Self-Defense 4 Women–A Tragedy Turns Into Hope For Other Women

Roger Kemp’s young daughter Ali, age 19, was murdered in 2002.  Roger turned a horrible tragedy that will forever affect his family and turned it into a safety and self-defense awareness tribute so other women may have a better chance of surviving a brutal attack by a criminally crazed and murderous predator.

Here is a video of Roger Kemp’s story - Courtesy of CBS News.

(CBS)  None of us gets through life without facing tragedy. But with it often comes an opportunity to turn something bad into something good. CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports on a Missouri man who did that - part of our "American Spirit" series.

In a crowded gym just outside Kansas City, Mo., 300 women and girls are learning to fight back. They are there because of a girl most of them never met - Ali Kemp.

"We wanted to do this self-defense class in honor of Ali," said Roger Kemp, Ali Kemp’s father and the founder of the Kemp TAKE Foundation, "because Ali fought and fought for her life."

But tragically 19-year-old Ali didn’t make it. In 2002, the only daughter of Roger and Kathy Kemp was brutally raped and strangled at her neighborhood pool. Her parents faced the unimaginable: How to go on in a world without Ali.

"Early on I realized you have two choices: You can pull the covers over your head and stay in bed, or you can get out and say you’re going to fight it," Roger Kemp said. "And I fought it."

His first mission was to find Ali’s killer. Two years passed and then Kemp had a revelation.

"I was driving by and saw a billboard near where Ali is buried and thought, ‘Why not?’" he said.

He put up what looked like an old-fashioned wanted poster. Outdoor advertising company Lamar donated some of the billboards and a national trade group pushed them nationwide.

And it worked. The billboard generated tips that led police to the predator. Law enforcement took notice and Kemp’s idea took off. Similar billboards are now up in 40 states.

But catching his daughter’s killer wasn’t enough for Kemp. He wanted to make sure other girls got the fighting chance his daughter did not.

He set up a foundation in Ali’s name and began offering free self-defense training. Since 2005, more than 38,000 women in 15 states have learned basic skills.

Each year, the Kemp TAKE Foundation teams up with baseball’s Kansas City Royals to hold a class at Kauffman Stadium.

Carolyn Regimand came to a recent training event with her two daughters Akarra and Sarra.

"I hope it never happens to me, but if it does, I’ll know what to do," Sarra said.

Giving girls that sense of empowerment is what gives Roger Kemp a sense of purpose.

Kemp says he hopes his daughter would be proud of him.

"I’m sure proud of her," he said. "Her mother and I always thought she was going to make a difference in this world."

And she is making a difference to thousands of women around the country.

Be sure to checkout Roger Kemp’s book about his daughter - "Ali Was Here" available at Amazon Books.

CLICK HERE TO AMAZON BOOKS.

 

 

 

 

Ladies, Remember Stay Aware…Stay Alert…Stay Alive!!

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Personal Safety Measures You Can Take To Avoid Being A Crime Victim

Video Courtesy of Bakersfield PD

Each day I check the Local section of our newspaper to see what types of criminal "activities" are happening in our community.  It’s nice to know what areas to avoid.  What I see are home burglary/home invasion crimes being committed, robberies and assaults on the streets, business break ins, shootings, stabbings, and more - and this is just in one small city in Northern Indiana.

There are other cities located nearby - large and small - that must have the same type of crime going on. When you read about this type of criminal activity, you have to wonder if people are just unaware that crime is out there?  Are they not being aware of what’s going on around them and at least being alert when potential strangers approach them in either an aggressive or confrontational manner?  Or are they just plain stupid to certain rimes that are consistently happening over and over??  

I’m sorry to have to be so blunt but some of these crimes make you wonder if everyone - including the criminals - are on drugs!!  Are we all doing everything we can to proactively ensure our personal safety - at home or wherever we are? 

What is your personal protection/safety plan?  How are you going to protect and defend yourself against a criminal attacker?  One suggestion would be to take a self-defense class to learn defensive techniques that can help you disable an attack/attacker enough to get away to safety.  I hightly recommend doing this. 

Second, you might consider carrying some type of backup personal protection like pepper spray/mace or bump up the protection a knotch - depending upon activities in your neighborhood - and carry a TASER or stun gun. 

Once criminals realize people aren’t going to take these kind of attacks or assaults without a fight - maybe they will get the message.  In reality - I DOUBT IT!!  Unsuspecting people are just plain easy targets.  Especially when the common thought of most people is  "crime won’t happen to me!"

Here is a snippet of what was in the Local section of the South Bend Tribune today.  I read it to my husband and he just shook his head as if to say "the world has gone crazy!!"  What has happened to some people?  You know - criminals?  What has caused so many people to devalue another person’s life?  Some of the problems lie in the fact that the economy is tanking, jobs are scarce, and robbing others is really pretty easy!!  DON’T make it easy on the criminal.  Be prepared and carry some type of personal protection.  As I’ve said SOOOOO many times before - take a self-defense training course to learn the fundamentals of how to protect and defend yourself if attacked.

Personal Assault/Attack Crimes On The Rise - SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE (03/03/10)

Imagine the list of "daily" crimes in larger cities like Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and others. Makes you think of a "war zone" - and with that you need some type of protection to defend yourself!

Again, citizens need to become more aware of what is going on around them and stay alert to strangers approaching them.  When going out at night try to go with others, stay out of areas of your town or community that is crime-ridden especially when alone late at night, and know how to protect yourself.  

Stay Aware…Stay Alert…Stay Alive!!  Learn how you can avoid being a crime victim!!

 

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