How do you keep your head in a high stress situation?

[Ajax888]

Here’s my story:

It was midday, about 11:00 a.m., and I was the only person at an outdoor public range. I was there shooting my first handgun for the first time. When a car pulled into the lot behind me, I decided to leave. I had already shot quite a few rounds, and the magic of having the place to myself was gone, so I put the trigger lock on the gun, put it in my shooting bag, and pulled my targets down. Approaching the lot, my hands full of gear, I saw three gangster-looking males (gold teeth, oversized jogging suits, Timberland boots, flat-brimmed baseball caps). At least one of them had a lit cigarette in his mouth, and they were all pulling handguns from the trunk of their car. The range was about 10 miles from a city of 100,000, but I’d gone there all my life and only ever seen old-timers sighting in their deer rifles, never the gangster type.

At the time, I was sure one of them was loading a small silver revolver as he leaned into the trunk. I wondered to myself, if he’s here for target practice, why can’t he wait until he gets to a shooting station to load his gun? In retrospect, I’m not certain whether he was loading it or not. He may have just been checking the cylinder, but in any case, I was on the verge of sh*ting myself. One had a case for his gun, but the others just held theirs. I thought I was going to get robbed; that I was going to lose my vehicle and my brand-spanking-new gun (which was useless to me since it was locked up and ready for transport) and, who knows, maybe even die.

I had to walk past these guys to get to my van, and as I did, one of them asked me for a light. I had gone to college in east Cleveland, and I knew a lot of muggings start like that: do you have the time? can I have a dollar? do you have a light? An attacker will say anything to get you close, to get you to stop, to distract you, so they can surprise you. I said, “No,” and kept walking. Then he asked if my van had a lighter.

Let’s recap. He’s the smoker, but he doesn’t have a lighter. His friend is smoking, but he asks me instead. When I tell him no, he presses the issue, asking if I’ve got one in my vehicle, as if his vehicle doesn’t. Smell like a load of crap? It does to me.

Of course, those are things that occurred to me later. At the time, I was scared. Too scared to lie. As I walked, I simply said, “Yeah.”

D*MN! I couldn’t believe myself. I knew I had made a mistake the instant I said it. I made it to the far side of my van, positioning the vehicle between us. I opened the sliding door and put my gear in the van. I wanted to hop in and peel out, throw dirt and gravel in their faces, but something kept me from doing that. The thought occurred to me that they didn’t know that my gun wasn’t on my hip. Of course, that wasn’t much comfort. I think I didn’t jump in because I didn’t want them to know I was scared. Something told me if they knew I was scared they’d fall on me like a pack of wolves. I closed the sliding door, walked around the front of the van (they were near the back), and climbed in. As I started the engine and put it in gear, I rolled down the window and said that my cell phone was in the outlet, not the lighter, and took off.

What do you think? Was I paranoid and stereotyping these people because of how they dressed? Was it a cultural misunderstanding?

I understand I could have handled this situation differently. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My most burning question, however, is how do you keep your cool in a stressful situation? I think it would have been better to have told him my van didn’t have a lighter, but I reverted to the truth when I was stressed.

 

[USMC Tanker]

Was I paranoid and stereotyping these people because of how they dressed? Was it a cultural misunderstanding?

No. When I'm at my local indoor range and a bunch of untrained gangster homies come in to rent guns, I pack up and leave. Not necessarily because I think they're going to rob the place, but guys like that are notorious for flagging themselves and others and creating an unsafe environment. Rapper wanna-be's don't give me warm and fuzzies at a firing range.

 

[XavierBreath]

In regards to whether an attack was imminent, I think you are being unduly influenced by their appearance. I think that ten miles from nowhere, at three to one, with firearms in their hands, if they had wanted to press the issue, they would have, and could have.

Was the guy asking for a light testing you to see if you were a potential victim? Yes, I would think so. Do I think it was a serious probe? Not really. He wasn't really interested in victimizing you, or he thought it would not be worth the risk. Let's face it, a gun range is not prime hunting grounds for a mugger.

Usually, if warning bells go off, there is a subconcious reason. One guy asking a stranger for a light, when his buddy is smoking, and he could light off that cigarette is strange behavior. That doesn't make sense unless:
1. He was testing your willingness to allow your boundaries to be violated. The real question is why.
2. He was looking to pick you up on a date. Not surprisingly, this is the same thing, only the ulterior motive is different.

