Eliza Fletcher, a 34-year-old schoolteacher, mother, and wife, was abducted and brutally murdered by a predator in Memphis. The attack occurred around 4:30 in the morning. As a husband and someone who investigated abduction/murders for most of his career, ABC News’ Brad Garrett finds the idea that women cannot exercise alone outside outrageous and so unfair. He offers some tips.
Studies have shown that 30% of women trying to get around a city choose to take transportation, like Uber or Lyft, instead of walking, or they avoid going out altogether. The same study found that 70% of all women surveyed listed the possibility of sexual assault as their number one concern.
So with that in mind, here are a few tips to keep yourself or your loved ones safer, understanding that we can never entirely eliminate the risk of harm from strangers.
1. Use the buddy system. We teach this to our kids, and we should follow the same advice. Jog or walk with others. Join a running or walking club. If you don’t have one in your area, try to start one yourself at your church, synagogue, or club.
2. Stay where there are people if you have to walk or jog alone. Try walking in an area with a local retail area, for example, and avoid places that are not well lit.
3. Put your phone away. This sounds counterintuitive, but it makes good sense. With free hands, you can defend yourself or unlock a car to escape the area.
4. If you feel like someone is following you, duck into a business and wait. Look to see who it is, and do not leave safety until you can confirm that the person is gone.
5. Approach another person and ask them to walk with you. If you think someone is following you do not hesitate to try to create a buddy system on the spot by asking someone to walk or run with you. I would recommend this be another woman when possible. Explain that you are worried the person is following you.
6. Make a scene. While you should never make a scene at a nice restaurant, if you are being followed get loud and wake people up. Draw attention to yourself, wake the neighborhood up, so that the possible attacker fears identification and leaves without harming you.
7. Walk with confidence and purpose. This is easier than you may think. If you walk huddled over, clutching your purse, or darting your eyes around like a scared puppy you are showing weakness that an attacker can sense. Stand tall, walk like you are going somewhere important and you are in charge.
From The NISSI Project:
Finish Her Run
Many women of Pensacola and the Pensacola running community will honor the life of Eliza Fletcher and Finish Her Run exactly one week to the minute of when she was believed to be abducted. This is in congruence with a National, virtual run happening all over the country at this time.
Eliza Fletcher went missing last Friday at 4:20am as she was completing an 8 mile run. This week we were heartbroken to learn she had been abducted and murdered. She was a wife, mom, teacher, daughter and friend, and someone who represents many working women in America.
“It’s often hard to find the time to run during the day when your day is filled with work responsibilities and caring for your family,” said Sara Lefevers, president of The NISSI Project, an organization helping survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. As a mom, if I want to run, workout, or train it has to be before my family wakes or after they go to bed. It’s sad that thoughts of training yourself in the time you have available has to also be met with fear of safety or fear for your life.”
She continued, “Eliza hit close to home. We want to honor her life but also help raise awareness for safety training and that there is safety in numbers. Find your community, get safety education, and crush your goals. On the flip side, we will continue to raise awareness for violence against women. We felt standing up and running for Eliza like this was a great way to start.”
The group will meet at 4am at the Hawkshaw Missing Child Memorial and will join in prayer and a moment of silence for Eliza and her family right at 4:20 am. They will then begin to run/walk across the 3-mile bridge and back at personal speeds/paces. Please join us and share with your gym or running community.
The intent of this run is to honor a life and raise general awareness. We want to make clear that no organization or service will be promoted or benefited by this run in any way.