The night of Sept. 14 changed my life and perception of Carmel, forever. Going back 13 years, when I first moved to Carmel, I quickly realized what a kind, friendly and safe community it was. My family moved here in 2000 from South Africa, a beautiful country with a reputation of danger and violence. With that in mind, I grew up with an understanding of personal safety and responsibility.

However, since living in Carmel, I started to lose sight of the bad in the world, considering we live in such a safe and sheltered community. It’s definitely not anyone’s fault that kids in Carmel are somewhat naïve; it’s just the way they were raised.

That night, I was walking out to my car after work in the Clay Terrace shopping mall at around 11 p.m., as most working teenagers are used to doing on weekend nights. Long story short, as I was approaching my car, I was attacked by a man with a stun gun. Thankfully, one of my managers was outside and heard my screams, so he was able to help me. The man got in a car with three other men and drove away before I could comprehend what had happened.  I suffered from scratches and burns on my back and neck, but the emotional distress it has caused me is beyond any physical pain.

One thing I want readers to know is that I am not sharing this to look for any sympathy, as the overwhelming support offered to me by my friends and this school has been amazing. Rather, I want to tell my story to help students understand that this could have happened to anyone. My goal is to create safety awareness, rather than to dwell in the past and be unhappy.

While this incident at Clay Terrace is a very rare occurrence in Carmel, it’s not the only violence that has been going on in this city recently. In the exact same shopping center, four days after the attack happened to me, another store was held at gunpoint robbery. The point I’m trying to get across is that, while Carmel is a very safe place to live, these types of crimes can happen anywhere, even here.

Before the accident, I assumed that I was invincible; that nothing bad could ever happen to me. Many others would probably also agree that they have this mindset, especially here in Carmel.

As much as I hate to say this, I strongly believe that another incident like this will happen to another innocent person if we don’t make a change. This “invincible” attitude made me an easy target that night. Kids in Carmel need to change this attitude, or else you’ll become an easy target too.

I’m not trying to scare anyone. I’m not trying to bring down Carmel’s reputation. I love living here, and I love the freedom we have, as young adults, to be able to walk around at night without worries and to be able to live without fear. We cannot live in fear, because that’ll just let these awful people who commit the crimes win.

However, we do need to live safely and with common sense. For example, if you know you are going to be leaving work late, don’t park too far away from the place, and never feel embarrassed to ask for an escort. If you’re going out at night, stay with friends, and don’t allow yourself to be put into any dangerous situations. As sad as it may seem, there will always be situations when bad things happen to good people, and while I can’t prevent it all, I want to spread awareness to my classmates and friends so that hopefully it won’t happen here in Carmel again.

Looking back at everything that happened, I find it a blessing to my life. Not because the situation was pleasant, but because it gives me an opportunity to raise alertness and hopefully help someone else. No one deserves to have their safety and inner peace taken from them, so please consider my story and decide to make the necessary changes in your life.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Caitlin Muller at [email protected].