LAKEVIEW — Need to sharpen your street smarts? Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) and martial arts center Thousand Waves are co-hosting a free self-defense and safety session next month in light of neighborhood crime concerns.
The "Five Fingers of Self-Defense: Think, Yell, Run, Fight, Tell" workshop will be held at Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center, 1220 W. Belmont Ave., on Sept. 11 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Interested residents can register online.
In the class, third-degree black belt Kate Webster, director of violence prevention programs at the center, will teach tools for handling street harassment and physical assaults. The workshop also will help residents recognize dangers sooner.
The session will involve interactive role play, physical exercise and allow residents to practice strategies for confronting violence.
After a police beat in Lakeview led the city in robberies this summer, residents demanded action from Tunney and local police. Both the alderman and police strongly advocated that residents learn how to protect themselves, saying that most robberies are crimes of opportunity in which the victims are not aware of their surroundings.
Tunney has led personal safety workshops before, said Erin Duffy, the alderman's director of communications and community outreach. He will be at the September workshop.
