There's another rapist here in central Ohio whom the news has labeled The Westside Rapist. He has not been caught but he, apparently, stalks a woman for a while then breaks into her house and, voila, she awakens to him on her pinned-down body in the middle of the night. I believe there are 7 rapes attributed to him and one where the woman fought and yelled like Hell, scaring him away before he could accomplish his task. He's been at this for about a year, though his attacks stopped about a month ago. Things were getting really hot for him here so the thinking is he's doing his raping elsewhere, for the time being. While all this was in the news every night we were talking about it at work and I said I "hoped" he tried to mess with me because I tend to get EXTREMELY angry when crazy people try to confront me (it's a bad neighborhood and, believe me, I have SCARED strangers who've dared to approach me in the dark or show up at my front door uninvited) and I felt sure I could take him on. But then I started thinking, even with a security system on my house, if you awaken pinned down you're already at a supreme disadvantage. How would you get free? Could you get to your 10lb. chrome-plated dumbbell or your gun or your security system key fob with the "PANIC" button? This then became a discussion about the merits of various forms of martial arts/fighting. One co-worker has a brown belt in Karate and has been really pushing me to get into one of several forms of martial arts she says would be great for me because I have "great high kicks (I do)." I said I wanted something that's "Offensive, rather then defensive so I can strike first and gain the upper hand from the start." Remember, the Westside Rapist ran from the woman who surprised him by fighting back hard. That's when my other co-worker strongly suggested Krav. But he's been killing himself at Krav and I've been hearing about it forever... My point is, rape has been uppermost in nearly every central Ohio woman's mind for months but, up until a convicted rapist moved across the street from me, it was mostly academic. Now, I think, 'What's HE doing (as I peak at his house several doors down and across the street)? How safe are my doors? Does he know the holes in my security system (there are always holes)? Why didn't I replace those rickety old doors and all the first floor windows of this old house when I had the chance (and the money)...' I'm a tough b*tch when someone tries to screw with me so I'm not nearly as worried for myself as I am for his next door neighbors: A couple with two daughters in their late teens/early 20's, one of whom is mother to a child under a year old. I am REALLY concerned for them, for how incredibly uncomfortable it will be to know, in a neighborhood where the houses are all separated by less than eight feet, they could look out a side window only to find themselves looking directly at him looking out his side window (chills). The last two summers they've really enjoyed their backyard swimming pool but I doubt they'll feel comfortable doing that this summer, unless the rapist moves. Like most old neighborhoods, about 1/3 of the basement is above ground so the first floor is up quite high, thus,he can easily view their pool from his dining room window. I OWN my home so I'm not going ANYWHERE because of a renter who'll probably be gone in six months (the renters around here come and go fast and I've already drafted my letter to the rental company taking them to task for renting to Tier III sex offenders...) but the slight distance I have offers me at least some cushion. My friends next door to the rapist have no cushion at all. God, I feel for them.
