Shopping While Distracted

On Friday, November 28, 2014 at 1 o'clock in the afternoon of Black Friday, Ms. Odila Orozco was walking down a Bronx street with her 3-month old son strapped to her chest as she made her way home. Unbeknownst to her, a robber was waiting nearby watching her, calculating his attack. When Ms. Orozco passed him, he turned around, ran full speed, and kicked her in her back knocking her to the ground on top of her baby! The thief took her cell phone and ran off. This incident was caught on video and is horrible to watch. Thank God both mother and baby were alright and were not seriously injured.

When I viewed the video some things stuck out. Ms. Orozco had a shopping bag in her left hand and her cell phone in her right hand. She was speaking on her phone engrossed in a conversation and did not see the criminal lurking next to her because she was distracted. In addition, her precious baby boy was strapped to her body so they were a lot of moving parts. Now let's be clear. I am not blaming Ms. Orozco for what happened. I am merely making some observations so that we can all be more vigilant in our day to day activities and engage in practices that reduce our chance of becoming victims.

There is a lot of excitement this time of year. Between the shopping, Christmas parties, and family gatherings, it is easy to get distracted. Throw alcohol into the mix and it is easy to see how one may forget their regular practices as they navigate around their cities and towns. Your personal safety and life are more important than a $30 sweater or some big sale. Slow down and pay attention to what is going on around you. We can all play a bigger part in reducing victimization and looking less attractive to criminals on the street.

I leave you with these tips on personal safety:

1. Pay attention to your surroundings. 2. Walk in well lit areas. 3. Scan the street and make a mental note of what and who you see. 4. Try and stick to familiar areas. 5. NEVER walk down the street talking on your cell phone (or listening to music on headphones). 6. Try to walk with others as there is strength in numbers. 7. Let friends and loved ones know where you will be. 8. If you are drinking, ensure that you have a sober buddy with you. 9. If you're out shopping, try to carry packages in one hand so you have a free hand. 10. If you're scared, ask a security officer to walk you to your car. It is ok to ask for help and to put authorities on alert.

Remember, criminals are looking for vulnerabilities. The minute you let your guard down they will pounce. Pay attention and reduce the distractions so that you can get home safe and enjoy all the fun the holidays have to offer.

As always, be safe,

L.J. Follow me on Twitter: @CrimeDoc1213

#personalsafety #victimization #victim #crimeprevention #selfdefense #ljsamuel #deardiary

Note: I will be hosting a Self-Defense Workshop the end of January 2015. Stay tuned for details!

References

Stepansky, J. (2014, December 2). Woman with 3-month old child in chest carrier kicked in back by mugger in Bronx: NYPD. New York Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/woman-toting-baby-chest-carrier-kicked-back-mugger-article-1.2029519

Protests: Aimless Walking or Organized Action?

On Friday, December 5^th, 2014 William Bratton, the Commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD) was asked his opinion of the ongoing protests in reaction to the grand jury decision not to indict the officer responsible for applying the lethal chokehold that killed Staten Island resident Eric Garner. The Commissioner responded by saying that people are going to get tired of “marching around aimlessly” (Jorgensen, 2014). Excuse me? I expected more compassion from the leader of the largest police department in the country. NYPD has over 40,000 officers and has always been heralded as the national model for training, technology, and responses to use of force. But it is also the same department that has been the catalyst for protests in the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, and now the 2000’s. Why? Because it appears as though they are playing by their own set of rules. There is nothing aimless about the revolution that has spilled out from the borders of New York City across the country and around the world. Just turn on CNN and you will see people protesting in Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, Washington, D.C, Toronto, and London. Yes, people are in fact tired but this fire for justice is being done in an extremely organized and peaceful manner. People are tired of injustice. They are tired of innocent people being gunned down with no consequences. We are tired of families being torn apart and most of all we should all be tired of a justice system that is fractured and applied unevenly based of the color of your skin or the number of zeroes on your bank statement.

As Dr. John Kinney says “if you don’t believe and expect change, you will be an obstacle to change.” So let’s use this as a teaching moment. Now is not the time to stop. The organization and sophistication of the protests has been impressive. So too are the faces in the crowd. It has been a long time since there has been so much diversity and solidarity on one issue. Feelings about the injustices within the justice system have moved from a local issue to a national issue and is now firmly on the global platform. Respect each other in the community and within the police. Be mindful of your words for they can incite hate and hate begets violence. Use your tools in a constructive manner (education, government, policy, grassroots organizing, and social media) as this is everyone’s issue. So what is my response to whether protests are aimless marching or organized action? March on…left, left, left, right, left.

Be safe,

L.J. Follow me on Twitter: @CrimeDoc1213

#protest # peace #love #justice #ericgarner #icantbreathe #NYPD #ljsamuel #deardiary

References

Jarrett. T. (2014, December 5). Protests against decision not to indict in Garner’s death continue. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbc.news.com/news/us-news/protests-against-decision-not-indict-garners-death-continue-n262606.

Jorgensen, J. (2014, December 5). After huge demonstration, Bratton expects Eric Garner protests to ‘peter out.’ New York Observer. Retrieved from http;//www.observer.com/2014/12/after-huge-demonstration-bratton-expects-eric-garner-protests-to-peter-out/.

Kinney, J. (2014, December). A Change is Going to Come. Sermon presented at Metropolitan Baptist Church, Washington, DC.

Sanchea, R. & Prokupecz, S. (2014, December 4). Protests after. N.Y. cop not indicted in chokehold death; feds reviewing case. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/justice/new-york-grand-jury-chokehold/.

Source of photo: azcentral.com