hem|mungen

Just for the record: He's the only person I've known to be involved in a physical altercation in Prenzlauer Berg in the four years I've been here.

In other words, this sort of nonsense can happen anywhere.

Point taken. But since I can't think of the last time I heard of a friend getting randomly beaten up in any city, there is something in this case that's personally significant for me: mostly that, as you said, this nonsense can happen anywhere. And it is naive to think that it can't.

athletic? *laughs a smoker's wheezy laugh, then cougggghs up a chunk* but thanks nontheless. x

Dude, bowling's a sport.

Both of the times I've been mugged in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's been in so-called "good" neighborhoods. I think what happens to us sometimes, totally outside of race, is that we're far more careful and aware as we move through dodgy places, and let down our guard in places we believe to be safe.

Certainly the case for me.

Hope your friend's okay.

Oh Indri, Mugged twice? That's awful.
But this is sort of what I meant in reply to Derick: for me, personally, it's not only that I don't (fully) understand that all places are not equally safe for all people, it's that, more generally, I think I'm naive about how safe *any* place is. This in spite of the fact that I'm overly sensitive to my own safety a lot of times because I'm female.

[As for the friend: he's doing ok. Why, that's him being snide just above us here in the comments.]

Yeah, it's actually kind of embarassing. I've also chased out an intruder who broke into my place. So I'm three for three with potentially violent confrontations where I didn't get hurt.

What I find interesting is that I'm probably more sensitive about my safety than I would be were I male, yet when I think about everyone I know who has been assaulted by a stranger, they're largely male. Radio Free Mike was jumped once by a guy who'd apparently gotten overexcited by the movie "Fight Club". A former housemate--a very tall, imposing man--was mugged on the way home from BART. They hit him on the head with a rock.

There are some other examples that hunger makes it difficult for me to remember right off. But other than a female friend who was once held hostage in a bank robbery (!), I'm the only woman I know who has been assaulted. Or had someone attempt it, I should say.

I think there are men who just want to start something, and they want to start it with a guy. Ideally a big or tall one. It's like they have something to prove and picking on a woman wouldn't do it for them.

Which is a completely different issue from all the "hey baby" shit I get in my 'hood, but they at least don't try to touch me. Usually.