Reply To: I was followed by a crazy guy and called slurs as I walked back to my car.

You can buy pepper spray on Amazon. I also have a Birdie, which is a personal safety alarm. Both are on keychains.

I live in a big city, I don’t have a car so am almost always on foot or public transit getting around, I see/pass homeless and/or mentally unwell people pretty much daily. If someone is acting erratic, I don’t engage. I’ll cross the street if I’m on foot and feel uneasy. If I encounter it on transit, I’ll ignore it or change cars if I need to. You can also be in the habit of walking in pairs if you’re in or on the cusp of an unsafe area. Learn your phone’s safety features… on the iPhone, if you hold down both side buttons, it’ll prompt you to swipe if you are in an emergency situation.

In this situation, I think it sounds fine that you didn’t engage and kept walking. I’m sorry he called you that, but in my experience, the folks out there mumbling to themselves or yelling at the clouds are the ones who will say whatever awful thing to whomever happens to be nearby or pass them.