Forest Glade parents 'uneasy' by recent violence in neighbourhood, want kids to be prepared

Parent Jon Rupert says recent violence in a Windsor neighbourhood have made him "uneasy," so he wanted his 13-year-old son to learn how to "take care of himself." 

Ninth-degree blackbelt Albert Mady taught a free self-defence class Sunday following increasing acts of youth violence in Forest Glade parks. Nearly a dozen kids and parents showed up for the class and were taught physical and verbal skills to protect them in threatening situations. 

"I've lived in the Glade my whole life, [my son] wants to be able to explore the Glade himself, and I really am a little bit uneasy because of these attacks just to let him explore and go wherever he wants," said Rupert. 

"If he has a little bit of training at least he might be able to get away from something ... get home and be safe here." 

I feel like it's good to know these kinds of things, just in case something happens.- Jorey Rupert

The most recent example of violence in the area is when a 13-year-old, and his friend, were allegedly assaulted with pepper spray two weeks ago at the Forest Glade Optimist Park. Police said they're searching for 10 to 12 suspects, who may have had a gun and a taser during the Sept. 10 incident.

Rupert says he doesn't think Forest Glade is unsafe, but hopes his son Jorey learns to not be "afraid."  

Following the hour and a half long class at L.A. Desmarais Catholic Elementary school, Jorey said he was glad to have gone and thinks it will be helpful. 

"It was fun and hey now I can prevent myself from being harmed," Jorey said. "I feel like it's good to know these kinds of things, just in case something happens." 

Parent Julie Liu brought her five-year-old and seven-year-old to Sunday's class to get them learning these sorts of skills early. 

"I think it's really important to learn these kinds of self-defence skills. I feel like it's never too young to learn that kind of thing because you can't time when something bad might happen so good to get it early," Liu said, adding that it made her feel good to see her kids picking up on the skills being taught. 

Though her kids are not yet going out on their own, Liu says she does worry about them getting older and going out with friends. 

"It makes me a little uneasy knowing that there's been a couple of things going on, but hopefully they are equipped to handle anything that might occur," she said. 

Not a matter of 'strength, speed or power'

When asked what he learned from teaching the class, Mady says he realized that many of the kids "really didn't know what to do." 

"That's the thing, it's not about strength or speed or power, it's a matter of knowing what to do in that situation." 

One of the first things kids can do to avoid bullies or getting attacked, Mady said, is to be confident. 

"People don't usually attack somebody who looks confident," he said. "They look for the person who looks kinds of sheepish and they will attack them ... also get out of the situation, run if you have to."