Petition Emerges For a Free Park Slope Self Defense Class

After a string of awful attacks on women in Brooklyn, a Park Slope resident has started a petition urging that a free self defense class be offered to women in the area. In this letter to Community Board 7 and Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez, PS resident Teresa Ish writes:

The recent attacks in our neighborhood are disturbing and disgusting, but rather than recommend that women carry rape whistles and find escorts to keep them safe, we should be empowering women to defend themselves.  I would like to request that a series of self defense classes be offered to women in our community in English, Spanish and Chinese.  While completing a self defense course in no way assures safety, peer reviewed studies show that physically and verbally fighting back is effective in preventing rapes by strangers. I have created a petition to gauge the community's interest in attending a course like this, and encourage the CB and Councilwoman Gonzalez to consider offering such a course while the police are completing their investigation.

Again, you can sign the petition HERE.