Carry it as your keychain and in your hand when walking alone. A small (momentary blinding) strobe light flashlight with a titanium ring that allows it to be used as a weapon in the face (eyes) of the attacker is also a good idea.

Honestly, I carry these items more for the potential coyote pack I could encounter pre-dawn with my pup, but I certainly would be prepared to use them against a two-legged attacker as well.

I'm severely allergic to cayenne and cannot risk having it blow back on me. Besides, pepper spray only works if you know the attack is coming. And we don't always know.

A good alternative. Mine fits in my pocket readily but is sufficiently weighted to work well in that context. The blinding strobe buys you at least a few vital seconds to run or to hit back with the device. Fenix makes several affordable, tested, and useful models. Just google Fenix tactical flashlights.


I agree you should not risk pepper spray if you are allergic, however, for most having it in their hand (just as with the tactical flashlight above) means you CAN use it even when you "don't know the attack is coming." I went through a self-defense class and every single student was able to flip the switch (on a non-active dummy water spray unit) and at least use it along with the attached keys against the surprise assailant (four classes that allowed students--even some much older physically unfit participants-- to be tested in different settings including during breaks when they least expected it). These were five-inch slim tubular canisters that like the flashlight afforded a weapon against the face. No self-defense is 100% I'm sure you realize. But at least you won't be shot and killed with your own gun (if perhaps that is your alternative) and in Colorado, this approach has worked against surprise attacks with wildlife--four-legged AND two-legged. Of course, bear spray attached to the belt or backpack when hiking in more risky wilderness areas would be recommended instead, but I digress...

I've been wondering to what extent the Thug in Chief who tried to use violence to stage a coup and now praises his jailed insurrectionist thugs has implicitly promoted thuggery not just on politicians and poll workers but on the public at large.

This has been happening for years, you may remember the last time it got lots of attention, was when it was pointed out that Asian women were frequently the victims of this kind of assault under the guise of "the knockout game". Whenever they do actually identify the perps, they're rarely the type who appear to be MAGA demographics.

That would have been based in racism and racist politics are MAGA.

White supremacist racism is just one form racism. Most of the anti-Asian and anti-Hassidic "knock-out game" suspects were black, it became problematic enough Al Sharpton and other community leaders spoke out and those stories have seemingly disappeared from headlines so I don't know if the community outreach campaign in conjunction with heavier policing had a major impact or if the media just got bored tbh.

In a recent random punching a woman in NYC incident, the suspect is an undocumented hispanic immigrant. In the cases on TikTok, one woman got video and it's a black man, and another woman described her attacker as a young white man. My guess is a lot of people of various skin tones and political persuasions are mentally ill, and that a lot of men resent or hate women in general.

All of this is a reminder that the most vulnerable thing a person can be in the world.... is a woman.

..absurd Tik-Tok challenges, is it?

No mention of what the perps look like. Are these attacks on camera?

I used to want to move back to nyc. Too expensive.

how can you protect yourself when you don't have a clue what to be watching for.

Isn't that weird they don't have that?

Can't see his face so not sure how helpful it is but maybe the red coat will be a giveaway to someone https://www.tiktok.com/@malous228/video/7350685515013754154?embed_source=121374463%2C121404359%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_card_play&refer=embed&referer_url=iframe.nbcnews.com%2Fw49nUnW%3F_showcaption%3Dtrue%26app%3D1&referer_video_id=7350685515013754154

Also, note this man is black, another woman's attacker was a young white guy according to her description on the Today show, so this isn't just one rogue guy.