The following analysis was written by Renee Stringer, Director of Executive Protection, and originally shared on LinkedIn.
I’m reposting it here in full and unedited because it clearly explains how ordinary spaces can become high-risk when awareness drops.
“A public restroom is a choke point.
A choke point is any space that limits movement and funnels people through a narrow area, reducing options for entry and exit.
Bathrooms are designed this way by default. Most have a single entrance and exit, which means once you step inside, your way out is fixed.
If that exit is blocked, even briefly, your ability to leave or reposition is limited.
Bathrooms also limit awareness. Stalls, partitions, and mirrors break up sightlines, making it difficult to see who is entering or what is happening outside the door.
Normal bathroom noise further masks sound, reducing awareness of what’s happening around you.
Movement inside the space is constrained.
Stalls confine the body and narrow walkways limit mobility, making it harder to create distance or change direction.
Social behavior adds another layer.
Bathrooms are treated as private, neutral spaces. People lower their guard into Condition White, assuming the space itself is safe, avoid eye contact, and hesitate to question who belongs there.
We treat bathrooms like safe spaces, but they’re built like choke points.
When awareness drops in a space with limited exits and movement, there’s very little room to recover.”
