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Interview with Sharon Kelly, Training Member
By Alex Iglecia
Published in the Boston Women's Journal

Should I worry about the possibility of being attacked? Mugged? Raped? Astoundingly, a common answer is “it’s not going to happen to me”. Yet we all know a husband, wife, friend, child or colleague who has at least had a close call with danger. The reality is that “violent crime is everywhere, happening every minute. It's random, and it can happen to you.” (Robert Bussey)

Hi Sharon, it’s hard to believe that you’ve been assaulted twice. Can you tell us about what happened?

The first assault took place in my home in North Attleboro on July 22, 2001. I had gone to a concert and was dropped off at my home by my friends around 1:00 AM and went to bed. At approximately 3:00 AM I was awoken to a strange person on top of me and a struggle began. During the struggle I fell three feet off the bed and onto the floor where the struggle continued. This strange man held me down with one hand while hitting me repeatedly in the legs with a stun gun. I kicked and screamed but it was difficult to fight as I could not see anything but his shirt due to the darkness. Since the stun gun was not doing its job properly, the man began to choke me. At this point, I didn't know what else to do but beg for my life. He hit me with the stun gun a few more times and he was gone.

The second assault occurred in May of 2003 on my street in East Boston. On the evening of Mother's Day at around 1:30 AM I parked my car several blocks away from my apartment. When I reached my block, I saw four somewhat disguised men walking down the street toward me but never entering my path until they were right beside me. One of the men broadsided me into a fence, covered my mouth and felt my clothing while the other three stood by. After getting over the initial shock, I pinched the guy on the side and he let off. I was facing all four men who were grabbing at me, and I stood with my hands up to protect myself and screamed at them as loud as I could. After the third screaming command, they grabbed my pocketbook and ran down the street.

How did you react and what do you remember feeling?

I feel like the first time was scarier and more unexpected since I was sleeping in the comforts of my own home. I was taken completely off guard, I reacted with survival instincts. I basically decided that I wanted to survive the situation and gave my all into fighting but felt at a disadvantage with the darkness. I felt helpless because I knew that no one would hear my screams. The scariest part the second time was the feeling of being outnumbered. I did feel that someone may hear my screams for help and come to my rescue.

How are you a different person today?

I am a much stronger person as a result of both experiences. I also feel like a survivor, since I did get through both assaults with the least possible damage. I am also not as naive as I used to be. I thought that these things only happened on the street and not in your own home. I now realize that anything can happen anywhere at anytime and there is no such thing as being safe. I know the importance of learning personal protection skills and of passing on the message to others.

The most important thing is to always be aware of your surroundings and to be prepared to fight for your life and never give up no matter what. I think it's critical especially for women to know some type of personal protection and have the mindset to survive.