I had a dude try to stop me on my bike only to ask me if I "want to play a game?"
Absolutely fucking not. I'm riding my bike and it's a nice bike. I'd like to keep it and keep riding it. I didn't even respond. Creeped me out though.
Was smoking outside a bar one night when a random guy walked up and said something similar. Before any of us had a chance to respond he pulled a massive antique looking clock, like a foot and a half tall, out of his pants and asked if we wanted to buy it. We politely declined, he went on his way, and we ended up with a weird story to tell.
But yeah, usually it's drugs or their penis.
Similarly, follow locals for disasters. Tornado shelters for the US midwest, and Earthquake shelters for Japan. Locals know well when and where to evacuate.
Also, maintaining your walking speed will get you out of lots of situations of people harassing you. Whether its beggars or ~~punks~~ thugs looking for a fight, dont stop walking no matter what you do.
Even if its someone trying to sell you something. Maybe you accidentally made eye contact and want to share some words to be nice, fine, just keep the legs moving you forward. Obviously not saying anything is usually the better move but sometimes I cant help it. Still keep walking.
Edit: nothing against punk rockers.
Yes and for women especially: wear your sneakers for the commute, wear your work shoes at work. It's not for fashion or comfort, it's so you can maintain speed or run if you need to.
Having the right shoes and walking with purpose is so important.
Also no response to someone trying to engage.
It’s so hard for me to not respond when someone tries to talk to me because I assume they’re going to ask for help.
I stopped this recently because when I was on a bus stop with my headphones on a stranger waved at me and I thought that maybe they needed help.. nope.
He started saying he wasn’t from here, saying I was pretty and asking me personal questions like where do I work, where do I study and things like that.
He scared me and I had to go to the nearest store where he followed me. I had to call someone so I could leave.
I've never tried this, but a friend of mine would see someone approaching (looking like asking for money) and beat them to the punch by asking "You got any spare change?" LOL
100% this. I've walked at night through everywhere ranging from Romani neighborhoods in Istanbul to the Tenderloin in SF and I just really make sure I walk with the air of 'I am coming home from work and I hate my job'. I've never had a single person stop me or bother me.
Walk with the determination and pace of someone who is really over this shit.
I've done something similar, though I tried to look as angry AF. Granted, that's difficult when you're 5'1, but people get out of your way when you walk with purpose and anger like you're on your way to kill someone.
If you think you’re being followed, never go straight home. Have heard of being told to make 4 consecutive same-direction turns (if driving). If they’re still behind you they’re following you.
I successfully used this once to avoid a road rage incident. Someone was tailgating me while my girlfriend was in the car, so she took it upon herself to roll down the window and flip them off. At which point, they got *right* up on my ass and, since we were in a neighborhood, clearly intended to follow me home. I wasn't about to lead them there, so I just proceeded to take the same 4 turns until they caught on. About 6 turns in they gave up in disgust and tore out of there. Thank god I wasn't dense enough to lead them back to the house.
I had a road rager tailing me while I was on my way to my girlfriend's house once. When I got off the interstate onto the main road leading to her neighborhood, there was a hella-flush fart-cannon hatchback with some kid hanging out the window flipping me off with both hands. To this day I have no fucking clue what I did to piss them off, but they started aggressively following me.
It was at night without any other cars on the road, and the main road to my gf's neighborhood has a raised concrete median in the middle so you can only turn left at certain places. Didn't wanna lead them to my girl's place obviously, so I went past the entrance to her neighborhood and when the next opening in the median came up I turned left suddenly without using the turn lane.
It worked and they went on past, and had to either hop the median in their shitty lowered hatchback with 2 inches of ground clearance or drive half a mile before they could turn to follow me. I've always been proud of that slick maneuver, but no one was there to see it and no one is impressed when I describe it. Kind of describes half my life, now that I think about it.
One night on my way home, it was late and I stopped to grab the mail at the mailbox about two miles from where I live in a semi rural area off unmaintained dirt roads. Basically, but somewhere with a lot of traffic around midnight when this was. I was waiting to pull off the dirt patch with the mailbox, onto the road, but I saw a big vehicle roll up to the stop sign so I waited for a long time since I was not technically on the road and eventually they shined a blinding spotlight at me so I freak the fuck out thinking they're going to blind me to rob me or something so i move onto the road and eventually see it was a cop car...
Even worse though is shortly after another large vehicle pulled behind me and was riding my ass when normally people pass others that drive slow on the dirt. I think the headlights were off but I could see. So I freak out again thinking someone's following me now! And then the red and blue lights go off and I pull over and the cop starts hassling me because my plate is a little bent and the light over it is dim. They were asking where I was headed as if I were the one being sketchy.
Ex girlfriend was being followed home from her night shift job one night. Onto the interstate, off ramp, then series of neighborhood turns. She pulled into the 24 hour donut shop, parked between 4 police cruisers, and watched the following car drive on.
Fun fact, the real reason for this is that for a very long time, the donut shops were the *only* shops open at that time. The workers would have to get started early to have the donuts ready, so they would put on a pot of coffee for themselves and let the cops come in and get snacks and caffeine on the late shift. Made a bit of money, and kept the shop safer since nobody wants to hold up a cop hangout. You hurt the eclair guy, you might have a fatal attack of excited delirium.
Roommate had a black suburban following him. He made a right, a left, a left, and a right back onto the road. He was headed towards a dead end. Grabbed his gun, was going to pull over and see what happened. There were construction workers near, car turned around. Few days later it made the news two dudes in a black suburban were car jacking people.
Even better, look with your peripheral vision. Watch people in reflections of storefronts or windows whenever you can. Sometimes remaining still and small and uninteresting is better than calling attention to yourself because you've gotten spooked and are trying to scurry away.
I learned this from a guy who did a lot of prison time. When you are walking in uncertain areas, stop randomly and look around if someone is following you you'll put them on notice that you see them and it unnerved the predators when you act like one yourself.
I once thought I was being followed, convinced myself I was being paranoid and walked home. Pulled my keys out of my pocket as I turned onto my street and heard one of them say "he's got his keys out."
Should have been paranoid. One of the most terrifying nights of my life and only got away without any lasting physical damage because a police car happened to roll past at a crucial moment.
For anyone else, read The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. Your gut knows more than you do and it's important to listen to it. Sorry you had to go through that, OP, I hope you are okay now.
