Dear Editor: I love living in Hoboken. I have loved feeling safe when I walk home alone from work in the evenings, since there are always people either coming home or going out to socialize. It is also assuring to see many cops walking the beat. Last week, this feeling of safety was shattered, and I feel compelled to reach out to other women like me who are lulled by a false sense of security. On Wednesday evening, January 26, I witnessed an assault on two women by a group of six males around 13 years old. This happened on 7th Street just blocks away from Washington Street at 8:15 p.m. The adolescents were stalking the women, first with verbal taunts and then touching them. When one of the women told the assailants to back off, she was struck in the head by a chunk of ice. She began shouting at them, and they surrounded her causing her to back up the steps of a brownstone. I was a block away when the commotion started, but when the woman yelled “fire, fire,” it prompted me to dial 911 on my cell phone. Her yelling “fire” seemed to cause the pack to disburse. The males were also aware of me dialing my cell phone and said threateningly “she’s calling the cops,” but they moved on toward Washington Street. The Hoboken police were wonderfully responsive and a patrol car arrived within minutes. The women accompanied the officer to pursue their attackers. The woman who was assaulted is somebody’s daughter, and perhaps girlfriend, wife or mother. She could be any of us. We all intellectually understand that no place anywhere is perfectly safe, but how many of us women are prepared emotionally to handle danger? Furthermore, it is shocking and heartbreaking that 13-year-olds barely out of boyhood could be the menacing predators. An entire letter to the editor could be written on how these kids need society’s help, as they are most likely victims of poverty, violence and a troubled family life. Yet, they hurt innocent people. I want to applaud the woman who successfully defended herself by using proactive strategies. She did all the right things that prevented a more serious crime: 1. Walk with a friend 2. Shout 3. Yell fire 4. Utilize the police I don’t know what happened after the women drove away in the patrol car, but I want to say to them (one was named “S”) you were very brave, and I hope you found the assailants. I hope that this letter will warn women and all the men who love them to consider how you can protect yourselves now. We cannot live each day believing that catastrophe awaits us but we can take action to feel our own power in being prepared. Be safe and be well. Diana Forand-Pike