We've seen how demonstrations on both the left and right of US politics have led to increasing violence on our streets. For those of us living in cities where this sort of thing is common, it's an unpleasant reminder that we aren't necessarily safe from extremists, even in our own homes. There's also the criminal element that takes advantage of such unrest for its own purposes. Those of us living further away from such incidents may nevertheless find ourselves at risk if we have to travel to other centers.
Greg Ellifritz, whom we've met in these pages before, recently compiled a list of useful articles about what to do in a riot or unrest situation. He begins:
With the riots heating up in the Pacific Northwest, lots of folks have contacted me about re-posting some of my riot survival articles.
Here is my best advice...
Stay away from any scheduled protests, riots, uprisings, or large political gatherings. It is absolutely not safe to attend such an event in today’s political climate. I hope my readers are smart enough to recognize that. Both sides of most of these “protests” are at fault. Both sides show up looking for a fight. Both sides get exactly what they came for. The only way to avoid violence like that on a personal level is to avoid being present in the first place.
The only way to avoid such violence on a societal level is to refuse to give either group the attention they are looking for. Don’t attend the rallies. Don’t post news of the event on your Facebook wall. Let these idiots die the obscure death they deserve.
There's more at the link, including links to several very useful articles. They make informative and educational reading.
I strongly recommend that any of my readers who live in areas at high risk for such problems should read all the articles, share them with their families and friends, and bookmark, or save, or print them out for future reference. The biggest aid to security is being aware of problems before they arise, and knowing what to do about them when they do. These articles will help you do both.
Peter
13 comments:
Everything you need to know about dealing with riots in three words or less:
"Be somewhere else." - Commander Zero
I think you guys are over reacting. I live in the Portland area, which is ground zero for this leftist crap. Since i don't work downtown, I have never personally seen any of these riots (although I've seen them on the news). My wife and I routinely go downtown on weekends to go to restaurants, including last Sunday. All we see is the usual usual. Joggers and tourists in the waterfront park and the restaurants full of customers. Just a typical Saturday or Sunday afternoon in downtown Portland. One thing I will tell you is that the homeless problem is way out of control. You see them everywhere, sleeping on sidewalks and the like.
Contrary to the media hype, most of the antifa protesters are over the hill hippie types who have never done anything real in their lives as well as some of the blue or green haired Millennial hipsters. In general though, the only real problem are the homeless. They are all over the place in downtown Portland.
Be somewhere else. Sound advice.
For the short term.
In the long run, those who control the streets control the country. If you don't dare step outside to go get groceries because of the wandering gangs of "protesters", then you're a prisoner in your own home.
This is how the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice", AKA the Saudi Moralilty Police enforce their authority.
being trained in riot control, counter sniper activities, and use of chemical agents, i can agree with capt zero that being elsewhere is the best option and that those involved should be laughed into obscurity.
If you are stuck into it, though, you have to be proactive in protecting yourself. remove yourself from the area before the police begin to react. that is when the real fun an games will begin. until you have been smacked with a 48 inch hard wood baton, while suffering from CS exposure, you just haven't lived. get yourself out. the rioters may hit you, the cops will hit you. remember rule one: be elsewhere. Rule two: never carry anything the police could construe as a weapon. a rolled up magazine is just as effective as twelve inches of half inch rebar in the right hands. the rebar will get the holder ten years in prison. the magazine is just reading material.
well, if the national guard lines up with fixed bayonets, run like hell. military riot control is far and away different from police riot control. Run and don't stop. enough said? do you understand the term "Martial law"?
Though there is some truth to what Kurt9 said, that the homeless are more of a danger than many of the protestors, well, again, true, but...
It doesn't take much for a disgruntled bunch of idiots to, like a small fire in a dry woods, to flash out of control and gain a destructive life of it's own. That is the thing. In reality, most of these 'riots' lately have been rather controlled, and contained. So, yes, one can ignore the controlled and contained mob, and be perfectly at peace just two blocks away. Much like a contained structure fire only affects the immediate environment, and someone two blocks away can blithely continue on one's oblivious way.
But containment and control is the key. When will the mob become uncontained? Uncontrolled? Like the Berkeley riots that caused so much damage, when will these quiet, controlled mobs flash into ravening hordes of destroyers, looters, the modern version of Cromwellian 'Levelers'?
The citizen on the street, in the shops, businesses, homes around these mobs don't know. And that's part of the power of the mob. "Hey, we've got a permit and we're controlled" is just a way of saying "We're standing here but maybe we won't just be here." Part of the power of the mob is the threat of it becoming uncontrolled.
