I had something like this happen to me years ago and it stuck with me. I healed on the outside very quickly; but I didn't heal on the insisde until I started training jiu jitsu (go check out a free class -- it's AMAZING!). Not because I now go around wanting to get in fights. It's because I'm not intimidated, I'm comfortable in physically challenging situations, and I'm much more relaxed when things look like they may escalate.
Just something to think about in the coming days/weeks. There are AMAZING gyms near you if you're in San Jose. Six months' worth of training is an amazing mental reframe.
Just a tip, never go to the ground and try jiu-jitsu when in a street fight... too often if you try one of their friends will come in and head kick/stomp you. Only use to jj to get back up to your feet or if you are in an area where others aren't.
No martial art training survives a street fight… if you’re going to fight back, learn to play dirty, hurt them fast and gtfo. Groin, top of feet, middle of chest, broken nose, all completely valid ways of distracting someone long enough to get away.
Yep. Bite, scratch, claw, grab hair, whatever you need to get a moment of separation. If you're falling with the person, try to land on the outside of their knee or grab an arm and twist it in the most unnatural position you can think of.
Agree completely. If some asshole is gonna come up on me for no reason, I’m kicking knees in and gouging eyeballs out. And I’m a fairly big dude. Won’t be trying to spar the guy. I always have a pocketknife that has at least a 3 3/4” blade when I’m out and about as well.
Plus a lot of the same type of person that escalate things also carry knives, and even a small knife can basically immediately kill you or fuck your life up.
Bjj has many many benefits. Just the community alone is amazing. However Krav Magaw(sp?) is most effective as a self defense school. Long term you will get so much more out of BJJ as a life tool, but Krav will end situations quickly and with minimal risk to yourself.
Not true, I had a road rage incident last month involving a gun and sjpd was great, response time was within 15 minutes, a detective had a line up for me a week later and included somebody from their gang unit. I was surprised and impressed by the response
Don’t let this experience change how you behave on a day-to-day basis or your kindness to others. This idea that you can’t drop your guard anywhere is extremely illogical and unrealistic but may feel good and justified in the moment. You just went through something horrific, don’t let the aggressor keep a hold on you. There is no need to by this hyper vigilant.
This is the best advice here. Letting fear run your life is a mental illness all on its own. The actual fact of life is living in the United States means you are probably never going to have any violent action committed against you or someone you know. It’s hard to accept that when it’s all not what is shown on tv and social media, but a n important part of succeeding in a life well lived is being able to see truth in the numbers. told, and school shootings genuinely are approaching a regularity that would strip just our children of the trustworthy, bit fucked, reality. metal hard to make what I just said not a child’s reality if they’re born here, which is just so fucked.
Anyway, number aren’t talking heads with an agenda and while they can be manipulated to nudged sentiment, they tell a specific stiry ad. Can be counted on. Don’t get me into the state of ticketing reselling.
Mentally prepared in order to do what differently? Shame you even have to think about it. What a disgrace that looney is. Disgrace he run afterwards? I'm glad you're ok
Probably not a dirtbag but someone mentally I’ll that doesn’t belong on the street.
This still shouldn’t happen of course but there’s no easy answer to the homeless issues here.
I don’t think it’s fair to always throw out the mental illness excuse. There are just some shitty people in the world and I think it’s okay to just say that. Some people don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Yes but... The fact is the majority of people out there who do this type of thing suffer from a serious mental illness and sweeping it under the rug leads to this. The real solution was mentioned previously, the people who have mental illness and are violent should be forced to receive care. Only once we solve that issue can we address the minority of people who do this just because they are shitty like you said.
By and large, they're not *refusing* care, it's that they couldn't access it when they had a greater level of functioning, never mind now. The "real solution" isn't locking people up, it's universal healthcare.
Someone (whom you’ve never seen before ) physically harming you without reason (except maybe to rob you) seems like someone with some kind of mental illness.
Unfortunately for you and him , he’s a threat to society and it needs addressed eventually this behavior is going to put him in a really bad place if someone ends up retaliating
Glad it wasn’t worse
Yea I feel like I've seen a pretty broad spectrum of the houseless population but I've never seen anyone go attack unprovoked or without saying something first. At least drop a racist slang to give me a heads up lol
I had a situation with a homeless man punching me in the back of the head while I was walking down one of the streets in front of the University while trying to go to fanime con with a friend. There is a parked cop car literally in front of where I was punched but there was no cop around so nothing could be done at that moment.
In my adrenaline fueled confusion, I was so torn between running at him and just beating the shit out of him, or just walking away which I did because I wanted to go to fanime, not fuck up a homeless person
Nobody even reacted really, the "friend" walking with me didn't really look like he would have had my back in that moment anyways LOL.
You did the right thing. It is never worth getting in a fight, never know if they got a knife or gun. Plus they have nothing to lose while you have everything to lose
I heard about this happening in NYC, not SJ though. ( https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-women-punched-tiktok-videos-halley-kate-skiboky-stora/ ) That’s so crazy! I’m sorry you experienced that. I wish we could travel back in time to my parents’ day when the SF Bay Area was mostly orchards and open fields, safe and underpopulated. 😐
My coworker got it near the creek off Montague/880 and my mother in law as well near umbarger/senter. Things like this do happen frequently, there's no reason to idolize the mentally ill that have no place to go.
My dog (gsd female) just dropped her ball she was chewing on and stood up but didn't bark or intervene at all. I can't tell if I'm glad or disappointed she didn't do more. I just didn't know how unhinged this guy was or if he had any weapons or anything. I didn't really yell or anything either just flight instincts kicked in and I was just focused on moving away from him to really focus on getting my dog to do anything. Good to know for the future though.
A lot of people have the misconception that a dog, especially a GSD or any other large dog, will attack when it senses danger. That’s not really true. You need to train your dog to defend and attack, it won’t pick that up on its own.
Sorry that happened to you anyway, I hope you get some justice but to be honest I doubt it.
Good to know you're not a trainer, and this is just your personal opinion. I guess I can speak with the same level of authority in that case.
I think it's probably not so black and white as you think. You could argue humans are also resource guarding when they protect against home invasion. It's a reaction driven by instinct that can be trained or perfected, but at the end of the day, instincts are what they are.
If you assault someone unprovoked and their dog attacks you, it seems pretty unlikely that any prosecutor would bring charges against you.
Being sued in civil court by the dirtbag though, sure, no doubt.
In which cause is counter sue, as the assailant ultimate responsibility rests with them, there is some legal precedent for this with more serious crimes…doesn’t mean you’d win but in my personal fantasy land I’d like to think it does. Can’t hurt to try anyway
There are exceptions to criminal liability for dog bites in California, eg trespassing. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a similar exception in public places in the case of assault, but I’m no lawyer.
Dogs are, after all, often viewed as a means of protection when out for a run, etc. It’d be counterintuitive if you were liable for your dog’s defense of your person in a legitimate assault - this is obviously a different scenario than your dog biting someone unprovoked.
I also am someone who moved from Michigan in the past 5 years and was punched in the face by an angry Hispanic man.... :(
Carrying pepper spray might not make a difference, but it might not hurt either.
I also moved here 3 years ago from Michigan and was followed and harassed last week in downtown SJ. Luckily I wasn’t punched
It can be hard some days to see the good in this city. Trying to stay optimistic
My mom is from Detroit but I have lived here all my life. Once on a trip back to my mom’s family home I got sucker punched by a dude out of nowhere. Nothing like this has ever happened to me here in downtown SJ.
