Julia Feldmeier writes interviews Carol Middleton about surviving a mugging:
I spoke with Carol Middleton, the 30-year veteran director of the DC Self-Defense Karate Association. Here are some of her tips on staying safe:
Let go! Middleton is a karate black belt, and yet when she was mugged 10 years ago, she quickly acquiesced. Later she learned that her attacker was notorious for firing his gun at the first sign of resistance. “That’s not everybody’s modus operandi, but you never know,” she says. “The safest thing to do is give up your property. It isn’t worth fighting for.”
Conceal your belongings. Purse-snatching is a “crime of opportunity,” Middleton says — and though bags may be cute, they’re also conspicuous. Middleton recommends keeping your belongings in a fanny pack. A more fashion-savvy option: slim bags with straps that go across the body.
Stay alert. Distractions such as cell phones or iPods make you a more likely target.
Carry cash. Middleton calls it “martyr money”: $30 to keep in your wallet in the event of a holdup. It’s an easy way to avoid a more prolonged, and costly, holdup at the ATM.
Ditch the pepper spray. People who carry mace or pepper spray “are more likely to get attacked — carrying it makes them believe that they’re somehow less vulnerable,” Middleton says. Muggers know there’s mace out there, she says, “and they’re ready for it. It’s going to get in your eyes, too.”
Keep keys handy. People commonly get mugged while fumbling for the key, Middleton says, so she advises keeping your key in your hand, pressed between thumb and forefinger. In the event of a physical attack, the key can be used as a self-defense tool, to be jabbed in the attacker’s face — though Middleton advises this approach only for physical attacks.
I can understand how a feeling of invulnerability could lead people into more danger, but I still disagree with Middleton’s recommendation not to carry pepper spray. Why not just recommend people still avoid danger?
Overall, I like the above tips.
What do you think?
Saturday, March 29th 2008 at 3:53 pm
_Conceal_ the pepper spray. Equally important: If you reach for the pepper spray, go all the way with it. Using it needs to be one motion to preserve the element of surprise. The time for hesitation and re-thinking is over when you put your hand on it. For Heaven’s sake don’t hold it up as warn the attacker, then you will be toast.