We Don’t Live In a Perfect World

Freshman year of college was rapidly approaching and I still couldn’t decide on a class to fulfill my mathematics requirement. I hate math. I despise it. We don’t get along. I looked to my parents for advice. My father, who by harsh comparison loved math, recommended Elementary Statistics. This class didn’t sound fun – or easy – or something I would enjoy.

I love sports. My brother and I used to fight over the sports section of the newspaper. “How hard could this class be?” I asked myself, thinking back to sports section and how I loved to read about which baseball player had the highest batting average or which basketball player had scored the most points the night before. Three weeks into the 8 a.m. class schedule, I withdrew. It wasn’t for me. Elementary Statistics 1, Dave 0.

Where does this lead? Numbers, specifically data and statistics, can be a very important tool in helping us stay out of harms way. It’s not always the most compelling read, but I find crime statistics to be interesting and sometimes surprising. It’s one thing to spew off a bunch of numbers. But by looking deeper at the numbers, some very fascinating information can be obtained.

Recently, I read the December 2012 Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics Report on Violence Committed by Strangers. Is this on your “must read” list? If so, stop now! This article is full of spoilers.

When I envision an attack scenario, the aggressor is someone I do not know. Many people assume there’s a higher risk to be harmed by a stranger than by an acquaintance. The data says we are wrong:

1. People residing in urban areas “experienced higher rates of victimization by strangers than persons in suburban and rural areas.” Ok, this was kind of a no brainer and didn’t come as a surprise. Urban areas obviously have more “strangers.” These areas are more densely populated and there is more opportunity for crime to occur. This might be the least interesting statistic of the five, but please, read on.
2. “A higher percentage of violence by strangers occurred in public places (e.g., commercial establishments, parking garages and lots, open areas, streets or public transportation.)” This is a nice segway from #1. As mentioned in my previous article, the most important thing we can do to stay safe is to be aware of our surroundings. Parking garages provide plenty of dark corners and ambush points; and there aren’t always people present to witness an attack. The same goes for streets. Walking down a dark alley at night as a “short cut” may not be a smart decision when it comes to personal safety.
3. “Strangers committed about 9% of violent crimes that occurred in the victim’s home.” Now we’re getting to some interesting information. A friend of mine – we’ll call him John Doe – lives in New Bedford. He locks his doors at night, sets his ADT alarm, and owns a dog and a gun. Why? I assume it’s not to protect himself and his family from people he knows, but rather from people he doesn’t know. The statistics from this report show you are at a greater risk of violent crime (rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault) in your own home by someone you know rather than a stranger. Wow. This statistic blew me away!
4. “About half of violent victimizations committed by strangers occurred while the victims were away from home traveling, shopping or doing leisure activities.” I can understand this. We feel safe at home; we know our home; and our home is our castle. We know every sound, every entrance and every hiding spot. When we are traveling, shopping, doing leisure activities, our guards are down. We’re preoccupied. We are no longer in our safe haven, but have ventured into someone else’s potential hunting ground. Just think of our mindsets when we’re on vacation. Becoming a victim of a violent crime isn’t at the top of our list. It’s more likely which beach or which restaurant for dinner. When shopping, we’re thinking about which sale to hit and that extra pair of skinny jeans to buy (for the record, I do not own skinny jeans!). Our minds are elsewhere and it makes us the perfect target.
5. “About 10 percent of violent crimes committed by strangers involved a firearm…” I’ve envisioned this would be the case if I were to be robbed, assaulted, etc. The saying goes, “Never bring a knife to a gun fight.” My interpretation of this is that a gun/firearm is the alpha weapon and everything else is sub spar. This statistic doesn’t take into consideration other types of weapons, such as knives, box cutters and baseball bats, all that are capable of inflicting severe bodily harm. More than anything, this statistic shows favorable odds that a firearm won’t be involved in an attack.This is the most promising statistic available. Why? It shows that the victim has a chance to defend himself/herself. It shows that our own will to survive may just be enough to fight off an attacker.

So why did I choose these five pieces of information? I wanted to show it’s not the stranger that we need to prepare for. Statistically, we are more likely to be a victim at the hands of someone we know. This proves that we need to be prepared for any situation. The world isn’t a perfect place, but we don’t have to live in fear and worry. It’s not about living scared; it’s about living prepared.

David Eaton, Jr. is the lead Instructor at Krav Maga Boston in New Bedford. He is currently teaching a Krav Maga class at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the New Bedford Fitness and Martial Arts Center on 665 Orchard Street in New Bedford. Full schedule here. You can contact him at Kravmaga.deaton@gmail.com.