This is a reference for a friend of mine who is a karate instructor and is beginning a women’s self defense course. The following is a list from most to least common of stranger aggression against women in Baltimore that I’ve documented over the past 14 months. All of the following aggressions, except for the flash mob attack and the carjacking, take place at night exclusively.

1. Most common are strong-arm robberies at her place of employment, usually at a 7-11, farm store, ice cream shop, or fast food joint, all committed by adult black males. Of these highly vulnerable cash-handling positions, the safest job—-the cash register operating woman least likely to be robbed—-is the barmaid.

2. Strong-arm robbery of a lone woman entering or exiting her vehicle. This has been done by black youths, singly and in pairs, and lone adult black males. Vehicle approach and egress is a major tactical concern of women who do not wish to be victimized.

3. A handgun robbery committed in the same work environments as described in item one. This crime has only been committed by adult males, both black and white.

4. A handgun robbery committed in the same circumstances described in item two. This has only been committed by lone adult black males.

5. The woman and her male date are targeted for robbery at night on a sidewalk or parking lot by a pair of men, one of whom is armed with a handgun. The woman may be robbed, but she is not the target. The man has been targeted because he is with the woman and therefore has limited defensive options. This is because the dynamic here is that women cannot outrun young men, so the male date loses his most survivable option against a handgun threat which is to run away. This is always perpetrated by groups of black youth or adult black males, usually in pairs but sometimes trios.

6. A bump and stop carjacking in which two or three men stage a minor collision and then take the vehicle when the woman exits to exchange information. This has happened on the busiest primary streets of Baltimore during rush hour. Only black males—- ages vary, but most of these are in their 20s.

7. A flash mob attack in which a woman and a friend, male or female, are targeted for recreational violence by three to 50 black teenagers, predominantly from the middle class.

8. Threat or challenge to fight by a black woman in a parking lot, or at retail or dining establishments, motivated by rage-based aggression. The single best solution for this is not to verbally engage the threatening party.

9. Forced entry into home through front door, sometimes posing as a sales/service call or by just breaking in the door, all perpetrated by black males, who primarily take the car keys from the resident and then take the car parked out front.

10. Knife-point rape by either lone black youth or a group of black youth. This is a dominance crime, and the attackers have expressed a willingness to stab a woman if she fights or screams. These attackers have not persisted when interrupted by a male.

11. Strong-arm rape/gang rape by drunken Hispanic laborers, possibly just a sex crime performed through the use of force.