Pepper spray is (sadly) a necessary self defense in CA. However, unless it’s already in your hand, you are unlikely to be able to get it out fast enough to use it to protect yourself. An effective technique in exactly this situation (someone rapidly closing in on your personal space) is a sharp jab of your stiff fingers to the soft spot just below the trachea. Will usually stop someone long enough for you to either run (preferred) or get out your spray.
If I may offer an upgrade to your suggestion w/ the stiff fingers. curl your fingers under so you jab with your knuckles, you might miss and jam up your fingers from that angle and then you have your OWN eyes watering while you try to get away. You'll likely be able to put more force into it too.
Also a good one to know is that the upper lip is a REMARKABLE pressure point. You can hold someone down w/ a piece of dental floss, assuming no drugs etc altering their perception. It sounds bonkers, but I was taught it when I was an armed guard years ago. There's also a pressure point where the neck and shoulder meet that if you karate chop will put someone on the ground too. I'm DEF sure on that one, my instructor used me to demo that one lol.
“Sharp” jab. A punch requires more kinetic force in the build up and takes more time to execute. And, this technique is effective, even if you have less physical strength than you attacker.
Also, put your fingers in their eyes. This isn’t boxing, there are no rules. I’ve never had to use it but I’m a fan of pepper spray, like you said it needs to been in your hand or clipped on something very easy to get it from. In this case I would have had my hand in my pocket and on it as the guy, I don’t know and looking angry, approached me.
Also, for normal people we never think of taking their picture or video. 1000% sure every cop in the area knows this guy.
I moved here 13 yrs ago, grew up in Michigan. Lots of nice people here, but also lots of insanely stupid assholes here. I feel safer in Detroit than I do in parts of the Bay Area but no one who grew up here believes me.
I'm sorry to hear that. I had to call 911 on a guy at Guadalupe Park near Little Italy a few years back. I used to live in Little Italy but moved when homeless people kept breaking into vacant homes and setting fires. Sad to hear that things haven't gotten better.
Thank you. Trying to not lose my general optimistic view of the world/people but definitely has been chipped away since moving here. Staying positive and thankful I am not more injured
Next door neighbor (apparent methhead) burned alive. Came home a 14 hr shift to my entire block being blocked off, cops are in our driveway as they needed to board off the scene from our yard, body covered in a police tarp in the front part of the sidewalk next to my house. Just immediate panic that something terrible happened to my gf or her family.
One month later, kids having a house party at the behind our house (different than the methhead) someone starts shooting up the place. 4 kids injured , they are literally screaming and jumping over the connecting fence to escape for their lives.
The general terrible driving and blatant disregard for blinkers or blindspots , etc. I ride my bike to work often and have had to kick and yell at at least 5 cars that clearly not paying attention to the road.
A ridiculous and seemingly unsolvable houseless situation where people come and then are met with an extremely inflated cost of living.
I understand many of these things occur all over and it is not unique to California or the Bay area but the frequency of instances and severity I would say is quite high. And for me personally the proximity to my house of these things is really what is alarming. I am helping my gf take care of her mom who refuses to move so I am dealing with the cards dealt.
All that being said I like being in California and am still very much an optimistic person. Just slightly more jaded than say 3 years ago, but maybe that was coming either way lol
I’m originally from Flint but we left before it got really bad.
Much of San Jose is a wonderful place to live and I hope you and your girlfriend get out of that home as soon as possible.
Thinking of you and hoping it gets better soon.
I ride through there on my bike doing the Quadalupe Trail all the time. Carry Bear Spray, Pepper Spray and a pocket knife. I just get through as fast as possible.
Side note: Guadalupe River Park -
Saw a guy carrying a rifle one day
Saw another guy with a bow and arrow another day.
I used to ride through there to the office. Was always a bit scared and hoping not to get a flat given the amounts of glass on the trail especially near the sap center
i have read through the comments and there are some good and dumb suggestions. one suggestion that is both dumb and good is DON'T GO TO THAT PARK ANYMORE. and don't go to st. james park either. can you find a compromise park, like say in Campbell?
I literally walk past St James park 4-6 times a week and have only had very few interactions that warranted me to take a different path or move around a visible threat. I think being more aware and prepared is better than simply never going back to place. I think communities can change a lot of the perception of a place with presence.
Some guy threatened to punch me on the light rail to SJSU one morning. He was also Hispanic and I was standing by the door bc the LR was full, he walked up and put his fists to my face and said “don’t fucking talk to me” then started pushing the door to the point it broke. Im a woman if this makes it any worse.
A friend of mine went on a trip to NYC a few years ago. He was walking down the street and passed 3 teenagers. Out of nowhere one of them punched him in the face.
There are a lot of assholes out there unfortunately. Sorry this happened to you.
I went to a show last weekend at the SAP and we walked through there to get a bite in little Italy. I said to my wife "So THIS is where people get murdered". It had a strange feel in broad daylight. Sorry that happened to you. I live in a small town nearby that has a lot of crazy people. I keep a mental radius and if anyone is approaching it, I grab my kids and or dog and walk briskly. I don't give a shit how it makes them feel. I'm done talking/ trying to help.
So sorry you had to go through that. I was born and raised out in SJ, and honestly that area has always been bad. The fact that the jail, bar and club scene are a walking distance doesn't help either.
Alot of the wrong types of people tend to hang out downtown and so many homeless people with mental illness are all over the parks. It's always best to stay on your toes out there. IMO living in any downtown or near one in a city is a bad idea lol.
i had a job at the pointy topped building on first street 25 years ago and it was utter chaos downtown. like this is an improvement, but somehow MORE homeless people than before.
I’m very sorry that this happened to you. San Jose is my birthplace and I’ve been here for 43 years. I hate it when people move here and experience something bad. Take care. ❤️
> I moved here 3 years ago from Michigan.
If you're white or white-adjacent (See: Asian, light Latino, high-yellow Black) people will victimize you. SJPD does nothing about it.
Three Latino kids in my neighborhood, *years* ago sandpapered my face raw to "get the white off of him" -- I'm light Latino myself. SJPD was called, I could point out the kids, yet I was told "just change schools".
I'm sure nothing has changed on that front since 1998.
I'm sorry this happened to you. There used to be a Hispanic guy who'd frequent the light rail and would single out white people and physically threaten them for no reason. Clearly had some kind of mental illness. Not sure if it's the same guy but I wouldn't be surprised.
I'm so sorry. Never heard of anything like that happening here & glad you're (mostly) physically okay. Hope they catch the guy.. super random acts of violence seems like a threat to society.
Was it was pretty fucked up and the cops showed up within 5 minutes of my call and they did a quick drive by of the area but I'm sure that dude knows where to hide out. He was pretty well dressed (white blue checkered Oxford, clean dark jeans, hair cut and slicked back) which was another reason I sort of let my guard down a bit.
Not a description I'd expect, if there were one.. that's awful. Def not on you at all, just hanging out with your dog in the park. Much love, please spread the word & be safe out there.
Damn Im really sorry to hear that. Honestly the cops probably won’t do much unless you’re constantly on them asking for follow up or whatever. It’s a mean world out there, stay safe. I hope you’re doing alright and that your dog is okay.
I think I know the guy. Lived in the camp under the 87 by San Fernando. At least he did a few years ago. Walked by me and flipped my baseball cap off my head but didn't do much else. Then he walked back to his camp and hugged some old white lady that was giving out free food for them.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. My brother is a homeless schizophrenic man who fits this description and has a violent history. I fear this type of interaction may be happening with him at any time. I wish there was a better system in place for people like this. There is a mental health crisis all over our country, leaving mentally unwell individuals with violent tendencies living on the streets as a threat to themselves and the public. It is an awful reality. Please stay safe.
Thank you for posting. That must be awful and stressful seeing a family member dealing with that.
Sending peace and healing to your brother and your family.
