It’s been almost 6 months – almost half a year since it happened to me. I was walking home alone on a Saturday night when I was mugged, dragged to the ground, and robbed of my purse. Since then, nothing else has happened to me, and I am thankful. After a traumatic experience such as this, one becomes more aware of their surroundings and makes an effort to prevent it from happening again.
I moved off campus two years ago – I could not wait to be out of the dorms. So, freshman year, two other friends and I decided to look for an apartment. We got the first one we looked at and loved it. The location was great – South Bouquet street; a three minute walk from campus (we were close enough to campus that we could pick up Pitt’s WIFI from our living room). And if that wasn’t enough to ease my parents’ fears, there was an emergency phone not even 50 feet down the street located right next to Bouquet Gardens. I felt safe and never had ANY problems that whole year. So when the time came to move only three blocks away, I wasn’t worried. But then it happened to me, and I started to think that maybe I had made the wrong decision.
When living in dorms, everything is (obviously) more connected. Living in Towers freshman year, I would see the crime alert signs posted in Towers describing robberies and muggings. I was able to easily access a copy of the Pitt News and read the Police Blotter. But at the time, these didn’t apply to me. I was safe in my Tower, and the only time I ventured to South O was on the weekends with friends, never alone.
But, when you move off campus, it is harder to stay connected. You no longer see the crime alert signs, and if you do, you don’t pay attention. If you don’t go out of your way to find out for yourself and grab an issue of the Pitt News, you’ll never know. And me not knowing was the reason why I was mugged.
When the police showed up at my house to take my statement, they informed me that there were at least two muggings and robberies that week; I was the third. The first question that popped in my head was “Why the f*** didn’t I know that?” But instead, I calmly asked (through my tears), “Where did these happen?” To which they replied “On Dawson. A bunch of people have been getting robbed lately because the locals from other neighborhoods know it’s the beginning of the semester. So they come into Oakland and steal what they can from the students: laptops, cell phones, iPods, and money. They know the students have these things and carry them all the time.”
Looking back, if I had known about this, I probably would’ve accepted my friends offer to walk me home.
Since then, I’ve been more careful.
If you’re living off campus, try to stay connected. Pick up a copy of the Pitt News and read the Police Blotter – be aware that although we are in a college neighborhood, we still live in a city. It is inevitable that there will be crime and that we could fall victim to it. Don’t walk alone at night – implement the buddy or buddies system. As a group, you are not as vulnerable.
If you must walk alone, carry some sort of self-defense weapon for your protection. Pepper spray has never left my keychain since this has happened. For only 10 bucks, it’s good to have at your side. Pocket knives are also a suggestion. But if you’re not a fan of knives, check out these self-defense kitty keychains. By placing your index and middle finger between the eyes, the keychain “is made for striking at the eyes of your attacker or attacking any fleshy part of the body.”