Pepper Spray Protected Me

On April 12th, 2016 around 11am, my sense of security was robbed from me, literally. I was home alone, out of school enjoying my spring break, when my home was broken into. That morning, I just happened to be on the phone with my mother, at the same time a stranger pulled up to my house. As he got out his truck and put on a utility vest (posing as a construction worker), I asked my mother if the

If it does not feel right, do not do it. If someone is approached by a predator, never leave the primary crime scene. Always stay in the primary crime scene. Attract as much attention as you can to yourself. A lot of women worry that they will make their attackers angry and get hurt worse if they try to defend themselves, though statistics have shown that the odds of survival are far greater if you do fight back. I got so caught up in reading about self defense that I read on and on. So I could probably write a whole paper on safety. But honestly I think my point was made that the difference between walking away and becoming tomorrow's newspaper headline all comes down to how well prepared we are to protect ourselves in a bad situation. I believe this goes for men and women.

It’s amazing to know that people can lose their freedom and their ability to be human if they don’t learn to protect certain things. An example is, people can lose happiness and fun. Montag says, “Happiness is important. Fun is everything. And yet I kept sitting there saying to myself, I’m not happy, I’m not happy” (Bradbury 82).

This thought left me feeling a sense of unsafety and uncomfort in my own home.

Do you feel safe walking home from school? Think about that you're walking home from school or a friends house and you see a black car and it stop and watch you walk home every day after school and you feel something is up but you just look passed it they haven't tried anything yet. However, but they are just waiting for the perfect moment and when that moment come and when that moment comes you wouldn't know what to do because you don't have any protection. Of course, all parents want to keep their children safe at all times, but they aren't with them 24/7 so that's why at all times they should have protection. A few facts from www.encyclopedia.com people is that kidnapping laws in the United States derive from the common law of kidnapping that was developed by courts in England.

Thinking back to what happened to Amadou Diallo or even Rodney King, how easily could the situation have been handled differently if a Taser gun or pepper spray was used in both incidents? To begin with, If Rodney King was acting unruly, the police could have used the Taser gun instead of four different officers beating him with four different batons then place Rodney in handcuffs since handcuffs are good with “subduing uncooperative and dangerous criminals” (). Along with Rodney King, if Amadou was the suspect the police were looking for and the wallet that they assumed was a weapon, how could they of handled this episode differently? Of course the police could have revealed their weapon to exhibit authority, but if the verbal commands were not being followed by Amadou then action by the police could have taken place.

Imagine walking for 162 miles non stop everyday and, if you stopped or fell you would be killed. If you tried to escape you were either killed or in the case of my friend Albert Cleary, you would be tied to a log and beat, urinated on, and not fed for days on end. But my story is a little different. This started when I was 16, my dad and older brother died in war my mom had died giving birth 16 years ago. I was on my own

From past experience, I believe the words once said by Maggie Kuhn: “Speak the truth even if your voice shakes” are important words to live by. What she says is important to me because sometimes if you don’t speak people will get away with doing terrible things they’ve done in the past and continue doing them to other people. I should’ve spoken when the chance was given to me. Because I didn’t, I have to deal with daily guilt. I hope by sharing my story people will stick up for themselves and others if they’re scared.

Here is where you would deem less-than-lethal weapons dangerous, the public. The public, and those in the public who do not understand the job of a patrolman would deem them dangerous. Every officer that carries the OC spray, and the taser must be exposed to it. Reason being is that if the officer ever goes to court, he or she can testify in regards to that

At the break of the day I wake up before the sun has even settled itself back into the sky, I repeat my dreary morning routine, and I go somewhere. I go somewhere by myself, quite alone, maybe in my car, maybe just for a walk around the neighborhood. While I’m out on my walk or after I’ve driven somewhere and gotten out of my car (that seriously needs a run through the car wash), I become aware. I become vividly aware of all the people around me and feel unsafe, I feel unsafe in my own neighborhood because I heard a woman was held at gunpoint not far from here, I feel unsafe because I’ve binge watched Criminal Minds and I know how easy it is for unsuspecting women who feel safe in public, at stores and in parking lots, to be abducted.

Fear itself is seldom a cause of trauma in everyday existence, but having to face close-range interpersonal aggression is a traumatic experience of an entirely different magnitude (Grossman). During the initial outbreak of terror while everyone is scrambling to save his or her own life, survival mode kicks in and an individual starts to plan on saving one’s self. The need to be a powerful motivator drives an average person to do what any normal person would consider unthinkable. Abandoning monsters plaguing the entire world, helping others in need, or deciding to save one’s self is a decision that will be made. The decision to save one’s own life will bring a person to question his own humanity while discovering the benefits of self-

Has it ever crossed your mind that you are not always safe? Certain situations are more risky and treacherous. But some places are safer than other. For example your home, church, and even school. But are you real safe at any of those places? What keeps someone from coming in and just taking everything from right underneath you? Try to go back many, many, many years ago, do you remember going off to kindergarten on the first day of school, ever? Emotions flying through everyone, mom, dad, grandparents, and especially you. Worrying about will I like my teacher or will my best friend be in my class? These all seem like fairly large problems at the time,

[4] Although it was never used during World War I, CN quickly became the primary riot control and military training compound used by the military and law enforcement agencies. [5] Purse sized tear gas weapons resembling fountain pen were commercially available to the public in 1920s. Initially the all tear gas weapons utilized a form of an explosive in order to dispel the CN. A typical tear gas weapon would fire a cartridge that is packed with CN powder and an explosive charge. It was in 1965 that CN started to be available in a form of pressurized aerosol spray under the brand name Mace. [6] Although CN was largely replaced with CS due to the toxicity profile, it is still commonly used in the police force as Mace

Such is demonstrated in the resulting behaviours that society has adapted through the years. Whenever news are published, stories of murders, rapings, car accidents, political issues and overall aggression make an impact on its expectators. As a result of seeing all the bad in the world, people lose more and more trust in the people surrounding them, leading to seclusion that is approached as a way of protecting themselves against harm. It is common to hear parents warn their daughters of the dangers they are exposed to out on the streets, and as a precaution, they are also adviced to carry objects of protection with them. Pepper spray, key chains, emergency apps and self-defence techniques are all taught fom an early age to act as defence tools against possible harm when out alone.

Like many women, I fear walking by myself after dark, particularly after 9pm. The reason is simple: I’m afraid of being raped, attacked or being abducted. This isn’t an irrational fear; an American is sexually assaulted every two minutes, and 9 out of 10 survivors are women (Statistics). Although vigilance and a touch of paranoia make us feel like we’re doing something to protect ourselves; a pathological fear is not healthy. What’s perhaps more frustrating is that my experience is not unique. It’s entirely common. In fact, women are more than twice as likely to fear walking alone at night than men.