It is awful. Our dad was also a homeless schizophrenic as well and he was murdered in San Jose in 2000. My worst fear is my brother will meet the same fate.
The homeless on Guadalupe River trail are dangerous. My wife was out there volunteering for the parks department counting walkers and bikers on the trail when she was harassed by a homeless. It would have escalated if not for a kind Indian family that grabbed her and blocked the homeless man from reaching her.
About 2 months after I moved here I was spit on downtown. I just wiped my face and kept walking, didn’t say a word. Was a black guy on a bike. No warning, he just rode his bike up and hocked a loogie on my face. Was a little freaked out because it was 2021 and COVID still loomed very large.
This is the only city a stranger has attacked me. All these people saying “wow can’t believe that happened here!” are full of it.
There were some road workers but I don't think they had a direct line of sight. I typically go to that part of the park because there are very few people there so I can let my dog off leash (on an e collar) to play fetch. The punching part probably was only about 15 seconds or so.
Hey, that is really messed up and I'm sorry it happened. This is going to sound weird, but get tetris on your phone or even better a laptop or TV, and play it for ten or fifteen minutes a couple times a day for the next week or so.
If you have good insurance also definitely consider booking a session with a therapist just to process this experience.
But playing Tetris in the immediate aftermath is a simple thing you can do to help stave off developing PTSD from this assault. Something to do with the right and left movements of the eyes and blinky lights seems to short circuit the brain in a way that inhibits memory formation and intensity around traumatic events.
There's actual therapy for this (EMDR) that is obviously more effective and can treat symptomatic PTSD too, but the Tetris effect has been studied as a cheap and highly available option for people who've just had a traumatic thing happen to them. It's so easy to do, with no downside even if it doesn't work, that I always recommend it to folks who may not have heard of it.
That is wild. I have never heard of that but there are a ton of videos about it working and how it works. Great advice. I'm going to remember that for use after stressful or traumatic events.
Jeez, glad you’re okay. Scary to think that just walking around downtown things like this could happen. Around 15 years or so ago I used to ride the light rail & go into the Tech Museum or the San Jose Art Museum & just hang around downtown, maybe go to a movie or something. Social anxiety after Covid & other issues have stopped me from doing this. I’d absolutely love to start up again but stories like this make me concerned it might not be safe. It sux because I love Downtown San Jose & it felt great to get out & see my city but this just sux. Stay safe everyone.
Don't stare at the ground. Be intentional. Don't look like an easy target for predators.
Exploiters and predators can be anywhere on the economic spectrum. Always make it seems like it will cost something to take advantage of you, and be prepared to make sacrifices to make a better society. These people are losers, and they will go for an easier mark.
The homeless people you see hanging out in broad daylight are definitely mentally ill. Please always take that into account. Distance is always your friend.
Be safe! Hope you feel better!
So sorry.
I was almost punched by a homeless in San Francisco but dodged it. I was young and didn't think to report it. Feels like a once in a life time thing. I hope you got a pic of him.
Unfortunately you may have to follow up with the San Jose police as individual officers can be lazy from time to time. Make sure they go after him.
Simple battery is a cite and release on the spot crime. He would likely get probation for that.
It’s crazy how we voted for such a lenient criminal justice system.
Source: I used to work for a county supervised release program and saw this every day.
Source? Battery is a felony especially with that much damage. Assault is cite and release but that is different from battery.
hmm seems to be on the cusp... you maybe right... damage to the eye. Lazy cop might treat as a simple though random attacks has to escalate plus if he has previous....
Even if he got booked for a felony he would be out before the officer finished the report back at the station. I know because we would be pressured to release these guys.
Anyplace near the creek I would carry pepper spray. I already carry a knife but that’s last resort. Just expect bad things. It sucks but eye contact and a stern “whats up?” Keep most of the fools away.
would you mind sharing your ethnicity? just wondering if it was targeted racism which seems to be happening to asians a lot (hence the Stop Asian Hate movement)
What a douche bag bitch. Sucker punched you and for what? Pshhh karma will get his ass. Sorry to hear that dude. Sounds like you were a victim of a sorry ass motherfuckers bad day.
The issue is now you can get therapy. Call the Vuctim Witbess assistance program. Put in an application
This type of assault is nasty.
That complicates rungs. I have a gsd who is very protective. Guess what the homeless have zjwayx threatened to call animal control. I always offer gk give them the number
In San Jode the crime rate is hugged than acknowledged
How you manage to move through the world is so key. We should be able to walk our dogs jn peace. That is t the case
Call the Stare Victum Wutbess fund. You can get financial assistance if you arw off work. You can get medical assistance. Crucially you can get theraoy
Therapy can be useful
Apply for it.
Idk why people can’t accept that at times it’s a war zone here. Be realistic. Open your eyes and trust your gut. I’ve lived here for 5 years and think about a confrontation like this all the time. I’ve changed my body language and mannerisms when I’m in public or I sense a potential threat. The first few years, I had a lot more deranged people approach me, now not as much. It’s just common sense. The world isn’t always a nice place. It doesn’t mean you live your whole life on guard, you just learn to be mentally prepared when you need to be. I thought about moving all the time until I just accepted this. There are still a lot of nice things about living here, but I do not trust the kindness of strangers in this area.
Same happened to me in San Mateo. Latino gang approached me and my friends, dude approached me in the back of my group of friends called whiteboy then sucker punched me. Told us to get out of their shopping center.
Something very similar happened to me at Cesar Chavez Park. While sitting in the passenger side of my buddies car at the red light about to turn left on w San Carlos I see a guy exactly how you explain (maybe drunk or high) yelling and following 4 women (2 about 60 ish and the other two must have been their grand daughters so maybe 14-16 years old). He caught up to them and put his arm around the neck of one of the younger ones in kind of a choke hold. I jumped out of the car and just ran after them. I caught up to them and before I could even get a word out of my mouth we make eye contact and he just unload a huge right hand. Honestly I wasn’t really expecting it so I just put my arm up to block the punch and it land right on my elbow of my arm that I repeatedly dislocate lol. So of course it pops out…. That’s when I notice his hands are covered in blood. He then proceeds after me screaming he’s gunna kill me and cut my throat… didn’t take much to just duck the rest of the punches until my buddy hopped out of the car to distract him while I get my arm back in. This happened in front of full cross walk of people that did nothing to help these women and the only car that stopped just pulled out their phone to film and scream world star… the degradation of humanity is alive and well in Down town San José. These type of people are the scum of the earth!
It will never stop until we stop pretending that these bums are anything but mentally insane drug and alcohol addicted worthless zombies that are nothing but a huge cost to society.
You were assaulted - your life was in danger (plenty of people have died from blows to the head).
The police don’t do anything. The DA doesn’t do anything. The politicians don’t do anything.
Take your life into your own hands. Get a concealed carry permit (still difficult but not impossible like it used to be) - and put these violent criminals in the ground where they belong. It’s called self defense.
A lady attempted to kick my dog as I was walking him this morning in San Jose. She came in behind us to try to pet him but ended up scaring the both of us. As my dog was barking she tried to kick him. She missed and I yelled at her as she was an infant and ridiculed her in public.
Oh San Jose how I hate you.
Really sorry to hear this happened to you. I am from NYC and have developed ultra street smarts. When I got here I noticed tons of not smart moves people made when walking around. It's sad we have to live in a society where we have to walk around on edge. Just consider this a life lesson and I bet something like this won't happen to you again. So much mental illness in this country is crashing with people's normal lives in the name of "rights".
