Predators Are Always Looking for Openings. We Can’t Afford to Look Away.

Predators don’t wait for permission.

They don’t need a formal invitation.
They slip through cracks.
They walk through open doors.
And if they see an unlocked window, they’ll climb right through—
smiling the whole way.

Predators are always looking for an opening.
An opportunity.
A moment of naivety.
A gap in supervision.
A well-meaning adult who believes, “That could never happen here.”

But those of us who are determined to protect the vulnerable can no longer afford to wear blinders.

We cannot afford the luxury of believing that most people are “just good.”
Because most people aren’t who we’re worried about.
We’re watching for the few who study kindness just enough to mimic it.
Who study safety just enough to dismantle it.
Who study our children just enough to get close.

They exploit what we leave unguarded:
• Institutions that refuse to listen to victims.
• Families who “just want to keep the peace.”
• Faith communities afraid of scandal.
• Schools that prioritize reputation over reality.
• Courts that ask the wrong questions of the wrong people.

We must watch actions and behaviors—not just words.
Not titles.
Not charisma.
Not family ties.
And certainly not feelings.

The truth is: protection isn’t passive.
It requires intention.
It requires boundaries.
It requires turning toward experts who know the patterns and have done the work.
We must learn from those who’ve studied manipulation, coercion, grooming, and long-term harm.

We need to ask hard questions:
• Who benefits from our silence?
• Who loses when we “give the benefit of the doubt”?
• Why are we afraid to believe what we’re seeing?

Predators count on the silence.
They depend on our disbelief.
They flourish when we are too polite to call things what they are.

So let’s be the ones who see what others pretend not to.
Let’s be the ones who act.
Let’s be the ones who protect—even when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, or unpopular.

Because the cost of looking away is far too high.