I think the asking for a light was likely force of habit. He saw someone from another culture and was testing your willingness to allow boundary violations almost as a drill. He may have thought you were law enforcement. They may have been on the skirts of legality and curious. Your response told him you were not. Like I said, at three to one, if they wanted you, they had you. If you were law enforcement, you might have had them. They were curious and got their answer in your response.

I want to point out that the way a person is dressed does not indicate they are a criminal, or that they have criminal intent. The alarm bells did not ring because of the mode of dress, but because of the behavior. Three guys in a pick-up truck with greasy ball caps and sleeveless t-shirts displaying the same behavior would be just as suspicious. So would three guys in polo shirts, and khakis driving a BMW. The behavior is the thing. The rest is window dressing.

How do you keep your cool? You did.

Now.......What state are you in? Many might say that you should have had the gun on your hip, but of course, that depends on your state laws. Do you have a CCW?

 

[Tokugawa]

My range is private, a gun club range. Last weekend I went to do some shooting, I was the only one there. When I went to pull 100yd targets, I put my Garand over my shoulder and dropped a clip in my pocket. Paranoid? Maybe. But leaving an unattended rifle on the line with ammo makes me really uncomfortable. Especially since anyone could walk around or jump the fence. There have been a few cases of criminals killng people at a range to take their guns.
Alone at a public range, I would keep my loaded weapon on me when walking around. Ya never know who is gonna show up.
I have a mental stress routine- I sort of visualize stepping on the stress or cramming the stress in a hole to be worried about later. Stress comes about from worrying about the aftermath of what is going to happen- "will I get robbed"? "will I get hurt?" Instead of the worry about these things, try to place it in a separate place and think about what actions have to be done NOW.
This has helped me a few times, but I am no expert on it- but I am quite sure there are folk here who know "stress" inside out!

 

[gyp_c2]

well...

...As usual, XB said what I thought, just better
If your feelings go off on you, it's the real deal...whether you get lucky, or not...
Instead of worrying about what the other guy is doing...do what you can to control your end of the situation...
He loads in the trunk...
Yours is locked, cased and totally useless...You got yerself a clue, use the lesson wisely...You're mad at yourself for feeling vulnerable...don't make yourself vulnerable...
The N word is not an insult...

 

[Ajax888]

XavierBreath, your idea about testing whether or not I was law enforcement was interesting. I had no clue as to why they behaved the way they did, when it was clear (after I left) that they didn't want to harm me. Thanks for the insight.

As for a CCW, I plan to apply soon. My home is in Pennsylvania, and as I understand it's easy to get one there. I don't have one now because I'm in Cleveland finishing my degree, and my university has a no-guns-on-campus policy.

Thanks everyone, for your replies.

 

[MIL-DOT]

"Was it a cultural misunderstanding?"

i don't mean this as an insult to you,ajax, but it annoys the hell out of me when i see the degree that we've been brainwashed into thinking that if we treat people that go to such great lengths to look,act and dress like punks......like punks, then we're somehow guilty of a "cultural misunderstanding". acting like punks is not "culture", regardless of your color. they strive to be seen in a certain light, then snivel and moan when they're treated that way.you have nothing to apologize for, they were definately acting suspiciously.

 

[amper]

The only way you can "keep your head" in a stressful situation is by prior exposure to stressful situations. I wouldn't really wish that on anyone, but it does help if you spend some time thinking about how you might react in a surprising circumstance. It's no substitute for the real thing, but it *does* help.

That said, you didn't overreact.

i don't mean this as an insult to you,ajax, but it annoys the hell out of me when i see the degree that we've been brainwashed into thinking that if we treat people that go to such great lengths to look,act and dress like punks......like punks, then we're somehow guilty of a "cultural misunderstanding". acting like punks is not "culture", regardless of your color. they strive to be seen in a certain light, then snivel and moan when they're treated that way.you have nothing to apologize for, they were definately acting suspiciously.

I am in complete agreement here.

My advice? Next time, don't secure your weapon until you're sure it's safe to do so. Guys like that, they go around as a matter of course trying to intimidate other people and freeload off of other people, and they get a little thrill out of it every time they do--but at their core, they're really cowards (which is of course why they do it in the first place).

Don't feel too bad about it. Lots of us are good people at heart and respond instinctively toward requests for assistance. It's a shame that there are people like that in the world that force the rest of us to try and stay on gouard all the time. It leaves little room for civility.

 

[Rocksurly]

So XavierBreath, what responce would he have had to give when asked for a light in order to make them think he was law enforcement? I ask this because in his example it would seem to maybe lower his odds of being attacked if they thought he was law enforcement.