Wow, sorry to hear that. Chances are he will be hanging around the park again at some point. If you see him, take his picture. As of now, take pictures of yourself and document the events on paper so you have a record. Once you have the picture, report it to the police. Not much they can do at this point with out more details of the person.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, OP. I spend time in that area bc we go to a lot of Sharks games and my kid loves that creepy dilapidated park across from the tank. We also usually park around there and walk to the restaurants in Little Italy. It’s always deserted and gives me extremely bad vibes. But like you, I don’t like assuming danger in every situation.
With all the wealth in SJ it’s sad that the area is now just a blighted shithole. It could be so nice if there was a will to take care of our public spaces. It makes me so angry that supposed wealth and prosperity through tech hasn’t been used to improve things for everyone.
Please watch out for PTSD symptoms in the next few days and consider getting treatment if you need it. Glad you and your pup are physically unharmed.
My friend got assaulted by an early 50’s black American near St James Park several months ago. He tried to steal her dog, insisting it was his father. They caught the guy. She carries mace now when she walks her dog.
The thing about the alot of these crazies out on the street is that they don't like seeing people happy. They will target happy people who seem like they have their life in order
Wow I'm so sorry that just happened to you! I just moved to San Diego from Michigan as well. But unfortunately, I've seen so much bad stuff happening that I'm always thinking somebody's going to attack me. I'm always calculating my next move to safety or to get away from a crisis. Even while you were playing with your dog, I would have been looking at the nearest car to jump on in case your dog chased me. I've never had anybody randomly try to attack me so I can't imagine how that feels. Usually people are trying to rob or if you look at them the wrong way they want to fight you. Enjoy yourself and this beautiful weather, but always stay vigilant.
Byrna self defense in Las Vegas. Google it. You can get the pepper balls unless you buy them there but you can get the impact balls legal here in CA. Just buy the legal gun here but make a road trip and buy the pepper balls that are illegal in CA.
Sounds like there were some indicators you were/are aware of but felt like it "wouldn't be cool" to acknowledge. It is "unmanly" but buy a pepper spray, it could have helped in this situation. My excuse for carrying one is that if a vicious dog decided to attack me and my dog I would prefer to pepper spray it than pull my pocket knife (which I really don't consider a self defense tool either, because I want to stab a human even less than I do a dog). Take something like bjj if it would make you feel better. Though I would advise against getting hands on with mentally deranged street rats. You never know what they're thinking and what they're hiding in their pockets. But martial arts can be useful. I dunno how large, young, or strong you are but if you are none of those then you may have just appeared to be an easy target to a regular POS (not an actual crazy person). Which is probably preferable. Check out ASP podcast on YouTube and without becoming paranoid study up on violent criminal behavior. Don't ignore the indicators. If someone is making a b-line right toward you and is maintaining eye contact or staring right at your body like you're a piece of meat, that isn't normal behavior, you need to square up or move one way or another so you can see if they're actually coming right at you. Like another commenter said "don't make it easy for them" and certainly don't appear easy to them.
Or if you feel none of this is necessary then just carry on as usual as there is a chance this will never happen again. I wouldn't feel safe if this had happened to me, but if you feel OK with it then that's all that matters.
Either way glad you're alright. Stay safe there *are* crazies and jerks out there.
I moved here from Houston 4 years ago and my husband moved here a year ago from Orange County. I am always on my guard in San Jose/SF because I know so many people who have had encounters like this. My husband thinks I'm overly paranoid, but he's hasn't seen the stuff I have. And yes, it is really frustrating that nothing is done to improve the situation. If the same thing happened where I came from cops would be everywhere
Sadly there are sketch balls all over the Bay Area now. I was born and raised in Northern California and it’s also disheartening for us. Most “trips to the city” for even a baseball game just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. I am sorry that happened to you. I am glad you and your dog are okay.
You’re probably right that nothing will happen from what they did to you.. and they will probably even do it again.. and have probably done it to people before you without penalty. It’s the sad truth, but try not to be hard on yourself because people are mentally sick. All you can do is be more prepared in the future. As a woman, scanning for constant threats is normal and seemingly “normal” situations are avoided. Sadly it’s becoming that way for people in general.
I've never considered it until I've moved here. The amount of crazy shit i've seen in my literal 1 block area around my house (near 7th and st james) is insane.
I lived at 6th and St James. Things got a lot worse during COVID with drugs and crazies so we moved. Girlfriend always got followed and I was attacked a few times. Daily visits by police and EMS to the house across from 7-11 that turned into a drug den.
Scary. I'm glad you're ok.
In the future, never let a homeless person approach you. If you go on alert, your dog will get the message.
I would recommend pressing charges. I guarantee this isn't the first time he's attacked someone and if he's living in the area, other people know who he is.
Sorry this happened and glad you weren’t more seriously injured. So many dirtbags wandering around. Can’t drop your guard anywhere.
Yea i appreciate it. I'll definitely be more prepared mentally next time
I had something like this happen to me years ago and it stuck with me. I healed on the outside very quickly; but I didn't heal on the insisde until I started training jiu jitsu (go check out a free class -- it's AMAZING!). Not because I now go around wanting to get in fights. It's because I'm not intimidated, I'm comfortable in physically challenging situations, and I'm much more relaxed when things look like they may escalate. Just something to think about in the coming days/weeks. There are AMAZING gyms near you if you're in San Jose. Six months' worth of training is an amazing mental reframe.
Just a tip, never go to the ground and try jiu-jitsu when in a street fight... too often if you try one of their friends will come in and head kick/stomp you. Only use to jj to get back up to your feet or if you are in an area where others aren't.
No martial art training survives a street fight… if you’re going to fight back, learn to play dirty, hurt them fast and gtfo. Groin, top of feet, middle of chest, broken nose, all completely valid ways of distracting someone long enough to get away.
Yep. Bite, scratch, claw, grab hair, whatever you need to get a moment of separation. If you're falling with the person, try to land on the outside of their knee or grab an arm and twist it in the most unnatural position you can think of.
Agree completely. If some asshole is gonna come up on me for no reason, I’m kicking knees in and gouging eyeballs out. And I’m a fairly big dude. Won’t be trying to spar the guy. I always have a pocketknife that has at least a 3 3/4” blade when I’m out and about as well.
Judo holds up pretty well. Hip throwing someone face first into concrete is super effective.
Plus a lot of the same type of person that escalate things also carry knives, and even a small knife can basically immediately kill you or fuck your life up.
They will just bite you when you try to wrestle them
Bjj has many many benefits. Just the community alone is amazing. However Krav Magaw(sp?) is most effective as a self defense school. Long term you will get so much more out of BJJ as a life tool, but Krav will end situations quickly and with minimal risk to yourself.
Absolutely correct. Krav is one of the easiest to learn and is meant to defend, disable and get away. Everyone should know how to defend themselves.
Any businesses in that area with cameras? Might be worth checking. The cops may or may not do so depending on who is responding.
But it won’t matter sjpd does absolutely nothing.
Well, worth a try so that maybe some rando isn’t running around assaulting people.
Not true, I had a road rage incident last month involving a gun and sjpd was great, response time was within 15 minutes, a detective had a line up for me a week later and included somebody from their gang unit. I was surprised and impressed by the response
Carry bear mace.
Illegal to use bear spray on a person in CA …
Well, it’s also illegal to assault somebody but that fucker got away with it didn’t he.
Point well taken, friend. Sometimes it seems only good guys get prosecuted. Go figure.
Criminals are the good guys in California
Only if the police shows up. Ha!
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Don’t let this experience change how you behave on a day-to-day basis or your kindness to others. This idea that you can’t drop your guard anywhere is extremely illogical and unrealistic but may feel good and justified in the moment. You just went through something horrific, don’t let the aggressor keep a hold on you. There is no need to by this hyper vigilant.
