South Portland police have revived a self-defense class for women that is seeing a surge in interest.

“I want to feel safe walking to my car at the grocery store, even if I parked a little further away,” Erin Mercier said. 

She signed up for Women Against Victimization and Exploitation, a self-defense class hosted by Sgt. Al Giusto at the South Portland Police Department because she wants to “take back my freedom” and defend herself.

“I want to feel safe walking my dogs without looking over my shoulder,” she said. “I want to walk through the cemetery or Baxter Woods and enjoy myself without hypervigilance.

“I want to enjoy life a little bit more,” she added.

Giusto has been teaching self-defense classes on and off for decades. This fall, he decided to revamp his classes, posting about a foundational WAVE class on Facebook. Within three days, it was full. He decided to host a second class on Oct. 25. That one also filled up. In total, there are 42 people eager to learn.

“It’s the most I’ve ever had, so it’s great,” he said. Before moving to Maine, Giusto, a certified master instructor at Modern Warrior Defensive Tactics Institute, ran his own self-defense school. No matter where he’s lived, he said there’s always a need.

“Everyday people who want to learn how to defend themselves aren’t going to go into a boxing gym,” he said.

He thinks the enthusiasm for the class could be the result of more word of mouth or the fact that the class is now hosted on the weekend. And that people “want to do something to make themselves feel safe,” he said.

Holly Desjardins, a 24-year-old single mother, said she decided to take the class because she’s lived through a few situations recently that left her feeling “vulnerable, alone, and scared, like my own two legs can’t carry the weight of myself and my daughter.” Recently, she had an unsettling experience with an older man at a lake and on a different occasion was attacked by three dogs, all while taking care of her 1-year-old daughter.

“Lately, I’ve been scared to leave the house with her,” Desjardins said. “I want to be able to rely on myself, confident and safe and skilled, and I want to be able to leave the house and still feel comfortable.” She signed up for the class with one of her friends.

Giusto plans to have at least one class every month through the year. In the fall, he’s starting with fundamental classes, and will expand the offerings to include some specialty classes, with focuses like breaking holds and ground fighting.

“We’re looking to build the program to get more community engagement,” he said.

And this year, he’s being joined by Laurie Swan and Amelia Fosler, the South Portland Police Department’s behavioral health liaisons.

“It’s just a really good opportunity in our role … to let folks know about what we do, and it also helps us get a pulse on what’s happening in the community,” Swan said. They are social workers, offering an alternative response to calls related to mental health, behavioral health and substance use concerns.

“We’re just reinforcing that they’re cared about,” she said.

In his classes, Giusto talks about the right to self-defense and the importance of mindset.

“Defending yourself is not like a boxing match or anything like that,” he said. “It’s chaotic.”

In the fundamental class, students learn techniques to shut down a sudden attack like a slap to the face or punch in the gut. And they get to hit bags. But Giusto’s teaching philosophy focuses more on concepts and mindset.

“If you have to fight, you’re gonna fight with reckless abandon to win,” he said. “You’re gonna fight to win.” He said that women have been conditioned to not think of that as a possibility.

“It’s important for women to have these skills,” Fosler said. “It’s a way to feel empowered.”