 

[BlackBearME]

So XavierBreath, what responce would he have had to give when asked for a light in order to make them think he was law enforcement? I ask this because in his example it would seem to maybe lower his odds of being attacked if they thought he was law enforcement.

Yeah, I was wondering that myself.

**********

I personally think you did fine. Follow your instincts. If you're wrong, you look like an idiot. If you're right, and don't get out. Maybe nothing happens. Then again, maybe you don't have the opportunity to look like an idiot again. And no, I agree with others, it's not the way they were dressed, but the actions they were exhibiting. Better safe than sorry (as long as no one gets hurt in the "making safe")

Anyway, to answer your question, I don't have much problem. I work in fast food, have been in car accidents, and I usually tend to keep my head. I've climbed out of my car (the door wouldn't open, I had to climb through the smashed-in window) opened my trunk, put on a fire jacket, and directed traffic around the car until the real responders showed up. Hit another car (alongside, not head-on) at 70 miles an hour, swerved until I got control, moved over three lanes, found a place to pull over. Just today, I turned around, saw 80 people walk into my lobby (manager at a relatively busy McD's) turned back around, called everyone up front, and started cranking the orders out. I've even checked my pulse during some of these events and haven't noticed a discernable difference. Not to say I don't react, but I don't panic either.

Of course, once it's over, I'm usually a wreck, or at least unfocused. So to answer your question: I have no idea. But I think I realized a long time ago that freaking out really does no good. It's largely a matter of psych trainig/war-gaming, whatever. Try to channel the adrenaline into productive responses; try to envision possible scenarios, and tell yourself "OK, I'm going to be pumped, there's going to be a lot of stress. How can I be productive, instead of just freaking out?". There will be time to panic later, once the threat/urgency is gone.

Like in most things, war-gaming (that's what Marcinko calls it anyway, I think there's a technical term for it) will go a long way toward preparing you for pretty much anything.

 

[mekender]

I think you are being unduly influenced by their appearance.

appearance is usually my first clue that a situation might develop into an unfavorable one... first flag of a potential problem is someone wearing pants with the waistband around the bottom of their ass... second flag, walking, standing or talking like you came right off the front cover of a rap album... i get much less nervous when 3 guys in a bmw wearing polos pull up... why? because if someone cares about looking like a decient citizen, they probably are... of course there are no guarantees, but generally there are two types of dress that make me nervous at a public place... the one above and the ones that show up looking like they spent the night sleeping off a bottle of rum on the front porch of the nearest double wide...

so hell yeah id say that you acted cooler than i did, i would have probably unpacked and loaded my pistol in plain view and kept it in plain view until i was long out of sight of the group...

 

[plexreticle]

Their are a lot of victims that let PC liberal guilt over ride common sense and gut instinct.

Don't fall into the same trap by second guessing your instincts.

 

[Fred Fuller]

1) Breathe.

There's a tendency to stop breathing or to only take rapid shallow breaths when you get tense. Oxygen deprivation doesn't help the situation at all. You can search 'stress breathing' on your favorite search engine and get several different descriptions of how it's done. IMHO it doesn't matter too much what approach you take as long as you train yourself to do it at all. Essentially, stress breathing is a 'breathe in through the nose for an X count, hold it for an X count, breathe out through the mouth for an X count and pause for an X count,' with X being the same number of seconds in each case. It has to be a habit if it's going to kick in when you need it, or else you're going to have to remember to do it- which doesn't work nearly as well.

2) Be Prepared.

What's the first rule of gunfighting? Have a gun. Trigger locked and empty, zipped up inside a case, doesn't count as "having a gun." No doubt you have learned that part now though.

Guns are not the only defensive tools available, and should not be thought of as 'the only way.' Did you have any other tools with you? Pepper spray? Knife? Anything? If not, why not?

Did you have BOTH hands loaded down with your shooting gear? Is this a good plan?

Have you had any formal training in self defense? Knowing you have skills that give you different options to protect yourself- from "using your words" as the soccer moms say, to being ready and able to deliver quick and accurate pistol fire, helps a lot in keeping your head. If you haven't trained- do so. Not just in any one discipline, but in ways that give you options. Just shooting is not enough. The better prepared you are, physically, mentally and toolkit, the easier it is to be calm.

3) Observe. Orient. Decide. Act.

