What happened to Kenneka Jenkins was a horrible nightmare. It devastated many to find out that she was locked in a freezer and found frozen solid. There are different stories of what happened and it does not seem like the case will go anywhere. Some reports say she was raped that night by multiple guys in the bathroom of that hotel room. There were stories that said she might have been set up by her friend for $200, and the hotel staff claimed that she might have locked herself in the freezer and couldn’t get out. We still do not know the truth. However there is footage that was released to the public of Jenkins as she stumbled around the hotel that night. She seemed drunk and unaware of her surroundings. Many people might use this to assume the worse in her and her situation, but the most important thing to take away from that night is that she was alone and no one was looking out for her.
Jenkins clearly did not have trustworthy people around her that night and she lost her life as a result. This is why the buddy system is so necessary for young women. Young women all know how situations that involve alcohol can either turn out to be a great time or possibly ruin their night. The most important thing should be looking out for friends and ensuring that they are safe while in public settings. The buddy system should be in full effect strictly for protection against male predators or even people in general who seem sketchy. If a group of young women are out and one friend says she needs to go to the bathroom, at least one other person should accompany them to ensure they go and return safely.
The future is unpredictable and there are way too many incidents where young women are sexually assaulted, kidnapped or feel their lives are in danger because a male took advantage of their situation. Young women are constantly in danger, and a woman alone is at risk even more. To protect ourselves, we should always have a reliable friend around.
The buddy system was not in place for Jenkins that night. She should never have had to walk alone around the hotel. If her friends had looked out for her, one of them would have taken care of her and made sure no one would have been able to take advantage of her in that state. We do not have all the details yet, and we are not completely sure what went down that night but seeing the camera footage from the hotel and seeing her by herself walking into the kitchen gave me chills.
