Pop Goes The Protection

For the past few months I've realized being a woman is the equivalent of being a doormat.Going to court with my mom when she was physically threatened by her own brother, her pressing charges to protect herself after he came to her place of residence with two women brandishing weapons. Then him going to her job driving around searching for her and being caught by cameras in the perimeter. The judge then deciding to drop her case, making a mockery of her need to protect herself and her children. Today though, today was the final straw.

We got robbed a few hours ago while we were out of the apartment. The window in the main bedroom broken. My laptop...gone, my little sister's Playstation 2...gone. All our things thrown everywhere after being rummaged through. My most private possessions rummaged through. Even my condoms were stolen. How low can you get?

Distraught, we called the police, the first office refusing to allow me to file a report even though I'm also one of the owners since I signed the lease. Him adamantly saying my mother needed to come home from her job and call him back at 2 in the morning. When my mother finally did come back and call the officers, it took the help of a friendly peer to continuously call for an officer to show. After his report, he told us Criminal Scene Investigation (CSI) were coming to take prints that the thief left. They called around 4am saying they'd be here soon. My mother called around 7am to find that they "had more serious things to do."

Ironically, my mother notified the manager of the apartment complex weeks ago because this same individual would continuously call the apartment from outside to see if it was empty. My mother managed to see his face once before he could run away after calling while she was at the apartment. The manager, after being notified told my mother to "not worry about it."

I personally feel violated. My laptop with all my photographs, music, papers from school...gone, all because some thief decided he deserved my laptop more than me. And seemingly, no one cares.

What's scarier is that he lives in the same apartment complex and didn't get to carry all the items out that he wanted. It's a high possibility he could come back...and maybe not alone. In an apartment of all women, where my mother works a late night shift as a security guard and I'm here with my 13 year old autistic sister, do I not have the right to protect myself?

In Baltimore City brass knuckles and stun guns are illegal. Regardless of the fact that they could help me feel safe after being violated and having the police brush it off in such a noncholant manner. How is a woman supposed to defend herself or is she always supposed to be the victim? Seems like not having condoms isn't the only lacking protection.