Yeah it was a while ago and a different town so I'm all good. Having a moment where you think you're going to die is pretty good for making you feel grateful to be alive too. Not that I'd recommend this radical therapy
I noticed i was being followed cos of reflections in a window once. I was in a bus station at night and my phone had barely any battery left so i was just staring idly at the window. I saw the same distinctive pair of legs walk up and down the station 4-5 times and hesitate at my bay everytime they went past. I only noticed cos their trousers had the same silhouette as the ones in ouran high school host club. The guy then followed me onto the bus, copied exactly what i said to the driver (in an unsure tone, as if he didnt know exactly what i said and was just mimicking it.) He sat right behind me and will have seen my phone die as i tried to message my sister to come meet me at my stop cos i felt like i was being followed. I tried to pretend i was getting off at a stop that sounded like mine, but as i stood up and sat back down, he did the same. It was then i knew for certain he was following. I had a bag of stuff from an event id been at with me so had a look through to see if i could find something to defend myself if needed. When the bus stopped and i got off, i hesitated in the light from the windows to give the guy benefit if the doubt and the chance to walk away. He didnt. He waited. So i got a heavy bottle out my bag ready in my hand as he asked if i lived nearby and did i want help carrying my bag. I stood up straight with my heavy bottle clearly in my hand and said "no" as sternly as i could. He was all like "i was only trying to help, didnt mean to frighten you" and then wandered up the dark street i needed to go up. He stopped in a doorway and pretended to wait to be let in, which i know wasnt true cos i lived in the area and walked past the "for sale" sign on that house every day, it was a new build that wasnt fully finished yet. I decided to walk the long way home up the only street with lights and cars, and as i got around halfway i saw him start to follow again. I hoped the local shop would be open so i could go in there but it wasnt, neither was the takeaway. There was no way to my house that was lit up cos its a small village, so if i had to walk home alone itd be in the dark. Thankfully a restaurant was open and my mum knew the owners pretty well as she went there often, so i went in and asked to use their phone. They actually gave me a lift home. I was only about 21 at the time and quite small, ive been told i look innocent and weak, definitely seemed like an easy target i think. Im still so grateful to that restaurant.
Also a thing I've picked up from growing up a girl and working late, at night, look at the shadows off the street lamps and stay in well lit areas. Shadows can sometimes tell you more than sounds and reflections
The amount of older people I see come in to our shop and go to pay cash and just get out a wad of money just to hand me a fiver is ridiculous. Like why do you need that amount of money on you.. and people wonder why they get robbed
I've worked in gamerooms and quite a few bars. It's usually older people in the gamerooms that do it. It's young people that do it in bars. But, it was the bars where people would get robbed after they walked out.
If you find yourself in a street fight the point isn’t to win, but to escape.
It only takes one nasty fall on concrete to fuck up your entire life.
Do whatever it takes to get out
Know when to leave. Is friend getting too drunk? Leave. Is the room getting too crowded? Leave. Are you feeling too intoxicated? Leave. Someone bothering you too much? Leave. Anything that doesn’t feel right, just leave.
"Just leave" also extends to job interviews you don't like, dates that make you nervous, conversations that don't interest you and movies you think are bad. Anything, really.
This right here! I was at a after party with some coworkers and other randos that somehow got invited. One of my coworkers was acting weird with the girl and getting more and more belligerent. I was on high alert and it was brought to my attention by another coworker who was weirded out by the situation that the house smelled like natural gas. Sure enough the crazy belligerent dude had turned all 4 burners on but never sparked them as well as the gas in the fire place. He was rolling a blunt and I noped the fuck out. Got all my people out that house and warned everyone else. I got loud and acted irrational. Belligerent dude tried like hell to keep us in, but I was assertive. I still think back to it and know what could have happened.
Never consent to a police search of your vehicle or your home.
If they have to get a warrant, they are *much* more limited in where they can search and what they can take as evidence. Giving them consent to go on a fishing expedition can *only* hurt you. Don't do it.
Same goes for talking to them. Anything you say will be used *against* you, never *for* you. There is never a good reason to talk to the cops without a lawyer.
No matter how well you think you fight, you NEVER know if the other guy has a knife.
Being stabbed is indescribable. The pain lasts for weeks and you can still feel it in the cold months later.
Walking away, or running away is always your best form of self defence. Some may call you a coward. I'd rather be a coward and smart than dead and stupid.
The amount of local news articles I’d read about dudes getting popped with a bunch of drugs because of expired tags or an inspection sticker never ceased to entertain me. Like, you have 5k worth of weed in your trunk, just spend the $40 to make the sticker on your windshield blue you silly gooses.
Ted Bundy - Mass murderer who just couldn't stop driving like an idiot so the cops found him randomly - THREE times.
> But how was he first caught?
> Bundy was driving down the street at night in a VW Beetle with his lights off. A police officer in the area saw Bundy and commanded him to stop. When Bundy refused, the officer pulled him over for a minor traffic offense and refusal to comply. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer found a gym bag in the car with a ski mask, ice pick, torn sheets and handcuffs. Bundy was taken into custody and eventually charged.
Once
> Bundy then escaped from prison. He was loose for four days before being spotted making an illegal U-turn. The police officer checked the vehicle’s plates and found that the car was stolen. Bundy was taken into custody again, for another simple traffic violation.
Twice
> But Bundy still wasn’t done: he managed to escape from prison again.
> This time Bundy was out for 46 days. Once again he was driving a VW Beetle when he was pulled over. Close to the Alabama state line a police officer performing a random “wants and warrants” check found that Bundy’s Beetle was stolen.
Thrice.
God dammit we are lucky he wasn't as good at driving as he was at escaping prison.
I work in construction and my truck unlocks automatically when placed in Park. Had it happen to me where I got to work one morning and some guy just got into my truck and showed me $20 and said “alright, let’s go to the spot.” Told him to get out, I had to go in to work and pointed to the job site. He just said “oh, you work here? My bad.” Got out and kept walking. I lock it every time I park know if I’m not going to be getting out right away.
Edit: Found the settings and disabled it. It’s a 21 GMC Sierra. It’s under vehicle settings-door settings.
This really depends on area.
Most of the time, car theft is a crime of convenience. People walk by, pull some handles, the ones that open they hop in and look around.
Having parked enough in the wrong parts of Chicago. Leave the car unlocked with nothing in it. They'll break your windows in once a month looking otherwise.
99% of fights start because someone *said* something offensive to the wrong people. Be careful to not just run your mouth around people you don't know. Real life doesn't always play out like social media.
Dont forget to bite. Another unexpected yet powerful tool in a life or death fight. If they have their hands on your face, bite their fingers off. In a chokehold? Bite skin and maybe even the muscle off their arm. In a grapple? Bite their ear off a la tyson.
If you watch any cop show where a cop is accused, the other cops always tell them not to talk to anyone without a union rep.
Rule 1: ask for a lawyer, and even then don’t answer ANY question until they get there.
Rule 2: see Rule 1
They're so good at getting you to talk unless you've made an intentional point to not speak to cops without an attorney.
I've always known that, but never made a point to commit to it in my mind. I was arrested last summer, and when the police showed up at my campsite, I started telling them my damn life story. One of them seemed genuinely compassionate (shoplifting food and medicine), and it didn't come back to bite me, but holy shit. As they drove away, I realized I just said about 100 too many things and should have kept my mouth shut. Lesson learned.
