Rape Alert

[Music] guys it's the situation that counts all you have to do is drive around and find one that looks easy it was daylight i never thought maybe i watch her a couple mornings the guy always leaves at the same time and she never locks up afterwards dumb might as well stand out on the sidewalk and ask for it okay you take it easy today all right okay i'll see you too okay take care of linda's little brother okay have a good day thank you take care honey bye [Music] it's always the same every morning [Music] bye wide eyes tears shivering [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] doing just fine i always thought rape was something that happened to other women i mean who'd bother with me the way i looked that morning i used to think that it only happened to women who act sexy but it doesn't can happen to anybody they all think they're so damn special they are they're pigeons every one of them i reported the attack as soon as i could get to the police and a little later i started going to some meetings they weren't just for rape victims anybody could go i'd like to thank each of you for coming out today and i'm sure the information and demonstrations that you will receive will be most helpful we're going to cover a lot of safety precautions many of them just little things you've probably never stopped to think about before let's start with your home have good locks put on all of your outside doors your law enforcement officers can help with suggestions what you really need is a double lock on there one comes out like in a nice bowl blocks from the inside as well as the outside put a peephole in your door and always look through it before you unfasten your lock if you're suspicious of any caller keep him waiting outside while you check his identification by telephone if you're alone it's a good idea to invite a friend over while anyone you don't know is in your home be sure all windows can be securely locked and use a device that keeps them from being opened wide enough for anyone to climb in lock your garage so no one can use your own twos to break into your house and keep your doors and windows secure day and night now what does a rapist look like he could be anybody let's look at a lineup one of these men is a convicted rapist but one of them's a detective another is a clergyman so you can forget the stereotype there isn't any such thing you just can't tell who's who can you but if you're attacked remember what he looks like it'll help later in identification so how do we defend ourselves guns and knives are out of the question besides they're illegal and an attacker could probably wrestle them away from me but most women have some pretty good weapons right in their own purse can i see this please and they're all legal aim for his eyes hit him hard make a mark that could help to identify him later keep these things handy and we've all got fingernails 10 of them but by far your best weapons are on your keyring never mind a rabbit's foot put a whistle on it and use it whenever you have to have your keyring ready in your hand whenever you go outdoors and learn the right way to hold them let the keys stick out of your fingers like this hold the whistle ready clench your fist and when you hit don't hit like this so that the keys roll back against your knuckles hit like this with the keys braced against your fingers [Music] so there are four basic rules in self-defense one scream or whistle two hit fast three hit hard four run and here's the easiest defense of all just carry your keys like this all the time let everybody see them any man is gonna size up his chances before he attacks and if he sees your alert and ready chances are he'll look elsewhere one last thing about weapons you have to play the situation by ear but if any man attacks you with the weapon it's most likely wise to give in to him lottie lives alone but she's invented an imaginary roommate frank wilson and put his name with hers on her door and mailbox she's listed her name in the phone book as lr garrett which could be a man or a woman whenever anybody knocks on her door lottie calls out i'll get it frank making it sound as if she's not alone claire lives next door to her they've exchanged door keys and they try to keep an eye on each other's affairs lottie works till midnight as a switchboard operator and she takes the bus to and from work lottie is usually the only one to get off at her stop and her street is pretty dark she walks facing the traffic in the nearest lane and she keeps her keys in sight if she becomes suspicious of footsteps behind her she abruptly crosses the street by doing something a potential attacker doesn't expect she breaks the pattern it's a good defense and she gets inside her building as fast as possible it's important to know all the time what you're getting yourself into unfortunately not all of us are as careful as we should be dolores didn't have a steady boyfriend she liked meeting new people oh i'm sorry robert had a nice smile and they hit it off from the start thank you sorry what's your name dolores i'm robert hello after another drink or two she invited him up to her apartment she felt as if they'd known each other for years you ready to go yep let's do it you've decided where we're gonna go all right you're nice to talk to let's have a drink first and find some music [Music] either you play the game my way that's gonna get hurt and that's the way i like it [Music] perhaps you're wondering if dolores might have tried karate or judo they can be very helpful but before you enroll in a class there are a few things to keep in mind first you've got to keep in shape and in practice that takes time next you have maybe a hundred pound girl and a guy could be twice as big no matter what anyone says that's not an even contest but there are a few defensive moves almost any girl can make if he grabs you from the front hit with your keys but what if he comes at you from behind grab a finger and try to break it smash your heel into his shin and smash it into his instep he expects a scared kitten so fight like an alley cat surprise him break the pattern we were always told that our best defense is to keep alert and to try to avoid trouble marjorie is in our group too she often has to drive after dark and that involves a special set of safety tactics she parks in a brightly lighted spot and always locks her car on her way back to it she checks to see that it's still locked and she looks into the back seat marjorie keeps her car doors locked whenever she's in it parked or driving it's hard not to feel paranoid about all this but as long as you're aware of the possible dangers you're much safer in any situation avoid places that give an attacker an advantage areas that offer easy hiding places are dangerous so are deserted spots where no one could hear you no matter how loud you screamed maybe you're thinking but nobody in her right mind would go there you'd really be surprised some women never stop to think about what they're doing vicky a high school senior hitchhiked everywhere to her part-time job to the beach to school and back she liked meeting the people who gave her rides they were usually pretty nice hi how far are you going street but this time the driver took her past her street at first she thought it was some kind of a joke because he was friendly and smiling all the time hey you just missed my street i really gotta get home i'll get you home in a minute [Applause] [Music] i really gotta go [Music] so hello [Music] both vicky and dolores were victims of situations that they themselves began they just didn't foresee the possible danger dolores was lonely and like meeting new men vicki got into a stranger's car and rode off with him most people not just male chauvinists will say but they asked for but they didn't ask for what they got the big problem they both had in common was a naive trust that every guy they met would play by their rules dolores never thought sadism could wear a nice smile vicky didn't even have the chance to learn the risks she was taking the saddest part of many rape cases is that the rapists are often never caught without a report without help law enforcement can't do very much it's finally becoming easier for victims to report and the sooner the report is made the better the chance of catching the guy when i made my report i remember thinking no one is going to do that to me and get away with it i didn't realize it at the time but in a way a lot of women were watching me when i went to the station that day most of them i didn't even meet until later and some i never met at all but they were here with me just the same lottie claire marjorie dolores vicki even my own little linda i dreaded it and i was scared but everything i learned later about self-protection was aimed at stopping the rapist and making my report was the first [Music] thank step [Music]