Kenya M. Fairley

A few weeks ago, I was leaving the Metro Station, heading to my car in the parking garage. I opened the door to the stairwell and saw a man standing there near the bottom of the stairs. He was simply standing there looking up the stairs but not moving or doing anything else. I paused with the door open and just stared at him. Eventually he realized I was standing there and he registered the alarm on my face. With a sheepish smile, he explained that he couldn’t remember which level he parked his car on. Although skeptical, I continued past him and up the stairs. I looked back a few times and eventually, he moved on down the stairs to a different level.

The point of the story is that most men don’t have to think twice about being safe and protecting themselves when going about their usual daily activities. As a woman, I often think about the potential dangers of parking my car in the multi-level garage at the Metro station—rape, assault, robbery, car jacking, etc. Even if these things don’t occur frequently in my community, they are still in the back of my mind. I’m often reminded of the episode arch on the Sopranos when Tony’s psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, was raped in the parking garage. It was an intense horrific scene, and being a rape survivor myself, I always think about it.

Nevertheless, my life must go on and I need to use the Metro to get to work. So I push past my tentative fear and keep pressing forward. I refuse to allow fear to rule my life. I remain vigilant and take steps to keep myself as safe as possible. Here are a few tips that you can follow to help keep yourself safe as well. SN: This list is not exhaustive, just a few reminders.

1. Trust your instincts at all times. Feel comfortable with ignoring others as needed and being cautious. Someone who has no ill intent will understand your concerns and be reassuring.
2. Be aware that parked cars can provide a good hiding spot for predators. Be sure to check around and beneath your car as you approach in case someone is crouching there.
3. Be alert and try not to be on your phone or using ear buds while walking to your car. Predators are looking for victims that are distracted, don’t give them the opportunity.
4. When walking to your car, walk out in the open, in the middle of the ramp/walkway until you get to your car. Walking too closely to a row of parked cars makes it easier for a predator to abduct their victim or catch them unawares.
5. If it makes you feel safer, carry Mace, pepper spray or a Taser. Be sure to receive proper training in how to use these devices; keep in mind that a predator may wrestle it from you to use against you.
6. Once you reach your car, get in quickly, lock your doors, and keep the windows up until you’re a safe distance away.
7. Never feel guilty for thinking someone could be a potential predator and for keeping yourself safe. People (salesmen, pollsters, religious folk, etc.) knock on my door all the time. I feel no guilt about ignoring them, especially since they were uninvited in the first place.