Over the years, being home, I have taken safety for granted. I took precautions, whenever I traveled, I had friends with me except when I flew solo. But, nothing too extreme because I felt safe (at least for the most part).
For the last 2 and a half years in Seattle, from summer to the winter, especially post Covid, things have changed so much. I visited here 4 times before I moved here. I am aware of how things are in downtown because when I visit, I took the bus to wherever I wanted to go.
There is a misconception that the homeless people wouldn't disturb random people, attack, or act aggressively. I knew that I am not an exception and who knows, something would happen. I came here in spring 2023 and how was I shocked when I saw the amount of homeless people.
But, there was one incident that left me traumatized and put my guards really high up when I see someone walking on the road. Because, that person might be dangerous. That one day came when all I wanted to do was to take the bus to my gym. I walked to the bus stop and I heard someone yelling how someone wanted to murder him. Just a glance, you know he's no longer sane. It's a pity, but my safety was the utmost priority at that point. He has already seen me at that time. He had a really big and solid stick with him and before I could think about anything, he came running towards me, wanted to strike me with that stick. And, he did. But, because I anticipated that, I ran as fast as I could if I did not wanna die. My mind was clouded if I would even make it out alive. All these happened in a public place, broad day light.
Are people not safe to take public transport anymore? I feel that my already traumatized view on the world has been damaged even more now. The only damage control and mitigation plan I could really do now is to take pepper spray with me and try to avoid infamous places. ;)
Still, a beautiful city despite the walking dead vibe we get sometimes.
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