"'Doing business as usual' is what got about 50 prostitutes killed by the Green River Killer a few years back."

While the 'Green River Killer' was an egregious case the fact is that prostitutes, run aways and the homeless are disproportionately victims of violence. Hookers get, no pun intended, coming and going. They are marginalized and kept from forming a collective defense for fear of becoming targets of law enforcement. They are forced into the dark corners of society and are seldom protected by society. For a very long time Gary Leon Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was able to do his deeds because very few people cared enough to allocate the resources to stop him.

Also, the choice is not between a labile acceptance of murder and carrying on entirely as usual or being armed to the teeth and cloistered in a fortified home. People, particularly children, can be taught to travel in groups. The green river killer didn't attack women in groups. A few police have speculated that if women jogged in groups of three, possibly nominally armed with pepper spray and cell phones, the number of attacks on joggers would plummet. Numbers, a nominal defense, and the ability to call for help quickly levels the playing field.

There is a lot of room for action and options between head-in-the-sand acceptance and living like your living in a war zone surrounded by vicious enemies.