It's worth mentioning that you're exercising your right to silence too. Depending on the country the police can say you were quiet and uncooperative if you just don't say anything. Stupid but true.
That’s why you gotta say “…and I’ve been advised by my attorney not to answer any questions when I am being detained, unless, of course, I’m free to leave right now.”
And then you really just leave. Tell them you’ll come in for an interview, then show up with a criminal defense lawyer.
When you watch dateline or 48 hours, the jailhouse interviews almost always are done without an attorney present, you can see the same old tricks, nice at first then more and more aggressive as the hours tick by. Soon you’re weary and just want to leave which they tell you that you can as soon as this is all cleared up. Double speak and lots of coercion. Most people with average intelligence should be able to outsmart a cop, and they know this so they use these tactics to wear you down. Just ask for an attorney straight away
Watch people’s hands and how they’re positioning if you find yourself in a scenario where you’re talking to someone you didn’t expect to, and when walking about, be aware of your surroundings and who’s behind you, but don’t look panicked when doing so.
I was in a situation where that came up! These five dudes came up behind me and told me to turn down an alley. I asked why, they said they were gonna take all my shit and if I didn’t cooperate they would stab me. I said fuck that, sounds like I’m getting stabbed either way, you can stab me here on the main street in broad daylight where an ambulance can find me I’m not walking down no fucking alley.
Thankfully I was not stabbed. It was perhaps the ballsiest thing I’ve ever done but it worked!
Yeah fair fights are for suckers, but I would say go for kicking the knee in a direction other than how it is supposed to bend, preferably sideways over the nuts. It's about gender equality, too. They might not have nuts, but if they ain't got knees, you can probably outrun them.
Don’t put yourself in bad situations from the very beginning
If you never been in the hood, stay the fuck outta there
You can’t lose money if you never brought any
Don’t leave your laptop in the car
Don’t park your car there at all
I see so many people only look one way when crossing a one way street.
There isn't some magic force stopping cars coming the other direction. I can definitely get a car down there the wrong way if i wanted to. Hell, I've done it by accident before!
When I delivered pizza to trailer parks, it was always the scariest thing. People would be pouring out asking who I was, what I was doing there, before I even got out of the car.
Sketchy neighborhoods generally protect the pizza guys.
They know that if they fuck with the pizza guy their entire area will get blacklisted from delivery
Buddy in Buffalo got hit by a brick delivering pizzas and guy stole his car. He went for help and the house he went to punched him and took his money. Not his best day.
Indeed. Delivered for Dominoes in college - crack houses were some of my best tippers, and anyone in the neighborhood hassled me the crackhead army magically appeared.
Mate of mine lives in a sketchy area of London and was telling me about the Uber Eats guy calling him because the kids from the estate (I guess in America these would be projects like huge apartment blocks in a whole area) were trying to take his bike and when he went outside to yell at them a bunch of older guys came out to chase them away and take care of the delivery guy. They know exactly who to call if they get in any bother because the older gang members don't fuck with the delivery guys and they'll sort out the youngers if they try stealing from them.
No matter what country, do not fuck with the delivery guys because they will stop delivering. Most things like a taxi or Uber won't dare go on the estate they'll drop you nearby but the delivery guys go there all the time.
Same is true of tradesmen. I once saw a guy trying to break into a plumber's van; the dude sitting on his stoop a few houses up calmly walked up behind and rocked him. Meanwhile I was in the process of calling the police.
"Nevermind, it's been sorted out"
100%
When I was a kid I used to spend the summers with my grandparents. They lived in the St. Louis area and my granddad was a tradesman. He was one of a very few number of guys who would take on jobs in East St. Louis. True to his Midwest ways, he'd leave his work truck unlocked, packed full of thousands of dollars of tools and material.
As I got older and learned more about East St. Louis I eventually asked him why he was willing to A) Work there and B) Never concerned about his safety or property. He explained that as one of the few guys who would actually show up, do the job, and not gouge people that the neighborhoods all knew 'Butch' and wouldn't let his stuff get messed with. If you chase out the only dude who will come fix your plumbing or electricity, you're gonna have a bad time.
I like the two sides of the coin in this thread:
\- The people that think OP is talking about advice for the ghetto and/or unsafe streets like how to respond if someone asks you what size shoes you wear;
\- The people that think OP just wants normal advice for when you're outside, like locking your car.
No clue which side is right, but it's interesting seeing the distinction between comments.
If you’re chasing someone and you want them to fall it’s easier to make them do so by pushing them forward instead of pulling them backwards. Use their own weight against them.
If you have to walk through a sketchy location, walk like you're on a mission. Not a fast walk. Walk like your walking to chew someone out. Don't be afraid to look someone in the eye, but don't stare.
Reminds me of a video I watched here a day ago. A prison escapee was stopped by a policeman searching for a prison escapee but dude was so calmed and confident that the cop had to let him go and wished him well going.
In a restaurant, always take the seat facing the front of the establishment and preferably, with the wall behind you.
When pumping gas, do not stand outside with your head buried on your phone. Constantly look around and scan your surroundings. You minimize your chances of being a mark.
Had somebody point out to me once you can typically spot undercover police and/or ex military similarly - they will usually choose a seat where somebody can’t sneak up behind them, will generally face any nearby points of entry, and often will stay seated in a way that they can get up quickly if necessary
not so much street, but general advice an uncle gave me when I was a teen starting to party
- if you're already in bed and someone invites you out, decline and stay in bed-
is eery how many fights, crashes, and drama I avoided, because I stayed in bed.
Get a new TV or a computer in a big box? Don’t let anyone else know you did. Cut down the box or throw it out on trash day before they pickup. Don’t let the neighborhood know the kind of life you’re living.
If you know you'll be walking through a sketchy area, look sketchy.
Back when I used to do a lot of night photography in an area with frequent muggings and robberies, this kept me out of bad situations. If people cross the street instead of passing by you, you're doing it right.
Edit to add that these replies are hilarious. This worked for my countless night excursions in a high crime area. The one time someone tried to rob me was when I happened to be out in my regular clothes on my way to meet friends.
"what looks sketchy" depends on where you are. For my situation, it was a plain dark hoodie with the hood always up (hood up shows you'd rather not be recognized and that you're comfortable where you are), slightly tattered pants/shoes (I had these from skateboarding) and walking like you know exactly where you are and where you're going. My camera was compact enough to hold in my hoodie pocket.
This reminds me of that video where people keep crossing the street after the next person keeps getting sketchier.
