She has no reason to avoid this young black man, Brown, 34, dressed in a hoodie, who, as she sits down, appears to be struggling to stay awake (he has been muttering and making jerky movements in the moments before she gets on the train). . . . Even if she had looked behind her, or saw the man in her window’s reflection, she has no reason to fear him; he might appear fidgety, but lots of people fidget on the train. Zarutska scrolls through her phone, at one point nearly dropping it. . . . Nothing out of the ordinary is going on here.
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The above is nonsense. Ms. Zarutska should have placed distance between this obvious threat and herself, because of his looks and agitation. Above all, never let a threat get behind you. This is the first rule observed by house cats. It is instinctive in house cats, and should be taught to humans.
She’s a foreigner unfamiliar with our “culture & cultural problems” how would she know to do that?