Stranger Danger!!

CareyJay

CareyJay

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I ran into an issue last night that I was not expecting to. (But probably should have been.)
So, typical non-school night in a city with a large college student population. 9ish 10ish PM, young men in varying states of intoxication wandering from party to party, including me. The chicks get rides places instead of walking, but dudes are expected to walk. So I was walking from my apartment to my friends' fraternity to see what they were up to. Other than the one sketchy segment in the middle it's not a bad walk. Just as I arrived at that sketchy segment, I ran into a group of three or four guys. They had their hoods up and it was dark, so I couldn't see their faces and they weren't wearing fraternity letters or college shirts so I didn't know if they were students or locals. (We hear about local teenagers beating up and robbing students every couple weeks or so.) Normally under these circumstances we just walk by eachother silently with all senses on high alert until we're far enough apart to feel safe, but this time they tried to talk to me. I couldn't really hear them, couldn't read their lips. Eventually I understood "Where's the party at?", so I responded "That's what I'm finding out!" and they stopped talking at me and we all went our separate ways.
They turned out harmless, but it took me a long time to figure that out and I don't remember the last time I felt so vulnerable. I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to walk away and ignore them because if they were drunk and/or looking for a fight that would not turn out well for me. I sure as hell wasn't going to step closer to a group of strangers. And I wasn't going to do anything to let them know that I couldn't hear because if they were looking for mischief then I'd look like an easy target. What should I have done?
 
Tough one. Shrug your shoulders, say "I don' t know" with a smile, and walk on? You have to follow your intuition in a situation like that.
 
Avoid the sketchy segment unless you're with friends?

I'm sorry for the anxiety you must have felt. Scary. Glad it turned out okay.
 
I think you handled it great. Be aware that anyone could be the bad element, but odds are these are just normal decent people. MOST people will act decently if you treat them decently. Most creepy people look for easy victims (think lion separating the limping antelope from the herd), so if you walk confidently, with purpose, and look like you know where you are going,myou reduce your chances of being a victim...although obviously not a guarantee of safety, it ups your odds.
 
Yeah... I used to not visit them unless someone could drive me there. (There is no way to get there without at least one really sketchy segment and I don't have a car and wouldn't drive to somewhere I'm likely to end up drinking if I did.) It makes me nervous because at six inches shorter than average I don't look real tough. Nowadays I just suck it up and walk there alone and pay more attention to how I appear to people. Don't drink until I get there and sober up before I leave, confident alert body language, make a point of looking at everybody so they know that I know they're there, never pull out my iPhone or carry anything large enough to potentially contain a laptop, don't try to sign to anyone or adjust my hearing aids or do anything else to draw attention to my lack of hearing, conceal any braces/casts/bandages with baggy clothes, etc. All I really can do.
 
Take a flashlight with you next time so you can see them. And, be careful it there.
 
Jiro said:
walk other way
Click to expand...

Walk?....Just start trotting at a brisk pace....(the other way)....keep an eye over ur shoulder...if you see 'em walking after ya....then start running like Forrest Gump.
 
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