<p>You poor thing! Crime is certainly on an upswing around here. I’m horrified by the woman who was attacked while jogging on Briarcliff during morning rush hour. I would have felt absolutely safe in the situation, so it seems so crazy that someone attacked her there.</p>
<p>ScottieMix, was that the stabbing on the news yesterday? That is such a well traveled area, that is what is so shocking on that one. I felt very lucky that my injuries were so minimal in comparison.</p>
<p>Yes, and I agree. Plus, the Briarcliff area has always read as so safe to me. </p>
<p>Atlanta has cut back police patrols quite a lot, and the police basically said yesterday we can expect for these kind of crimes (and what happened to you) to become more common. I think we’re going to end up back where we were in the early nineties.</p>
<p>A very senior grandmother was a robbed at gunpoint in a mall parking lot on Long Island NY the other day. Thankfully she wasn’t hurt but she had the gumption to follow the guy in her car (I guess she kept her car keys and her cellphone in her slacks). She called 911 and they caught the fiend within minutes.</p>
<p>While I’m squeamish about victims pursuing armed suspects, we all should be quite conscious of our surroundings while in parking lots and at ATM machines. My elderly mother and my elderly aunt refuse to use ATMs. For a long time I thought that their attitude about ATMs was just too old fashioned. Not any more. As bank robber Willie Sutton famously said, “that’s where the money is…”</p>
<p>Wow, glad you are OK. This is very scary as my city just had to lay off 45 policeman and 50 firefighters due to the poor economy, . What is sure to follow is an increase in crimes such as this. Although not a huge city (population is around 93,000), we do have many of the same issues that larger cities have. </p>
<p>I, too, am sometimes guilty of not paying attention to my purse in the shopping cart, although I am trying to be more vigalent about that. I recently talked to my DD about not hanging her purse on the hook of a public restroom stall. We were in a McDonalds at a rest stop and I noticed that she hung it on the hook at the top of the stall. She said she did that because she didn’t want her Vera Bradley bag on the floor. I told her to hang it around her neck, , the tp dispenser, or the door latch - just don’t put it up on the hook or someone could just reach over the top and do a grab-and-run!</p>
<p>That’s scary, GA2012Mom! Hope you feel better, soon.</p>
<p>Wondering if this doesn’t mean that maybe it’s a good idea not to take all credit cards w/you when you go out or to have a slim wallet to put inside a jacket, while still carrying a purse.</p>
<p>Just some thoughts…</p>
<p>Oh no, that is just terrible, GA2012Mom. I am so sorry and outraged that this happened to you. </p>
<p>I’m sure it was extremely upsetting. I hope for your complete recovery.</p>
<p>It is good of you to extend your experience to warn us. I wouldn’t be thinking of this while walking around relatively safe areas, but now I will.</p>
<p>I am so sorry that you went through this ! We have seen a increase in our area of domestic violence crimes…three of which resulted in the wive’s deaths.
Sometimes in the summer, I have large cash transactions so I am very careful and don’t like to draw any attention to myself. Last summer, one of the tellers made a comment loud enough for other patrons to hear. I actually called the manager and asked her to speak to the tellers to be discreet so as not to attract attention to ANYONE who might have a large sum of cash on them.
I hope you are recovering both physically and emotionally.</p>
<p>Oh my!! I had not seen your thread before now, GAMOM. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Scary event in sadly desperate times for some.</p>
<p>I do not take a pocketbook out with me, ever.
In the winter I have lots of pockets on the inside of my coat
In the summer, fanny pack. Keys are never kept in same place as wallet</p>
<p>Hope you are doing better GAMOM</p>
<p>One month after my attack I was back at the hospital once again last night. More antibiotics, removal of stitches that were supposed to be self disolving but did not, more pain and infection, etc. etc. </p>
<p>In light of what jdjaguar is going through with his son, I feel petty and small for feeling sorry for myself. How shallow of me to have a pity party over a few scars.</p>
<p>GA2012MOM, I missed this thread the first time around. Your pain is real, too. Don’t minimize what you’re going through - I’m so sorry that this happened to you, and I hope you get treatment that will help you start to heal faster.</p>
<p>Hope you heal well! :)</p>
<p>Heal quickly! It happened once to me. Once is enough.</p>
<p>GA2012MOM, I hope that you heal soon. Being injured is awful; you have every right to complain even if someone else has a more serious problem!</p>
<p>Everybody counts.</p>
<p>My God, GAMom, that must have been truly awful! I’m so glad that you’re alright—though, continued pain and possible infection must be troubling. Thanks for reminding us all about how tough economic times can bring out the worst in some people. I know I’ll be keeping more vigilant when I’m out and about.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry, GAMom. Here’s to a speedy, and uncomplicated, recovery from here on in.</p>
<p>I worry about these things too, more and more, especially when I work late and have to walk to my car in the parking garage where I keep it, which is very deserted at night. I never use an ATM at night or where there aren’t a lot of people around, unless I’m in my car and it’s a drive-through ATM. Even then, I try to look around to see if anyone’s lurking, and make sure my doors are locked.</p>
<p>And, yes, I get careless too sometimes leaving my bag sitting in the cart when I’m in the supermarket, and wandering away from it down the aisle. I’ll have to watch that.</p>
<p>GAMom, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the antibiotics will do their job, and the scars will fade away soon. Of course, the toughest scars to heal are always the mental ones. Speedy recovery to you.</p>
<p>Thinking of you and sending healing thoughts and prayers your way! Take care of yourself!</p>