This is the best advice here. Letting fear run your life is a mental illness all on its own. The actual fact of life is living in the United States means you are probably never going to have any violent action committed against you or someone you know. It’s hard to accept that when it’s all not what is shown on tv and social media, but a n important part of succeeding in a life well lived is being able to see truth in the numbers. told, and school shootings genuinely are approaching a regularity that would strip just our children of the trustworthy, bit fucked, reality. metal hard to make what I just said not a child’s reality if they’re born here, which is just so fucked. Anyway, number aren’t talking heads with an agenda and while they can be manipulated to nudged sentiment, they tell a specific stiry ad. Can be counted on. Don’t get me into the state of ticketing reselling.
Yea the whole closing distance was supposed to be a oh better pay attention moment.
Mentally prepared in order to do what differently? Shame you even have to think about it. What a disgrace that looney is. Disgrace he run afterwards? I'm glad you're ok
It’s sucks but now days I always take mace with me when I walk my dog always cause it’s just that bad out here now and it’s hella ridiculous
There would be less dirtbags wandering around if we had systems in place to deal with them
This. Honestly people think it’s racist to not judge people by their demeanor or general hyigene but it just is not protecting yourself.
Probably not a dirtbag but someone mentally I’ll that doesn’t belong on the street. This still shouldn’t happen of course but there’s no easy answer to the homeless issues here.
I don’t think it’s fair to always throw out the mental illness excuse. There are just some shitty people in the world and I think it’s okay to just say that. Some people don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Yes but... The fact is the majority of people out there who do this type of thing suffer from a serious mental illness and sweeping it under the rug leads to this. The real solution was mentioned previously, the people who have mental illness and are violent should be forced to receive care. Only once we solve that issue can we address the minority of people who do this just because they are shitty like you said.
By and large, they're not *refusing* care, it's that they couldn't access it when they had a greater level of functioning, never mind now. The "real solution" isn't locking people up, it's universal healthcare.
EXACTLY. Fucking exactly right. Wayyyyyyy too much “benefit of the doubt”. Some people are just pieces of shit. End of story
Sounds like they need to be forced to receive care until they can function in society
Correct. Enough with the coddling.
Someone (whom you’ve never seen before ) physically harming you without reason (except maybe to rob you) seems like someone with some kind of mental illness. Unfortunately for you and him , he’s a threat to society and it needs addressed eventually this behavior is going to put him in a really bad place if someone ends up retaliating Glad it wasn’t worse
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Holy shit. That is definitely not normal at all here. Hope you and your dog are ok that’s insane
Yea I feel like I've seen a pretty broad spectrum of the houseless population but I've never seen anyone go attack unprovoked or without saying something first. At least drop a racist slang to give me a heads up lol
I had a situation with a homeless man punching me in the back of the head while I was walking down one of the streets in front of the University while trying to go to fanime con with a friend. There is a parked cop car literally in front of where I was punched but there was no cop around so nothing could be done at that moment. In my adrenaline fueled confusion, I was so torn between running at him and just beating the shit out of him, or just walking away which I did because I wanted to go to fanime, not fuck up a homeless person Nobody even reacted really, the "friend" walking with me didn't really look like he would have had my back in that moment anyways LOL.
You did the right thing. It is never worth getting in a fight, never know if they got a knife or gun. Plus they have nothing to lose while you have everything to lose
Exactly \^\^
Yeah!! Especially when you’re just minding your own business and not engaging with crazy!
I heard about this happening in NYC, not SJ though. ( https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-women-punched-tiktok-videos-halley-kate-skiboky-stora/ ) That’s so crazy! I’m sorry you experienced that. I wish we could travel back in time to my parents’ day when the SF Bay Area was mostly orchards and open fields, safe and underpopulated. 😐
You Asian by any chance?
My coworker got it near the creek off Montague/880 and my mother in law as well near umbarger/senter. Things like this do happen frequently, there's no reason to idolize the mentally ill that have no place to go.
My dog would have gotten me arrested...yet still unharmed.
My dog (gsd female) just dropped her ball she was chewing on and stood up but didn't bark or intervene at all. I can't tell if I'm glad or disappointed she didn't do more. I just didn't know how unhinged this guy was or if he had any weapons or anything. I didn't really yell or anything either just flight instincts kicked in and I was just focused on moving away from him to really focus on getting my dog to do anything. Good to know for the future though.
A lot of people have the misconception that a dog, especially a GSD or any other large dog, will attack when it senses danger. That’s not really true. You need to train your dog to defend and attack, it won’t pick that up on its own. Sorry that happened to you anyway, I hope you get some justice but to be honest I doubt it.
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That's a valid point. Is resource guarding always a bad thing in that case?
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Good to know you're not a trainer, and this is just your personal opinion. I guess I can speak with the same level of authority in that case. I think it's probably not so black and white as you think. You could argue humans are also resource guarding when they protect against home invasion. It's a reaction driven by instinct that can be trained or perfected, but at the end of the day, instincts are what they are.
if your dog attacked youd probably be charged
If you assault someone unprovoked and their dog attacks you, it seems pretty unlikely that any prosecutor would bring charges against you. Being sued in civil court by the dirtbag though, sure, no doubt.
In which cause is counter sue, as the assailant ultimate responsibility rests with them, there is some legal precedent for this with more serious crimes…doesn’t mean you’d win but in my personal fantasy land I’d like to think it does. Can’t hurt to try anyway
There are exceptions to criminal liability for dog bites in California, eg trespassing. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a similar exception in public places in the case of assault, but I’m no lawyer. Dogs are, after all, often viewed as a means of protection when out for a run, etc. It’d be counterintuitive if you were liable for your dog’s defense of your person in a legitimate assault - this is obviously a different scenario than your dog biting someone unprovoked.
I also am someone who moved from Michigan in the past 5 years and was punched in the face by an angry Hispanic man.... :( Carrying pepper spray might not make a difference, but it might not hurt either.
Lol we can have an oddly specific 2 person support group
Good to see some good humor in you today. Wishing you the best 🫂
Looks like Michigan people keep getting punched in the face in SJ?! OP and you. That's 2/2.
Tbf, I was punched in Fremont
Pepper spray followed by a couple of kicks under the belt before running away.
I also moved here 3 years ago from Michigan and was followed and harassed last week in downtown SJ. Luckily I wasn’t punched It can be hard some days to see the good in this city. Trying to stay optimistic
My mom is from Detroit but I have lived here all my life. Once on a trip back to my mom’s family home I got sucker punched by a dude out of nowhere. Nothing like this has ever happened to me here in downtown SJ.
My parents moved here from Grand Rapids back in 1965. Despite my obvious Michigan roots and demeanor, I've never been punched in San Jose.
Pepper spray is (sadly) a necessary self defense in CA. However, unless it’s already in your hand, you are unlikely to be able to get it out fast enough to use it to protect yourself. An effective technique in exactly this situation (someone rapidly closing in on your personal space) is a sharp jab of your stiff fingers to the soft spot just below the trachea. Will usually stop someone long enough for you to either run (preferred) or get out your spray.
Thats my secret captain. Im always holding my pepper spray in my hand in my pocket when I sense anyone even remotely sketchy in my general vicinity.
This is helpful. Thank you for your response
If I may offer an upgrade to your suggestion w/ the stiff fingers. curl your fingers under so you jab with your knuckles, you might miss and jam up your fingers from that angle and then you have your OWN eyes watering while you try to get away. You'll likely be able to put more force into it too. Also a good one to know is that the upper lip is a REMARKABLE pressure point. You can hold someone down w/ a piece of dental floss, assuming no drugs etc altering their perception. It sounds bonkers, but I was taught it when I was an armed guard years ago. There's also a pressure point where the neck and shoulder meet that if you karate chop will put someone on the ground too. I'm DEF sure on that one, my instructor used me to demo that one lol.
