So you see, I'm a bit worried. I live in the poor part of a large city. There's been frequent reports of people getting attacked recently. I'd like to learn to defend myself yet I have no idea where to start. If anyone is able to give me an idea then I would appreciate that. I also want to apologize, I'm only decent with my English.

Try getting stronger, like physically. Learn how to use whatever object around you to protect yourself. Try learning karate or something, but try also asking help from your strong friends if you have any.

Where to start hmmmm.

Learnt to sprint. The first form of defense one should always know is how to sprint and do it fast. You need to develop fast reactions like that. Always remember, find an escape, avoid contact. However if you're in a situation where there's a gun involved, don't try and run. There's an 80% you could get shot, could be the same with a knife.

Going to any martial art class will help you develop basic defense classes. As >>2 says maybe even try and get a friend to help you out. But no fancy moves, only what's relevant.

what i did was learn where the pressure points in a human are (sounds like anime but is real) i mean start practicing with your siblings or neighbors to see what small/weak hit would cause lots of pain here is a starter as one of the weakest guys in school i defend my self by twisting the arms of those who try t bully me till i almost break them but it is not as easy you nedd to be fast or they will realise that you are trying to bend thier arm.... eh i dont know how to explain this but i think the quickest way is to watch lots of "real" fights on youtube or even irl (not encoreged cuz u might get involved) and see if you can find any self defence tutorials online and practice them with a friend or whoever but mrtial arts would take long and are not very practical

Don't try anything if you're not sure.

Just don't get noticed, avoid to wear fancy stuff or carry expensive objects IMO.

And if someone steals you something, don't run after him, you could get beated.

Or, yes, learn karate...

Is there any association to enhance the neibourghood ?

learn if there are dollars in your area any of us would gladly help out :)

Any Dollars in Ohio?

No, I'm from France, sorry.

Very beautiful picture...
Anyway, you should try to avoid fighting. Stick to well lit and populated areas, don't flash any valuables,don't stay out too late, don't start any trouble, don't talk to anybody shady, and when you can, stay in a group you trust.
If you do that, you probably are fine, but when you have to throw down, remember, if your life is at stake, use every dirty trick you know. There is no such thing as a fair fight on the streets

>>9 ^ I like this guy's idea (sorry I call everyone guys regardless of gender >_<)

>>9 That's all the same saddening, since this and what I've written is the beggining of the social segragation...

So >>1, either you want to stay healthy and follow these, or you're a idealist and visit any neibourghood.

But were the attacks commited during the night only or also in the day ?

Just cary a stun gun or a pepper spray with you all the time and you'll be alright :3
A knife might be useful as well XD

My friend.Have a knife or stun gun with you or even learn a bit of bare-knuckle fighting.Fight dirty

Step 1: Choose your Specialty
Is there a certain weapon that you find yourself to be better with or just bare fist fighting? Find that something. Learning how to use your own body as a weapon is probably the best choice since you can bring it with you anywhere.
Step 2: Research the Subject
Now, if you have a specialty,(you can have more than one, but focus on the main one), research it. Look up ways that have different affects. You can do a lot of different things, i'm going to focus on explaining things like punches and kicks in this post. Know that when doing hand to hand combat, you have an advantage if you are taller. This is because your arms and legs can reach further than your opponent's. Also, when you strike, you have to put your body into it and then pull away because chances are that your opponent is going to try and strike back immediately.
If someone goes for your stomach, tighten the muscles to help prevent internal damage, and if they go for your head, you can position it correctly to hit an upper part of your forehead where you don't feel as much pain. Don't let them go for your temples.
So you see, in this example ^ there are a lot of different things you can do as with things like knives.
Step 3: Practice
This can be in any way you find fit. Home alone with pillows, if you have punching bags, or maybe you have someone who is willing to take one of your punches and grade it on a scale of 1-10! Practice different stances and also work on your physical strength. Obviously, physical strength will be important in all of this. It provides stronger strikes and defense.
Well, I don't want to go too far into it all, but that's some basic stuff. I hope it helped.

PEPPER SPRAY

@OroseC

That is incredibly helpful information! Thank you.

>>15 AND HOME MADE STUN GUNS. (no I don't know about this one...)

if the attacker is a man then kick to the balls should work

$5 tasers of amazon, they work pretty well