A few years back, a Portland woman was attacked at knife point. But instead of freezing in terror, this woman had a plan. She listened to her attacker’s demands but also begged him not to hurt her. The attacker, seeing that she was being compliant, put his knife down. The woman seized the opportunity, grabbed the knife and stabbed the man several times with his own weapon.
This true story of keeping control in the face of danger was one example shared during the presentation “Am I Safe on Campus?” In light of several recent campus attacks, the last of which involved a deadly weapon, the Department of Public Safety, the ASUO Executive and the ASUO Women’s Center hosted the event to show students what they can do to ensure their safety.
The presentation, led by Robert Guse, a DPS corporal, included self-defense demonstrations such as how to free oneself from choke holds and mental strategies people can use before and during an attack to better gain control of the situation. Guse also spoke about common misconceptions surrounding less-than-effective weapons, such as pepper spray and keys.
He said the overall way to avoid becoming a victim is to maintain focus ahead of time in order to avoid dangerous scenarios before they occur.
“If attackers are shopping for a victim, they’re looking for certain things,” Guse said. “They want a perfect victim, someone who’s not going to remember what they look like.”
Guse said besides the simple things, such as always being aware of one’s surroundings, never walking alone and locking car doors, there are also mental strategies that can save a person before he or she sets out for that dark walk to the car.
Scenario training is one such technique. Guse said by mentally planning an attack in one’s mind, a person can develop a strategy for what he or she would do in a given situation. He said many people freeze when they imagine someone jumping out of the bushes and grabbing them, but the key is to imagine fighting back or yelling in such a situation.
“What a suspect has over a potential survivor is fear,” he said. “Make yourself the victor in your mind.”
Guse said another way to assertively ward off an unwelcome stranger is called “name the behavior.” He said this is done by loudly announcing someone’s inappropriate behavior in a forceful manner.
“Exclaiming ‘your hand’s on my knee’ will draw a lot of attention,” he said, adding that this technique can also be used in a quieter fashion with an acquaintance or date.
“Saying, ‘If you continue, this is rape’ puts a firm end to the no-means-yes notion,” he said.
Leading into the self-defense demonstrations, Guse stressed the fact that people need to rely on themselves first and foremost for protection. He said too much reliance is often placed on pepper spray and car keys. He said in an urgent situation a person may not be coordinated or quick enough to use pepper spray, while attempting to stab an attacker with keys can badly hurt the hand of the person being attacked.
To encourage this idea of relying on oneself when in danger, Guse showed the audience members that they have more physical strength than they realize. He demonstrated a move called “striking through” and asked everyone to punch the palms of their hands. He then asked them to repeat the action, this time keeping their fists pressed against their hands after the punch. By not pulling back, the pain of the impact lasted longer.
“You’re taking energy away from your hit when pulling back,” Guse said. “You have to make sure all your energy is where you want it to go.”
Guse also showed the audience the butterfly, which he said is a surefire move to prevent a strangling. By demonstrating on another person, he showed that by crossing one’s wrists and pushing out against the arms of the attacker one can break away, because in this position the person being choked has more physical leverage against the attacker.
“The butterfly will work no matter how strong the assailant is,” he said.
Thomas Hicks, DPS associate director, addressed the crowd about the recent attacks on and near campus and responded to their concerns before Guse’s presentation. He said students need to be increasingly aware of their surroundings and safety because most likely there is more than one attacker on the loose.
“The attacks seem related, but the descriptions of the attackers have been so off the wall,” he said. “Other than the fact they involve jumping out of the shadows, we’re not sure if it’s the same person or not.”
Hicks asked students to call DPS if they hear any rumors about any of the attacks and assured them they could do so anonymously.
Elaine Winn, a senior history and English major, said she will remember some of the self-defense strategies Guse demonstrated.
“I’ve been in similar physical scenarios before,” she said, adding that she would use the calling-out defense strategy if she found herself in a similar situation in the future.
“It gave me reassurance because there’s been so many cases like this around town lately,” she said.