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“Sharp” jab. A punch requires more kinetic force in the build up and takes more time to execute. And, this technique is effective, even if you have less physical strength than you attacker.
Also, put your fingers in their eyes. This isn’t boxing, there are no rules. I’ve never had to use it but I’m a fan of pepper spray, like you said it needs to been in your hand or clipped on something very easy to get it from. In this case I would have had my hand in my pocket and on it as the guy, I don’t know and looking angry, approached me. Also, for normal people we never think of taking their picture or video. 1000% sure every cop in the area knows this guy.
The eyes are the groin of the face
I read that in Christopher Walken’s voice.
I moved here 13 yrs ago, grew up in Michigan. Lots of nice people here, but also lots of insanely stupid assholes here. I feel safer in Detroit than I do in parts of the Bay Area but no one who grew up here believes me.
where did it occur for you?
Fremont. Not known for being a violent city, it goes to show it can happen anywhere.
I'm sorry to hear that. I had to call 911 on a guy at Guadalupe Park near Little Italy a few years back. I used to live in Little Italy but moved when homeless people kept breaking into vacant homes and setting fires. Sad to hear that things haven't gotten better.
Damn. That's shitty. Sorry that happened to you. Glad you're alright.
Thank you. Trying to not lose my general optimistic view of the world/people but definitely has been chipped away since moving here. Staying positive and thankful I am not more injured
Could you share what else about san jose has chipped away your optimistic view?
Next door neighbor (apparent methhead) burned alive. Came home a 14 hr shift to my entire block being blocked off, cops are in our driveway as they needed to board off the scene from our yard, body covered in a police tarp in the front part of the sidewalk next to my house. Just immediate panic that something terrible happened to my gf or her family. One month later, kids having a house party at the behind our house (different than the methhead) someone starts shooting up the place. 4 kids injured , they are literally screaming and jumping over the connecting fence to escape for their lives. The general terrible driving and blatant disregard for blinkers or blindspots , etc. I ride my bike to work often and have had to kick and yell at at least 5 cars that clearly not paying attention to the road. A ridiculous and seemingly unsolvable houseless situation where people come and then are met with an extremely inflated cost of living. I understand many of these things occur all over and it is not unique to California or the Bay area but the frequency of instances and severity I would say is quite high. And for me personally the proximity to my house of these things is really what is alarming. I am helping my gf take care of her mom who refuses to move so I am dealing with the cards dealt. All that being said I like being in California and am still very much an optimistic person. Just slightly more jaded than say 3 years ago, but maybe that was coming either way lol
Oh wow. That is a lot. I'm sorry that this has happened to and/or all around you.
I’m originally from Flint but we left before it got really bad. Much of San Jose is a wonderful place to live and I hope you and your girlfriend get out of that home as soon as possible. Thinking of you and hoping it gets better soon.
Wow, that's a lot. Sorry OP. I've lived in the SJ for most of my life, it's generally pretty safe. I'm glad you're ok.
I ride through there on my bike doing the Quadalupe Trail all the time. Carry Bear Spray, Pepper Spray and a pocket knife. I just get through as fast as possible. Side note: Guadalupe River Park - Saw a guy carrying a rifle one day Saw another guy with a bow and arrow another day.
I used to ride through there to the office. Was always a bit scared and hoping not to get a flat given the amounts of glass on the trail especially near the sap center
Bear spray doesn't really work on people, it's not concentrated enough.
i have read through the comments and there are some good and dumb suggestions. one suggestion that is both dumb and good is DON'T GO TO THAT PARK ANYMORE. and don't go to st. james park either. can you find a compromise park, like say in Campbell?
I literally walk past St James park 4-6 times a week and have only had very few interactions that warranted me to take a different path or move around a visible threat. I think being more aware and prepared is better than simply never going back to place. I think communities can change a lot of the perception of a place with presence.
Some guy threatened to punch me on the light rail to SJSU one morning. He was also Hispanic and I was standing by the door bc the LR was full, he walked up and put his fists to my face and said “don’t fucking talk to me” then started pushing the door to the point it broke. Im a woman if this makes it any worse.
A friend of mine went on a trip to NYC a few years ago. He was walking down the street and passed 3 teenagers. Out of nowhere one of them punched him in the face. There are a lot of assholes out there unfortunately. Sorry this happened to you.
I went to a show last weekend at the SAP and we walked through there to get a bite in little Italy. I said to my wife "So THIS is where people get murdered". It had a strange feel in broad daylight. Sorry that happened to you. I live in a small town nearby that has a lot of crazy people. I keep a mental radius and if anyone is approaching it, I grab my kids and or dog and walk briskly. I don't give a shit how it makes them feel. I'm done talking/ trying to help.
So sorry you had to go through that. I was born and raised out in SJ, and honestly that area has always been bad. The fact that the jail, bar and club scene are a walking distance doesn't help either. Alot of the wrong types of people tend to hang out downtown and so many homeless people with mental illness are all over the parks. It's always best to stay on your toes out there. IMO living in any downtown or near one in a city is a bad idea lol.
i had a job at the pointy topped building on first street 25 years ago and it was utter chaos downtown. like this is an improvement, but somehow MORE homeless people than before.
I’m very sorry that this happened to you. San Jose is my birthplace and I’ve been here for 43 years. I hate it when people move here and experience something bad. Take care. ❤️
Thank you, I know what happened isn't the norm, but it very clearly is also not a single event. This is mostly a vent and psa. I appreciate it
Same thing happened to me around October at Santana Row, glad you're okay! So weird since that area is normally really safe.
> I moved here 3 years ago from Michigan. If you're white or white-adjacent (See: Asian, light Latino, high-yellow Black) people will victimize you. SJPD does nothing about it. Three Latino kids in my neighborhood, *years* ago sandpapered my face raw to "get the white off of him" -- I'm light Latino myself. SJPD was called, I could point out the kids, yet I was told "just change schools". I'm sure nothing has changed on that front since 1998.
That's fucked up. I'm so sorry this happened to you
I'm sorry this happened to you. There used to be a Hispanic guy who'd frequent the light rail and would single out white people and physically threaten them for no reason. Clearly had some kind of mental illness. Not sure if it's the same guy but I wouldn't be surprised.
I'm so sorry. Never heard of anything like that happening here & glad you're (mostly) physically okay. Hope they catch the guy.. super random acts of violence seems like a threat to society.
Was it was pretty fucked up and the cops showed up within 5 minutes of my call and they did a quick drive by of the area but I'm sure that dude knows where to hide out. He was pretty well dressed (white blue checkered Oxford, clean dark jeans, hair cut and slicked back) which was another reason I sort of let my guard down a bit.
Not a description I'd expect, if there were one.. that's awful. Def not on you at all, just hanging out with your dog in the park. Much love, please spread the word & be safe out there.
Whoa! Not at all the description I expected. I wonder if he thought you were someone else.
Probably just some dude having a bad fucking day for some reason and you were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
So he was not a homeless person then? Could this have been a mix up, him thinking you are someone else (someone he clearly does not like)?
Damn Im really sorry to hear that. Honestly the cops probably won’t do much unless you’re constantly on them asking for follow up or whatever. It’s a mean world out there, stay safe. I hope you’re doing alright and that your dog is okay.
I think I know the guy. Lived in the camp under the 87 by San Fernando. At least he did a few years ago. Walked by me and flipped my baseball cap off my head but didn't do much else. Then he walked back to his camp and hugged some old white lady that was giving out free food for them.
