Tweaker at the Chinese Restaurant...
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Well, I must say that's the best "cover story" I've ever heard... like a two pronged motivational pitch fork: "I'm an ex-con" (fear); "I'm down on my luck" (pity); Very creative. The typical story I hear pitches to pity only.
Here's a pitiable story. Years ago, as a 14 year old boy, I was traveling alone, from Texas to Mexico City, by bus. I had worked the entire previous year, mowing lawns, to raise the money for the trip. I don't remember how much money I had, but it wasn't much. At that time, the exchange rate was one dollar = $12.50 (twelve and a half) pesos. Hence, a one hundred peso bank note was worth eight dollars. In 1964 in Texas eight dollars was a lot of money. In Mexico, it was a small fortune.
At about 9 a.m., the bus stopped in a small town called Cienega de Flores ("Flower Marsh") in northern Mexico. There was to be a layover until late afternoon.
So, to entertain myself, I decided to walk around the town. Only few blocks away, I was "accosted" by a poor poor bedraggled ghost of an old woman begging for money. She told a story so sad that I nearly cried. So moved was I that I reached into my wallet and peeled out a 100 peso note. I handed her the money. Her face lit up and she blessed me six different ways: To the sky, to the earth, to the north, south, east and west. Then she went scurrying off down the hot dusty street.
Feeling all aglow myself as the result of my magnanimous beneficence, I continued to explore the town. What most of you probably don't realize is that in 1964 Mexico was very much like the old west of 1864. Crossing the border was, in many ways, like stepping back in time one hundred years.
A little bit after noon, perhaps one p.m., I decided to go have a drink. I was very fond of tequila. In Mexico at that time, the minimum drinking age was "old enough to have a peso" and "old enough to place it on the bar".
I rounded a corner and spied a cantina. I walked over, and walked in, through the swinging doors. As I entered the emporium my senses were greeted by three overpowering stimuli: darkness which made me temporarily blind; the intertwined smells of lust, sweat, and urine; and shrieking, raucous, lusty laughter of a woman emanating from the far back corner of the cantina.
Having just stepped out of the dazzling sunlight into the darkness of the tavern it took some 30 seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. During that time the lusty woman's voice and laughter filled the room.
Finally, I was able to see. There, in the back corner of the cantina, sitting in the lap of an old geezer who had one hand up her dress and the other down her blouse, was "the poor bedraggled old woman". A half empty bottle of tequila and two shot glasses were sitting on the table - monuments to my naivete perhaps two hours before.
I slinked up to the bar and had a couple of drinks to soothe my wounded gullible soul. That was the first, and last, time in my life that I've been taken in by "a sad story".
Looking back on the affair, I would now say that it was "an investment".
Best to all.
Vernon
Here's a pitiable story. Years ago, as a 14 year old boy, I was traveling alone, from Texas to Mexico City, by bus. I had worked the entire previous year, mowing lawns, to raise the money for the trip. I don't remember how much money I had, but it wasn't much. At that time, the exchange rate was one dollar = $12.50 (twelve and a half) pesos. Hence, a one hundred peso bank note was worth eight dollars. In 1964 in Texas eight dollars was a lot of money. In Mexico, it was a small fortune.
At about 9 a.m., the bus stopped in a small town called Cienega de Flores ("Flower Marsh") in northern Mexico. There was to be a layover until late afternoon.
So, to entertain myself, I decided to walk around the town. Only few blocks away, I was "accosted" by a poor poor bedraggled ghost of an old woman begging for money. She told a story so sad that I nearly cried. So moved was I that I reached into my wallet and peeled out a 100 peso note. I handed her the money. Her face lit up and she blessed me six different ways: To the sky, to the earth, to the north, south, east and west. Then she went scurrying off down the hot dusty street.
Feeling all aglow myself as the result of my magnanimous beneficence, I continued to explore the town. What most of you probably don't realize is that in 1964 Mexico was very much like the old west of 1864. Crossing the border was, in many ways, like stepping back in time one hundred years.
