One of my friends told me that his friend was attacked in West Hollywood in front of his apartment just a few weeks ago. The story is a little disturbing, especially because this friend is neither an alarmist nor prone to exaggerate.
He walked home from a club, and only remembers being jumped in front of his place. He believes he was hit by a baseball bat. He basically woke up the next morning in front of his place, wrists bruised and body scraped. He was raped, and evidence suggests he was drugged.
Frighteningly, this certainly isn't the only incident, and as you talk about it with people, you start hearing more stories (and less often heard is someone getting caught, so these people are still out there). A good friend of mine had someone slip something in his drink several years ago. Fortunately someone saw him dazed and being led out by a someone, and was able to grab him and ask what was up before the man could get him out of the club.
Bottom line: While not going all paranoid, it's important to realize these things do happen even in gay clubs, where we generally feel safe since, let's face it, it's not like str8 clubs where brawls breaking out is the norm. These crimes often go unreported, and rarely make the news.
The usual being aware of your surroundings aside, it's probably not a bad idea to limit walking back to your car alone (and don't let friends either) while this person or persons remain uncaught.
A few other reminders (I know I forget about these sometimes):
He walked home from a club, and only remembers being jumped in front of his place. He believes he was hit by a baseball bat. He basically woke up the next morning in front of his place, wrists bruised and body scraped. He was raped, and evidence suggests he was drugged.
Frighteningly, this certainly isn't the only incident, and as you talk about it with people, you start hearing more stories (and less often heard is someone getting caught, so these people are still out there). A good friend of mine had someone slip something in his drink several years ago. Fortunately someone saw him dazed and being led out by a someone, and was able to grab him and ask what was up before the man could get him out of the club.
Bottom line: While not going all paranoid, it's important to realize these things do happen even in gay clubs, where we generally feel safe since, let's face it, it's not like str8 clubs where brawls breaking out is the norm. These crimes often go unreported, and rarely make the news.
The usual being aware of your surroundings aside, it's probably not a bad idea to limit walking back to your car alone (and don't let friends either) while this person or persons remain uncaught.
A few other reminders (I know I forget about these sometimes):
- Try to ONLY take drinks from the bartender
- if a friend hands you a drink, don't just take it; ask him where he got it. Too many times, someone trying to drug you will hand the drink to a friend of your's to give to you. Your friend, tipsy and unaware, just hands it to you.
- Don't ever leave your drink unattended—even to go to the bathroom. If you do by accident, toss it out and get another. Seriously, the $5-10 bucks you may save on a drink aren't worth the risk.
- Keep an eye out for your friends and yourself. These things happen fast. GHB, for example, only takes 10-20 minutes to kick in, and with a large enough dose, you will first get disoriented and very soon will likely pass out. Seriously, it will come on and escalate fast. If you feel yourself feel weird (especially if it's more than you should based on what you drank) just find one of your friends to hang around quickly, and don't let anyone distract you from that task.
Listening to: Mest - Jaded (These Years)
Posted by The People's Exhibit A at 07:08 pm | Permalink | 4 comments | Leave a comment
