YOUR "lessons from the streets"

[Loosedhorse]

After awareness, advice will vary between LEOs and private citizens.

Mine is "Walk away." Obviously not applicable to most LE scenarios.

Avoid, de-escalate, disengage.

 

[bubba in ca]

I had in incedent once while walking down the street with my wife and step daughter in San Jose. (This is not to bad mouth San Jose, it is by far the most pleasant and safe capital in centroamerica). We were walking from a shoping district to our hotel in the early evening when accosted by, in my instant opinion, a street crazy caryring what looked like a box of wedding flowers. he approached and said he wanted to show us his ``baby`` in the box. I kept walking but my wife got panicky and stopped to tell him he was being impolite and making her nervous. My stepdaughter, who is very petite, also stopped, probably not knowing what else to do after her mother had stopped.

At this point he was covering ground and i new things were not going good. Comments to my wife to keep moving weren`t working because she was confused and listening to the nutcase babble about his baby. Running was not an option because my 2 family members would not have gotten the big picture. So i took 2 or 3 big quick steps towards the perp, raised my fist up over my head and told him I was going to break his ********head if he didn`t go away. I guess we communicated because he got a look of incredible fear in his eyes and ran away, as in ran away quickly. If not I was fully prepared to break his head and anything else I could get to.
Lessons learned:
1. Don`t walk down that street at night. the office buildings are locked up tight and the one business, an icecream parlor, that used to be there is now closed. One block east is a street with plenty of open stores.
2. Don`t talk to street crazies. Don`t stop. always be prepared to run, especially if you are just a half block from a major commercial street full of normal people.
3. Try to teach your relatives some street smarts. In a crunch, the people with you can be a major liability or a major asset depending on their actions.
4. if all you have with you to fight is your fists, go for it. Hopefully your companions will either jump in or run.

pS. in any other central american capital you always take cabs at night.

 

[Canazes9]

Don't wait to decide what you are going to do until the decision is forced upon you - you will most likely choose wrong/hesitate or otherwise show weakness, thereby inviting trouble. The time to make decisions is in the comfort of your own home with enough time to think. You can't think through every scenario, but you can usually think through enough that you will be ready when the time comes.

When the time comes there is no choice to make, the choice has already been made. A good friend of mine lost his life in a house fire at his in-laws when they realized his toddler son had not made it out. As he was going back in the window his brother in law tried to stop him, begging him not to go. My friends response was " I don't have a choice" and then he dissappeared through the window, never to be seen alive again. Obviously that's not the desired outcome but he was prepared and the decision was made long before the fire, thereby giving his son the only chance he had.

A determined opponent has given more than one would be adversary pause - not because they didn't think they could be beaten, but because they knew they would have to. Make your decisions now, be ready.

David

 

[kayak-man]

Courtesy of a coworker:

If you're so inclined to go stupid places and do stupid things with stupid people, then at least use situational awareness. My coworker showed up at work yesterday morning with a black eye. He had been at a party, ran into someone from highschool, and jokingly called him some non-highroad things. He was expecting some non-highroad terms in return. He ended getting sucker punched. Repeatedly.

Don't assume everyone is your best buddy. Don't treat them like your best buddy. Like ChCx2744 posted, be a little paraniod. My coworker could have avoided the situation if he had stopped to think.

On the bright side, he now understands why I think one should always carry and be ready, although I did have to explain to him why using a gun in that situation would not be justified.

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Head on a swivel
Do your best to look intimidating or at least confident
Always be ready to at least lift your cover garment

 

[harrygunner]

Ears are also useful for keeping track of what's going on around us.

One night my wife and I were walking. My wife asked me "What are you doing?", reacting to my turning around to look behind me. Without thinking, I heard a car continuing to sit at a mall exit when it should have driven into the street. The light was green, the street was clear, yet I did not hear the car drive on, even after 10 seconds. So, I turned to look.

