Close X
Monday, December 2, 2024
ADVT 
International

'Not Today,' She Shouted As She Fought Off Attacker In Public Bathroom

Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Mar, 2017 01:35 PM
    A Seattle woman who became a folk hero by fighting off a man who attempted to rape her in a public bathroom has sparked a boom in women's self-defence classes, making a meme out of the war cry she used in battle: "Not today!" followed by an expletive.
     
    Kelly Herron, 36, was taught to "be loud and fight like a savage" in self-defence training at her workplace three weeks before the March 5 incident in which she defeated her male assailant and locked him in the bathroom where he was arrested.
     
    Since then, after publicity about the attack, women have flocked in unprecedented numbers to the same course that helped Herron, and internet searches for the course have increased tenfold, according to Jordan Giarratano, owner of Fighting Chance Seattle, the karate and kickboxing school that prepared Herron.
     
     
    At a special free course on Tuesday, more than 200 women came to learn self-defense and meet Herron. Many shouted "No!" as they practiced Giarratano's tactics, such as using hard bone to strike fleshy areas.
     
    Herron began with an emotional address, raising her finger and telling women they can "stand up and say 'not today.'" The room burst into applause.
     
    "It was definitely empowering," said Julia York, 35, one of the attendees. "I really loved that this was actually a story where the woman was able to fight off the attack. We don't hear about that."
     
     
     
    Herron was training for a marathon when she stopped to use the restroom in Golden Gardens Park. Her assailant, hiding in a stall, surprised her, threw her to the ground and tried to sexually assault her, according to the police report.
     
     
    Though Herron suffered a gash above her eyebrow and bruises on her face and arms, she escaped by punching and clawing back. A police mugshot of the defendant showed him with a reddened and swollen face with a large bandage over his right eye.
     
    "Without the class, I think I would have still screamed 'not today, motherf****r!' That definitely came from within. But the self-defense tactics came from the class," Herron said.
     
    Since Herron's story made headlines, Giarratano said he has fielded daily inquiries from companies wanting to contract his service for employees.
     
    Web searches, which previously totaled 50 to 100 a month, shot up to 1,000 per month, he said, and the monthly workshops in his gym are now weekly.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Canadian Attacked With Machete In Thailand In Stable Condition

    Canadian Attacked With Machete In Thailand In Stable Condition
    CHUMPHON, Thailand — Police in Thailand have arrested two men accused of slashing a Canadian man with a machete while trying to steal a gold necklace from his female companion last week.

    Canadian Attacked With Machete In Thailand In Stable Condition

    Nikki Haley Doing An 'Awfully Good Job': Donald Trump

    Nikki Haley Doing An 'Awfully Good Job': Donald Trump
    Haley is the first Indian American to hold the Cabinet-level position and served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from January 2011 to January 2017. 

    Nikki Haley Doing An 'Awfully Good Job': Donald Trump

    'Islamophobic' Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns

    'Islamophobic' Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns
    Thousands of foreign national workers allegedly expelled from country over visa violations and security concerns, as protests over unpaid wages continue 

    'Islamophobic' Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns

    Turkish Airlines Flight To Toronto Evacuated After Suspicious Note Seen In Bathroom

    Turkish Airlines Flight To Toronto Evacuated After Suspicious Note Seen In Bathroom
    A Turkish Airlines plane in Istanbul was evacuated Saturday after a suspicious note was discovered in one of its bathrooms.

    Turkish Airlines Flight To Toronto Evacuated After Suspicious Note Seen In Bathroom

    Indian-Origin Lawyer Banned For Harassing Ex-Girlfriend In UK

    Indian-Origin Lawyer Banned For Harassing Ex-Girlfriend In UK
    An Indian-origin barrister in the UK who was convicted of harassing his ex-girlfriend last year has been disbarred from practising law.

    Indian-Origin Lawyer Banned For Harassing Ex-Girlfriend In UK

    Indian-Origin Chancellor Rejects Chinese Students' Call Not To Invite Dalai Lama

    A US university headed by an Indian-origin academician has rejected call by Chinese students to withdraw invitation to exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama but assured them that his speech would have nothing to with politics.

    Indian-Origin Chancellor Rejects Chinese Students' Call Not To Invite Dalai Lama