A little bit after noon, perhaps one p.m., I decided to go have a drink. I was very fond of tequila. In Mexico at that time, the minimum drinking age was "old enough to have a peso" and "old enough to place it on the bar".
I rounded a corner and spied a cantina. I walked over, and walked in, through the swinging doors. As I entered the emporium my senses were greeted by three overpowering stimuli: darkness which made me temporarily blind; the intertwined smells of lust, sweat, and urine; and shrieking, raucous, lusty laughter of a woman emanating from the far back corner of the cantina.
Having just stepped out of the dazzling sunlight into the darkness of the tavern it took some 30 seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. During that time the lusty woman's voice and laughter filled the room.
Finally, I was able to see. There, in the back corner of the cantina, sitting in the lap of an old geezer who had one hand up her dress and the other down her blouse, was "the poor bedraggled old woman". A half empty bottle of tequila and two shot glasses were sitting on the table - monuments to my naivete perhaps two hours before.
I slinked up to the bar and had a couple of drinks to soothe my wounded gullible soul. That was the first, and last, time in my life that I've been taken in by "a sad story".
Looking back on the affair, I would now say that it was "an investment".
Best to all.
Vernon
mgkdrgn
Member
That is only 1/3 of it ...
A good landing is one you can walk away from.
A very good landing is one where you can use the airplane again.
A GREAT landing is one where you can use the airplane again without major inspection and/or repairs.
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
People who are "off" for mental or chemical reasons can be spooky. Being approached by someone in that condition can be unsettling. It's appropriate to have awareness heightened in such a situation. Being in a crowded or 'public' place is no guarantee that someone isn't up to something less than good, but it's necessary to try and observe and analyze the totality of the circumstances in the process of interacting with the person, even if the interaction takes only seconds or less to evolve.
Back in the olden days when I was still working for a living, terrorism was something of a new phenomenon. Back then, some authorities still looked at terrorists as one of three things - criminals, crusaders or crazies. Or perhaps some combination of the three. On the street, it seems to me that many of the absolute strangers who approach people are one of those three categories, or some combination, with a fourth "c" thrown in - cadgers, or beggars.
In some cases, you get approached by a plain ordinary person who needs help with something and is desperate enough to reach out to an absolute stranger. Many people are very reluctant to do that under ordinary circumstances. The last complete stranger who approached me was about a month ago, someone at the fuel pumps at a large, well-lit gas station, driving an unfamiliar rental car, who couldn't figure out where the button/lever was to open the hatch that covered the fuel filler cap. I was able to help, and we went our separate ways.
A genuine VCA (violent criminal actor) is likely to give any of several cues or pre-attack indicators* in making an approach. And the 'vibe' such a person gives off is likely to be subtly wrong and threatening as well. Tuning in to that vibe has sometimes been referred to as a 'spidey sense,' but it pays to be aware of it and listen to it.
Most VCAs prey on the desire of their 'marks' or intended victims not to want to be rude. Well, it's not necessary to be rude in order to indicate to an approaching stranger that he needs to slow down, wait, hold up, keep his distance. After all, someone who's going to victimize you isn't going to yell across the street, "This is a robbery, drop your wallet." They're going to want to get close. They're going to be focused on you, at the same time they're going to be looking around to see who else might be watching or in earshot. Any of the links below list more of the pre-attack indicators that might be a clue what this particular stranger is up to.
As to coping with such things on the street, the best source I know of is a guy known as Southnarc. His POI (program of instruction) on Managing Unknown Contacts (MUC) covers this stuff as well as anything I've ever seen. Search around on the web for his nickname, you'll find various videos and AARs from his classes that will help explain all this better. And if you can get to his class... take it.
As to how you did, I'd say you did just fine. I don't think you over-reacted in anything you did or said, perhaps your concern over this individual was greater than circumstances warranted, but still it seems you didn't "take counsel of your fears" and do something you shouldn't. Seems to me it was a good learning experience, and you've drawn some useful lessons from it. And I hope all this nattering has helped, as well.