Give your mind something to do besides focus on fear. Who is there? How many are they? What are they doing? Where are they going? What can you do given what they are doing that will give you an advantage?

Some folks will recognize the four words above as being the core concepts of USAF fighter pilot COL John Boyd's 'OODA loop.' If it isn't a concept you are familiar with, it's time you started looking at it as an option for viewing the world. Try starting with the article at http://www.fastcompany.com/online/59/pilot.html . The try http://radio.weblogs.com/0107127/st...CycleByKenGouldDirectorSurefireInstitute.html .

4) Compete.

The best way to learn to handle stress is to induce it. One good way to induce stress is to compete in shooting sports that demand you exercise your skills and equipment under the pressure of time and other shooters. IDPA and IPSC are widely available options.

Some training environments offer force-on-force scenarios. While these are not competition events, when properly conducted they can offer very realistic opportunities to encounter situations that have relevance to potential real world events.

5) Study (Learn to be old not bold.)

You may have heard the ancient piece of doggerel- "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots." Get yourself a copy of Jeff Cooper's little booklet Principles of Personal Defense and wear it out ( http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=1308 ). Follow up with John Farnam's short essay at http://www.defense-training.com/quips/2003/19Mar03.html . Beyond these two stepping stones are dozens more useful and enlightening texts. Study a few of them along the way.

A good outline of the skills/abilities you need to master is included at http://www.teddytactical.com/archive/MonthlyStudy/2007/02_StudyDay.htm . It is an arduous list, but the folks who are working on it are in your home state. If you decide to become a serious stuent, there is no better academy I know of...

hth,

lpl/nc

 

[PRazz]

Repeatedly asking for a light seems to me like an extended interview. If he asks enough times you will eventually break and say yes. Which you did. If he didn't hear you say "no" the first time, then you need to get louder while still moving away, asert yourself in your voice. Point out the obvious...when he asked the second time if your van had a lighter you could have pointed out the fact that his buddy had a lit cig and could give him a buttf***. There should be no reason for him to ask again.

"Do you have a light?"
"no, sorry."
"Does your van have a lighter?"
"No! The only thing that makes fire is my gun. Ask your buddy for a light."


Some other tips: If you are right handed pass people coming or going to the right, as if you were driving a car. Keep your strong side away from threats.

Get your permit already, your school may have a no weapons policy but that only means it would not help you while on campus. You can at least have it for other places around Cleveland.

 

[Zundfolge]

Their are a lot of victims that let PC liberal guilt over ride common sense and gut instinct.

Several years ago I was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of a friend's apartment complex* ... I remember watching this black thug walk toward us after making eye contact and I distinctly remember thinking "Damn, we should get the hell outta here, but I would hate for this guy to think I'm a racist."

I got robbed because I allowed political correctness to override my God given survival instincts.


Anyway, I make it a rule to never leave the range with all my guns empty. My CCW piece is loaded and in a holster, even if I was shooting it earlier. No sense in risking it.




*Windsor at Woodgate apartment complex, Wichita Kansas ... several years later two brothers that lived in this exact same complex made headlines for brutalizing and killing a bunch of white people (they were black) ... which of course meant it was NOT a "hate crime".

 

[tepin]

I never enter or leave the range with an unloaded gun.

 

[XavierBreath]

So XavierBreath, what responce would he have had to give when asked for a light in order to make them think he was law enforcement? I ask this because in his example it would seem to maybe lower his odds of being attacked if they thought he was law enforcement.

It's not the response given, but the level of intimidation shown by the target of the probing. A law enforcement officer would not have displayed the same level of intimidation, and in fact, may have been interested in what the three had along with them.

There is a reason criminals rarely accidentally attack police officers. They usually recognize police officers whether they are in uniform or not.

For those interested, here are the Ohio firearms statutes. Here are the Pennsylvania statutes.

Advising members to break the law is contrary to what we do at THR. That is precisely why I inquired where the original poster lived, and where the incident occurred. If the law states he cannot transport uncased loaded guns in his car in that state, then doing so is not a legal option for Ajax888. As a result, posts advising him to do otherwise are either advice to break the law, or irrelevant noise. At the very least, they are confusing and counterproductive.

