We all have the potential to be at target but we don’t want to be an easy target. In this video, we will discuss three key things that make us an easy target #situationalawareness #safety #threatassessment
Happy to be here first, always ready for another lesson. As a lady with cerebral palsy in a town with a meth problem, I've learned to keep my head on a swivel. Cheers.
Great list. To #1, I’d add “no earbuds in public.” I see people who aren’t looking at their phone, but they’re having a conversation with someone or listening to music. They aren’t aware. To #2 I’d add bumper stickers. If, for instance, I wanted to steal a gun, I’d find a vehicle with certain bumper stickers. To #3, I’d add “make eye contact and say hello”… appropriately. If I pass someone close, I always make eye contact and at least give them a friendly nod. It says, “I see you, I bear you no ill will and I’m not afraid of you.”
I used to work in corrections where the odds were 183 to 3. Pretty much a gonna loose situation but you always guarantee yourself that you're going home and their not mentally. If you think like a victim you'll most likely end up one. It's not a boxing match, its your life
As a hiker, I’ve encountered bears. You can’t out run one. Standing still and silent might be the best option. Making lots of noise and waving a limb or something might be effective. Bear mace is a last resort. As always, thank you.
If you must answer or use your phone when on the street, put your back to a wall so that now you can see 180 degrees and see trouble coming and you don't have to worry about your "six".
Great observations, and advice, Daniel! I want to add "face". If your expression looks lost, confused, or timid, you are wearing a "VICTIM" sign. Most people don't seem to consider that your face is what is presented to the world, and can tell a predator all they need to know about you. Most of my life has been in violent, crime ridden, cities, so my "street face" comes on, automatically, when I walk outside. I look kind of angry, and just a little crazy (apparently. this is what people have told me, anyway, lol), so I don't get messed with much, except by the real crazies, and I've been dealing with some very crazy people for my whole life (some of my relatives... hoo, buddy! Ha ha.) so I can usually get rid of them quickly. If not, well, loonies CAN be fun, but I don't recommend most people to hang out with them, as they ARE dangerous.
Cell phones. I was on the Santa Monica City College campus and saw a student taking photographs. I inquired. He was doing a project of taking photographs of people on cell phones. Not one of students was aware of what was going on around him or her. This is the campus where a guy had killed a couple of people a mile away and engaged in a gun fight on campus several years ago. Not standing out. You cannot do two things at once. You can not talk and act or think. This is taught in OODALOOP classes. For example, the bad guy has a gun pointed at you with his brain saying "do not fire". If you get him to start talking, you have an advantage. So, I listen . . . A bad guy does not have to be trained in OODALOOP to understand that a flashy talker is at a disadvantage. Yes on posture. Something else. A guy in sandals can not move very fast. A gal in high heels is not going to run after anyone. The overweight hausfrau or the pregnant male aged 44 who played football 30 years before is not going to last long in a fight. When you stand, do not put your hands in your pockets, even if it is cold. Fold your fingers and rest them on the pocket of the pants. If you have to lean on something, lean with you back against a wall. When you are in a restaurant, don't position your back to the entrance.
My brother was incarcerated in a county jail in Pennsylvania in the early 1970s for about one year. I asked him how he was able to avoid getting jumped or abused (raped) while in jail. He said he had to quickly develop violent type demeanor and stood his ground (not starting fights but not backing down either) that earned him a reputation as basically a crazy, not-taking-shit from anyone person. It got to the point that he started protecting newly arriving in-mates that came to him for help. He said it was a reputation that saved him during his time there.
If you look like food, you will be eaten, law of the jungle. Situational awareness is the key to survival. Whatever you carry, position the instrumentality(s) for quick deployment. Yep, silence is golden.
Thanks! Reminded me of a video long ago of researcher took a criminal and showed him a video of people just walking down a hallway, and from that, he could pick which ones he would rob.
Spot on. I can't tell you how many people I walk by downtown with their nose in their phone. Couple other ideas come to mind: Impairment - if you're high or drunk, you're not aware (or as aware) of your environment. Also, along the lines of being too loud or expressive, I would say to pick your battles wisely. If there are loud voices in your general area, either from someone drunk or deranged (or just a couple obnoxious bros), best to stand a bit further away. Obviously, if someone vulnerable is being targeted and harassed, you have the moral high ground to intervene. There is a lot of nuance to every situation, so I try to play the what-if scenarios in my head first.
We have our vehicle setup with all doors automatic locked and stay locked after it stops running, only one side unlocks to enter with remote fob , if it helps we don’t need tailgate opened and doors too, just the one is used especially with children, keep your keys and fob with you, with tailgate opened you can still jump in and lock it❤
Great video always learning, i have managed to carry myself a lot better as i gotten older. I was out today at a fair and so many people looking down at their phones not looking where they are going and quite often will bump into people. This will agrivate people and make you a target just by being complacent.
