by Justine I received an email tonight from reader Vanessa and it’s something that should definitely be passed on.
Dear Greenpoint frenz,
Last night (Tues), at 3am, someone very close to me was assaulted here in Greenpoint, right outside the C-Town grocery on Manhattan Ave (btw Java/India). The assailants were two white males, probably in their 20s, both with accents (Polish or Czech, possibly). They were both very drunk. They followed her off the G train, and…
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That is scary. it is a safe neighborhood but in reality, nowhere is really “safe.” Thanks for sharing and *always* be careful.
I’ve had a few incidents of late, coming off the 61 at calyer and manhattan, and walking the 1.5 blocks to my house has been met with young drunk polish kids saying things and one throwing a bottle of water on me when I ignored him. Yes – I grew up here and it wasn’t uncommon for local youth to “roll” the passed out polish men in the park. This isn’t about money. Its intimidation in a neighborhood I grew up in. There was a time you knew the kids harassing you (or a sibling of theirs) This is too common a trend.
If anyone does follow the advice to “get the pepper spray,” it’s important to understand its limitations and know when to use it and when not to.
In this case, what would she have done with it? Pepper spray doesn’t instantly immobilize a person even if you are able to aim it properly while being attacked… and she was up against two guys. Drunk guys, likely making them even less susceptible to the spray.
My concern here is only that using something like that could be an escalation; could provoke only a more violent response. I wouldn’t say that it’s a bad idea for a woman to carry it, but it’s a bad idea to think it makes you invulnerable.