Judging people by their mode of dress or skin color can be likewise be counterproductive and dangerous. By believing Joe to be a criminal because he is Hispanic and wears baggy pants, you show you don't really understand what a criminal is. You tend to ignore Ken who is Anglo-Saxon and wearing jeans. Meanwhile, Ken may crack your skull while Joe saves your life. When you focus on race and clothing, the behavior of a person is obscured by your personal prejudices. Sure, we all have our prejudices based on past experience, and they tend to get us thinking in one direction or another, but we must go beyond them, not rely on them to be the truth. It is the behavior that lets you know if you are in danger. It's not a matter of being politically correct. It's a matter of recognizing threats based on behavior, not outward appearances. If you rely only on outward appearances, you give yourself a false sense of security. You will not recognize many threats, and you open yourself up to be victimized as a result.

Here's a link for the folks who only see threats in baggy pants.

 

[sacp81170a]

It's not the response given, but the level of intimidation shown by the target of the probing. A law enforcement officer would not have displayed the same level of intimidation, and in fact, may have been interested in what the three had along with them.

Your level of alertness is also another tip off. I tell my CCW students to practice observing other people's levels of alertness while they're out in public, in the supermarket parking lot, etc. After practicing this for a few hours, different types will begin to stand out like sore thumbs. LEO's and other street wise folks will look very different from others.

One thing an LEO might have done that would be different would have been to initiate the conversation. Something like, "nice day, how're you fellas doin'?" This takes the initiative away and allows you to guide the conversation while showing that you are aware of their presence. The type of person you're describing knows the role of being questioned very well and this is a cue to them. Also, answering their question with one of your own is good verbal judo.

 

[Nix]

i would just like to say... i'm 6'8 360 lbs with bleach blonde hair and very baggy clothes, i have a thick ny accent and a goatee. I'm sure i would resemble one of these "gangster" lookalike's you mention. Ive had martial arts training since i was small, small arms combat & tactics training and a whole list of other training (before i screwed up my knee and got chubby). I am as far from what i would appear on the outside as possible, do not judge a book by its cover my friend. I think what you did wrong was two things.
1. you judged someone as more dangerous than you should have by their appearance
2. you dont judge everyone else as dangerous enough if only the looks gave them away.

let me tell you a story real quick ok? I was in a bar and an older gentleman... about a 45-50 year old scotsman was sitting there enjoying a drink. 4 young guys 20ish... walked up to him and started harassing him about his accent. He stood up and cleaned the bar with them... all 4 were down broken and bleeding within a minute and a half. As it turns out he wasnt scott but was born and raised british until he joined the saf... then he retired in ireland and was just on vacation. dont judge books by their covers... you'll live longer

try and remember... by being scared of someone you give them POWER over you. if they were to do something you were already screwed... not only was it 3 on 1 but you gave them power over you.

 

[roo_ster]

To deal with stress well you have to do what any other skill or talent requires: practice. LL suggested competition. That is the cheapest way to get trigger time in some sort of stressful situation unless you are a LEO/soldier and Uncle Sam will pay for your training.

------------

As far as all this non-judgemental, PC, gooey-feeley "cultural misunderstanding muck...toss it out the window.

You are a human with a highly developed brain and even the nerdiest among us have decent social skills & intelligence. Use them.

Use what you know and be open to changing your evaluation as more data is obtained.

1. You saw three gangster-looking males (GLM). They either are thugs or went out of their way to look like thugs. Grant them the success of their sartorial efforts and assume they are actual thugs until contrary data presents itself.

2. They had weapons that would make bodily harm easily do-able.

3. They did not exhibit typical gun-guy norms or knowledge of typical public range etiquette by having the handguns in a case to go from auto to range.

4. One of the GLMs (assumed thug) uses one of the commonest thug interview techniques.

5. The GLM presses his interview way past what is appropriate.

From the data presented, I would assume these folks were thugs. If they weren't, they worked really hard to come off as such. Grant them the fruits or their efforts by assuming they are thugs.

A different set of circumstances might lead to a different conclusion, of course.

----------------

I find situations like this one to be similar to the "loose, big, dog running around" scenario. It is not incumbent on everyone else to assume the possible threat (loose, big, dog or GLM) is just a wonderful critter/person who would not hurt a fly. The loose pooch is the responsibility of its owner, who has been remiss in keeping his pooch secured. The outward appearance of the GLM is his responsibility. One consequence of letting your pooch loose is that the pooch may be killed by a car or a threatened citizen. One consequence of dressing like a GLM is that folks assume you are a thug.

If those consequences are not desirable, change the behavior that leads to those consequences, don't place the burden on every other person in society.

 

[Slugless]

+1 to Ajax. You did good.

