I Love Women!

I love women and I want them to be safe. It has been 10 years plus since little Danielle Van Dam of San Diego was murdered at the age of 7 by her monster neighbor. At the time, my daughter Lindsey was 9 and as a parent I grieved for Danielle while hugging my safe little miracle. I was a spectator at the trial in downtown San Diego and I recall the emotion I felt when the evidence presented by the prosecution included Danielle’s tiny handprint in the monster’s RV. I started to cry and whispered the words “poor baby.” I visualize this 7 year old precious girl reaching out in this strange man’s van and leaving the imprint which will make him rot in prison. I just wish Danielle’s dad and I could kick the ever living crap out of him before he meets his death at San Quentin. At that moment, I began to include safety for women in my motivational writing and speaking. I have made arrangements with a company which markets pepper spray and other defense products. Here is what we are saying. 1. If you go out for a walk or jog, work out with a partner. You greatly reduce your chances of being a victim when you partner. 2. Choose daylight over dark 3. Know your surroundings. The more comfortable you are with your path, the more confident you will be and this will impact your safety. 4. Learn some basic self-defense. When my daughter was 17, another 17 year old was reaching the best times of her life in nearby Poway, coincidentally the same town where Danielle met her monster 8 years earlier. Chelsea King was jogging in February, 2010 when she met her monster face to face. He would kill her as he had killed another San Diego girl a year earlier. Lindsey was too young to react to Danielle’s murder in 2002. In 2010, she and Chelsea were 4 months away from graduation. Chelsea would never make it to that celebration of life. A few months earlier, Candice Moncayo had met Chelsea’s monster. She had taken some basic self-defense. She popped her attacker in the nose with an elbow. This saved Candice’s life. It can save yours. Boxing is a great way to stay in shape and practice the self-defense which might save your life. Why not explore the opportunity? 5. Carry some self-defense No one wants to think that someday they will be facing a life threatening situation. I know I didn’t. Three years before Chelsea would meet her monster I met two of my own. They accosted me near my home. Two teenage punks who didn’t have anything better to do that day than mug a man in his late 50’s who would be an easy mark. The fact is I wasn’t an easy mark. I know how to box. It doesn’t bother me to hit someone in the face. Still, I was scared. I had never been in this situation. They grabbed for my waist pouch. I resisted and made a dash for a clearing which would lead directly to my house. Did I have enough time? Fortunately, I did. On that February day in 2007, I saved my own life. If that time comes for you, will you have a plan? Natalee Holloway’s mom asks that question when she speaks to groups. Beth Holloway feels that if her daughter had a plan that night in Aruba, she would still be alive today. She urges girls to visualize how they will be getting home. If Beth had practiced this simple strategy, she would never have seen herself accepting a ride from a strange man no matter how attracted she was to him. She would have simply said NO. She didn’t and she was murdered. What do you carry when you are out? I can tell you that I am packing. I carry a strong pepper spray which will disable any attacker. I plan to add a stun gun. Is all of this a little over the top? I don’t think so. I will be 63 next month. I walk trails, many times in the dark. If I meet someone who wants to do me harm, I must be ready. Are you?