For a while now I have become even more  recluse. I had something happen to me, that I suspected was goilng to happen. IT just didnt happen where I thought it would. Instead of it taking place in the neighborhood where i live, it happened in West HOllywood. I think that becauser it happened in an area i thyought it would not have happened, makesd me realize for the first time that I am not safe anywhere. I was crossig an intersection (crossing santa monica) from one of the little side streets, and after I had gone down the sidewalk about 100 feet, going down the side street, I was hit in the head from behind, with what I have no idea. Then at least one man took something else from me. Not just the physical, but my sense of self.  Along with what little confidence I was beginning to build. Now I am scared of my own shadow, because I never know where the next attack is going to come ffrom.....Now i am affraid to walk anywhere and not just in the neighborhood I live in... Still reclusing, i dont really feel like dealing with any people, period. But like another of my posts stasted, I am doing some things. Name change process started, working on developing my resume preparing for job searches, and also looking at starting school. Cosmotology school.

Know that I am working on things right now. I will come around eventually. Love to all of my family here.......Nicole

Did you report it?

And if not, Why?

Assault is assault.   It should have been reported.

Maybe get some pepper spray or some mace.

Quote from: Janet Lynn on November 05, 2010, 03:41:02 PM
Did you report it?Nope

And if not, Why?This is not the first time this has happened, maybe not as violent but not the first time. And why you ask, well ear because the last time I DID call 911. When the police showed up they didnt even listen to me. INstead they arrested me for not having ID on me. Forget all that

Assault is assault.   It should have been reported.You guarentee that the police will look at me with non-biased eyes and ill report it.

Maybe get some pepper spray or some mace.

You really need to get out of that city.

Omg Kitty, I'm with special on this.

That's really awful , I can relate, particulaly to the fact that it was somewhere that you least expected so now nowhere feels safe. I was attacked as a teenager in the middle of a busy shopping area on a saturday afternoon and no-one lifted a finger to help (I was attacked by six people!!) so I know that it takes a long time to recover and nothing that anyone says can really speed this up.

You will get past this and I hope that you manage to get what you need to get done done as this will help you to put this behind you. But it's not easy so don't be to hard on yourself if it gets a bit much, spend as much time with those who love you as you can and try not to hide yourself away.

Take care Millie xxx

Sorry to hear about that and I hope you are ok. I live in the Phoenix area and we are not immune to crime either. One thing very different about Phoenix and Los Angeles is that here we are allowed to carry a firearm or any other weapon openly or concealed, no permit required. While being armed doesn't make us invincible and strict self defense laws have to be observed, it does minimize your chances of becoming a victim. It is very unlikely anyone would assault someone here if the person was openly carrying a gun in a holster.

What I don't understand is people who continue to become victims and don't do anything about it. I have confidence in myself because I take appropriate measures to protect myself. Again, I'm not invincible but I have taken the steps to minimize if not eliminate me being attacked and injured/killed altogether. I lock my doors to my home and car (something that sadly a lot of people don't do). I pay attention to my surroundings all the time. I don't walk anywhere nor stand in a crowd without occasionally and regularly glancing over my shoulder to see who is there. I've taken a class to know the laws of self defense in my state. Just because I own and carry weapons including guns doesn't mean that is something that everyone needs to do or is able to do. I'll tell you what has always been my best asset for not being a victim. Nothing more than being aware of my surroundings. If you regularly out of simple habit pay attention to the 360 degrees of proximity around you everywhere you go it makes it almost impossible for someone to sneak up to you and attack you. That right there is about 90% self defense. For the other 10% who will still attack you anyway after you have seen them coming, you now have extra time on your hands to consider fighting them or running away. Having ten seconds warning of a pending attack vs. someone sneaking up and having no warning can easily be the difference between life and death. Even having a gun in a holster is useless if someone can sneak up behind you and take it away.

As to the police, you are right Superkitty. They generally don't do anything. The police are great at taking down the details on paper after someone is injured or killed. As to preventing the crime, they aren't going to be there when it happens. I emphasize repeatedly and will continue to do so that people need to start taking responsibility for their safety. Lock your doors, pay attention to your surroundings. It isn't that hard and just those two things are 90% of the battle. Even though California's weapon and self defense laws are horrible in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to take a class and learn what your rights are. It isn't completely hopeless. There are ways of legally being able to defend yourself in LA and people can even carry firearms and other weapons under certain conditions. But I will say it one more time to everyone who reads this: lock your doors, pay attention. Enough said.