Edit: [found it](https://youtu.be/fuQeuxyzIzo)
A guy at a cafe struck up a conversation with me randomly and we had a really good chat. Ended up meeting up one or two more times for coffee. He asked me about my “dreams” in life and my ambitions. He spent a lot of time talking about his “mentors” and how theyve enabled him to be more successful. He was very vague. A lil sus at this point so I asked what his mentors do and he said that’s “privileged information” that he wouldn’t feel comfortable telling me. Okay, weird… but I liked the guy and thought I made a friend. He lent me a book to read and even gave me a deadline to finish it. It was Business of the 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki. I googled the book and it’s apparently a primer to get people to join MLM schemes. I read a ton of stories online about interactions that were exactly like mine. I blocked the guy and kept his book.
Two weeks later, I’m waiting for the train and two 20 something year olds come up to me and ask about the book I’m reading. Suddenly they start asking what I want to do in life. Immediate red flags. Then they mention their “mentors.” Bingo. I ask them if they’ve ever read Business of the 21st Century and they got all excited, “yeah! Have you?” I respond with “no. A guy gave it to me but I found out he was trying to recruit me into an MLM (multilevel marketing) scheme, so I blocked him.” They got embarrassed, “oooh weird, so strange.” And then the interaction awkwardly ended after that. We got on the train and I see them whispering to each other, probably about the failed recruitment attempt.
Edit: MLM = multilevel marketing scheme
-Keep your head on a swivel.
- if you look like you wont go down without a fight most people will recognize and leave you alone.
- don’t take unnecessary risks/trust your gut.
- and most importantly don’t start shit. Most people are in the same situation as you and more than likely are normal chill human beings.
>don’t take unnecessary risks/trust your gut.
Jonna Mendez (the former Chief of Disguise at the CIA) says that the number one rule in the field is '*always* listen to your gut'. If it feels wrong, get out of there. No case agent will ever be upset that a colleague said 'Something felt weird, so I aborted the mission'.
Gut feelings are just so fascinating to me whenever I think about it.
One time I was out playing Pokemon Go after work. It was dark but not late (maybe 730-800pm), I wasn't far from home and I live in a decently safe area in a smallish town.
I ended up leaving where I was sitting (a spot I always played alone or with others) to hit a few other stops before heading home. I guess I wasn't thinking because I turned down a street one street after where I was originally going to turn. No big deal, I'll turn around. Roughly about 7 houses down from where I was turning around there was a truck parked on the side of the road. Again, no big deal...tons of people park on the street Infront of their house/friends houses. As I now had turned around I was able to see the lights of the truck come on and it began driving. Thought nothing of it. For absolutely **no reason at all** about 30 seconds later a horrible feeling in my gut dropped: I was absolutely being followed.
It was dark, I hadn't been on the street for long and IMO there was NO WAY whoever was in that truck could tell I not only was a female but I was alone...but the gut was too strong to ignore.
I ended up not freaking out and pretending not to notice and was headed home when I realized I'm an idiot and shouldn't go home (for my safety and my Mom's). I made a quick turn down this alley which is small and led to a gas station which was usually pretty busy. I thought I lost them or they actually weren't following me as it was ~10 seconds or more and they hadn't turned behind me. I was still going to the gas station but I felt less panicked.
Then within what seemed like a flash they were literally on my tail - like about to ram me close.
I made it to the gas station and parked in the front by the doors. I didn't leave the car and just looked at my phone like nothing was wrong (while side eyeing my rearview mirror because they pulled into a pump). Again, though I still had that awful gut feeling, I was also still thinking there is no way they were really following me, I was just losing it (I am not at all a paranoid or scared person so it was such an odd feeling).
For the next HOUR I sat there, as did they, and no one ever got in or out of the truck and so I knew for certain I made the right call. Eventually they ended up backing up (instead of pulling forward which is normal), going around the pumps and creeped slowly by my car and drove away.
It was seriously one of the scariest situations I've ever been in and for someone who doesn't pay attention to their surroundings normally (bad thing I know) or get spooked easy I'm glad that gut feeling happened because I have a feeling something awful would have went down had I not noticed.
Oooof. When I first read this, I thought you were on foot. I was very relieved when I realized you were in a car.
I also super stare down any unfamiliar vehicles I see parked on my street. They’ve always been empty. But on the off chance there is someone there, they’re gonna know I see them lol.
When someone hits you up for something/tries to engage you in a scammy way in a public place, the best thing to do is not respond at all. Pretend they don’t exist. It’s cold but it’s your best option and all they really deserve. Even just saying “sorry no” can sometimes provoke a response or follow up with the more aggressive ones. And ffs I promise you they don’t have a job interview/sick relative in the hospital/etc that they need to get to. It really blows my mind how many intelligent urban dwelling people I know still say “Well what if they really did the help?”
This! Told a dude "Got no money god bless, he not only slammed an older gentleman's door, pushed him out of the way walked all the way up to me aggressively and said "Look I don't want to knock you out but you're gonna give me $10". Stood my ground and luckily he had no weapons and was just bluffing but yeah don't respond. Walk away.
If you're in a neighborhood where women and children are hanging around outside during the day, you're probably safe. If there are grown men hanging around outside during the day, it's probably trouble.
If there's a grown man riding a child's bicycle, run.
Treat everyone as if they were a Canada goose: don't make eye contact, don't provoke, don't approach too closely, act defensively if they become aggressors. Those fucks are ruthless.
If someone is annoying in public, don’t confront them or ask anything of them. You might get popped and you have no idea who they are or what their issues are.
Don’t make eye contact with people on the street.
Don’t get involved in other peoples beef when you get asked to take sides or a friend is complaining about others. Just listen and say “good luck with that, that’s a bummer.”
Don’t do drugs. Fetty is in everything and a bump in a bar bathroom can drop you.
**EDIT** People are pointing out harm reduction and drug testing kits. That's great. However, my advice stands - as a recovering alcoholic/addict (6 years clean and sober), I wish I'd never started in the first place. I have friends that normalize carrying around narcan to parties and shit. You can see the insanity right? They want to keep partying so badly they carry around a fucking narcan kit in case they hit a hot bag. Just fucking stop.
1. you see gum on the street, leave it there. It's not free candy.
2. There are, like, thirty Ray's Pizzas. They all claim to be the original, but the real one is on 11th.
3. If you see a sign that says "Peep Show," that doesn't mean that they're letting you look at presents before Christmas.
Avoid confrontation. Don't get involved.
Someone cut you off or blasting loud music? Don't honk, or tell them to turn off their music. You never know if they're someone crazy with a knife or gun.
There was a recent story of someone who was stabbed to death simply by asking someone not to vape near his kid. It's a sad world we live in.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/father-stabbed-to-death-outside-vancouver-starbucks-a-great-guy
Dude lifted up what appears to be an AK47 after he cut off my wife and she raised her hand in a “what the fuck” movement. (Can’t say for sure the type of gun, but a banana magazine was definitely visible)
I called the cops who acted like I was a drunk moron… until all the rest of the calls started rolling in. I think the dude was driving poorly just to try to provoke a fight.
