ila and all my friends on this forum,

Sometimes I think it’s just the United States that is more violent. I have always lived in fairly affluent neighborhoods outside of big cities (Detroit, New York, and Indianapolis) but there has always been present the threat of robbery, burglary, or murder.

That particular Wal-Mart is only about five miles from where I live. Currently I live in a very nice “Townhome” complex whose residents are mostly upscale professional types and boasts a couple of Indianapolis “Colts” among its members. To the West are the suburbs of Brownsburg and Avon where I lived when I was in high-school and all the time I was married. Avon, in particular, has a “meth” problem--we experienced a rash of burglaries in our own neighborhood ($500K and up homes) while I was married. Our house was a 6000 sq ft “McMansion.” Not exactly the slums.

To the East on 86th street is the “Keystone Crossing” Fashion Mall. Very upscale. The biggest danger there is you might be run over by a Hummer or hit by a speeding Porsche! If you head North, you will run into Hamilton county which features $1M+ homes. Don’t know who all lives in them. Mostly CEO’s, Colts and Pacers, doctors, attorneys, etc. Larry Bird has a 12,000 sq ft home up there somewhere. Don’t hear about a lot of crime up that way!

South of me is the “Lafayette Square” area. Once a beautiful mall and place to hangout. The gym where I worked as a trainer in high-school and college was there and is no more. That entire area has since declined and the mall has mostly shutdown. It is a sad ghost town. I drive by it every day on I-65 and am glad I don’t have to stop at a light or have a flat! One of my nursing “colleagues” husband had his new truck “carjacked” at gunpoint while he was at the McDonalds there last year. Another had his car broken into. The last time I shopped there was about five years ago with my “ex.” We made jokes about getting mugged!

My campus is located “in the city” and we have had our share of “incidents.” A man was murdered on the golf course across from our campus, a Butler University policeman was shot and killed a couple of years ago--all Indianapolis schools were placed under “lockdown” and we were alerted since we are close to them. A public park just down the street used to be one of the city’s major sites for drug deals. A few students have had cars damaged or been assaulted. There was also for a time, a department store that was converted into a “Country & Western” bar complete with mechanical bull. The surrounding community is predominately African-American. FAIL! The city finally got smart and took its liquor license away after several people had been injured in fights or killed. We now have our own University police that carry guns and routinely patrol the neighborhood. I think the area is safer now than it was. I don’t worry too much myself but I don’t usually stop ‘till I get home. I do sometimes play golf on that course. But I am such a terrible golfer that I am usually the most dangerous thing on the course!

Downtown, our biggest attraction is the “Circle Center” mall. Very nice but the parking garages are patrolled only by unarmed “mall cops” and have been the scene of several robberies and assaults. My “ex” and I had an “incident” there that I wrote about in an earlier post. I was there just last December with my new ladyfriend and didn’t have any problems however. Long before my family moved down here, there was a series of “bombings” in Speedway (near the 500 track) and also a gruesome (and still unsolved) murder of several young people. They were called the “Burger Chef” murders (“Google” it!). It’s still there but it is a “Payday Loan” place now or something. Even the area around the famous “Motor Speedway” is bad!

I wish I had an answer. There seems to be a definite correlation between economic decline and rate of crime. For myself, I know I don’t really feel in danger most of the time but I wouldn’t dream of leaving my car unlocked. And when I go downtown, if I am not “carrying,” I am at least very “aware” of my surroundings and avoid dark areas, elevators, etc. If I’m with a date, I’m even more careful! Just after the semester let out, several of my colleagues and I met for drinks. Somehow, we ended up on this topic of “crime” and “self defense.” We all discussed what we would do and how one might “avoid” bad situations in the first place. I shared how I approach this problem. They all burst out laughing at the idea of anyone picking a fight with me or trying to rob me. I guess I don’t look like an “easy” target! They also know about my background in martial arts and how much I lift. But still, I don’t take anything for granted--you never know what you might run into, how strong your opponent is or how many there might be, or if they are on “PCP” or something, or if they are armed. And if you do seriously hurt or kill someone, you are going to have to show it was unavoidable and in self-defense. I don’t care what anyone “says”--you most likely WILL be treated as a suspect. And that gun better be legal!!! The book I mentioned in an earlier post: “In the Gravest Extreme.” Read it.

Months ago, I started this thread in hope that others here would be encouraged to take a stand against violence by learning how to defend themselves. The transgender community seems to be a prime target for acts of violence. Singled out simply because of who they are. And often smaller or weaker than their attacker. Plus, the violence seems to be at an “excessive” level--the attackers don’t just want to hurt their transsexual victim--they want to kill. The more I learn about such incidents, the more I realize that these “hate” crimes have a more sinister motivation than most types of crime. So, I was advocating learning “self defense” from many perspectives--including “self awareness”--and yes, carrying a firearm--if it is legal to do so in your area, and you are trained in its use. I was glad to see that there were others on here who felt similarly and also worked out, practiced martial-arts, carried knives, pepper spray, and even guns. However not everybody is mentally prepared to take aggressive action or to go so far as to hurt or kill an attacker. My intent was to get people who maybe felt helpless and scared to start thinking that it’s OK to defend yourself--you don't need to live in fear. There are many martial arts you can learn, many weapons to carry. And I don't want this to become another "debate" about calibers or "styles." It can all be effective!

This is turning out to be a long post so I should wind it down. I’m not sure about the “socioeconomic” reasons for violent crime or the decline of our cities (I have read a lot about it and have my own theories). Nor will I ever understand fully the mind of the “hater” that attacks someone just because they are “different” (race, gender, nationality, gay, strait, bi, trans, whatever…) or the mind of a killer like “BTK” or Ted Bundy, or Jeffery Dahmer, etc. Finally, I’m not going to debate “gun ownership” with anyone (I respect your views) or get into a “pissing contest” with anyone (after all, I've learned everyone here packs a .50 "Desert Eagle" and knows Krav Maga), or talk about “fear or respect” anymore. If you are really interested in learning a martial art, or getting in better shape, or learning to shoot, I would be glad to give you some advice. I know a lot about it. And I’m really a nice guy! Trust me. Just one who figured out a long time ago when he was a skinny little kid in Detroit the best way to be safe was to be strong--and well prepared.

Peace,

Andy