Southwest PA Self-defense Network Blog

Have we lost our minds ?? SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A handsome mug shot of a Northern California man arrested on felony weapons charges has gone viral on social media, attracting more than 33,000 "likes" and drawing comments praising his high cheek bones, chiseled face and striking blue eyes.   The issue is one of judgment. There is a great moralist story of the scorpion and the turtle and if you haven't heard it look it up. The moral is - You knew what it was yet you went ahead anyway. Same thing here. Would you talk to this guy? Let him woo and pursue you? Then what....? The comments and such.. just shake my head like this one: Judy 2 minutes ago "Wow, I will save your picture to remember how pretty you look, and I can bet anything you will change to better yourself. I believe in your soul and what you project through your eyes. Chin up don't give up just because you just find yourself in that situation fight back against any negative things. Learn of what this...

Suing is an option for parents left without resources.     Illinois parents have taken legal action against their son's alleged bully, suing a boy and his parents on their son’s behalf. Matthew and Deveri Del Core filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming their son's fellow fourth grader at a Chicago-area elementary school violently bullied their son Joaquin for the entire school year. “It was quite an incident for us to go through in our house, and have our son waking up screaming, not wanting to go to school, and crying and feeling that he wasn't safe,” Deveri Del Core told ABC News of the alleged bullying. The lawsuit accuses the other child of causing permanent and serious injury, including harassment on a weekly basis that included “hitting, punching, choking, elbowing, kicking, pushing, spitting ... threatening to kill him, and tripping him on the stairs," according to court papers, filed in Cook County Circuit Court. “It has been traumatic for my ...

Crime 'Dallas' actress AnnaLynne McCord reveals she was suicidal after sexual assault Published May 30, 2014 FoxNews.com Facebook 25 Twitter 150 Gplus 1 "Dallas" actress AnnaLynne McCord. Reuters "Dallas" actress AnnaLynne McCord revealed she was on the brink of suicide after a sexual assault at age 18. In a first-person article published in the July issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, former "90210" star, now 26, says she is speaking out to help other women who suffer in silence. In the article, McCord said she had moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career when a friend who was staying in her apartment overnight attacked her as she slept. She did not identify the man. McCord, who said she kept the rape secret at first, finally disclosed it to friends and family but remained tormented. In her early 20s...

DEAR ABBY: I am a male victim of domestic violence. I was traumatized for five years at the hands of my ex. I suffered through name-calling, physical and sexual abuse. Once, when she was upset, she hit me with her car and dragged me across our parking lot. I tried several times to leave only to find that in my community there was no help for men in situations like mine. There are women's shelters everywhere, but none that cater to men and their children. I ended up having to return home, and things just got worse. I finally left with the shirt on my back and a few belongings. Because I couldn't find help, I slept on the street. I am now a survivor and attending school to become a social worker. I have been trying to raise awareness of men as abuse victims, but it's an uphill battle. Why? -- EMPOWERED IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN DEAR EMPOWERED: It's probably because of outdated gender stereotypes and lack of awareness by the law enforcement in your community that wo...

Lots of information in this article but basically - violence against women is because of inequality and that can be solved by redistribution of money.                    Want to reduce horrible gun crimes? Reduce inequality. Yes, Elliot Rodger was privileged. But many perpetrators of gun crimes aren't. By Elizabeth Stoker   |   May 29, 2014 in Share 11 T he aftermath of last weekend's terrible Isla Vista murders has focused not on background checks, assault weapons bans, or other gun control measures often put forth in the wake of shooting crimes. Instead, the focus has been on, well, men. When it comes to horrible mass killings in America, the assailant is almost always male. Many see that gender reality as crucial to understanding gun violence in America. The New Statesman' s Laurie Penny argues that "if you think for one sec...

Keep control of your firearm.  Man, 63, arrested after gun fires in movie theater Published May 22, 2014 MEMPHIS, Tenn. –   Police say no one was hurt when a loaded gun fell out of a man's pants pocket in a movie theater and fired. Memphis police said 63-year-old George Gholson was arrested and charged Tuesday with reckless endangerment and failing to follow a posted "no-weapons" notice. Police said Gholson took a .38-caliber, two-shot Derringer into a movie theater in east Memphis. The gun, which was loaded with one bullet, fell out of his pants pocket and fired the round. Police said none of the 18 people in the theater were hit. An off-duty police officer who was in the theater at the time took Gholson into custody. The theater had posted a notice prohibiting weapons inside the building. Online court records do not show if Gholson has a lawyer. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/05/22/man-63-arrested-after-gun-fires-in-movie-theat...

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...