Problems with gangs and gang members

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Skillet

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Gang's exist in almost every somewhat heavily populated area. and a threat, no matter how prominent, presents for every citizen in these cities. I have recently come across a threat of sorts from some gang members in my city. i do not live in a dangerous part of town, nor do i live in a super rich high and mighty part of town either. but last night, while i was out in the drive way and garage working on my truck, i noticed a car that appeared to be gang related driving around in circles in my nieghborhood. (it was a red 1980's Ford Mustang, with big oversized golden wheels, tinted windows, and tiny sidewalls for the tires. how much more obvious can you get?) I, myself, can look no more obviously opposite of a gang member. can a somewhat skinny white man wearing a camo cabela's shirt and jeans that ride above the butt be considered a gang member? no. so they seemed to want to take a closer look at me every time they passed. after about the third time they passed, i went inside, grabbed my 9mm CZ 75b and headed back out to work with my CZ just on the bench beside me incase if any deadly situation arised. the only thing that happened was that they parked a couple of houses down next to a house that is for sale and is vacant. they stayed there looking around the street and in interest to me for about an hour as i worked on my truck, pretending to not notice and just continue about my business. soon, they packed up and left. but i don't seem to know what to do if any situation does arise. i will protect myself and my family (and my dog) at all costs. but when do i know when to take any action and what to do if or when i do. i have already notified the police, gave them a description of the car and the liscense plate number. but what i want to know, is what would you do in this situation?
thanks and god bless.
 
You did all you could do by notifying the police with a description. The only other thing I would do is to notify your neighbors so they can be on the look out also when you are not around.

These are sad and dangerous times we live in and we should all be better aware of our surroundings. One of the greatest gifts we have is our intuition, and it is rarely wrong.
 
Be extra alert, make sure there not gona break in your house. Besides that keep doing your normal thing. Thats what i would do, im sure others will argue lol
 
Exactly what you did. Or, if it looked really threating, go inside.[I know, it hurt my fingers to type that, but sometimes discretion can be the better part of valor]
 
Did you think that maybe they were looking at you because you were staring at them?

I always think people are looking at me but I was just asked by my girlfriend why I always stare at people, and I always have a gruff face/smile. I guess I stare at people and they stare back.

Some people take staring the wrong way, tough guys in gangs and tough white guys with jeans and a cabelas shirt...
 
Call the police sooner, and maybe shut the garage door. Maybe go find a place to monitor their activity with out them knowing. Get as much information about them that you could and give it to the police.
 
One of the things that BG's are starting to do is grab and run from open garages, I've read were this has happened while the homeowner is in the garage.
What they'll do is casually walk or drive by and then sprint up grab anything out in the open, tools and whatnot, run back to the car and haul out of there, most of the time the H.O. is too stunned (or unbelieving) at what happened for a second or two, plenty of time for the BG to get away.
 
I've had to live in some dumpy areas. It's possible (rather, probable) that they weren't looking at you, but looking to see if you were looking...they were selling "stuff" in the area. They just don't want to see you reacting. Figure out what the non-emergency number is for the police in your area, and report what needs reporting. Request that the responding units do not do a follow up check with your residence, as not to give away the source. As police intervention increases, unwanted activity will decrease. As sm used to comment, act like a duck; slow and calm on the surface, feet moving quickly underneath.
 
I concur with previous replies regarding your situation. I am unaware of the particulars of your situation, but taking any steps to confront suspected gang members is unwise in my estimation. The saying "discretion is the better part of valor" clearly applies here.

That said, by all means take the necessary steps to protect what's yours. It seems like you've got your bases covered with regard to firearms and a dog. Invest in a good set of deadbolt locks and perhaps an alarm system to provide layers of security.

I've been noticing what you've described to be occurring more frequently in my area as well. Dilapidated cars parked near the house at different times of day, occasionally with occupants remaining inside the car for upwards of 15 minutes, only to abruptly drive away. It's an unsettling feeling, and sad to see inner-city riff-raff infesting the nicer parts of the country.

Condition yellow, my friend. Watch your six & good luck
 
I run into this siutuation on a regular basis. Personally I deal with it agressively. I call the police, and report them as a suspicious vehicle. It allows the police to appear quickly, and if the gang is looking for a crack house, it is the last thing they want. I also call my neighbors and we all go out into the yard, jsut to do something. THat tells them that we are awake, aware, and not readily willing to put iu wth crap.

See, the point is to let them know that we are not sleepy and stupid. They don't like awake and aware neighbors.
 
