Cops Release Video of Brooklyn Sex Attack Suspect

• I agree with your logic, and I realize that my suggestions can be problematic.  I was talking about an ideal situation in which properly prepared and adequately fit potential victims might turn the tables on their attackers in a dramatic and publicly heroic way.  Even then, any action must be at the victim's option, with due regard for her safety, as well as for the emotional baggage of taking another person's life, albeit in self defense.  I am not in favor of concealed weapons permits, however, as I feel that firearms used by untrained individuals in congested urban areas can have dire consequences for innocent bystanders.  I am in favor of pepper spray, the non-weapon weapons I mentioned in my post, and perhaps even stun guns or Tasers, albeit with proper training As for CCTV cameras, we can never have too many, although most surveillance cameras are still of poor quality, and the videos they produce nearly unusable for law enforcement purposes.  Technology is now available, at declining cost, that can produce dated and time-stamped hi-def images, some right down to eye color, and even capture high quality audio, all of which can be monitored real-time from remote locations by private security companies and government law enforcement personnel. More police on the beat, and in cars, will help, but criminals are usually aware of any police presence and generally do their crimes in more desolate areas or where they might avoid detection.  More likely, the increased use of undercover decoys in high crime locations will be a better move, and using surveillance technology to get police vehicles to the scene of a crime in progress would be more efficacious than random patrolling. But the real problem is that too many accused rapists are never convicted of their crimes, plea bargain to less severe charges, or are given slap-on-the-wrist sentences that set them free to rape again, despite the fact that modern forensic science, and especially DNA evidence, makes it much easier to convict at trial.  If the courts, law enforcement, and the mental health establishment took rape, and rapists, more seriously, perhaps there wouldn't be so much of it.  Rape is, of course, a very complex issue, as there are many kinds of rape and many types of victims, but, when it comes to forceable stranger rape, especially by serial rapists, what can't be accomplished under the rule of law must be addressed by the rules of war.  Just sayin'.

• You're coming from a well-intentioned place but the reality is that if we're talking about a 130lb woman vs a 250lb man, if he's within physical proximity for close combat, those tactics (unless really, really successful) could also be the difference between rape and murder victim. Those namby-pamby "non-violent defense" classes do address these points. Now, if you're pushing for concealed weapons permits for women - in NYC - this will get real messy and...let's just not go there. I propose CCTV and better lighting in high-risk areas as a start, more of a law enforcement presence (for example, mini-police stations at certain blocks) as bandages, and long-term? There's gotta be some good ideas out there...

• Perhaps the best way to stop these assaults is for more women to learn how to protect themselves, and I'm not just talking about those namby pamby "non-violent" self defense courses that teach women evasive actions that leave the perp unharmed, only to rape again another day. I would rather see women learning how to permanently blind their attacker with a set of keys, rupture his spleen with the tip of an umbrella, or surgically curtail his reign of terror with a pair of sharp scissors or a nail file deftly introduced into a crucial neck artery. What law enforcement authorities prefer not to tell potential victims is that, for purposes of self defense, rape is the legal equivalent of deadly physical force, and that an intended victim of forceable rape may legally kill her attacker, whether or not he is armed, if she feels, as would a "prudent woman," that doing so is necessary to prevent or curtail the rape. The police seem worried that a weapon in the hands of a victim might be turned against her by a stronger and more skilled attacker, but that presupposes that civilian women will not become trained as well as, say, female soldiers or police officers. This has to change. Scissors, keys, nail files, and umbrellas are not considered weapons until used as such, and, if used justifiably, they do not become illegal weapons as would an unlicensed gun or a knife designed primarily for fighting. Of course, pepper spray may be preferable and easier to use, as escape is a safer option than close combat with an armed assailent, although pepper spray could backfire in a small vestibule or other enclosed space. Either way, be sure to use either the spray OR the scissors, but not both, as stabbing an already visually compromised assailant, when escape is otherwise possible, may be seen by authorities as the unjustified use of excessive force. BTW, I am not an attorney, so be sure to consult one before preparing for battle. Good luck.  

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