Waldo Serial Rapist Prompts Rape Self-Defense Tactics & Education
Annie Blanco | Mar 02, 2010 | Comments 4
In Kansas City, Missouri, 16 detectives, including three sergeants, plus two desk cops are now working the Waldo neighborhood rapist case full time. The so-called Waldo serial rapist has attacked at least five victims in the last five months and has prompted public fears and some could say paranoia throughout the town. All this is good reason to review tactics on how to defend against a rapist.
First, let’s talk about where a rapist is likely to attack. The number one place women are abducted from and attacked is grocery store parking lots, then office parking lots and garages, and the number three place is public restrooms.
Here’s who they typically attack – It has been reported that the first thing a rapist looks for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid, or other hairstyle which can be easily grabbed – in other words – a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not as common a target.
The second thing men look for, according to published reports, is clothing that is easy and quick to remove. Many rapist carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing. They also look for women who are on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other things while walking which leaves them off guard. And finally, it’s interesting and possibly vital to know that rapists are most likely to attack in the early morning between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
Here’s a look at how to defend yourself against a rapist. First of all, walk with confidence when you are alone and even when you are with friends. Remember, rapists choose victims who they think will be easy to take down. You should carry yourself in a manner that shows the world that you know where you are going.
Also know that the best body part to use to hit a man’s groin with is the knee, according to the Associated Content. However, the foot, elbow, or even a hand clenched into a fist, are all effective at making a rapist go down to the ground. Even if you can’t reach a man’s groin area, you can always pinch the skin underneath the top of his arm as hard as you can or grab his fingers and bend them back as far as you can until he lets go so you can make your escape.
Another way to help protect yourself from rapists is to carry some sort of pepper spray or Mace with you at all times. Sometimes, just shouting, “I have pepper spray and I’ll use it!” to an attacker is enough to scare him away. Don’t be afraid to use your pepper spray or to carry it in hand pointing outward, ready to spray in case an attacker approaches you. You may feel a little funny and look a little paranoid, but remember, it’s better safe than sorry.
To learn even more techniques you can use to protect yourself from rapists, seek out and take a self-defense class in your area. Meanwhile, to learn more about the Waldo serial rapist click here.
Filed Under: Articles • Featured • Personal Protection
I am surprised that you are quoting safety and security myths as published reports. Hair styles do not factor into victim choices or police would warn women to cut their hair. Criminals target the person not paying attention, as you state. Clothing choice has nothing to do with victim selection either. Rapist don’t carry scissors to cut off clothing. Regardless of what they wear, criminals are looking for an easy target. You don’t hear news stories of rapes in restrooms.
As safety professionals we need to be sure not to feed into the myths. We need to teach realistic tips and techniques.
As a young woman that lives right accross the road from a convicted rapist I am always in fear. I am not sure what I can to do protect myself from this man that I see almost everyday and watch him watching me get out of my car and go into my house. If he happens to be outside when I pull up he stops whatever he is doing and watches then when i get out of my car he will stand on the inside of his door and watch me walk into my house. I have stopped a cop that was driving through to tell/ask him and what he said to me made me feel as though he did nto take it as serious as I do he simply said ” yea we know who is he and what he did but it was years ago” really i do not care if it was 50 years ago when I am watched I feel like a target … I do not know what to do these tips help but when the person already knows where you live and can watch you everyday what other tips can be given to me because I worry everyday about this.
Well, we know from the bio disclosures something about who Annie Blanco is. My guess from reading her bio is that she is trained in Journalism. That would be her weakest point. She seems to report facts to us. She seems to have evaluated the credibility of the sources of her information. Those are good things.
This Tracey person is no one and nothing so far as we know. She makes sweeping and unfounded assertions and accusations. It’s really quite silly. Of the two of them, who would you believe?
Interesting data about the time of day is given in the article. Also there is interesting location analysis too. The only one I ever knew who didn’t know her attempted rapist, according to her story, had just parked in a multi-story parking lot at about 10:00am. [She was late for work--no one was around--she wore a pony tail--she wore very skimpy clothing--he used leather gloves.] Surprizingly to me, that fits very close to the article. At the time I heard about it, the time and place seemed odd, but no longer.
By the way, police would not dare to tell women how to dress or cut their hair. The police are not completely stupid. They work for public institutions that are subject to political pressure from fashion-crazy women.
I remember trying to tell some of my smarter female college students how stupid and un-business like their clothing was [when they asked me]. You should have heard them whine. The stupid female students would never ask–they already knew everything–kind of like our Tracey above. Especially these smart students would whine when I gave them a copy of Dress for Success for Women–the only scientific study that had ever been done in the area so far as I know–because then those female students had to change their more stupid behaviors.
You may dream and fantasize that clothing does not matter all you want in rape situtations–but it makes a great deal of difference in many other situations, and there is no scientific reason why it would not matter here.
Whenever somebody uses the word “myth” around me, I’m always suspicious I’m dealing with a smug know-it-all who definitely doesn’t “know it all.” This Tracey person seems to fit the bill. All these so-called “myths” she complains about are verified in an article on scribd(dot)com (for ONE example). (Protect-Yourself-Through-a-Rapists-Eyes-Important-Info; evidently not allowed to include the link here?) The information there was derived from a number of prison interviews with actual rapists and date rapists.