I've been attacked a few times... Most often in areas I thought to be safe areas that I felt familiar with

Luckily, I've been able to ward off most attacks so far... Although I did sustain injuries each time

A simple theory: Getting comfortable with your surroundings causes you to let down your guard...

I've been in some rather scary places and didn't have much problem... My guard was up...  Deciding to be who I am is another story

Hope you are recovering ok sis. The psychological aftereffects will linger for a while. Hug.

Is there a Legal Aid office you can approach to have someone accompany you to the Police Station to report this assault and robbery? If not perhaps a male friend to make sure the Police do their duty?   

Here, failure to take your complaint seriously would get a copper into severe strife. I know, I was in the Police here for 30 years, and a crime is a crime. 

What's all this about ID? Here, unless you are in a vehicle it doesn't exist. Giving a false name and address is one thing , but if you are reporting a crime it is assumed you are who you say you are. I always  thought the USA was a free country but I am beginning to think 1776 was a disastrous mistake. 

I believe ID laws vary from state to state although it seems unconstitutional to require government "papers" just to walk down the street. I don't know the laws of California but here in Arizona, you are not required to carry ID but you are required to identify yourself to a law enforcement officer upon request. If you give them your name, DOB, address, etc. and they still can't find you in the computer then you do risk being taken down to the station. This is another example of how simple and easy decisions avoid a ton of trouble. Superkitty mentioned not having an ID on her. Why not? That would have avoided a whole ton of trouble. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. You may have a right to not carry an ID, a right not to look doors, a right to walk down the street in relative comfort oblivious to your surroundings, but it doesn't mean you should. 90% of trouble can be avoided by relatively simple measures. I avoid a ton of car accidents simply by keeping a good distance from the car in front of me and paying attention to my 360 degrees proximity. Just because someone could hit me and it would be their fault and they would have to pay to get it fixed doesn't mean I'm not going to try to avoid the whole headache in the first place. Police and traffic laws also generally recommend/require pedestrians to walk on the left side of traffic (against traffic). That makes it harder for someone to throw something at you, grab you, or hit you because you see them coming ahead of time. If you are on the right side of the road you have no visual on what is behind you or approaching. I wasn't there and maybe she did take many of these steps but it does seem like she is running into a lot of these problems/incidents.

Carrying an ID is wise for other reasons: if she had been knocked unconscious and was taken to the hospital, no one would know who she was. If she had medical conditions that could affect her treatment, they would not be able to pull those records because they would not know who she was, and they would not even know which family or friends to notify. In most states you can get an ID for just a few dollars if you don't have one. These things are very simple. Terrible things can happen to any of us no matter how much we do try to protect ourselves. However, if someone is having repeated and regular incidents and problems of the same type they need to start re-evaluating how they are living their lifestyle and start taking positive steps to correct these things. Sorry if I'm sounding harsh here but I don't want anything happening to anyone here which is why I'm giving such stern advice. This is a dangerous world. Your safety is not guaranteed anywhere regardless of whether you are in downtown LA or Beverly Hills. I drive as well as walk a lot and I see suspicious things and people all the time but because I see them ahead of time before it becomes a problem, the problem rarely ever materializes in the first place.

There are some police officers on this board who deal with crime as a career. I look forward to hearing some of their advice on these matters as well.

Quote from: Britney_413 on November 07, 2010, 08:47:46 PM
I believe ID laws vary from state to state although it seems unconstitutional to require government "papers" just to walk down the street. I don't know the laws of California but here in Arizona, you are not required to carry ID but you are required to identify yourself to a law enforcement officer upon request. If you give them your name, DOB, address, etc. and they still can't find you in the computer then you do risk being taken down to the station. This is another example of how simple and easy decisions avoid a ton of trouble. Superkitty mentioned not having an ID on herYes I did mention that. and it appli8es to the tinme before, not this time. I do have ID and ALWAYS carry it with me. Why not? That would have avoided a whole ton of trouble. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. You may have a right to not carry an ID, a right not to look doors, a right to walk down the street in relative comfort oblivious to your surroundings, but it doesn't mean you should. 90% of trouble can be avoided by relatively simple measures. I avoid a ton of car accidents simply by keeping a good distance from the car in front of me and paying attention to my 360 degrees proximity. Just because someone could hit me and it would be their fault and they would have to pay to get it fixed doesn't mean I'm not going to try to avoid the whole headache in the first place. Police and traffic laws also generally recommend/require pedestrians to walk on the left side of traffic (against traffic). That makes it harder for someone to throw something at you, grab you, or hit you because you see them coming ahead of time. If you are on the right side of the road you have no visual on what is behind you or approaching. I wasn't there and maybe she did take many of these steps but it does seem like she is running into a lot of these problems/incidents.

