88-year-old Raped in Oregon; How to Protect Yourself

Those Oregonians are so brave and resilient they can tackle problems at any age, it seems. Furthermore, the bravery of one of them made news all the way to China.

An 88-year-old woman didn’t take some naked intruder’s invasion into her home passively. Instead, when the man entered the house and shoved her face into a chair in the living room, the woman grabbed him at the crotch and squeezed. The fellow took off on a dead run, and his car spotted later by police allowed for his identification and capture. The culprit caught is 46 years old. He has been jailed in Multnomah county on three counts including burglary, harassment and indecency with bail set at $110,000. Women should know what to do in the event of an attack or to prevent one, like this Oregon 88-year-old. But little is written in newspapers or on the Internet to give women guidance. Most women, one author says , live warily, recognizing the problem of violence against them that is possible everywhere these days. Leslie Silko refers to that as living in the combat zone. Silko compares women’s need to be wary as similar to men that have returned from combat or who are in combat zones. They learn to be careful, knowing the dangers that surround them. This is the same with women who have to go to stores in the evening, sometimes live at home alone, or drive to unfamiliar places. Silko writes: “Women out alone at night who are assaulted by strangers are put on trial by public opinion: Any woman out alone after dark is asking for trouble. Presently, for millions of women of all socioeconomic backgrounds, sundown is lockdown. We are prisoners of violent strangers.” Silko also points out that even daylight isn’t safe and relates several incidences of men forcing women to have sex in alleys and dark corners, accosting them sometimes in broad daylight. She recommends women carry guns for that reason. An email making the rounds to some women tells specifically what women should do. It has actually been going around the Internet for some time and is called “Through a Rapist’s Eyes.” It’s always good to check the veracity of any message received over the Internet, so I did. Turns out the author claimed falsely that the information obtained came as a result of an interview with a group of rapists, although much of the information is useful. Some specifics regarding what to do in the event of an attack are found here at an official London metropolitan police department. An 88-year-old woman was quick and responsive enough to be able to protect herself from harm. This article was written to discuss her quick thinking and how powerful the story is that it could be put in a Chinese paper. It was also written to give women the information they need to be safe in 2009