Anyone use a Personal Locator Beacon just in case?

[jrm0812]

Sorry, that was Brenda who answered about CCL

[BtWoman]

OMG, yeah, unfortunately many creeps see a lone woman as a "crime of opportunity". I have been followed, too, on occasion.
Once, I did the same, Debra, I went into a store, "browsed" and chatted with someone in there.
This was on a sunny, beautiful Sunday afternoon on a busy downtown street. I passed this guy. I very briefly glanced at him just because he was standing there. He said, "What's a girl like you doing by herself here on a Sunday afternoon?" I kept walking. He started to follow. i walked into one store, he stood outside peering in. I walked out, passed by him, I went into another store, he did the same thing, stood watching me from outside. If I had been all alone, this could have turned into a confrontation. Had he continued I may have done something like this, waited until we were in front of a crowded cafe with a crowded outdoor patio.
I would have spun around to face him and angrily bellowed something like this, "What do you want? You have been following me for (X # of minutes) from place to place. So far I have been ignoring your attention-getting antics to let you know I am not interested. I don't know you, I don't want to know you. I do not want you following me and if you do not stop it right now I will have to call the police. Stop following me, now!!" That's probably putting it more politely than what I likely would say.
This was in my own city. However, this is what really happened ( although I have successfully scared a pursuer off by bellowing before). My hubby was in his favorite trinket shop just a few doors down, so when he was done, he saw me in one of the stores, came in. When the creep saw me talking to him and then him going towards the door, he took off.
Unfortunately, too, many creeps can sniff out tourists. They just have a way of knowing you're not from there. When I first moved here in my 20's, I felt very uncomfortable, too and some jerks said things to me to make me feel even more so. That was years before my training.
So, if there's people around, let them know by what you say to a creep that you don't know him (or they may think it's just a lover's spat), that you are feeling threatened enough to call police. Also, keep enough distance from him so that he cannot grab you, step to the side, step away, whatever you have to, to stay out of reach, and put your hands up in a defensive position. This is strong body language that communicates to anyone who sees you that you feel threatened and don't want this confrontation.
Depending on the sitch, during a similar situation, you could flag down a cab and have cabbie take you a far enough distance to elude the creep.

[BtWoman]

I can't legally carry a gun or other concealed obvious weapon, such as a knife, or I could be charged with carrying a concealed weapon, but ordinary things can be used as weapons and I carry this:
[img][IMG]http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/Snocat_2009/kubotan.jpg[/img][/img]

This is a solid grooved metal rod attached to a key chain and you see all those metal dangly bits, too. When one is angry, it is almost instinctive to close our hands into a fist, we had our little hands almost always balled up into fists as babies, too, so is a very natural thing to do. Add something that looks menacing like this, in that fist, and that anger turns into "don't mess with me!" power.
While I am on the subject of keys, some recommend placing keys between your fingers, closing your hand and jabbing an attacker. Well, I also heard that a woman once did this and tested it out by punching a heavy bag, pretending that the bag was an attacker. The keys between her fingers sliced open the insides of her fingers when her knuckles hit the bag. She required stitches. Also, placing keys between your fingers requires fine motor skills and time, 2 factors that likely will not be on your side when you are scared and trembling with fright. This is why I do not recommend that.
An object like this is much easier to grab inside your pocket and whip out. Just the sight of it looks pretty threatening, don't you think?
I was again walking alone early one Sunday morning. None of the places on the city street were open and I was a bit early for an event for which no one else had shown up for yet.
As always, i use store windows and the glass bus shelters as mirrors to get a wider scope of who's around. As I glanced in a store window, I noticed a man behind me. I suspected he was pursuing me. To make sure, I crossed the street to the north side at the lights. He too crossed, then I crossed to the west side, he too crossed. Then I crossed to the south side, ending up on the original side I was on. He didn't cross, but stood there across the street staring at me in a threatening way. I pulled out this key chain of mine. And in a very assertive stand-tall stance, I slowly tapped my outer thigh with these bits loudly jingling against my leg, giving him a glare and thinking, "Buddy, I know how to use this, and I will, if you don't back off." He took off back in the direction from where he came.
When you hit someone with this, the keys and such act like a whip. And it hurts like hell!
You can even knock a weapon out of someone's hand when you whip their hand with it.
Yelling makes a hit even more powerful.

[wingryder92]

Hey BTW...couldn't get the pic to open but looked up kubotan. Will look into it more later. Surprised that the guy didn't "rush" you since you were avoiding him by crossing. Glad he decided to go the other way.

Don't remember which thread it was but was about what/how you carry stuff when you don't have bags/top box/etc. Just remember to put your phone on your person rather than in a bag/pouch/etc. If something should happen you may not be able to get to your m/c to reach your phone. Generally the m/c goes in one direction and the rider goes in another so if you have it in a coat pocket you can call somebody without greater pain.
Debra
HAVE A SAFE RIDE!

[dbsteffy]

I have been putting the cell and my little purse in the sissy bar pouch, with my ID but have decided that they belong on my person, so I'm making it a point to designate a pocket in my jacket for the phone and driver's license. It makes more sense, not planning on getting 'involuntarily separated' from my bike, just want to travel smarter and more prepared, you never know.
Safe miles, everyone.
Brenda

[RCMomto4]

Good advice, Debra. I just got this cute leather tank purse and have been putting my phone in the designated holder, but it makes much more sense to have it in a pocket somewhere. Thanks!

[BtWoman]

Hey Debra,
Yes, I always keep my essentials on my person, definitely! And I highly recommend that women stop carrying visible purses altogether. Just last week, one morning, between 6 and 8 am, 7 women were mugged at gunpoint in downtown Toronto!
This was something that I thought of years ago related to muggings. You could carry a decoy wallet. I've kept my expired credit and ID cards. What I did was cut off most of the card so that only thin sides and top remain. I've made sure to cut away most of the magnetic strip. I have put these into my decoy wallet so that the tops peek out, and it looks like it indeed has my debit, credit, health insurance, DL and other valuable ID. I keep a couple of receipts in it and a paper bill and some change. I have taped these "ID" pieces into it because should someone get a hold of this wallet, I don't want the fake cards to slip out easily. I want to be long gone before they realize that all they've gotten from me is a few dollars and useless crap. My real wallet is in an inside pocket. I don't carry a purse, but I almost always have a bag of stuff with me, the stuff is not anything that could identify me if someone were to steal the bag.
If someone demands something from you, by gunpoint, knife-point, or during a swarming, you life is worth more than whatever they want.

Now, I'll explain why that guy didn't rush me. I have been followed, accosted and pursued occasionally throughout my life since being a teenager when alone. The way I deal with it today, is far different than years ago, before my training. Years ago, I got visibly frightened and bad things happened because the creep knew I was very vulnerable.
Today, I remain calm, real calm! This is not the usual reaction a creep expects from a woman. And when most of them see that, they lose their sense of confidence in their ability to overpower her. So, when that creep was following me, I didn't start hyperventilating and trembling, my shoulders didn't raise up and inward (body language of fear), I didn't keep looking back at him with wide-eyed fear. I thought to myself, inwardly sighing, "Oh here comes another one. Whateeeever!" My breathing stayed even and deep, my stride was confident and strong. Over the years, I have been greatly inspired by how guys handle fear. I have learned from them, when you are scared, get ANGRY. So, my thought has changed from, "he's scaring me" to "He's pissing me off!" I feel more powerful when I do that. It works!