The Bellevue Police Department's free self-defense workshop for women and girls meets at City Hall on Sunday, Sept. 20, with a session focused on escaping a rear hair grab.
Class 11 of the Women Empowered Workshop runs from 1:20 to 3:10 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE. The department announced the session on X, noting that space is limited and spots must be claimed in advance by emailing [email protected].
The workshop is free, according to the department's announcements. It is open to women and girls ages 11 and up.
The Women Empowered series is a 15-class course that has been running weekly on Sundays since at least January 2026. With Class 11 on the schedule, the program is now roughly two-thirds complete. Each session covers a different self-defense technique.
Earlier classes this year worked through wrist releases, trap-and-roll escapes, punch blocks, choke defenses and bear hug defenses.
Class 10, held Sept. 13, covered two types of rear bear hug defenses and the guillotine defense. Sunday's session picks up from there, shifting focus to rear hair grab defense.
The department has stressed across multiple announcements that spots fill quickly. Residents interested in attending should email Officer Hanaumi at [email protected] to reserve a place.
A Fox 13 segment on the Women Empowered Workshop is available on YouTube for anyone who wants a preview of what the classes look like before signing up.