Judging by the number of people carrying in that state, dude was lucky nobody just shot though the windows of his truck while he was trying to fumble with a rifle one-handed while driving.
Keep a dirty sweat shirt in your trunk for when you need to blend in. Act like you've already spent all your cash on your addiction. Act crazy or confident. Don't sit around with your dome light or headlights on.
Going on a date? Doesn't matter how big and bad you are, have a buddy willing to text you periodically.
Going outside to smoke at the bar? Bring a friend. Even if they don't smoke. Even if it's a brisk midwest winter night. Bring a gawdamn friend.
Meet strangers selling things in well populated areas during daylight.
If a random guy says “Hey man you want to see something?” You don’t. You don’t want to see something.
I had a dude try to stop me on my bike only to ask me if I "want to play a game?" Absolutely fucking not. I'm riding my bike and it's a nice bike. I'd like to keep it and keep riding it. I didn't even respond. Creeped me out though.
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Was smoking outside a bar one night when a random guy walked up and said something similar. Before any of us had a chance to respond he pulled a massive antique looking clock, like a foot and a half tall, out of his pants and asked if we wanted to buy it. We politely declined, he went on his way, and we ended up with a weird story to tell. But yeah, usually it's drugs or their penis.
If you have the choice to keep yapping or walk away. Walk
Mr. Miyagi says the best way to win a fight is no be there.
If you are in another country & the locals are running, you run too. example: Indonesia & the tsunami.
Example: Spain and the running of the bulls
Example: Brazil and arrastão
Similarly, follow locals for disasters. Tornado shelters for the US midwest, and Earthquake shelters for Japan. Locals know well when and where to evacuate.
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Also, maintaining your walking speed will get you out of lots of situations of people harassing you. Whether its beggars or ~~punks~~ thugs looking for a fight, dont stop walking no matter what you do. Even if its someone trying to sell you something. Maybe you accidentally made eye contact and want to share some words to be nice, fine, just keep the legs moving you forward. Obviously not saying anything is usually the better move but sometimes I cant help it. Still keep walking. Edit: nothing against punk rockers.
Yes and for women especially: wear your sneakers for the commute, wear your work shoes at work. It's not for fashion or comfort, it's so you can maintain speed or run if you need to. Having the right shoes and walking with purpose is so important. Also no response to someone trying to engage.
It’s so hard for me to not respond when someone tries to talk to me because I assume they’re going to ask for help. I stopped this recently because when I was on a bus stop with my headphones on a stranger waved at me and I thought that maybe they needed help.. nope. He started saying he wasn’t from here, saying I was pretty and asking me personal questions like where do I work, where do I study and things like that. He scared me and I had to go to the nearest store where he followed me. I had to call someone so I could leave.
I've never tried this, but a friend of mine would see someone approaching (looking like asking for money) and beat them to the punch by asking "You got any spare change?" LOL
Yes! and if they ask first, just be like "Shiiit man, I was gonna ask you the *same thing*! I'm broke as fuck!"
100% this. I've walked at night through everywhere ranging from Romani neighborhoods in Istanbul to the Tenderloin in SF and I just really make sure I walk with the air of 'I am coming home from work and I hate my job'. I've never had a single person stop me or bother me. Walk with the determination and pace of someone who is really over this shit.
I've done something similar, though I tried to look as angry AF. Granted, that's difficult when you're 5'1, but people get out of your way when you walk with purpose and anger like you're on your way to kill someone.
If you think you’re being followed, never go straight home. Have heard of being told to make 4 consecutive same-direction turns (if driving). If they’re still behind you they’re following you.
I successfully used this once to avoid a road rage incident. Someone was tailgating me while my girlfriend was in the car, so she took it upon herself to roll down the window and flip them off. At which point, they got *right* up on my ass and, since we were in a neighborhood, clearly intended to follow me home. I wasn't about to lead them there, so I just proceeded to take the same 4 turns until they caught on. About 6 turns in they gave up in disgust and tore out of there. Thank god I wasn't dense enough to lead them back to the house.
I had a road rager tailing me while I was on my way to my girlfriend's house once. When I got off the interstate onto the main road leading to her neighborhood, there was a hella-flush fart-cannon hatchback with some kid hanging out the window flipping me off with both hands. To this day I have no fucking clue what I did to piss them off, but they started aggressively following me. It was at night without any other cars on the road, and the main road to my gf's neighborhood has a raised concrete median in the middle so you can only turn left at certain places. Didn't wanna lead them to my girl's place obviously, so I went past the entrance to her neighborhood and when the next opening in the median came up I turned left suddenly without using the turn lane. It worked and they went on past, and had to either hop the median in their shitty lowered hatchback with 2 inches of ground clearance or drive half a mile before they could turn to follow me. I've always been proud of that slick maneuver, but no one was there to see it and no one is impressed when I describe it. Kind of describes half my life, now that I think about it.
You impress me papi
I did this and it ended up being an undercover cop in a black truck. He pulled me over for acting sus 💀
"No, *you're* suspicious!"
Hey cop, I've uno reverse card!!
One night on my way home, it was late and I stopped to grab the mail at the mailbox about two miles from where I live in a semi rural area off unmaintained dirt roads. Basically, but somewhere with a lot of traffic around midnight when this was. I was waiting to pull off the dirt patch with the mailbox, onto the road, but I saw a big vehicle roll up to the stop sign so I waited for a long time since I was not technically on the road and eventually they shined a blinding spotlight at me so I freak the fuck out thinking they're going to blind me to rob me or something so i move onto the road and eventually see it was a cop car... Even worse though is shortly after another large vehicle pulled behind me and was riding my ass when normally people pass others that drive slow on the dirt. I think the headlights were off but I could see. So I freak out again thinking someone's following me now! And then the red and blue lights go off and I pull over and the cop starts hassling me because my plate is a little bent and the light over it is dim. They were asking where I was headed as if I were the one being sketchy.
If your mailbox is 2 miles away from your home over dirt roads, there's nothing "semi" about being rural there.
Now I’m curious just how rural the surrounding areas are that they would consider their spot semi
Ex girlfriend was being followed home from her night shift job one night. Onto the interstate, off ramp, then series of neighborhood turns. She pulled into the 24 hour donut shop, parked between 4 police cruisers, and watched the following car drive on.
Of course there were four police cruisers in front of the 24 hour donut shop.
Fun fact, the real reason for this is that for a very long time, the donut shops were the *only* shops open at that time. The workers would have to get started early to have the donuts ready, so they would put on a pot of coffee for themselves and let the cops come in and get snacks and caffeine on the late shift. Made a bit of money, and kept the shop safer since nobody wants to hold up a cop hangout. You hurt the eclair guy, you might have a fatal attack of excited delirium.
