Criminally Insane

I was having a talk with a fellow trini about her experiences with crime. She's been held up and robbed 4 times (so far), with a couple of them being pretty violent. She isn't the only person I know who has been the victim of such serious crime. I have known two young people, younger than I, who have been murdered brutally. I have a friend who was kidnapped and beaten, had his car stolen and used in a shooting and was left, tied up and half-naked in a cane field. I have had friends held up at knife point, gun point, rock point, big piece of iron point. Friends' cars robbed and broken into, stolen and vandalized.

I myself, though I seem to forget quite easily sometimes, have been the victim of crime as well, albeit not of such a up-close and personal nature as my unfortunate friends have been. I've had my beloved 626 stolen, but by the grace of God (and I do mean that literally) I got it back. I've had jewellery that I treasured dearly stolen from me. I've had my car broken into, though again, by the grace of God, the window that they broke in fell on top of my cd case and they didn't see it and stole instead my then-gf's things. That's about the extent of my dealings with crime.

Now, I KNOW that in these times I am extremely, extremely fortunate not to have been the victim of violent or 'personal' crime. I'm also aware that I ain't dead yet, so I have some time left in which this could happen. However, I don't only attribute my fortune to a higher being alone. I'd also like to believe that the way I am - my behaviour, my habits, my thinking - has kept me out of situations such as these. It was this train of thought that led to me wanting to pinpoint what exactly I do, on a daily basis, that keeps me out of that much danger;

for one, I haven't traveled since I was 17. Yes, I know there are many, many, maannnyy people who are not as lucky and privileged as I to have their own car or to be able to get a private drop to and from. I'm just saying.. this has greatly helped keep me away from crime as I haven't been exposed to the general public, even when I'm going to town/arima/couva/chaguanas/st. augustine etc.

driving in traffic: while driving all my friends know I generally dislike using the a/c (to save gas), so my windows are always down. However at every light I always turn up all the windows and switch the a/c on (if need be) for those few mins I'm at a stand still. Also in traffic, depending on the rate of traffic I'll do the same. Especially on places like the Beetham, El Socorro, Aranguez etc.

if I'm going through a drivethru (kfc) I put my window back up when I'm done ordering. I also try not to text or use my phone while I'm in the line.

When walking through a car park I have my keys in my hand before I reach my car. Perhaps this is a mistake but my thinking is this: I can trigger my alarm if I need to create either a distraction or to draw attention to myself. I can also, if the situation arises, use the metal end of the key as a weapon at (very) close range. Having the key in my hand while I'm walking also saves time digging in my pocket for it when I finally do get to my car.

While walking through a car park, if I am alone I also try not to use my phone, especially to text (as hard as this is to believe) as again, it 1) draws attention to you and 2) distracts you from your surroundings. I try to be aware of my surroundings at all times, especially in car parks and similar areas.

If I'm walking down a street texting is again a no-no unless it's a familiar street (residential areas apply only.. so this is basically valsayn) and awareness is at a max. This goes for when I'm walking anywhere at all actually. I occasionally glance behind me or look down to check for any shadows that may be following me. I also try to keep an ear out for any suspicious sounds such as someone running, trying to keep in time with me and the like.

This should be obvious to everyone but I'll include it anyway. I try to stay out of known dangerous areas. Morvant, Lavantille, East Belmont, certain areas of St. Augustine etc I have little to no knowledge of. I like my car bullet-hole free. When my 626 was stolen, it was actually parked up the hill from a seedy area.

When driving home late at night, I am supposed to take a different route every once in a while but I generally don't cus I'm pretty tired after liming. I always watch behind me to see if I'm being followed though. No matter how sleepy I am I always do this. When I get to my gate, which is remote controlled (compound) I click the remote from as far away as I can and then I am always watching around for cars and people.

When I get to my door, which is on the side of the building, with the back and the side of the compound right there, I peep my head around the corner to scope out the surrounding area. Even when there isn't anyone there, I always open my door quickly and engage the lock before the door is even closed, in case I am rushed and have to slam the door quickly.

When I go to fetes, I wear jeans that have special secret pockets sewn into the seam of the legs. (I buy the jeans like this) so I put my money there and have my ID and bank card in my wallet if I need to have the wallet. In crowds, I also occasionally pat my back pocket to make sure my wallet is there. Not too much though, otherwise I run the risk of drawing attention to where my wallet pocket is. I generally try to check when my back is being blocked by someone whom I think I can trust. If the crowd is especially thick, such as Woodford Tuesdays sometimes, I put my wallet in my front pocket. I also try, though unsuccessfully sometimes, to be as quick as possible when putting change back into my wallet. If i know I can't be quick I'll just put the change into my pocket.

I don't wear jewellery. At all. Not even a watch. (though the lack of a watch is more due to the band bursting than anything else.) I DO have jewellery, but I don't like the attention it can bring, so i save it for special occasions (when I don't think I'll be highly at risk to be robbed) I also don't dress flashy, with the latest designer shoes and shirts/pants etc. I look good without having to scream 'this man's got money!' (which I wish I actually did)

and lastly(because sleep taking meh and ah cah remember anymore right now) I am paranoid. I don't think it's to an unhealthy extent, but it keeps me wary and alert. I play out different scenarios of how a crime could play off in my surroundings and try to figure out ways to effectively deal with it. I figure I haven't been seriously involved in a crime yet, so it must be coming sometime.. I'd just like to either be able to avoid it if it does try to happen or be able to deal with it properly if it does happen.

i tellin allyuh now tho, if a man try to fuck with me and all he have is a knife I gettin stab, cus I not losing my shit when he doh even have enough connections to get a gun, sorry. I will take meh stab but I making sure to slit his throat with his own knife.

or I'll just be my usual calm, collected self and talk to him, try to make a joke or two and be helpful and accommodating. Would you like some tea or coffee with my money, sir?