My entire life has been in a small rural town in Pennsylvania and I was very fortunate to have been raised in a happy house with a loving family. My community was safe with very little violence or crime and I have never feared for my safety or the safety of anyone around me. When I moved down to Texas I was naive and had a difficult time adapting to locking doors and not leaving my keys in the car. My new friends warned me about areas which are not safe to go alone or after dark, drug houses in the neighborhood, and about leaving anything of value in my car even if the doors are locked. One evening while my husband was on overnight fishing trip my girls and I decided to go to an early evening movie at the Movie Tavern. It would be over about 7:30 and it would be just starting to get dark, so I figured we would be safe. Well this was the first time I was ever scared for my safety and the safety of my girls. When we came out, a guy approached us and started telling me a story about his wife just having a baby and needing money for a car seat. I said no and quickly walked to my car and then another guy came around the other side, and he started saying something. At this point my gut instinct was telling me to quickly get my door open and get the girls in the car. We all got in the car and I quickly locked the door and I started my vehicle. I was scared! I drove away and checked my rearview mirror all the way home. I don’t know if they would have done anything but I was not about to take the chance.
A few weeks later after talking with a neighbor that is a police officer, he said I did the right thing because they were having trouble with assaults and robberies in that area. He gave me several tips on keeping safe. They included trusting your instincts, keeping an eye on what is going on around you, travel in groups, not to wear lots of flashy jewelry, a large purse or carry lots of bags, not to go to the mall after dark, and to park in a well-lit area. He also suggested putting older kids in the driver side door and having them climb into the back seat. Hopefully I am never in that situation again!
You are lucky. this days any thing can happen to any one any time.what we need to do is avoiding the risk factors. the police officer gives you a good tip, however, trust your instinct is key. women are vulnerable and target to robbery and assault in public place. take your lesson and stay safe.
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