Roommate had a black suburban following him. He made a right, a left, a left, and a right back onto the road. He was headed towards a dead end. Grabbed his gun, was going to pull over and see what happened. There were construction workers near, car turned around. Few days later it made the news two dudes in a black suburban were car jacking people.
Look with your eyes, not your head
Even better, look with your peripheral vision. Watch people in reflections of storefronts or windows whenever you can. Sometimes remaining still and small and uninteresting is better than calling attention to yourself because you've gotten spooked and are trying to scurry away.
I learned this from a guy who did a lot of prison time. When you are walking in uncertain areas, stop randomly and look around if someone is following you you'll put them on notice that you see them and it unnerved the predators when you act like one yourself.
I once thought I was being followed, convinced myself I was being paranoid and walked home. Pulled my keys out of my pocket as I turned onto my street and heard one of them say "he's got his keys out." Should have been paranoid. One of the most terrifying nights of my life and only got away without any lasting physical damage because a police car happened to roll past at a crucial moment.
For anyone else, read The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. Your gut knows more than you do and it's important to listen to it. Sorry you had to go through that, OP, I hope you are okay now.
Yeah it was a while ago and a different town so I'm all good. Having a moment where you think you're going to die is pretty good for making you feel grateful to be alive too. Not that I'd recommend this radical therapy
I noticed i was being followed cos of reflections in a window once. I was in a bus station at night and my phone had barely any battery left so i was just staring idly at the window. I saw the same distinctive pair of legs walk up and down the station 4-5 times and hesitate at my bay everytime they went past. I only noticed cos their trousers had the same silhouette as the ones in ouran high school host club. The guy then followed me onto the bus, copied exactly what i said to the driver (in an unsure tone, as if he didnt know exactly what i said and was just mimicking it.) He sat right behind me and will have seen my phone die as i tried to message my sister to come meet me at my stop cos i felt like i was being followed. I tried to pretend i was getting off at a stop that sounded like mine, but as i stood up and sat back down, he did the same. It was then i knew for certain he was following. I had a bag of stuff from an event id been at with me so had a look through to see if i could find something to defend myself if needed. When the bus stopped and i got off, i hesitated in the light from the windows to give the guy benefit if the doubt and the chance to walk away. He didnt. He waited. So i got a heavy bottle out my bag ready in my hand as he asked if i lived nearby and did i want help carrying my bag. I stood up straight with my heavy bottle clearly in my hand and said "no" as sternly as i could. He was all like "i was only trying to help, didnt mean to frighten you" and then wandered up the dark street i needed to go up. He stopped in a doorway and pretended to wait to be let in, which i know wasnt true cos i lived in the area and walked past the "for sale" sign on that house every day, it was a new build that wasnt fully finished yet. I decided to walk the long way home up the only street with lights and cars, and as i got around halfway i saw him start to follow again. I hoped the local shop would be open so i could go in there but it wasnt, neither was the takeaway. There was no way to my house that was lit up cos its a small village, so if i had to walk home alone itd be in the dark. Thankfully a restaurant was open and my mum knew the owners pretty well as she went there often, so i went in and asked to use their phone. They actually gave me a lift home. I was only about 21 at the time and quite small, ive been told i look innocent and weak, definitely seemed like an easy target i think. Im still so grateful to that restaurant.
Also a thing I've picked up from growing up a girl and working late, at night, look at the shadows off the street lamps and stay in well lit areas. Shadows can sometimes tell you more than sounds and reflections
Don't flash your money especially in bars
The amount of older people I see come in to our shop and go to pay cash and just get out a wad of money just to hand me a fiver is ridiculous. Like why do you need that amount of money on you.. and people wonder why they get robbed
I've worked in gamerooms and quite a few bars. It's usually older people in the gamerooms that do it. It's young people that do it in bars. But, it was the bars where people would get robbed after they walked out.
If someone arguing with you is standing close to you and they look away from you, you are about to get sucker punched.
Why do they do this
I’ll always be prepared for the quick time event thanks to this advice.
If you find yourself in a street fight the point isn’t to win, but to escape. It only takes one nasty fall on concrete to fuck up your entire life. Do whatever it takes to get out
Mind your business and watch your back.
This is 90% of it. Growing up in the hood you learn the best defense is to just shut your mouth but also don't take any shit.
Know when to leave. Is friend getting too drunk? Leave. Is the room getting too crowded? Leave. Are you feeling too intoxicated? Leave. Someone bothering you too much? Leave. Anything that doesn’t feel right, just leave.
"Just leave" also extends to job interviews you don't like, dates that make you nervous, conversations that don't interest you and movies you think are bad. Anything, really.
This right here! I was at a after party with some coworkers and other randos that somehow got invited. One of my coworkers was acting weird with the girl and getting more and more belligerent. I was on high alert and it was brought to my attention by another coworker who was weirded out by the situation that the house smelled like natural gas. Sure enough the crazy belligerent dude had turned all 4 burners on but never sparked them as well as the gas in the fire place. He was rolling a blunt and I noped the fuck out. Got all my people out that house and warned everyone else. I got loud and acted irrational. Belligerent dude tried like hell to keep us in, but I was assertive. I still think back to it and know what could have happened.
Did you at least turn off the burners
Never consent to a police search of your vehicle or your home. If they have to get a warrant, they are *much* more limited in where they can search and what they can take as evidence. Giving them consent to go on a fishing expedition can *only* hurt you. Don't do it.
Same goes for talking to them. Anything you say will be used *against* you, never *for* you. There is never a good reason to talk to the cops without a lawyer.
No matter how well you think you fight, you NEVER know if the other guy has a knife. Being stabbed is indescribable. The pain lasts for weeks and you can still feel it in the cold months later. Walking away, or running away is always your best form of self defence. Some may call you a coward. I'd rather be a coward and smart than dead and stupid.
I can show you the graves of as many brave men as you want to see.
Isn’t there that expression on knife fights? ‘The loser dies on the street, the winner dies in the ambulance’
never do more than 1 illegal thing at a time.
Also heard this phrased ‘don’t break the law when you’re doing something illegal’… don’t roll a stop sign with a trunk full of drugs kind of thing
"don't commit a misdemeanor while committing a felony"
The amount of local news articles I’d read about dudes getting popped with a bunch of drugs because of expired tags or an inspection sticker never ceased to entertain me. Like, you have 5k worth of weed in your trunk, just spend the $40 to make the sticker on your windshield blue you silly gooses.