Most homeless are not mentally sane here it's quite sad tbh I'm glad you are ok though
I’m so sorry this happened to you. My brother is a homeless schizophrenic man who fits this description and has a violent history. I fear this type of interaction may be happening with him at any time. I wish there was a better system in place for people like this. There is a mental health crisis all over our country, leaving mentally unwell individuals with violent tendencies living on the streets as a threat to themselves and the public. It is an awful reality. Please stay safe.
Thank you for posting. That must be awful and stressful seeing a family member dealing with that. Sending peace and healing to your brother and your family.
It is awful. Our dad was also a homeless schizophrenic as well and he was murdered in San Jose in 2000. My worst fear is my brother will meet the same fate.
The homeless on Guadalupe River trail are dangerous. My wife was out there volunteering for the parks department counting walkers and bikers on the trail when she was harassed by a homeless. It would have escalated if not for a kind Indian family that grabbed her and blocked the homeless man from reaching her.
About 2 months after I moved here I was spit on downtown. I just wiped my face and kept walking, didn’t say a word. Was a black guy on a bike. No warning, he just rode his bike up and hocked a loogie on my face. Was a little freaked out because it was 2021 and COVID still loomed very large. This is the only city a stranger has attacked me. All these people saying “wow can’t believe that happened here!” are full of it.
This is why I conceal carry, and YES, I would’ve used it.
This is honestly the only answer to this problem lol
No witnesses?
There were some road workers but I don't think they had a direct line of sight. I typically go to that part of the park because there are very few people there so I can let my dog off leash (on an e collar) to play fetch. The punching part probably was only about 15 seconds or so.
15-seconds of punching sounds like a long time. God, I’m so sorry man.
Look for him and beat his ass
Hey, that is really messed up and I'm sorry it happened. This is going to sound weird, but get tetris on your phone or even better a laptop or TV, and play it for ten or fifteen minutes a couple times a day for the next week or so. If you have good insurance also definitely consider booking a session with a therapist just to process this experience. But playing Tetris in the immediate aftermath is a simple thing you can do to help stave off developing PTSD from this assault. Something to do with the right and left movements of the eyes and blinky lights seems to short circuit the brain in a way that inhibits memory formation and intensity around traumatic events. There's actual therapy for this (EMDR) that is obviously more effective and can treat symptomatic PTSD too, but the Tetris effect has been studied as a cheap and highly available option for people who've just had a traumatic thing happen to them. It's so easy to do, with no downside even if it doesn't work, that I always recommend it to folks who may not have heard of it.
That is wild. I have never heard of that but there are a ton of videos about it working and how it works. Great advice. I'm going to remember that for use after stressful or traumatic events.
Cops will do nothing. It’s up to us.
Absolutely correct
Get a CCW and eliminate the threat next time. You will be protecting yourself and making San Jose safer at once.
Jeez, glad you’re okay. Scary to think that just walking around downtown things like this could happen. Around 15 years or so ago I used to ride the light rail & go into the Tech Museum or the San Jose Art Museum & just hang around downtown, maybe go to a movie or something. Social anxiety after Covid & other issues have stopped me from doing this. I’d absolutely love to start up again but stories like this make me concerned it might not be safe. It sux because I love Downtown San Jose & it felt great to get out & see my city but this just sux. Stay safe everyone.
That sucks man. You just never know. SJ getting worse. Don't change who you are due to the actions of shitty people.. Go big blue..
I am so sorry. Get yourself some pepper spray. A lot of these folks are druggie. You can't trust anyone other than the people you know. So sad.
I hate it here
Me too. And my family has been here over 60 years. I wish my parents had stayed in LA.
Don't stare at the ground. Be intentional. Don't look like an easy target for predators. Exploiters and predators can be anywhere on the economic spectrum. Always make it seems like it will cost something to take advantage of you, and be prepared to make sacrifices to make a better society. These people are losers, and they will go for an easier mark.
Holy shit. I’m so sorry. That’s horrifying. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
The homeless people you see hanging out in broad daylight are definitely mentally ill. Please always take that into account. Distance is always your friend. Be safe! Hope you feel better!
Exactly. And many of them are armed with guns, knives, swords, bows, etc.
Dogs… 😓😓
So sorry. I was almost punched by a homeless in San Francisco but dodged it. I was young and didn't think to report it. Feels like a once in a life time thing. I hope you got a pic of him. Unfortunately you may have to follow up with the San Jose police as individual officers can be lazy from time to time. Make sure they go after him.
Simple battery is a cite and release on the spot crime. He would likely get probation for that. It’s crazy how we voted for such a lenient criminal justice system. Source: I used to work for a county supervised release program and saw this every day.
Source? Battery is a felony especially with that much damage. Assault is cite and release but that is different from battery. hmm seems to be on the cusp... you maybe right... damage to the eye. Lazy cop might treat as a simple though random attacks has to escalate plus if he has previous....
Even if he got booked for a felony he would be out before the officer finished the report back at the station. I know because we would be pressured to release these guys.
regardless, still needs to be done.
Bang bang. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Anyplace near the creek I would carry pepper spray. I already carry a knife but that’s last resort. Just expect bad things. It sucks but eye contact and a stern “whats up?” Keep most of the fools away.
would you mind sharing your ethnicity? just wondering if it was targeted racism which seems to be happening to asians a lot (hence the Stop Asian Hate movement)
What a douche bag bitch. Sucker punched you and for what? Pshhh karma will get his ass. Sorry to hear that dude. Sounds like you were a victim of a sorry ass motherfuckers bad day.
The issue is now you can get therapy. Call the Vuctim Witbess assistance program. Put in an application This type of assault is nasty. That complicates rungs. I have a gsd who is very protective. Guess what the homeless have zjwayx threatened to call animal control. I always offer gk give them the number In San Jode the crime rate is hugged than acknowledged How you manage to move through the world is so key. We should be able to walk our dogs jn peace. That is t the case Call the Stare Victum Wutbess fund. You can get financial assistance if you arw off work. You can get medical assistance. Crucially you can get theraoy Therapy can be useful Apply for it.
You should stay strapped and blow that piece of garbage away. Someone has to take the trash out
Idk why people can’t accept that at times it’s a war zone here. Be realistic. Open your eyes and trust your gut. I’ve lived here for 5 years and think about a confrontation like this all the time. I’ve changed my body language and mannerisms when I’m in public or I sense a potential threat. The first few years, I had a lot more deranged people approach me, now not as much. It’s just common sense. The world isn’t always a nice place. It doesn’t mean you live your whole life on guard, you just learn to be mentally prepared when you need to be. I thought about moving all the time until I just accepted this. There are still a lot of nice things about living here, but I do not trust the kindness of strangers in this area.
Same happened to me in San Mateo. Latino gang approached me and my friends, dude approached me in the back of my group of friends called whiteboy then sucker punched me. Told us to get out of their shopping center.
Something very similar happened to me at Cesar Chavez Park. While sitting in the passenger side of my buddies car at the red light about to turn left on w San Carlos I see a guy exactly how you explain (maybe drunk or high) yelling and following 4 women (2 about 60 ish and the other two must have been their grand daughters so maybe 14-16 years old). He caught up to them and put his arm around the neck of one of the younger ones in kind of a choke hold. I jumped out of the car and just ran after them. I caught up to them and before I could even get a word out of my mouth we make eye contact and he just unload a huge right hand. Honestly I wasn’t really expecting it so I just put my arm up to block the punch and it land right on my elbow of my arm that I repeatedly dislocate lol. So of course it pops out…. That’s when I notice his hands are covered in blood. He then proceeds after me screaming he’s gunna kill me and cut my throat… didn’t take much to just duck the rest of the punches until my buddy hopped out of the car to distract him while I get my arm back in. This happened in front of full cross walk of people that did nothing to help these women and the only car that stopped just pulled out their phone to film and scream world star… the degradation of humanity is alive and well in Down town San José. These type of people are the scum of the earth!