Carrying an ID is wise for other reasons: if she had been knocked unconscious and was taken to the hospital, no one would know who she was. If she had medical conditions that could affect her treatment, they would not be able to pull those records because they would not know who she was, and they would not even know which family or friends to notify. In most states you can get an ID for just a few dollars if you don't have one. These things are very simple. Terrible things can happen to any of us no matter how much we do try to protect ourselves. However, if someone is having repeated and regular incidents and problems of the same type they need to start re-evaluating how they are living their lifestyle and start taking positive steps to correct these things. Sorry if I'm sounding harsh here but I don't want anything happening to anyone here which is why I'm giving such stern advice. This is a dangerous world. Your safety is not guaranteed anywhere regardless of whether you are in downtown LA or Beverly Hills. I drive as well as walk a lot and I see suspicious things and people all the time but because I see them ahead of time before it becomes a problem, the problem rarely ever materializes in the first place.

There are some police officers on this board who deal with crime as a career. I look forward to hearing some of their advice on these matters as well.

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. *hugs*

I think you should seek out some sort of aid so you can leave your apartment comfortably--or somewhat comfortable.  A counselor, psychologist, spiritual advisor, etc. would be something to look  into.

Good luck with everything!

One basic truth I learned from martial arts training is I am never completely safe anywhere. Vigilance is my best defence and being ready to defend myself with whatever means I can muster is what will hopefully carry me thru safely. Sure carrying a weapon can give me added confidence but when I carry a weapon I must be ready to have it taken away by my attacker. This is why regular training is so vital-so we will know our own limitations and strive to improve upon them.
As for myself I choose to be as ready to defend myself as I can possible be. Let an attacker approach me and let him/her see the fury unleashed on them before they can get away from ME! I won't hesitate to let it go.
I am so sorry this happend to you Kitty. Might I suggest that you seek out some of the very good martial arts instructors in your area and get some hand to hand training. If you can't afford to pay for this they might have an advanced student who might be able to help you get started that would not require payment.
Randi

Nicole,
I am so so sorry to hear this!  Oh dear! so scary! I will pray for you.
Amelia

So many of us deal with this sort of thing. When I first started my transition those that new me for many years either ignored me and a few went as far as to threaten to take my life, burn my house and other things. I did make reports but unfortunately if a law enforcement officer did not hear it they can't do anything. I spoke with the County Sheriff who knows me concerning these issues and he told me to carry one of my hand guns in the open so these people could see it. Plus another deputy talked with these people and told them that if I needed to I was prepared to use deadly force to protect myself.

Thankfully this worked as the Sheriff had predicted it would and these people went about there own way and I have not been bothered nor do I carry a gun for the last two years. Living in a rural area is quite different than a big city but no matter where you live I suggest always be prepared to defend yourself. If you have no experience with firearms do not try and use one, I have had many years of training with firearms and the thought to take some ones life is terrifying. But a good self defense is pepper spray or taser.

Your best defense is to walk with positive energy and learn to read negative energy that way you can stay away from trouble before it's in your face. The last year I have been a people magnet and have made many new friends. People just out of the blue come up to me to chat. This is because I but off a positive energy. We do have the ability to change the way people react to us simply by the energy we give off. So girl walk with your head high and allow your minds eye to see the positive energy surround you and be aware of negative energy.

OMG Nicole. I'm so sorry to hear what happened to you. If I wasn't across the country I'd come there and wrap you in a big comforting hug. Please get better soon.
Hugs
Beth

Nicole, sorry to hear about the attack.

It's so sad.

It's hard to say anything that will comfort you...

maybe you should try to take it one step at a time. Do you have any friends that are aware of the attacks and that live close to you? Maybe you can go out with them, short distances, to regains some confidence in yourself and the world.

Those bastards!!!