I feel for you bud. One evening I came home and my wife's Walther was on the table. I asked her what happened and she told me a silver "thug car, with thug rims and 3 thugs inside" kept slowly driving by while she was on the porch repainting a piece of furniture. She went in and got her pistol and kept it nearby until she fininshed. I am an LEO. She didn't even call me, I was out patrolling at the time. It was most likely someone I had arrested lately for a DUI or something. Everyone knows where the local Trooper lives. I have carried people to jail and drove right by my house, (I live right on a state highway) and the BG would say " thats where you stay ain't". I always say yes and tell them I better not get any company! That particular incident makes me very angry. I was proud of her, I told her she should have gone inside and she said " nobody's gonna make me go inside." I don't care what people try on me, but they are crossing the line when they mess with her. Anyway, I think you did the right thing, there isn't much the police can do at the time but run them off, or give a ticket for improper parking.
 
about the only thing i would have done different is call the cops sooner than you did, like when you saw them pass by the second time. if nothing else, it lets the BG's know that someone is watching them.
 
My home is on a wide angle corner, meaning it's not the traditional sharp 90 degree but more like 120 degrees. Most of the time cars just zip through the corner and these are the folks that live here, but for those that do slow down I make it a point to smile and wave.

Its actually a little bit of social engineering; you know who belongs in your neighborhood and how they act. If someone enters your neighborhood and they don't follow the established pattern, its probably because they don't belong. So I throw them a smile and wave. This lets them know that I've acknowledged their presence and they're being watched, but without it being confrontational. Almost everyone will smile and wave back, and I've even had one person ask for directions because its a new subdivision.

However, a few cars that I've done this to that met my criteria for the local gang banger types did speed off. They know they have been ID'ed and won't stick around. There have been quite a few reports of chop shops being run from abandoned homes, and we had a few of those in our neighborhood, so maybe they were looking for a quick place to setup shop.


Kris
 
They might have been scoping out the vacant home as a possible stash house. That's a fairly common gang thing. Did you let the police know that they were showing interest in the empty home?
 
You did good, but it's good for you to be armed at all times if it's legal for you to do so. My neighborhood is relatively quiet but i'm always armed even when i'm outside working on the yard, house or cars.

From what you wrote it looks as though they were just looking for a quiet place to chill out and do whatever among themselves. They saw you and wanted to make sure that you wasn't the Po Po.

Just remember, they could be anything from heavily armed thugs to plain clothed cops looking for trouble makers so never approach them. Let them come to you.

In my neighborhood the cops sometimes cruise in plainclothes and un-police type vehicles looking for car thieves and other criminal types. We know they're there we just don't know who they are. That's why playing vigilante could get a well meaning citizen hemmed up or even killed. Just call the police, they'll know who the cops are. Only use your firearm if you're actually attacked by obvious thugs.
 
If your radar says something was fishy, then something was probably fishy. Thus this advice...

MarineOne
I throw them a smile and wave. This lets them know that I've acknowledged their presence and they're being watched, but without it being confrontational.
Click to expand...

...seems perfectly appropriate, for the reasons cited in the post. Otherwise your actions seem perfectly a-okay.
 
after about the third time they passed, i went inside, grabbed my 9mm CZ 75b and headed back out to work with my CZ just on the bench beside me incase if any deadly situation arised.
Click to expand...

If there's any real threat, lock up your garage and get inside! Hanging outside waiting for trouble is a bad idea.

-is there a duty to retreat when outdoors in your State? This info should be part of your decision making process.
 
I worked for a company that has operations in many cities around the Country and a huge % of the employees are young black males. Most of the cars in the parking lots are similar to the description in your post. And they aren't thugs or gang members. At all.

Just sayin'.
 
i would have done the same as you. if they keep a close eye on you keep a closer eye on them... just dont let them know your doing so. keep your gun locked and loaded, and if you feel its an immediate danger keep the safety off and in reach. if anything happens defend yourself and your family but dont instigate the situation if at all possible. when it comes to gangs theyve always got somebody else ready to back them up(or at least you should assume so) just be carefull give LEOs all info possible and keep yourself and family safe at all costs.
 
Be careful getting tough with a gang. No one wants to be a coward, no one wants to be pushed around especially in their own neighborhood. But gang violence runs deep and there is an entire separate culture and way of life for young gang members. Doesn't matter what AR-15 you have in the house, pissing off a gang is a bad idea. You're best off to lay low and not draw any attention to yourself. Don't bother them. Don't pay any attention to them unless you must. Inform LEO of anything you see.
 
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