*http://www.policeone.com/police-pro...rs-Conscious-recognition-of-telegraphed-cues/, http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?100897-Pre-Attack-Indicators-By-Marc-MacYoung, http://www.self-defense-mind-body-spirit.com/understanding-body-language.html etc.
Back in the olden days when I was still working for a living, terrorism was something of a new phenomenon. Back then, some authorities still looked at terrorists as one of three things - criminals, crusaders or crazies. Or perhaps some combination of the three. On the street, it seems to me that many of the absolute strangers who approach people are one of those three categories, or some combination, with a fourth "c" thrown in - cadgers, or beggars.
In some cases, you get approached by a plain ordinary person who needs help with something and is desperate enough to reach out to an absolute stranger. Many people are very reluctant to do that under ordinary circumstances. The last complete stranger who approached me was about a month ago, someone at the fuel pumps at a large, well-lit gas station, driving an unfamiliar rental car, who couldn't figure out where the button/lever was to open the hatch that covered the fuel filler cap. I was able to help, and we went our separate ways.
A genuine VCA (violent criminal actor) is likely to give any of several cues or pre-attack indicators* in making an approach. And the 'vibe' such a person gives off is likely to be subtly wrong and threatening as well. Tuning in to that vibe has sometimes been referred to as a 'spidey sense,' but it pays to be aware of it and listen to it.
Most VCAs prey on the desire of their 'marks' or intended victims not to want to be rude. Well, it's not necessary to be rude in order to indicate to an approaching stranger that he needs to slow down, wait, hold up, keep his distance. After all, someone who's going to victimize you isn't going to yell across the street, "This is a robbery, drop your wallet." They're going to want to get close. They're going to be focused on you, at the same time they're going to be looking around to see who else might be watching or in earshot. Any of the links below list more of the pre-attack indicators that might be a clue what this particular stranger is up to.
As to coping with such things on the street, the best source I know of is a guy known as Southnarc. His POI (program of instruction) on Managing Unknown Contacts (MUC) covers this stuff as well as anything I've ever seen. Search around on the web for his nickname, you'll find various videos and AARs from his classes that will help explain all this better. And if you can get to his class... take it.
As to how you did, I'd say you did just fine. I don't think you over-reacted in anything you did or said, perhaps your concern over this individual was greater than circumstances warranted, but still it seems you didn't "take counsel of your fears" and do something you shouldn't. Seems to me it was a good learning experience, and you've drawn some useful lessons from it. And I hope all this nattering has helped, as well.
*http://www.policeone.com/police-pro...rs-Conscious-recognition-of-telegraphed-cues/, http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?100897-Pre-Attack-Indicators-By-Marc-MacYoung, http://www.self-defense-mind-body-spirit.com/understanding-body-language.html etc.
bikerdoc
Moderator In Memoriam
Heeeler said,
Your welcome
Seriously, Situational awareness, Mindset, body language, faciacial expression and S/D training of all types are essential for all over 60 types. Not every solution is gun. Most time it is avoidance, but sometimes you just have to stand your ground.
Your welcome
Seriously, Situational awareness, Mindset, body language, faciacial expression and S/D training of all types are essential for all over 60 types. Not every solution is gun. Most time it is avoidance, but sometimes you just have to stand your ground.
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
Tam had something to say today on "How Not To Have To Shoot Someone" that ties in well here, I think...
http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2012/03/when-your-spider-sense-tingles.html
When your spider-sense tingles...
http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2012/03/when-your-spider-sense-tingles.html
When your spider-sense tingles...
