I remember being so afraid after the Rodney King riots... I wanted to get a gun or a taser and friends who were LE told me that I had to arm myself with something that would completely stop the attacker or it would be used against me. They advised against a taser and told me to learn to shoot and get a concealed carry permit. This coming from police!!!! You shoot to kill...you are not an expert... go for the most damage because it can mean your life.
I have family who live in the LA basin. I know what you mean.
I lived in Southern California during the Watts riots. My family was out past Whittier, so we weren’t directly affected. But the lady who cleaned our house live in Watts. My mom invited her and her two daughters to stay with us during the riots, but her mom lived there, too, and she didn’t want to leave her invalid mother alone.
Maybe men don’t understand what women face. If our attacker isn’t put down permanently, they can get up and come after us. We rarely get a second chance. It isn’t worth risking our lives to be half-way about anything like self-defense.