I reread his story and I don't see that he judged the book by the cover. The cover of a book is one clue to what's going on inside. Don't hesitate to use that, never go PC and assume that gansta dressed dudes aren't dangerous because it wouldn't be nice of you to think they are. Nix, I'd keep an eye on you, too but it doesn't mean I think you're out to harm me.

Use your instincts. Your brain is doing all sorts of things in the background and giving you vibes. Listen to them. Millions of years of primate evolution are behind you. But you have to pay attention.

SACP writes about alertness. +1. I don't do it as much as I should, but I do pay attention and size people up. It's good practice.

I think you're realization that they didn't know if you were armed is a good one. (General Grant was successful in part because early on he knew the enemy was scared of him just like he was them.) They were sizing you up just like you them.

Stand tall. Stick out your chest a little. Act confident.

Think of what you'll say in those situations in the future. You knew you were going to get close, so start first - "Hey, how you fellows doing?" & continue as appropriate: "Nice day for shooting" & "My trigger finger sure is tired" (or whatever) as you pass by them. That's a tough one about the car lighter 'cause you don't want to seem scared. Your cell phone response was good, you'll know to use it next time.

 

[Ajax888]

I have to apologize to all of you. I left out two essential details from my story which were part of the reason I felt so uncomfortable in this situation. First, they stood at their car and watched me walk the 50 yards from the pistol range to the parking lot. They weren’t busying themselves collecting their gear, excited to put bullets to paper, and hurrying past me.

It was for this reason, that they took an interest in me, that I mentioned their clothes. I walk past guys dressed like gangsters every day on my way to class and work. They don’t smile, or say hello, or even nod to acknowledge my existence. That doesn’t mean they’re criminal; it means they’re unfriendly (at least to me). Am I stereotyping here? Yes, but based only on my own experience, not what I’ve heard. When, as in this case, they do notice me, am I not supposed to think that something is amiss?

Secondly, and more importantly, they were being intimidating. They didn’t smile, or make some kind of gesture, or say something that would put me at ease. They looked at me hard as they stood there with guns in their hands. I suppose this is where I got the idea about cultural misunderstanding. I would try to do everything in my power to make the people around me feel comfortable if I was the one holding the gun. I would have put the gun down, or holstered it, and I wondered (while I was writing the post) if asking me for a light was an ice-breaker or something. At the time, I didn’t think that was the case, and now that I’ve had time to analyze the situation, I still don’t think that was their intent. They were trying to intimidate me, and since they didn’t rob me, the question is why? I think, now, that they were wannabe-gangsters who like feeling tough but were actually cowards, as some here at THR have already said.

 

[sacp81170a]

I wondered (while I was writing the post) if asking me for a light was an ice-breaker or something. At the time, I didn’t think that was the case, and now that I’ve had time to analyze the situation, I still don’t think that was their intent. They were trying to intimidate me, and since they didn’t rob me, the question is why? I think, now, that they were wannabe-gangsters who like feeling tough but were actually cowards, as some here at THR have already said.

You were being interviewed, the second step in the process. The first step is victim selection, which you potentially fulfilled being in an isolated place alone against three of them. The interview is used to determine if the predator(s) can get what they want at a cost acceptable to themselves. In this case, it sounded like there was just enough uncertainty that you could hurt them in some way that they broke off.

Remember, the calculation isn't necessarily whether they can take you, but whether they can take you at a cost acceptable to themselves. Perhaps they were uncertain as to whether you were armed. In any event, you took advantage of that sliver of opportunity and their uncertainty to get away. Good work.

 

[Fred Fuller]

They were trying to intimidate me, and since they didn’t rob me, the question is why?

You were practicing shooting. They were practicing something else. Lots of things have to be practiced in order to learn, if you're new at them. They were apparently pretty new at the things they were practicing, and uncertain about too many aspects of the situation to go any further than to probe verbally and nonverbally to check out your reactions.

That's my guess... you were the lesson for the day at thug school.

lpl/nc

 

[yesit'sloaded]

It is very possible that the only reason you were not robbed or worse was that they didn't know that you did not have a gun and didn't want to risk it. All of this racist stuff is BS. Call a duck a duck. They were dressed like ducks and quacking at you. Trash and thugs and associated wannabes are easy to spot. This whole "don't be scared because they are acting black" is nonsense. The color of your skin has nothing to do with how you dress or act, to believe otherwise is in fact racist. Martin Luther King didn't dress like a thug, neither does Montel, Deuce Macallister, Randall Plinket, or any other successful man with dark skin that I know.