Thank you. This is so encouraging, and I think it is a sign that we, as a society, are startting to change for the better and a lot more people are willing to stand up to a perp(s) or at least not go down without a fight.
A perfect example is the hijacking of airplanes (or lack thereof anymore). Ever since 9/11, we have seen MANY instances of the public on airplanes taking down people who were disrupting the flight and acting threatening to the flight. To me, this shows us that a lot more of the general public has changed for the better, and are much more willing to jump in and help out.
Before 9/11, it seems we behaved like "sheep" on a plane, but nowadays, I am convinced and comfortable that if something happens, there would be enough people willing to take action if needed.
There is a lot we can do, and if we no longer have our strength as we get older, we can still help out in other ways like you mentioned if a bad sitiuation develops.
The key is to educate and help more people to become willing to help out in times of need.
I really think mace is still a good idea for folks who can't fight. You might get maced yourself, but chances are the perp will run away. I'd use one of those mace things that have the loud alarm.
I had so many strange guys who would follow too close, etc, when I was a teen. My friend and I even had the 'come to my van and sign the forms to become models' scam from a strange dude at the mall. Cars would pull over almost every time I walked or jogged on this stretch of road that had trees between the developments and the street. It was really terrifying, honestly.
So I took to carrying a very sharp, fairly long pocket knife on my keychain. I opened it any time I was going through a parking lot, walking alone, etc. I would also physically turn around and stare down any guy who followed too closely while I was alone, with a look that said 'Are you up to anything?'
I had one guy drop back and then say, "Is that an actual knife?!" I said (nicely), "Yep. Much better than mace!." He said, "I saw that and figured I'd stay back a bit" and laughed.
"Exactly the idea!" was what I told him. And we laughed. And he stayed a nice distance behind me
*** One thing I really would tell kids is just to not let adults get close to them. If someone pulls over to ask questions, they should be far away. If it's a teacher of theirs or some neighbor, they should still be far away. They can even answer people they know, walking their dog or whatever, but they should back up and keep a very large distance, no matter who is talking to them if they don't have a parent with them.
Simply keeping a very large distance is easier than you might think, and it doesn't involve the kind of drama many women and kids aren't comfortable with in an iffy situation. Knives are optional :ROFL: