
If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to
walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back
out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (Better paranoid than dead.)
3] ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs.
(Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot). Do
not get on an elevator if there is a weirdo already out here. (Of course bad
men don't always look bad).
Do not stand back in the corners of the elevator, be near the front, by the
doors, ready to get off or on. If you get on the
elevator on the 25th floor, and the Boogie Man gets on the 22nd, get off
when he gets on.
If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control,
ALWAYS RUN!
4] Police only make 4 of 10 shots when in range of 3' to 9'. Usually due to
stress. The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 out of 100
times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital
organ. RUN!
5] As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic:
STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed.
a. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good looking,well-educated man, who
ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a
cane, or a limp, and often asked for help & got it. His victims got; into
his vehicle or helped with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his
victim.
b. Pat Malone told us the story of his daughter, who came out of the mall
and was walking to her car when she noticed 2 older ladies in front of her.
Then she saw a police car come towards her with cops who said hello. She
also noticed that all 8 handicap spots in the area were empty. As she neared
her car he saw a man a few rows over calling to her for help. He wanted her
to close his passenger side door. He was sitting in the driver's side, and
said he was handicapped. He continued calling, until she turned and headed
back to the mall, and then he began cursing at her. In the meantime, she
wondered why he didn't ask the 2 older ladies, or the policemen for help,and
why he was not parked in any of the empty handicap spots.
As she got back to the mall, two male friends of hers were exiting, and as
she told them the story, and turned to point at the car, the man was getting
out of the back seat into the front, and the car sped away. DON'T GET CAUGHT
IN THIS TRAP.
6]Tips to saving your life, if you have gotten into a violent situation:
REACT IMMEDIATELY! If he abducts you in a parking lot, and is taking you to
an abandoned area,
DON'T LET HIM GET YOU TO THAT AREA.
If you are driving, react immediately in the situation, and crash your car
while still going 5 mph. If he's driving, find the right time, and stick
your fingers in his eyes. He must watch the road, so choose an unsuspecting
time, and gouge him. It is your ONLY defense. While he is in shock, GET OUT.
(This sounds gross, but the alternative is your fault if you do not act.)
RESIST! Don't go along with him: run, if you are able: DON'T EVER GIVE UP!
You DO NOT want to get to a crime scene.
7] Always keep your distance when walking past strangers or in dark areas.
Respect 'your space' and the stranger's space.
8] GET A CELL PHONE. There are packages for $19.95/month that allow you to
program only 911 on the dialing out program. (This is an alternative for
parents who say it is too expensive for their kids to have a cell phone.)
9] BREAK DOWNS: Make every effort to avoid this by ALWAYS keeping your car
in good working order. If your car breaks down: LOCK YOUR DOORS. Use cell
phone to call for help. If you don't have a cell phone: (shame on you) keep
a blanket, warm clothes, a pair of boots, and a flash light in your car
always, for emergencies. If it's noon on a business day, put your hazards on
and walk to safety. If it's 2 am, put on your warm clothes, and walk to a
lighted area. You are a perfect target if you are sitting in your car broken
down. Predators search the highways for easy targets like you. If you're on
a desolate road: walk away from the car (in your warm clothes) and go to
some bushes, or some area AWAY from your vehicles.
It will be cold, and uncomfortable, but you DO NOT want to stay in your car.
And No, there are no psycho bogeymen waiting in the bushes who knew you were
going to break down there and then.
10] Physical defenses that we can use against the violent predator: The EYES
are the most vulnerable part of the body. Poke him there. HARD. It may be
your only window of opportunity. The neck is also
a vulnerable spot, but you MUST know where to grip, AND HAVE THE STRENGTH to
cut off his breath. The last place is the KNEES. Everyone's knees are very
vulnerable; a swift kick here will take anyone down. [-- A cautionary note:
If you do not do these things
right the first time, you can be in trouble, because it will anger the
individual, and that anger can be TAKEN OUT ON YOU. I'm not saying don't
attempt them (it may be your only hope), but be
forceful when you do.]
11] If you are walking alone in the dark (which you shouldn't be) and you
find him following/chasing you: Scream & say FIRE! and not help. People
don't want to get involved when people yell "help", but ";fire"
draws attention because people are nosy. RUN! Find an obstacle, such as a
parked car, and run around it, 'like Ring Around the Rosie'. This may sound
silly, but over the years, 5 women have told Pat Malone that this SAVED
THEIR LIVES. Your last hope is getting under the car. Once you are under
there, there are tons of things to hold onto, and he will not be able to get
you out and will not come under for
you (most likely). Usually they give up by this point. The catch here is
that YOU MUST PRACTICE GETTING UNDER THE CAR. You must
have a plan (he will have one); know if you will be going on your back,
front, from the side or back of the car. It must be practiced.
12] Never let yourself or anyone that you know be any "closer" in any type
of business (bar, store, restaurant, gas station). Pat knew Danielle, who
was a girl that just died from being shot point-blank by
some kids while she was closing at the local gas station. He talked with her
the night before she died, and asked whether it ever scared her to close
alone. She said yes, but said "I'll be all right, Pat. I'll be alright." She
wasn't. Our world is not as safe as we pretend that it is, and living in our
fantasy worlds WILL get us in trouble, sooner or later. Pat Malone said
again and again that the women who die EVERY MINUTE from violent crimes
expected to go to bed tonight, and get up tomorrow. No one expects it, but
we must be prepared and aware so that we HAVE A PLAN. BE PREPARED TO ACT!
AND ACT HARD!
HAVE A PLAN!
I would encourage you to pass this on to all women, not just your friends
and family, but everybody. We all need to hear it.
God Bless, Marsha