 

[Flfiremedic]

1- You are a civilian and not there to make arrests or enforce laws.
2- Situational awareness
3- Avenues of escape
4- Diversions and de-escalation are your friends
5- Pulling or referencing having a weapon before it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY can put you in bad spots such as "What are you gonna shoot me?" or "Go ahead shoot me" or the actor putting you in a no shoot situation as they approach you slowly...this is BAD.
6- If its time to present a weapon, its probably a lethal force situation, or it should be.
7- If you have to fire, make damned sure the threat has been stopped when you stop.
8- WATCH THEIR HANDS

 

[dirtykid]

I live outside city-limits now,but i grew up IN the city,, so as a younger man i was attacked by a drunken-jock with his hockey stick,stabbed in the foot by an angry cambodian,shot in the neck at point blank by a pellet gun,and had the <deleted> kicked out of me by 3-older kids late one night on my way home, so my mindset is like i read on here once, "Treat everybody as a friendly, but be prepared to kill them at any time" .. and yes eye's in the back of your head would help,,, just be aware of your surroundings,and suspect the worse ...

 

[Strykervet]

Follow your "gut". Best advice I can give. It is seldom wrong. You subconcious is always working and that gut feeling is the back of your mind telling you something is not right based on what you have experienced in the past. For example, a deer has that gut feeling just before bolting.

I didn't when I was young a couple of times and am lucky to be alive.

 

[LiquidTension]

No matter how polite the guy at your window is, if he approached from your vehicle's blind spot he is not a nice guy.

 

[AirForceShooter]

If it happens, and God willing it never will, it will happen incredibly fast. All you will be able to do is react.

AFS

 

[Uteridge]

Another important lesson I have learned: Know the "baseline" for your area. I learned in Iraq that the locals always knew who the bad guys were but many times U.S. forces didn't. Those locals had their entire lives to learn the baseline for the area. They knew who was normally on the street after dark and who had no business being there. They knew which parked cars belonged on the side of the road and which ones were out of place. And they knew when the market place is normally busy and when it is not. Because they knew the baseline for the area they were able to tell at a glance when something wasn't right or when something was out of place. After a few weeks the smart Marines started figuring out the baseline as well. I'm sure smart beat cops do the same thing and so should ordinary armed citizens. If something stands out to you that is not normal then you have to make a decision whether to continue in that direction or walk the other way, check it out or leave it alone.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Become and early to bed early to rise individual.
It seems as if a lot of the bad stuff happens after dark. I am typically home by sunset (then again I'm typically up by sunrise and in bed early).

Also, stay out of bars and clubs.
Lots of young people plus alcohol is a recipe for disaster.

It won't solve all of your problems but will help.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

the gut
the mind keys on things we aren't aware of at the surface level.
i was out once with the kid in the park and outa the blue told her we're leaving right now in what she calls "that voice" left the cooler made it to the car just before the shooting started. was a busy day and outwardly i can't tell you why i keyed on a car full of guys that just showed up other than some vague "they weren't right".they really were no different in any way i can label than 50 other carloads of kids that came and went that day. I also notice the other guys like me who are paying real attention and assess them. usually two kinds of folks that do that all the time, cops and crooks. its a biz thing for them. then there are the paranoid guys like me. being paranoid keeps me and mine safe

 

[Hardware]

Anything can be used as a weapon.
The guy who said the pen is mightier than the sword got run through while composing a letter.
Never hit a person in the head with a closed fist.
The other guy might bob and weave like Sugar Ray Robinson, but his bellybutton doesn't.
You don't have to watch your back when it's against the wall.
If your back is against the wall you have one less direction to retreat.
A feint towards the other guy's eyes always gets a reaction.
Bad tish can happen in nice neighborhoods.
There's no reload as fast as a New York reload.
Stomp circles hurt on the inside, be on the outside.
Don't be there when the other guy's fist lands.
You are rarely attacked by strangers in your own house.
Lose sight, lose the fight.
The proper order of use is; Brain, Feet, Gun.

 

[loneviking]

Watch for guys with hoodies on. Lots of gangbangers wear these as it's easy to hide guns and knives in 'em.

Pay attention to the ink and learn what jail tats look like.

Watch your six for anyone dogging you. Use store windows to check what's going on behind and around you.

 

[Unistat]

When the cops show up, remain calm, obedient, and humble. They will ask you to do things that will make you feel like a criminal. Do what they say. If you don't, you WILL be a criminal.

 

[Dryft]

This is my favourite:

When walking on city streets at night, stay on the curb side of the sidewalk - if you're right up against the building when you walk or turn at the corner, you don't know what's there.

And it all comes down to being aware of your surroundings.

