get away before things escalated. The assailant turned out to be a serial rapist who preyed upon other victims. With the help of my description and a witness law enforcement was able to find an arrest him.
With thousands of black women being abducted from their neighborhoods each year in this country, I feel blessed because I could have easily been one of the women who is missing today. It is so important that we pay attention to what is happening in our community. It’s very easy to become complacent and think that things like human trafficking, kidnapping, and the black market organ trade are things that only happen in movies or foreign countries but we need to wake up. This summer, familiarize yourself with some tips that could possibly save your life and make sure your friends and family adopt new, safe habits as well.
Pay Attention to your surroundings:
This may be obvious but even though many of us know to pay attention, it’s amazing how oblivious we can be to what is going on around us. While you are outside, try not to wear headphones, especially at a volume that you can’t hear someone approaching you. Keep your phone charged, powered on, and accessible but try not to be caught up in it so that you can be aware of your surroundings. Briefly scan the area before you leave the house, or exit your car in the evenings for unknown vehicles, people walking or loitering and anything that seems out of place. Being more attentive can clue you into possible threats and deter criminals.
Share your location:
One of the great things about technology is that it can be hard to get or be lost, especially if you have your smartphone. You should be indefinitely sharing your phone’s location with at least one person you trust and communicate with regularly so that they can easily find you if need be.
This actually saved the life of University of West Georgia student, Jalia Gladden, earlier this year. After being kidnapped she was able to share her location with her boyfriend who, with the help of the police department, was able to find and save her. If you don’t feel comfortable with someone knowing your every move all the time I would suggest exclusively doing this while you are out on dates, on vacation, away at college or while out drinking with friends.
It’s very easy to