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
Dash cam college... Bad Guys Don't Wear Signs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fIOM24grQo&feature=player_embedded Language NSFW
Discussion at http://thereluctantpaladin.blogspot.com/2012/03/bad-guys-dont-wear-signs.html
Richard Lee McNair - http://crime.about.com/od/wanted/p/richardmcnair.htm
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=38335
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fIOM24grQo&feature=player_embedded Language NSFW
Discussion at http://thereluctantpaladin.blogspot.com/2012/03/bad-guys-dont-wear-signs.html
Richard Lee McNair - http://crime.about.com/od/wanted/p/richardmcnair.htm
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=38335
Grmlin
Member
Unfortunatly I've had a few run ins with tweekers only a couple got bad. I was changing a tire for a friend and this guy came up and started giveing me crap and just not makeing sense. He said he was 82nd Airborne (I had friends in the 82nd). He came into my personal space so I backed him up (stiff armed). He went to pick up his hat and tried to sucker punch me but I had already moved and when he came at me again I put him down. Instantaniuosly cops popped up and picked him up, cuffed him and took him away. Glad I didn't have the tire iron in my hand and my pistol was laying in my truck. The other encounters have actually been very entertaining and they knew they were tweeking. Tweekers can go either way, got to be carefull.
Robert Jones then Jimmy Jones. I wasn't there and I got a bad vibe just watching the video. I was waiting for the suspect to jump the cop or shank him.
My intuition, the cop was terrified to have to arrest an escapee without backup and consciously, or unconsciously, bought the lame story just to let him go.
My intuition, the cop was terrified to have to arrest an escapee without backup and consciously, or unconsciously, bought the lame story just to let him go.
Seanpcola
Member
I've pondered telling this story since it happened several weeks back. Not sure how much it would contribute but I do think it's somewhat relevant to this thread.
I was working alone at the far end of our airport's runway replacing fence fabric. This fence parallels a seldom traveled road. No dwellings for at least 1/2 mile in any direction. IOW, I was totally alone. This is a very low crime area, rural and I practically know everyone in the community so my alert status is generally very low. People in this area are for the most part country, laid back types, many retired.
There is one person that lives around here that most folks shy away from. Older scrawny guy that spends his days drinking beer (possibly consuming other substances) or trying to scrounge a few bucks from anyone that will listen. Over the last couple of years my wife and I have had a few encounters with him at the local convenience store. He puts on a friendly demeanor but when you refuse to speak with him or tell him "no" he gets a little cocky but nothing out of hand. I'm fairly intimidating in size and through my SD education I've learned to be pretty good at getting my point across with these types so for the last year he steers well clear of me and mine.
I was kneeling down driving staples when I heard a car pull behind me. Didn't think much about it as neighbors often stop to chat around here. I stood up, turned around and saw that it was an older, beat up truck with three occupants in the front seat. The one sitting at the passenger door was the gent I described in the last paragraph. All three looked "rough". I became alert wondering why they had stopped near me. At this point there was about 20' separating me from the truck.
My old "buddy" asked what I was going to do with the old fence I was replacing. Years ago I would have told them to take it for their use but right then I had a lot of different thoughts going through my head and the big one was "I want these guys away from me, right now!".
I replied "Haven't decided yet" as I nonchalantly eased further away from the truck and towards the skid steer I was using thinking that a lot of heavy steel as a barrier might come in handy. When I said that all three guys sort of went into a huddle in the truck then the one in the middle leaned over and, in a very demanding voice bordering on an order said "Hey, we asked you what're you gonna do with that fence?". I replied "Leave now". Just as I said that I heard both door locks activate as all three made a move to exit the truck.
My brain went into high gear in that second and all I could think of was "stop them from getting out" as it was 3 v 1 and the situation seemed to be escalating quickly.
As they started moving to get out I pulled my pistol about halfway out of my pocket (LCP) so they could see I was armed and shouted "Stay in the truck and get moving...........NOW!".
They did as I said and left in a bit of a hurry. I immediately called the Sheriff's office (not on 911) and told what happened and that I would like to speak with a Deputy ASAP. One arrived in less than 5 minutes and we had a pretty long discussion about it. It's my understanding that he went to the known guys trailer and asked what it was all about plus a warning. haven't seen or heard from the local guy since that day. I have been a little concerned that he knows where I live and might think I deserve some sort of payback (you know how those types think).
