(Written by the victim, only in the third person)The week before Rosh Hashana a frum woman was mugged in the S. Euclid Walmart parking lot.
It was at night in the further away parts that are not as well lit.
When first approached, she erred in thinking the man was collecting shopping carts, so it wasn’t clear what was happening when he first asked her for her pocket book. She assumed he was trying to be helpful and she certainly wasn’t going to let him hold that, so she refused. She continued to refuse as he became more insistent and at some point he said he had a gun. Because she was already in that mode, she continued refusing, but it was an in the moment decision and not one that she would advise or repeat. She recalls saying “You’ve got to be kidding me” without actually realizing that he wasn’t kidding at all.
The man did give up, but not before hitting her over the head hard with his weapon when he thought she dialed 911. The injury was not so insignificant as to not require follow up treatment besides the sheer the shock of the whole event.
This happened near her car as she was getting in. Because she fears he can use this to identify her, she wishes to remain anonymous.
She also thinks she recalls seeing him watching her at the checkout and therefore seeing how much she had in her purse.
It is wishful thinking to hope her standing her ground will give all frum women a reputation not to be messed with. As every incident is different, one certainly cannot assume that, facing a similar situation, the outcome would be the same or better.
Her own takeaway advice was that it is never worth risking your life over the money in your wallet, and she would advice not shopping at Walmart altogether.
What we need to be aware of is that although she was fortunate (and nothing worse was decreed last Rosh Hashana), there has been an increase in crime. There are complaints about poor lighting and inadequate policing at Walmart in particular, but caution is warranted everywhere. Another woman has been stopped in Cleveland Heights and while nothing came of that incident either, between the uptake in crime and shopping for Yom Tov, caution is advised in parking lots.
Consider the “Safety in Numbers” paradigm and, when going shopping at night, consider taking along a friend. There is safety in numbers.
Warn your teens as well. Teach them to be aware of their surroundings and that if something or someone is making them uncomfortable, to take turn and go back into a more populated area, in the store. If they feel unsafe, even if they think the feeling is silly, it is better to be safe than sorry.
It’s no one’s business what you have in your purse. Never count your money in a public place, tempting others. Keep your personal items close to you at all times.
Consider a strap that crosses your body rather than dangles off of one arm. A quick cut by knife can part an owner with her bag and before she knows it, it’s gone. Never leave your pocket book unattended, even in a cart for a short while.
Email to S. Euclid police and Walmart asking them to increase lighting and security would be appropriate. Make sure all communication is polite.
It would be good if Rabbonim and the Schools and those with ties to law enforcement could address what are appropriate precautions to take. For example should one own a gun for protection? Carry pepper spray? What should one do when accosted? What should one look for to prevent being in that situation? What is appropriate for adults? Teens? Any female vs. male differences?
We have much to daven for to remain safe and remember to be thankful after arriving home safe from routine errands. Hashem Yishmor Tzeischa U’Vo’Echa.
Shocked says
I get that this lady was scared but the lesson is if someone demands your wallet give it over and run!!!!
bas yisroel says
That Walmart is super creepy at night. Much worse than the old Walmart, and that’s saying something. BH nothing worse happened to this lady. I would rather pay a little more and go to Target.
S.Weiner says
Thank you for the article – I would like to see a concerted effort to wrote to Walmart corporate and tell them just what a terrible store the Warrensville store is – poor inventory – dirty store – lazy staff – long lines at checkout – and poor safety controls. I try my best to avoid Walmart – it’s a disgrace – thanks – SW
Rachel says
The article mentioned wearing a (purse) with a strap that crosses the body as opposed to one that merely goes over the shoulder. Self defense experts warn against this, since in the event that the purse is grabbed, a strap that is near one’s neck can cause much more physical damage. You might save your purse, but really hurt yourself in the process. Better to davka wear the purse over one shoulder, because then it can come off easily without harming the one wearing it.
mhj says
Patronize your local frum merchants, it keeps them in business and they have well lit parking lots. It would be a shame if we had to depend on Walmart and Costco for kosher food some day.
ssgt Ross says
That’s why we carry
Susan Efroymson says
I contacted someone at Corporate and received the following information.
“I internally also forwarded your concerns to the market and regional managers over your store. I got a response saying that the market manager on the Health & Wellness side has spent 4 of the last 5 days there. He said they are making progress and trying to address your concerns”
The right contact information for someone in charge of our store is William.h.obrien@walmart.com
And I suggest that emails be directed to him politely thanking him for taking the time and mentioning specifically which changes you would look forward to seeing – stressing safety, as well as all the others like the long waits in line due to insufficient staffing and lanes open..
sp says
Store managers have been contacted in the past with no results. Ditto with Corporate. Corporate’s response to concerns in the past was that there’s not much they can do, it’s an “urban” Walmart. Last time I checked, Clev Hts and S. Euclid aren’t the ghetto; so why do we have to shop in a ghetto Walmart? The Walmart on Mayfield is a well-run and safe place to shop; our local Walmart, sadly, has gone from bad to terrible with the move to S. Euclid. I don’t believe there will be any changes forthcoming. They should have fired all the lazy workers from their old store, but no, they transferred them all to the new store, where they scan your stuff at a snail’s pace, bark orders at the customers, and act insulted if you ask them for assistance. Remember how at the old Walmart you would have to bring a book to read while you waited in line, b/c lines could be up to 45 minutes long, without anyone apologizing or doing anything about it? Well it’s still the same thing, only now it’s in a bigger store where you can’t find anything. And their security situation is pathetic. It’s a scary place to be at night. Especially since at night they lock all the doors but one, so unless you knew that and parked right by that door, you have a long walk through a dark parking lot. Not sure why anyone’s still shopping there, frankly.
CHer says
I suggest politely mentioning some of those concerns in an email. And that we all do. If Corporate spent time here, maybe this time we can make something happen and convince them we are not the inner city after all. Maybe enough communication of the same ideas will actually provoke a positive response if we stay on topic without turning it into a rant