Since October, six women have been attacked in various neighborhoods in the greater Seattle area.
The times at which the attacks occurred and the victims' ages vary, but with the exception of a woman who was walking her dog, all of the women were alone at the time of their assault.
On Feb. 12, Public Safety issued a campus-wide notification regarding an assault incident reported by a Seattle University student, which occurred on Jan. 29.
The female student reported being touched inappropriately by a cab driver. The case is currently under investigation by the Seattle Police Department.
News of these attacks has sparked a conversation about safety among women on campus and in the greater community of Capitol Hill.
Lieutenant James Koutsky of Seattle Police Department Sexual Assault Unit suggests that women take a self-defense class to become more prepared possibility for an attack.
"One thing we have noticed in the most recent assaults are that women are fighting back,"Koutsky said. "When women fight back, attackers don't expect that [and] it's really messed up for them."
Although the possibility of being attacked remains a persistent issue, others like Joanne Factor, a self-defense instructor and owner of Strategic Living in Seattle, understand that most people need an impetus for seeking out a self-defense course, whether it is a recent attack on them or a friend or a solo trip abroad.
"Women tend to be more reactive than proactive," said Factor. "[As] a self-defense instructor, I teach what can be done on your own individual level, it's not like the police will be there when you snap your fingers."
Factor teaches a wide variety of self-defense classes from one-on-one instruction to group courses with a beginning class as close as Seattle Central Community College.
Despite the recent attacks, both Koutsky and Factor agree that Seattle is a safe place for women, but women must also take steps to discourage attacks.
Koutsky advises that women should "always be aware of their surroundings, trust your instincts and bring a friend."
"One thing is to make smart choices," said Gretta Harley, a local musician and a co-founder of the now-defunct non-profit Home Alive, which offered self-defense classes from 1993 to 2010, when the organization shut down.
"Sometimes we put ourselves in situations that are more dangerous than they need to be," Harley said.
Harley founded Home Alive with eight other women after the brutal Capitol Hill rape and murder of Mia Zapata, vocalist for the punk band The Gits, in 1993.
Violence around Capitol Hill had been on the rise before Zapata's murder, but her slaying prompted Harley and other local musicians to gather and discuss how to protect their community.
Eventually the women formed Home Alive to offer affordable self-defense classes and to prevent further violence by educating and raising awareness among the public.
Although Home Alive disbanded in June 2010, the lessons its organizers taught remain relevant to current students at Seattle U and women across Seattle.
"We taught a variety of self-defense classes, including verbal battery, like how to turn around and say no," Harley said. "[We taught] how to fight back, kick [and]scream."
Katie Milburn, a freshman at Seattle U, strives to make smart choices when she walks around the university's campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
"I don't really go anywhere alone," she said.
Milburn feels that Seattle U's urban environment makes it even more important for other female students to stay alert when they're out walking.
"At the same time, there are people like [the taxi cab driver] everywhere, that do these things for God knows what reasons," Milburn added.
"Stranger danger exists," Factor said.
Stranger danger, as Factor calls it, are attacks perpetrated by someone the victim doesn't know, and according to the U.S. Department of Justice, makes up only 18 percent of reported assaults against women.
Sara Bernard-Hoverstad, another Seattle U freshman, believes she'd benefit from a self-defense class. Bernard-Hoverstad also recognizes the value of being conscious of one's surroundings.
"I think attentiveness is so important," Bernard-Hoverstad said. "Being aware, not texting."
Kassi may be reached at krodgers@su-spectator.com
Sam may be reached at skettering@su-spectator.com
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