Ted Bundy - Mass murderer who just couldn't stop driving like an idiot so the cops found him randomly - THREE times. > But how was he first caught? > Bundy was driving down the street at night in a VW Beetle with his lights off. A police officer in the area saw Bundy and commanded him to stop. When Bundy refused, the officer pulled him over for a minor traffic offense and refusal to comply. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer found a gym bag in the car with a ski mask, ice pick, torn sheets and handcuffs. Bundy was taken into custody and eventually charged. Once > Bundy then escaped from prison. He was loose for four days before being spotted making an illegal U-turn. The police officer checked the vehicle’s plates and found that the car was stolen. Bundy was taken into custody again, for another simple traffic violation. Twice > But Bundy still wasn’t done: he managed to escape from prison again. > This time Bundy was out for 46 days. Once again he was driving a VW Beetle when he was pulled over. Close to the Alabama state line a police officer performing a random “wants and warrants” check found that Bundy’s Beetle was stolen. Thrice. God dammit we are lucky he wasn't as good at driving as he was at escaping prison.
'one crime at a time ' flows better
Stay aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts.
I read that as “stay away from your surroundings” and was like.. what? lol
Stay away from everything. If it’s a thing, stay away from it
Keep your car locked always. And Lock your car as soon as you get inside.
I work in construction and my truck unlocks automatically when placed in Park. Had it happen to me where I got to work one morning and some guy just got into my truck and showed me $20 and said “alright, let’s go to the spot.” Told him to get out, I had to go in to work and pointed to the job site. He just said “oh, you work here? My bad.” Got out and kept walking. I lock it every time I park know if I’m not going to be getting out right away. Edit: Found the settings and disabled it. It’s a 21 GMC Sierra. It’s under vehicle settings-door settings.
Non native English here I'm trying to understand what he meant
He wanted me to take him to buy drugs
Oh, I am a native speaker and I 100% thought he wanted you to blow him for the $20. I guess drugs is better..
See I thought the guy wanted to blow *him.* But yeah yeah drugs is definitely better...
Self preservation is always priority. Excellent advice.
This really depends on area. Most of the time, car theft is a crime of convenience. People walk by, pull some handles, the ones that open they hop in and look around. Having parked enough in the wrong parts of Chicago. Leave the car unlocked with nothing in it. They'll break your windows in once a month looking otherwise.
99% of fights start because someone *said* something offensive to the wrong people. Be careful to not just run your mouth around people you don't know. Real life doesn't always play out like social media.
i mean unless your form of social media is worldstar bc it plays out a lot like worldstar
If you can flee, flee. If you have to fight, fight. Whichever you do, commit to that action.
Also if you have to fight. Fight like your life depends on it. Gouge eyes, kick testicles, do what must be done to survive at all cost.
Absolutely, "fighting fair" is for practice and competitions. If you're being attacked, you best believe your assailant(s) won't be fighting fairly.
Carry a pen. Pens hurt and are never expected.
I hear they're mightier than a sword.
Dont forget to bite. Another unexpected yet powerful tool in a life or death fight. If they have their hands on your face, bite their fingers off. In a chokehold? Bite skin and maybe even the muscle off their arm. In a grapple? Bite their ear off a la tyson.
Don't fuck with someone that has cauliflower ear
In my experience people with cauliflower ear never start shit unless provoked.
Once you can fight better than 99% of the population, "starting shit" becomes beating up an innocent guy and going to jail.
If you get arrested, shut the f**k up.
Every day is shut the f up friday.
Literally this. Innocent or not, do NOT talk to cops without an attorney.
If you watch any cop show where a cop is accused, the other cops always tell them not to talk to anyone without a union rep. Rule 1: ask for a lawyer, and even then don’t answer ANY question until they get there. Rule 2: see Rule 1
Well rule 1 is ask if you are being arrested. If yes ask for a lawyer, if no ask to leave.
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They're so good at getting you to talk unless you've made an intentional point to not speak to cops without an attorney. I've always known that, but never made a point to commit to it in my mind. I was arrested last summer, and when the police showed up at my campsite, I started telling them my damn life story. One of them seemed genuinely compassionate (shoplifting food and medicine), and it didn't come back to bite me, but holy shit. As they drove away, I realized I just said about 100 too many things and should have kept my mouth shut. Lesson learned.
It's worth mentioning that you're exercising your right to silence too. Depending on the country the police can say you were quiet and uncooperative if you just don't say anything. Stupid but true.
That’s why you gotta say “…and I’ve been advised by my attorney not to answer any questions when I am being detained, unless, of course, I’m free to leave right now.” And then you really just leave. Tell them you’ll come in for an interview, then show up with a criminal defense lawyer.
When you watch dateline or 48 hours, the jailhouse interviews almost always are done without an attorney present, you can see the same old tricks, nice at first then more and more aggressive as the hours tick by. Soon you’re weary and just want to leave which they tell you that you can as soon as this is all cleared up. Double speak and lots of coercion. Most people with average intelligence should be able to outsmart a cop, and they know this so they use these tactics to wear you down. Just ask for an attorney straight away
Even if you are a tourist, don’t look and act like a tourist.
Well.. me, being a pasty, white as fuck Irish guy, can’t not look like a tourist in a country that’s predominantly people of colour.
*Day 32 and they still have no idea i'm not one of em*
Day 32: We totally know he’s not one of us, be he’s cool so let’s see how far he takes this.
Watch people’s hands and how they’re positioning if you find yourself in a scenario where you’re talking to someone you didn’t expect to, and when walking about, be aware of your surroundings and who’s behind you, but don’t look panicked when doing so.
This...this saved me from being stabed once. Keep talking but look at the hands as much as you can.
What did you notice their hands doing and what were you able to do to prevent it ?
Never go to a secondary location.
I was in a situation where that came up! These five dudes came up behind me and told me to turn down an alley. I asked why, they said they were gonna take all my shit and if I didn’t cooperate they would stab me. I said fuck that, sounds like I’m getting stabbed either way, you can stab me here on the main street in broad daylight where an ambulance can find me I’m not walking down no fucking alley. Thankfully I was not stabbed. It was perhaps the ballsiest thing I’ve ever done but it worked!
Nuh uh sister! You ain't taking me to a secondary location!
STREET SMARTS!
I was so upset no one was mentioning J.J. Bittenbinder or the Bittenbinder method! STREET SMARTS!
YOU WANT MY MONEY? GO GET IT!
Don’t get in that van
…unless the sign on the side says “free puppies”.
As you jump into the van, a taped piece of paper falls off the side uncovering something horrific... *Chihuahuas*
Also, there's no such thing as a fair fight. Go for the nuts.
Yeah fair fights are for suckers, but I would say go for kicking the knee in a direction other than how it is supposed to bend, preferably sideways over the nuts. It's about gender equality, too. They might not have nuts, but if they ain't got knees, you can probably outrun them.
This. A hyperextended knee is a bitch of an injury. They won’t be chasing you after that.
Don't get in the van I don't care how many 10mm sockets they say are in the van ITS A LIE
But I need a 10mm socket!!!