 

[Cosmoline]

Lots of excellent advise on this thread. I'd add that you should try to minimize your own distractions. For example if you have a dog you're walking make sure it's well trained and won't give you additional problems to worry about. It should heel when ordered. Having the thing pulling on its leash when some nut is confronting you is not a good situation.

And if you have a family or close friends make sure they know what they should do. Sometimes people on your own side of the confrontation will start acting aggressive thinking you, as the armed one, "have their back." That's a real nightmare.

The baseline comments from Uteridge are excellent. Along those lines, know your neighbors and learn from them about what they know. Learn who the problem cases are in the area. I moved out to the sticks and got to know a neighbor, only finding out later he had murdered his brother and was known to go off on people.

 

[MAC USMC]

As a former Marine and retired police officer now in his 70's I have seen quite a bit. When I was young, strong, quick and confident I also had some excellent skills trained into me. I definitely had an advantage over most aggressive people. NOT NOW! I no longer have the ability to protect myself (or others) and can't over-power anyone with acquired skills. I am not afraid nor am I unprepared for those worst case scenarios. I am a keen observer who takes precautions and AVOIDS situations of potential danger.

I was a weapons instructor in the USMC as well as in law enforcement. I have maintained reasonable firearms skill and have confidence in my ability. I am mentally prepared to SHOOT those who would do me harm and will do so without remorse or compassion. In fact, I consider others to be naive because this is one old man who is READY and will NOT BE A VICTIM. I do not like violence, seen too much of it, but it would be wise just to leave this senior citizen in peace.

 

[RIsom]

My 6-year old daughter and I arrived at our apartment this past December after doing some shopping at about 9:00pm. I pulled in the parking space and started to turn off the car & get out when I noticed in the mirror that a beat-up-looking pickup truck had stopped directly behind my car, effectively blocking us in. They just sat there with their engine running, so I just sat there watching them in the mirror and didn't get out of the car. After we all sat for maybe ten seconds, the guys in the pickup gunned the engine like they were mad and took off.

Something just didn't feel right and I really believe if I had gotten out of the car immediately, they would have tried to rob us. I assume they realized I saw them and figured they didn't have the element of surprise anymore, so they decided to move on.

I wasn't armed at the time (my failure) but was quite ready to put it in reverse and smash someone between us the the car next to us if need be. Fortunately, it didn't come to that. Point being, if I had ignored them and jumped out, it might not have ended well. I am learning not to ignore "that feeling."

 

[usmccpl]

Keep your head on a swivel. Once while I was walking to my truck with a buddy that had called for a ride home from a bar some punk with a cheap knife thought I was somebody else. My buddy had a few too many and I was nearly carrying him when the street punk stabbed me. His knife broke when it my shoulder blade. Was worried about getting my buddy to the truck and never saw it coming. When I turned tward the attacker ,fists balled, the kid yells "OH S---! Wrong guy." and he turned and ran off.

 

[Ben86]

Being aware and in touch with your "gut" "sixth sense" or whatever you want to call it is so very useful as events often happen quickly, with little obvious warning and can be confusing.

Also, take people at their word, in other words take threats seriously. Don't over-react but don't just shrug it off.

Smooth talking can get you out of a lot of bad situations.

Be confident in your body language, too confident will invite an ego challenge, not confident enough will invite a predator.

 

[MikeNice]

As someone else said, minimize distractions. I have seen several reports lately of college kids getting robbed. In more than half of them they say that they never noticed the person approaching them. They usually say, "I had my ipod up pretty loud listening to ____ and never heard anyone approaching." The other common one is "I was checking my e-mail on my Blackberry. . ."

These items not only distract you, they advertise your value as a target. An iPod touch or Blackberry is a high value item. It can easily be turned in to liquid capital. It also shows that you probably have other items of high value.

Distraction makes you an easy target.

Discretion makes you seem less valuable as a target.

 

[Buck Snort]

MAC USMC wrote: "In fact, I consider others to be naive because this is one old man who is READY and will NOT BE A VICTIM. I do not like violence, seen too much of it, but it would be wise just to leave this senior citizen in peace."

I'm right there with you brother. On the 16th I'll turn 68, my lower back and hips are becoming a major problem for me but the 45 ACP I pack is my "equalizer" and if some perp thinks I'm an easy mark I'm prepared to properly defend myself.