And those that say, "Well, they're just a bunch of middle-aged wanna-bees and a few disgruntled weird-hair colored hipsters" are also part of the problem. Ignoring the brownshirts following certain citizens around, or groups of brownshirts shouting on the street corner, doesn't make the brownshirts, or the threat of violence and civil unrest they represent, go away. It actually perpetuates the brownshirt problem.
Yes, the prudent thing for the individual is to stay away, far away from the mob. But it is also prudent for the individual to be prepared to be caught in the fire, when it comes. Sometimes even the best fire-fighter gets caught in the fire.
Just... be careful. Don't be Captain Oblivious. Check your Six. Have constant plans going on in your head.
It's like driving a car. You should drive defensively, assume the other idiots on the road are idiots and act accordingly. If that means giving up on travel plans and just going home, or choosing secondary or tertiary roads rather than the 'easier' highway to travel upon, well, that's part of being an awake and aware driver. Same with dealing with any groups of people.
And, as a side-note, any group of people is an attractant to a certain class of lowlife, as seen in Toronto or London lately. Same rules apply. Stay aware, check your six, have plans, avoid bad spots.
Stay safe out there, survive the unpleasantness, and we'll all meet on the other side, happier, healthier and better for it.
Link exchange. I've added you to Trump Land
Link back if so inclined! Thanks
Be somewhere else is right! Sigh... Don't put yourself in danger needlessly. EVER!
i do think planned riot areas should be posted, not to stir the pot but so that we can know where to avoid.
I would like to attend a Trump rally if he has one in Ca again, but with what happened in Orange County and San Jose, I’m not willing to take the risk. The fact of the possibility of violence upsets me a lot. Especially with how the police in San Jose may have aided and abetted the rioters. Lawsuit is progressing! Of course bicycle lock prof got off with a slap on the wrist.
Thank you for the link. I enjoy your site and read it daily.
Greg
Ray,
the police will almost always obey their political masters when it comes to policy matters. Particularly in Progressive strongholds, like most CA cities typically are. They know who signs their paychecks.
I would advise staying far away from any political gathering in any sizeable city in CA. Would you deliberately show up on a battlefield just to watch one army fight another? That would be stupid, right?
Frankly, I would advise staying out of said cities entirely on any day that has political "festivities" scheduled. Riots are not much controlled. You may get overrun. Or, the police may direct foot or vehicle traffic into an area of contention, unintentionally or with malice aforethought. Public transportation has historically been used in this fashion by the authorities, so that is a decidedly unsafe choice for festive days.
Assume that public exposure is going to become increasingly unsafer as our nation continues to come apart at the seams. The next 6 years are going to be messy and increasingly unsafe, and then it will get a lot worse. "May you live in interesting times"
Kurt9 got it right. Sure, be somewhere else is the best way to deal with a riot. Just remember that we aren't living in Beirut during the 1990s.
I stand by my point. The early 1970's was far worse in terms of crime, drugs, political violence, devisive politics, etc. than anything today. There were over 1,000 bombings in the U.S. during '71-72 period. I think much of the alt-right/manosphere or whatever you choose to call it on the internet is comprised mostly of Gen X'ers and Millennials and, as such, people who did not live through the 1968-1975 period.
Yes, it is rational to avoid riots. If I hear of one downtown (I live in Portland area), I simply won't go there unless I have to. Otherwise, this crap does not affect me at all. I live in the east Vancouver area (just accross the river from Portland) and only go downtown on weekends. Less lately because there are a lot of new brewery restaurants opening up on the Vancouver side, thus reducing the need to go downtown to eat out.
Something you should know. The Portland area has a reputation for far-left politics. In reality, this only applies to certain areas of downtown as well as certain parts of the eastside. It also includes certain parts of Salem and Eugene as well. The rest of the portland area as well as the state in general is conservative. Not like religious conservative, but rather the " get government out of my life and let me mind my own business" kind of conservatism (indeed, this is the only kind of "conservatism" I know personally and identify with).
These are the reason why I do not expect to be affected by political violence in the forseeable future despite living in what is considered to be the epicenter of the whole thing. If you live in, say, Dallas or Denver, you're never going to see anything personally. It will all be on the 'Net for you guys.
I think the real possibility for violence will not be from white leftists (these are pansies), but from rioting blacks. Rioting blacks are a serious threat to your physical safety and, if you live near a black neighborhood or city, I would definitely consider relocating.
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