Between 1996 and 2006 murders in Trinidad and Tobago escalated by 247 percent (Ministry of Planning, Housing and the Environment 2008). Although citizens report crime as a recurring problem impacting communities (McCree 1998), scant scholarship has attempted to understand violence in Caribbean nations (Bennett and Lynch 1996; Bennett et al. 1997; Cain 2000) and even fewer studies have investigated citizens’ reactions to violence. As part of a larger study on residents’ experiences with violence in a working class community, stakeholders’ reactions to direct and vicarious experiences with violent victimization were explored. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted in Trinidad and Tobago during the spring of 2009. Results reveal that due to an “ineffective” justice system, and the practice of killing witnesses, residents feared reporting witnessed violence. Women implemented self-imposed ecological imprisonment and men and women changed their behaviors in public, including the practice of “acting tough,” to decrease their risk of victimization. As government officials attempt to curtail violence in Trinidad and Tobago, it is important to understand the strategies residents implement to secure their safety as a first step in creating effective policies to enhance civilian protection.