bagatelle

I get from work around 11-12 PM. My car's safe in the yard at working place, so I don't have to worry about leaving in late hours.

In the past years, we've had many young students working there. They have to cross town either by foot or bike at that hour to get to their apartment. I've sometimes given a lift to some of them, if they feel insecure of going alone.

One girl was attacked on her way home from work, but she had managed to kick the man and get away. She believed it was someone, who knew to expect her coming that way at that hour.

That's not even late to leave work. I imagine bar and nightclub workers have greater risk later at night. Does any of you have to be prepared?

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Strange Famous

Being a man I am not at risk from the same motivations for assault that a woman is (ie sex and violence), but there's still robbery and drunkeness I guess.

I have been in situations in the past when out walking late at night when I have felt worried, or maybe some language is exchanged. I am not proud to say that I have also twice been the aggressor.

Once when three people were - in my drunken state of mind I perceived them to be- gathered around me and asking to borrow my phone. I reacted with unprovoked aggression thinking it was an attempted mugging about to kick off.

_

Sometimes when I am walking through town on a Sat night and people are drunk I feel threatened or intimidated to a degree. I mostly just keep my head down, dont carry my wallet when Im just going for a walk. I also tend to wrap my house/car keys around my fist when I feel threatened, I think just as a kind of gesture to comfort myself.

_

I think that feeling afraid and intimidated can in itself feel aggression. You feel ashamed in a sense for feeling fear, and start to get angry at the person who has (maybe not even knowingly) made you feel that way, and you sort of wind yourself up just waiting for them to make a move and then you'll lash out... which often isnt the best thing to do.

Like in the thing I described, say they had knives or whatever and they were muggers handing over your phone is 1000% better than getting stabbed.

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KirStang

Yea, we had a shooting here about 1 block north of my school yesterday. Although Baltimore City's attempting to gentrify downtown Baltimore, there is an entrenched neighborhood in here.

I used to always watch my back when I walked home after dark. We even ended up stopping study sessions at 9pm to avoid going home too late. Other students have been robbed on the way out of the parking garage.

I always scan my surroundings when I walk home. Often times, if it's late, I'll walk with a friend to their car.

......I hate how criminal elements suppress development in the area. No one wants to hang out after dark if that means you'll probably get robbed.

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Zeraph

I always watch my back. And any time there is a car incident I feel like I might be followed.

StanT

I work in a very secure facility and live in a very rural area. Everthing at work is monitored and recorded. Even at 3am, I am likely to see a guard or 2 on my walk to the parking lot. At home, getting followed is more likely a bear or mountain lion, than a human. Both are fairly timid, there is plenty of easier prey around.

hunnychile

When I worked in downtown San Francisco - in the Lower Mission/Embarcadero area there were many times that we would hear about various muggings or workers in the area who had been held up by crooks. All of the people I worked with made "a pact" to have a guy from the office always escort any of us ladies to our cars. Our CEO often was one of the escorts, which was amazing because he was always quite busy -but a great feeling because he really cared about his staff.

I don't miss working in that job & part of the city at all, although I miss my co-workers! Good people!

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snowy

No. I live in the safest city for its size in the United States. This doesn't mean I'm not alert and exuding confidence when I do walk after dark, though, because there are some creepers out there.

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dlish

i get that feeling only on twitter

no seriously... i dont. this is by far the safest city ive visited. i cant remember the last time i had to look over my shoulder.

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kaerlyon

When I went to the university, all fridays, I finished after 8 pm. The principal gate was close and I take a little road (not light of course ) between the university and a park with many junkies for look for my car. And, I admit, Iwas fear but I had never problems. Now I live in a quiet city and the night, I have my car untill my house in countryside.

But when I was young, I lived near Marseille, a city in south of France and with my friends, we has sometimes problems the night, and always with car. But just menswould like impressioned womens....

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zenda

Any time I am out of the house, I am on guard. To keep track of what is not obviously visible to me, I am almost as aware of reflections in shop and vehicle windows and doors, as I am of the solid world. I try to keep count of people whom I 'notice twice' when I am out and about. Eg same shop twice in a row.

There are overwhelmingly more 'legitimate' reasons for similarity of people-flow. I'm on the lookout for the mismatch. Note, my examples are taken from daytime and prime time. I simply avoid night time or shady places.

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