They say in business, you have to roll with the punches. Yesterday, I quite literally rolled with the punches after an unprovoked attack on the Venice boardwalk.
After an incredible day of meetings and a brilliant panel at TikTok HQ in Los Angeles, I went for a walk along the boardwalk to enjoy the sunset and unwind. After just 5 minutes, an aggressive individual confronted me, shouting for no apparent reason. Instinctively, I tried to avoid him, but unfortunately, out of the blue, he rushed at me and punched me very hard in the face.
It was an enormous shock. There was lots of blood, a broken tooth, significant swelling, and a deep cut on my lip. Some people walking by kindly looked after me while I regained my composure, and then the police came to arrest the individual.
Unfortunately, even though the perpetrator was still there, it turns out there was very little the police could do to make a difference. They could only arrest him and send him to prison for one night. After that, he would most likely return to do the same to others. It’s an unfortunate virtuous cycle, and the current system is not set up to improve it.
So, the moral of the story, and the reason I am sharing this, is to tell people to be extra safe by keeping their distance if approached by anyone who may appear aggressive, even in a very public setting.
With crime rates increasing across cities worldwide and with the dilemma all of us and the police face, what do you think needs to change to discourage crimes like this?
By Edward East
Ed is the founder of Billion Dollar Boy