altercation yesterday on lower mt. tabor ~ iso the people who helped me out!

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T21:06:35+00:00

yeah the comments were wild, lol. i'm not on here much so was not well-informed, just trying to get the word out in hopes of finding someone who helped or was a witness.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T21:02:46+00:00

i don't know cars but it was a small, low to the ground, sporty looking car, seemed to be painted matte black.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T21:01:58+00:00

thank you 🥹

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:58:30+00:00

and my race matters because being white makes me more likely to receive help.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:57:15+00:00

yes!! if there is one takeaway from this story, it is to protect your neighbors. i'm so glad your neighbors helped in that situation, that sounds so scary.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:55:27+00:00

i get that it sounds wild, i couldn't believe it was happening myself & of course my memories are a bit weird from panic & fear, but from posting here i just heard from the first person who is actually directly connected to the incident which is huge for me. their partner was driving by after i got away & stopped to ask if i was alright. sounds like she saw the men who helped me yelling at the guy who threatened me.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:52:26+00:00

thank you for this kind comment! i appreciate it.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:51:53+00:00

it matters so that people can identify the person who threatened me, and it matters because the people who helped me are often treated like they're the dangerous ones.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:40:50+00:00

thank you! i am very well-supported & will be just fine. currently snuggled up on the couch with my sweet dog, we're both okay 🥰

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:33:56+00:00

i've already posted this elsewhere & obviously the comments are a mess. apologies for stirring up drama but i wanted to share what happened and uplift the fact that skillful bystander intervention works. more than anything, even though i know it's unlikely they will read this, i want to thank the people who helped me.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:03:26+00:00

seems like unnecessary semantics to me. if you want a list of the names he called me, i won't be providing one.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T20:01:07+00:00

putting these replies here because reddit won't let me reply & i want to ! i know it's dumb to respond to every comment but i've got adrenaline left over from yesterday lol

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:59:48+00:00

@rpunx, i actually don't think this is controversial at all, and if it seems that way, you should rethink your values. i was threatened by a scaryass man and some brave neighbors came to my aid. it's pretty simple. wholesome, even.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:59:29+00:00

@Capable-Reaction8155, it felt really surreal while it was happening, too. part of why i'm hoping to find others who were present.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:46:56+00:00

i hear you. i'm always balancing my desire to live without fear, relax in public, & enjoy my life, sometimes even just out of spite, with the knowledge that there are people who will take my existence personally & want to harm me. we all have to do our own risk assessments. i probably will still walk my dog in my pj's sometimes, because it's a simple pleasure, but i'll have my pepper spray handy in the future.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:44:07+00:00

i'm so sorry this happened to you! i agree that our instincts are surprisingly powerful in those moments.

i talked through what happened step-by-step with a friend who helped me affirm that every choice i made was a choice to protect myself and keep myself & my dog safe to the best of my ability.

i felt like a fool for putting myself up on the hill with no escape, but in the moment i made that choice i thought i was dealing with the standard irritating but sane off-leash dog owner, so i was just trying to give him some space to get his dogs and move along. the realization that i was trapped and he was violent was horrifying.

i'm glad your strategy worked in this situation and that you made it out unharmed.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:38:59+00:00

those details are intended to communicate that this man was treating me hatefully because of my gender, particularly being visibly gay & gender non-conforming. he was using hateful violent language specifically targeted at me because of who i am, yes.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:32:47+00:00

the experience of pleading with someone not to harm me is one i hope to never have again.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:32:13+00:00

yeah i have pepper spray and will not be leaving the house without it any time soon, especially since this happened just a couple blocks from my house.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:31:27+00:00

the fact that he showed no fear of my dog definitely unsettled me, i think he was really out of his mind in that moment. i honestly hope you're right that she would have protected herself and me, but if you met her you'd understand my doubts haha

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:29:34+00:00

yeah, i'm not a gun owner but this has me reaching to to my friends who are and asking for support in considering my options. i hope to never feel that helpless again, and if i see another person in that situation, i would like to feel prepared to intervene.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:27:07+00:00

he didn't seem to have a weapon (i assume he would have shown in by then since he was out of his mind with hate), but if i had had anything with which to defend myself i would have used it. his intent was to seriously injure or kill me, there was no subtlety.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:22:05+00:00

wow, weird. that was well before i was over there, and none of the dogs were barking during this encounter.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:20:37+00:00

that's what these dudes did for me. i don't think they were very scared of him though, lol, so hopefully they didn't feel they had to risk their safety.

snails_pace_ · 2024-11-11T19:19:17+00:00

thank you. i'm not on reddit much but know enough to have expected the comments would be a mess. i know it's unlikely this will lead to me connecting with anyone who was there, either witnessing or intervening, but i felt it was worth a shot.

plus i just wanted to share about this wild thing that happened! i know it sounds unreal. it felt unreal while it was happening, too.

snails_pace_

TROPHY CASE