Homeless

Unusual? Just because attacks on prostitutes and homeless people don't get reported to authorities, doesn't make them unusual.

Story:
California -- A homeless woman fought off a would-be rapist in Mountain View this week, an attack police described as unusual.

The attack happened about 3:30 a.m. Monday. The woman, sleeping in bushes, began to scream for help when a man tried to pull off her sleeping bag.

The assailant began strangling the woman and sexually assaulted her before fleeing. Her screams alerted someone in the neighborhood, who in turn called police.

Some formerly homeless local residents say sexual assaults on homeless women are pervasive but simply never reported to the police.

"For women out there, there's always people coming on to them, all the time," said an outreach worker.

A former homeless woman in Palo Alto, said women living on the streets frequently have to fight off unwanted advances. Men approached her regularly, she said.

Reportedly, the most dangerous time is the first week of each month, when some predators spend welfare and Social Security checks on drugs and alcohol.

Source