posted March 25, 2008 10:53 AM         

When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends, but I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book.
My men friends have female friends and this Information is too important to miss someone.

Please pass it along and share it with your children.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed .
They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair . Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly .
Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone ,searching through their pu rse, or doing other activities while walking
because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots .
Number two: is office parking lots/garages.
Number three: is public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location
where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize
that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas , or other
similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon.
So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are:
If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell,
look them in the face and ask them a question , like what time is it, or make general small talk:
"I can't believe it is so cold out here," "we're in for a bad winter."
Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK !
Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that
she would not be afraid to fight back . Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes) ,
yelling "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY" and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the Arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upperinner thigh VERY VERY HARD . One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN . I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful . You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up
on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply.Always be aware of your surroundings , take someone with you if you can
and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!

You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

1 Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM .
Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. 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.

4. 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 on 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. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head,
DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5 A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) 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.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's 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 BE TTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. 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" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it , but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

posted March 25, 2008 12:04 PM         

I have often said it is all about the body language.

If a woman has the energy of "I am confident, don't mess with me" rather than "I am insecure, frightened" the general energy will be nasty to a perp.

I teach my daugters to be aware of their surroundings, constantly scanning their periphery.

I work on an awful side of town. There are alot of breakins into autos. The other night I was walking out of the hospital and I noticed these 2 guys were standing on a balcony of a 3rd story apartment, gazing over the parking lot, and checking me out. So I shot them a look. The distance was too far to make eye contact but the energy I sent to them was "F*c# OFF!!!" With just a glance. I got into my truck, which was backed into the parking space, the rear of the truck faced them. As I began to close my door, I glanced their way again...sent them the same energy then drove off.

I hate the woman as victim mentality.

This is incorrect thinking and we do not need to feed into it!

posted March 25, 2008 12:30 PM           

And I live in the Tampa Bay area. Lot's of crime around here.
__________________________________________

Thought some of you might find this of interest, especially those
of you who may live in more urban/suburban areas.

Received from the Tampa, FL police department.

I found it both interesting and sad.

Best,

Bob

Bob Farrell
Yahoo! PathOfHealth group
part of an exchange-based community

Please read - notice on car (not a joke)]
_______________________________________

Warning....! !!!

Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car. Then we received this email yesterday:

"WARNING FROM POLICE BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)"

Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating. .. You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into Reverse.

When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.

So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.

posted March 25, 2008 12:34 PM           

quote:

---

I hate the woman as victim mentality.

This is incorrect thinking and we do not need to feed into it!

---

Dont feed the fear but be aware.

We all know about protective energy sheilding techniques and the power is within us to choose (whether consciously or otherwise) to avoid dangerous situations. Whether we realize it or not. Listen to your intuition. There may be a reason why you are 'running late' or 'accidentally' took a 'wrong turn' somewhere.

posted March 26, 2008 12:48 PM           

Keep your car keys with you in the house. If anyone tries to break in or look in your windows ( this happened to my SIL recently) you can hit the panic button and you have an instant alarm that will scare the intruder away.