Southwest PA Self-defense Network Blog

This is a tough one. As a sexual assault advocate I feel that rapist should be outed and people around them should know what they're doing. As a man who could be easily falsely accused and their life ruined, where is the recourse if such a thing happened?  Someone Is Writing Lists of ‘Rapists’ on Columbia’s Walls A growing sex abuse scandal at the Ivy League institution has taken a vigilante turn. Earlier this month, after a string of sexual abuse accusations at Columbia University, the campus newspaper published an op-ed that asked, “What would you do if you found out someone you knew had definitively sexually assaulted someone?” As if in response, an anonymous person or persons began writing a list of alleged rapists on Columbia’s walls. “Sexual assault violators on campus” was the underlined label given to the first list, which appeared in the women’s bathroom in Hamilton Hall last Wednesday. Four names were on the list, which appeared to have been written by multiple peop...

If I am Missing or Dead By Janine Latus 307 Pages; 2007 My first impression of the book is – good story, bad writing. The author of the book, a writer and teacher, doesn't use quotes and her styles simply isn’t for my tastes; however, the book is easy to read and examines a relationship that slowly spirals downward with all the classic elements of an abusive relationship. The book, like many biographies starts at childhood and expands from the there. The author is one of 5 children of a traditional family unit of two parents where the mother is a stay at home mom until the author is 12 before she gets a job outside the house.  As the book moves along the author recounts important events in her life until her meeting of her abusive husband and the majority of the book is about her. This is rather odd since the title of the book refers to a note that Amy ( her murdered sister )  left regarding an abusive relationship she was in and it isn't until page 253 when Amy goes missing ....

My comments are at the end: Mother of Teen Killed in Attempted Burglary Blames Homeowners 05/05/14 by  Sonseeahray Tonsall Reporter Read more:  http://fox40.com/2014/05/05/mother-of-teen-killed-in-attempted-burglary-blames-homeowners/#ixzz3205u7fQj SACRAMENTO- Sandy Crider is overwhelmed with heartbreak and confusion as she tries to understand what she’s heard from police about her son Steven – that he was one of two young burglars shot to death on Sacramento’s Arcade Boulevard Sunday morning while breaking into a house. “I’m never gonna forget this till the day I die, wondering how my son felt, the last breath he took, what he seen,” Crider said. According to Crider, nothing about this sounds like her 16-year-old, the youngest of her eight kids. Police, on the other hand, suggest Sunday morning may have been the third time Steven, and a 14-year-old friends have identified as Michael Sambrano, may have targeted the same house. No one there wanted to talk about what happen...

A couple of issues here. 1. How bad do things need to get for the father to feel the school district isn't responding.  2. It's possible the father is using this as leverage to motivate the school to take action such as moving the daughter to a separate kindergarten class. 3. Perhaps the parents are the clueless "my kid can't do no wrong" type and this is to get them to open their eyes. It's like the old saying...Some people will move when they see the light, others when they feel the heat.  KENOSHA, Wis. –   A Kenosha County father who says his daughter is being bullied by a kindergarten classmate has taken out a restraining order against the 5-year-old. Brian Metzger tells WISN-TV that his daughter has been threatened and attacked by her classmate at Prairie Lane Elementary School. A police report says the girl was kicked in the face and had sand and rocks thrown at her. Metzger says the school should have done something sooner. He says the student stayed in...

Read this article and tell me that they people don't deserve to die. Imagine that poor woman's last hours of life. Police: Missing New Jersey woman was buried alive   By  SAMANTHA HENRY 2 hours ago CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey woman was buried alive in a shallow grave by her landscaper after he offered to drive her to buy a new car, police said Thursday as he and another man were arraigned on murder charges. Fatima Perez was reported missing on Monday evening, the same day she left her Camden home to buy the car. The body of the 41-year-old woman was found Wednesday in Monroe Township, about 20 miles away. Perez's mouth and eyes were covered with duct tape before she was buried, authorities said. An autopsy determined she died of asphyxiation. Landscaper Carlos Alicea-Antonetti, of Camden, and one of his employees, Ramon Ortiz of Pennsauken, told investigators they buried her alive, according to authorities. Perez had previously employed Alicea-Antonetti. Both men appli...

If you read the following article, especially the opening sentence you get the idea that protecting yourself and your village is vigilantism. "BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) — Villagers in an area of Nigeria where Boko Haram operates have killed and detained scores of the extremist Islamic militants who were suspected of planning a fresh attack, the residents and a security official said. Residents in Nigeria's northern states have been forming vigilante groups in various areas to resist the militants who have held more than 270 schoolgirls captive since last month." http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-vigilantes-kill-islamic-militants-131633401.html So the militants were planning a fresh attack and the villagers struck first and stopped the attack. Why the negative connotation? Is it a belief that only those in authority can fight on our behalf?

In the losing my faith in humanity (again ) category I present this article. There are a couple of take away points on this: 1. The process of law enforcement is not as clear as it would seem. You hear horror stories of over zealous CYS personnel taking children away from parents over misunderstandings yet "Despite the alleged confessions, police needed more evidence to make arrests in the case. For that, they attempted to speak with the alleged victim. That task, authorities said, initially proved futile. "Her parents refused to let us talk to her and [they] moved to Colorado," said Tilley." Wow, that's amazing. If you're abusing your kids all you have to do is say "No" to law enforcement and they'll go away. 2. Things sometimes grind slowly. "The allegations of abuse surfaced in December 2012," And then..."All six of the brothers were arrested on May 6 "  That's a year and 6 months later. Parents, 6 Sons, Accused Of ...