It's time for a Monday safety meeting friends! I live in Williston North Dakota. Which happens to be the epicenter of the Bakken Oilfield Boom. Now if you live anywhere close or watch news you know that Williston and the surrounding communities are growing massive amounts and need workers. If you live in the surrounding communities you've heard that there are Mexicans following people around Dickinson, women are getting raped in Walmart parking lots, bar fights break out in a moments notice, people are sleeping under other people's trailers stealing heat, a guy with a knife broke into the house of a family while the mother and her baby were there until the Dad came home, A guy was living in some one's attic without their knowledge, etc. The stories go on and on. Now some of these may be true but I have seen none of these things. Here is what I see everyday. Hard working people living in rv's and trailers in the Walmart parking lot, people attempting to winterize these vehicles, a huge disconnect between the people of Williston and the melting pot that has taken up shop in their town, Desperation.
Williston is a small town with a big city dropped on it's head struggling to catch up, this goes for the surrounding areas as well (Sidney, Glendive, Watford City, Stanley, Tioga, Trenton, Fairview). So this City-Girl-Turned-Small-Town-Girl had to dust off her City girl habits for safety. My mom grew up in Los Angeles and I grew up in Denver so I was taught well.
So ladies (and gentlemen) here are the things I have learned:
-Be aware of your surroundings, pay attention to who is around you and where things are.This is key, people can't sneak up on you or corner you if they are already detected.
-ALWAYS lock your car, and don't leave anything valuable visible.Gone are the days of leaving your purse on the front seat and the keys in the ignition with the doors unlocked, that is asking for trouble in a city, if you need to leave something valuable in your vehicle, put it under your seat, in a glove box, or for your best protection in your trunk.
-Stay in well lit, well traveled areas.Criminals thrive on secrecy and avoiding detection. If you have the choice between the gas station that has a few lights and the one lit up so bright it seems like it's day outside, choose the day time one.
-Avoid going anywhere alone after dark.Same reason as above. Plan ahead and if you do have to go somewhere, buddy up.
- Make sure someone knows where you are going and approximately when you should be back.
This is why the search for Sherry Arnold(sending many prayers for her safe return) got mobilized so quickly, She had a routine and when she did not return when she should have it was known that there was something wrong immediately.
-Don't follow strangersThis is something we all learn in grade school, but as a converted small town girl I have gotten in the habit of striking up a conversation with pretty much anyone around me. This is a good thing and something that makes small town life preferable to big city living. In a small town though we all know who that creeper is and who to avoid. In a city, this could be the charming clean cut guy who just needs a little help lifting a heavy thing into his car. Don't take the bait! if someone genuinely needs help with something, say, in a Walmart parking lot, offer to go back into the store to get an employee to assist them. You can avoid being rude by feigning a bad back or you are in a rush to visit your grandma in the hospital. If you are getting a serious bad vibe (these are never to be ignored) go back into the store and have someone escort you to your vehicle.
-Buddy up!This is also something we learn in grade school but tend to forget as we get to be an adult. Two heads means twice as much body weight and twice as many eyes to watch. You become a much less appealing target.
-Lock your house doors and windows.Most windows have locks, the house that is security conscious is much less appealing to criminals. If you are looking for more security then that consider installing an alarm system.
-Carry some form of a weapon.Take a self defense class, in addition to carrying some pepper spray, knife, or even a gun(This is still North Dakota and Montana right?). Whatever you are comfortable having on you.
-Never set your drink downBasic bar and party safety.
-Avoid bars or go with a groupBars are where people gather, and with all of the different kinds of people gathering there are going to be disagreements that when coupled with alcohol are going to get out of control. Bar fights will happen. If you do go to the bar and a bar fight does break out, leave, as soon as safely possible.
This list is not comprehensive and doesn't guarantee that you will forever be safe, it's just some guidelines I have learned and follow. Now I will tell you I go to places in Williston alone all the time. The rumors have been exaggerated with each retelling and 99% of the people here are honest, hard working people with families. I am far more concerned with the traffic on a daily basis then by getting stalked, abducted, or raped. My home is surrounded by other houses filled to the brim with oil workers and my neighborhood is
quiet. They get up go to work, and come back to sleep, on there weeks off they go home to their families. If you want a good example, all of the churches here have almost doubled in size and most have either added another service or are considering doing so. Those are the majority of the people here.
