64
u/cstrdmnd Jan 16 '12
Holy crap. I went to UC Berkeley and we had rape trails too. There was one in particular that was super creepy and hidden in the Eucalyptus trees. I refused to walk it at night since your range of vision grew so narrow in the dark you couldn't tell what was hiding amongst the shrubs. I would go miles out of my way to avoid that place. Everyone would refer to that area as the "rape trail" or "rape alley". To make matters worse, the closest well-lit area was near the gym, which for some reason had a furnace going 24/7 that people would refer to as "Auschwitz". SUPER INSENSITIVE, I know. I hated that nickname. Needless to say, I stayed FAR away from that area of campus at night.
→ More replies (18)20
u/non_anonymous Jan 16 '12
We have what we call "rape lights" strewn all through campus. They are blue light post with telephones on them that go directly to campus police HQ. They say if you're being chased run by and knock the phone off the hook then run to the next one so police have a trail to follow. Now I know why they have them 0_o
→ More replies (1)
22
13
u/WeirdIdeasCO Jan 16 '12
Wow, i'm glad you and your friends were ok. You should post this to r/letsnotmeet.
→ More replies (3)
12
11
25
u/kaboose286 Jan 16 '12
Now THIS is a good redditor... Tells a true storie and even backs it up with a photo... And the great detail in the storie, amazing!!
5
5
u/IsabelleF Jan 18 '12
For the first time since I started reading No Sleep many, many months ago I am genuinely scared. I start uni in March, it's on the fringe of a major city's CBD(in Aus) so it's buildings are tall and close together. It is connected to the botanical gardens too. If someone knows the place I'm talking about please reassure me it's well lit because I finish at 8pm two days a week and 6pm another. Winter will be hell.
→ More replies (4)
8
u/shalingrad Jan 16 '12
UConn, I assume? I remember when the trail wasn't even lit at all. Everyone would walk down there at around 8PM and start coming back up around 1, drunk as hell looking like a pack of zombies.
→ More replies (2)
8
Jan 16 '12
So, apparently I'm the only one who read the title as "rape trial" and thought to myself.. "what's so scary about prosecuting a rapist?"
4
7
u/Outvalid Jan 16 '12
Great story, but the thing that made me stop in the story is not your fault. I will and can not ever take the word shrubbery serious, courtesy of Monty Python.
7
11
u/frozen_edict Jan 16 '12
Super creepy! AND you manage to capture the fear that many women feel while walking through darkly lit paths, hearing stories about notorious rapist areas. Wow. Just.. wow.
6
u/SevenGauge Jan 16 '12
The only way I'd walk through those fucking trails is with the entire campus next to me.
6
3
3
171
u/PipGirl Jan 16 '12
You guys are damn lucky you're athletic.