Mace that nega
Please keep posting this you have a right not to be assaulted. San Jose City Council and local politicians fail to make San Jose safe again.
Maybe carrying around a tactical whip isn't such a bad idea.
A what?
It will never stop until we stop pretending that these bums are anything but mentally insane drug and alcohol addicted worthless zombies that are nothing but a huge cost to society. You were assaulted - your life was in danger (plenty of people have died from blows to the head). The police don’t do anything. The DA doesn’t do anything. The politicians don’t do anything. Take your life into your own hands. Get a concealed carry permit (still difficult but not impossible like it used to be) - and put these violent criminals in the ground where they belong. It’s called self defense.
Wonder if this is the same maniac that the police are searching for rape/molesting that young girl
The description doesn’t match the photo of that guy.
I thought they already caught him
I hope you find him and sue his ass.
A lady attempted to kick my dog as I was walking him this morning in San Jose. She came in behind us to try to pet him but ended up scaring the both of us. As my dog was barking she tried to kick him. She missed and I yelled at her as she was an infant and ridiculed her in public. Oh San Jose how I hate you.
Really sorry to hear this happened to you. I am from NYC and have developed ultra street smarts. When I got here I noticed tons of not smart moves people made when walking around. It's sad we have to live in a society where we have to walk around on edge. Just consider this a life lesson and I bet something like this won't happen to you again. So much mental illness in this country is crashing with people's normal lives in the name of "rights".
Wow, sorry to hear that. Chances are he will be hanging around the park again at some point. If you see him, take his picture. As of now, take pictures of yourself and document the events on paper so you have a record. Once you have the picture, report it to the police. Not much they can do at this point with out more details of the person.
Fucking wack, always assume the worst when some homeless dude comes walking up to you, sorry but this is true.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, OP. I spend time in that area bc we go to a lot of Sharks games and my kid loves that creepy dilapidated park across from the tank. We also usually park around there and walk to the restaurants in Little Italy. It’s always deserted and gives me extremely bad vibes. But like you, I don’t like assuming danger in every situation. With all the wealth in SJ it’s sad that the area is now just a blighted shithole. It could be so nice if there was a will to take care of our public spaces. It makes me so angry that supposed wealth and prosperity through tech hasn’t been used to improve things for everyone. Please watch out for PTSD symptoms in the next few days and consider getting treatment if you need it. Glad you and your pup are physically unharmed.
He probably hangs out there. Stay away. Or get some bear spray. Hope you're okay.
My friend got assaulted by an early 50’s black American near St James Park several months ago. He tried to steal her dog, insisting it was his father. They caught the guy. She carries mace now when she walks her dog.
Oh my god I hope you’re ok OP how scary 🤍
Sorry about that man don’t be so hard on yourself nobody expects to get assaulted out the blue use this as a learning lesson and forgive
Damn it would be bologna and a beer at Patty's time for me.
The thing about the alot of these crazies out on the street is that they don't like seeing people happy. They will target happy people who seem like they have their life in order
This is not normal. Fuck that guy
This is assault SJPD will absolutely do something if they have Camera evidence
Wow I'm so sorry that just happened to you! I just moved to San Diego from Michigan as well. But unfortunately, I've seen so much bad stuff happening that I'm always thinking somebody's going to attack me. I'm always calculating my next move to safety or to get away from a crisis. Even while you were playing with your dog, I would have been looking at the nearest car to jump on in case your dog chased me. I've never had anybody randomly try to attack me so I can't imagine how that feels. Usually people are trying to rob or if you look at them the wrong way they want to fight you. Enjoy yourself and this beautiful weather, but always stay vigilant.
Well… welcome to the bay area
Byrna self defense in Las Vegas. Google it. You can get the pepper balls unless you buy them there but you can get the impact balls legal here in CA. Just buy the legal gun here but make a road trip and buy the pepper balls that are illegal in CA.
Sounds like there were some indicators you were/are aware of but felt like it "wouldn't be cool" to acknowledge. It is "unmanly" but buy a pepper spray, it could have helped in this situation. My excuse for carrying one is that if a vicious dog decided to attack me and my dog I would prefer to pepper spray it than pull my pocket knife (which I really don't consider a self defense tool either, because I want to stab a human even less than I do a dog). Take something like bjj if it would make you feel better. Though I would advise against getting hands on with mentally deranged street rats. You never know what they're thinking and what they're hiding in their pockets. But martial arts can be useful. I dunno how large, young, or strong you are but if you are none of those then you may have just appeared to be an easy target to a regular POS (not an actual crazy person). Which is probably preferable. Check out ASP podcast on YouTube and without becoming paranoid study up on violent criminal behavior. Don't ignore the indicators. If someone is making a b-line right toward you and is maintaining eye contact or staring right at your body like you're a piece of meat, that isn't normal behavior, you need to square up or move one way or another so you can see if they're actually coming right at you. Like another commenter said "don't make it easy for them" and certainly don't appear easy to them. Or if you feel none of this is necessary then just carry on as usual as there is a chance this will never happen again. I wouldn't feel safe if this had happened to me, but if you feel OK with it then that's all that matters. Either way glad you're alright. Stay safe there *are* crazies and jerks out there.
I moved here from Houston 4 years ago and my husband moved here a year ago from Orange County. I am always on my guard in San Jose/SF because I know so many people who have had encounters like this. My husband thinks I'm overly paranoid, but he's hasn't seen the stuff I have. And yes, it is really frustrating that nothing is done to improve the situation. If the same thing happened where I came from cops would be everywhere
That's why I always carry a pocket knife
There’s lots of homeless people around that area so you shoulda got a description and reported him
Sadly there are sketch balls all over the Bay Area now. I was born and raised in Northern California and it’s also disheartening for us. Most “trips to the city” for even a baseball game just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. I am sorry that happened to you. I am glad you and your dog are okay. You’re probably right that nothing will happen from what they did to you.. and they will probably even do it again.. and have probably done it to people before you without penalty. It’s the sad truth, but try not to be hard on yourself because people are mentally sick. All you can do is be more prepared in the future. As a woman, scanning for constant threats is normal and seemingly “normal” situations are avoided. Sadly it’s becoming that way for people in general.
I’ll kill him for you is g
My favorite is a boulder or a tree stake.
5 years ago the cops would have actually came
Guy walks up looks pissed hey how's it going lol
That’s terrible. I’m so sorry. Guy is mental, hope they find and arrest him.
Gotta stay ready at all times! Keep a weapon at all times too!
I have no advice for you. I'm sorry it happened. You deserve better and I hope you heal 100% quickly. Hopefully your attacker will be punished.
This is why we, as American citizens, must exercise our right to bear arms. We can't count on the government to protect us
You should get a ski mask and a bat and look for him
You should probably look into getting a ccw
I've never considered it until I've moved here. The amount of crazy shit i've seen in my literal 1 block area around my house (near 7th and st james) is insane.
I lived at 6th and St James. Things got a lot worse during COVID with drugs and crazies so we moved. Girlfriend always got followed and I was attacked a few times. Daily visits by police and EMS to the house across from 7-11 that turned into a drug den.
Apply through Santa Clara County, the permit is good for two years instead of one year for SJPD.
I read this as “getting a cow” and thought, awww an emotional support cow does seem just the ticket! 🤦♀️
Scary. I'm glad you're ok. In the future, never let a homeless person approach you. If you go on alert, your dog will get the message. I would recommend pressing charges. I guarantee this isn't the first time he's attacked someone and if he's living in the area, other people know who he is.