In the end though, I think I did OK with what little options I had. I just can't think of anything else I could have done at the time nor any way to avoid a possible situation like that in the future.
I was working alone at the far end of our airport's runway replacing fence fabric. This fence parallels a seldom traveled road. No dwellings for at least 1/2 mile in any direction. IOW, I was totally alone. This is a very low crime area, rural and I practically know everyone in the community so my alert status is generally very low. People in this area are for the most part country, laid back types, many retired.
There is one person that lives around here that most folks shy away from. Older scrawny guy that spends his days drinking beer (possibly consuming other substances) or trying to scrounge a few bucks from anyone that will listen. Over the last couple of years my wife and I have had a few encounters with him at the local convenience store. He puts on a friendly demeanor but when you refuse to speak with him or tell him "no" he gets a little cocky but nothing out of hand. I'm fairly intimidating in size and through my SD education I've learned to be pretty good at getting my point across with these types so for the last year he steers well clear of me and mine.
I was kneeling down driving staples when I heard a car pull behind me. Didn't think much about it as neighbors often stop to chat around here. I stood up, turned around and saw that it was an older, beat up truck with three occupants in the front seat. The one sitting at the passenger door was the gent I described in the last paragraph. All three looked "rough". I became alert wondering why they had stopped near me. At this point there was about 20' separating me from the truck.
My old "buddy" asked what I was going to do with the old fence I was replacing. Years ago I would have told them to take it for their use but right then I had a lot of different thoughts going through my head and the big one was "I want these guys away from me, right now!".
I replied "Haven't decided yet" as I nonchalantly eased further away from the truck and towards the skid steer I was using thinking that a lot of heavy steel as a barrier might come in handy. When I said that all three guys sort of went into a huddle in the truck then the one in the middle leaned over and, in a very demanding voice bordering on an order said "Hey, we asked you what're you gonna do with that fence?". I replied "Leave now". Just as I said that I heard both door locks activate as all three made a move to exit the truck.
My brain went into high gear in that second and all I could think of was "stop them from getting out" as it was 3 v 1 and the situation seemed to be escalating quickly.
As they started moving to get out I pulled my pistol about halfway out of my pocket (LCP) so they could see I was armed and shouted "Stay in the truck and get moving...........NOW!".
They did as I said and left in a bit of a hurry. I immediately called the Sheriff's office (not on 911) and told what happened and that I would like to speak with a Deputy ASAP. One arrived in less than 5 minutes and we had a pretty long discussion about it. It's my understanding that he went to the known guys trailer and asked what it was all about plus a warning. haven't seen or heard from the local guy since that day. I have been a little concerned that he knows where I live and might think I deserve some sort of payback (you know how those types think).
In the end though, I think I did OK with what little options I had. I just can't think of anything else I could have done at the time nor any way to avoid a possible situation like that in the future.
Well, you're lucky to be in what I consider possibly, THE most gun friendly state, although that honor may still go to Arizona. My concern would be getting arrested for brandishing, disorderly conduct, or whatever. If they were on a public thoroughfare they might have been construed to be within their rights to get out of the truck. For me, the trip wire would have been if they'd have gotten out and begun to approach. That would be the point I think I'd warn them verbally, and I'd draw if they began a pincer or flanking movement.
The trouble is, that BGs know they have rights and they know how to push the envelope and they're aggressive.
Glad it worked out.
The trouble is, that BGs know they have rights and they know how to push the envelope and they're aggressive.
Glad it worked out.
Seanpcola
Member
I know it's still considered brandishing but I didn't completely clear my pocket. When all three made a move to get out, after the middle one talked so aggressively to me, I really had alarm bells screaming. I am NOT one that spooks easily and I've never done anything like that before. I think (and hope) that what I did de-escalated a possibly bad situation. The deputy I discussed this with seemed to have no issue with it. Maybe because I'm pretty well known in these parts and my track record is all good.
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