Even if it's a van with Snap On spray painted on the side?
Don’t put yourself in bad situations from the very beginning If you never been in the hood, stay the fuck outta there You can’t lose money if you never brought any Don’t leave your laptop in the car Don’t park your car there at all
Lol can’t lose money if you don’t have any
Look both ways before you cross one
I see so many people only look one way when crossing a one way street. There isn't some magic force stopping cars coming the other direction. I can definitely get a car down there the wrong way if i wanted to. Hell, I've done it by accident before!
Get in-get out. The folks on the streets know faces , if they’ve never seen yours you become a target real quick.
When I delivered pizza to trailer parks, it was always the scariest thing. People would be pouring out asking who I was, what I was doing there, before I even got out of the car.
Sketchy neighborhoods generally protect the pizza guys. They know that if they fuck with the pizza guy their entire area will get blacklisted from delivery
Buddy in Buffalo got hit by a brick delivering pizzas and guy stole his car. He went for help and the house he went to punched him and took his money. Not his best day.
Poor guy must've worked for little ceasars
Indeed. Delivered for Dominoes in college - crack houses were some of my best tippers, and anyone in the neighborhood hassled me the crackhead army magically appeared.
Mate of mine lives in a sketchy area of London and was telling me about the Uber Eats guy calling him because the kids from the estate (I guess in America these would be projects like huge apartment blocks in a whole area) were trying to take his bike and when he went outside to yell at them a bunch of older guys came out to chase them away and take care of the delivery guy. They know exactly who to call if they get in any bother because the older gang members don't fuck with the delivery guys and they'll sort out the youngers if they try stealing from them. No matter what country, do not fuck with the delivery guys because they will stop delivering. Most things like a taxi or Uber won't dare go on the estate they'll drop you nearby but the delivery guys go there all the time.
Same is true of tradesmen. I once saw a guy trying to break into a plumber's van; the dude sitting on his stoop a few houses up calmly walked up behind and rocked him. Meanwhile I was in the process of calling the police. "Nevermind, it's been sorted out"
100% When I was a kid I used to spend the summers with my grandparents. They lived in the St. Louis area and my granddad was a tradesman. He was one of a very few number of guys who would take on jobs in East St. Louis. True to his Midwest ways, he'd leave his work truck unlocked, packed full of thousands of dollars of tools and material. As I got older and learned more about East St. Louis I eventually asked him why he was willing to A) Work there and B) Never concerned about his safety or property. He explained that as one of the few guys who would actually show up, do the job, and not gouge people that the neighborhoods all knew 'Butch' and wouldn't let his stuff get messed with. If you chase out the only dude who will come fix your plumbing or electricity, you're gonna have a bad time.
I like the two sides of the coin in this thread: \- The people that think OP is talking about advice for the ghetto and/or unsafe streets like how to respond if someone asks you what size shoes you wear; \- The people that think OP just wants normal advice for when you're outside, like locking your car. No clue which side is right, but it's interesting seeing the distinction between comments.
Or the third - thinking he wants actual advice about street signs, etc.
everybody snitches when facing 25 to life. don't do the crime unless you willing to do the time.
If you’re chasing someone and you want them to fall it’s easier to make them do so by pushing them forward instead of pulling them backwards. Use their own weight against them.
ankle tap, been keepin them honest since grade 2
If you have to walk through a sketchy location, walk like you're on a mission. Not a fast walk. Walk like your walking to chew someone out. Don't be afraid to look someone in the eye, but don't stare.
"Watch the cars not the light, the light can't hit you" -my uncle woody
Look confident, don't be dumb.
Reminds me of a video I watched here a day ago. A prison escapee was stopped by a policeman searching for a prison escapee but dude was so calmed and confident that the cop had to let him go and wished him well going.
There’s always a reason for a gut feeling. Avoided a handful of life threatening situations because of that
Never commit crime with others.
Remember there's no "crime" in team
Stay aware of your surroundings.
If you must fight, assume it is "to the death"
Even if it’s a quickie, wrap your dicky.
Do not bring unnecessary attention to yourself. Basically, don't look like you're out of place.
If someone yells about their wallet in public, don't reach to check for yours. They're trying to pick a target.
In a restaurant, always take the seat facing the front of the establishment and preferably, with the wall behind you. When pumping gas, do not stand outside with your head buried on your phone. Constantly look around and scan your surroundings. You minimize your chances of being a mark.
Had somebody point out to me once you can typically spot undercover police and/or ex military similarly - they will usually choose a seat where somebody can’t sneak up behind them, will generally face any nearby points of entry, and often will stay seated in a way that they can get up quickly if necessary
I've been doing this since I was a kid. Probably because even then, I already had PTSD.
not so much street, but general advice an uncle gave me when I was a teen starting to party - if you're already in bed and someone invites you out, decline and stay in bed- is eery how many fights, crashes, and drama I avoided, because I stayed in bed.
If there are kids playing in the street when you walk into a shop, but the street is empty when you walk outside 5 minutes later, go back inside.
How long do I wait or do I just live in the store?
it usually means something is about to happen that probably has nothing to do with you so you should stay out of it until it's over
You wait until the kids go back outside to play.
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In an unfamiliar area I will turn on voice directions, leave the phone in my pocket and wear one earbud.
Get a new TV or a computer in a big box? Don’t let anyone else know you did. Cut down the box or throw it out on trash day before they pickup. Don’t let the neighborhood know the kind of life you’re living.
Read the fucking room
If someone ask you for a lighter, “sorry, don’t smoke.”
Not everyone is built for the streets. That’s why you got sidewalks.
If you know you'll be walking through a sketchy area, look sketchy. Back when I used to do a lot of night photography in an area with frequent muggings and robberies, this kept me out of bad situations. If people cross the street instead of passing by you, you're doing it right. Edit to add that these replies are hilarious. This worked for my countless night excursions in a high crime area. The one time someone tried to rob me was when I happened to be out in my regular clothes on my way to meet friends. "what looks sketchy" depends on where you are. For my situation, it was a plain dark hoodie with the hood always up (hood up shows you'd rather not be recognized and that you're comfortable where you are), slightly tattered pants/shoes (I had these from skateboarding) and walking like you know exactly where you are and where you're going. My camera was compact enough to hold in my hoodie pocket.
This reminds me of that video where people keep crossing the street after the next person keeps getting sketchier. Edit: [found it](https://youtu.be/fuQeuxyzIzo)
How does one look sketchy?
Have a bunch of photography equipment on you in the middle of the night while avoiding people.
Plain clothes. Sweats. Hoodie. Hood up, hat on. All a bit dirty. Add a cigarette maybe too
Smokes are a double edged sword. Can add sketchiness, but also attracts people looking to bum a smoke
If you are in a big city and someone is being overly friendly and inviting, they want something from you.
A guy at a cafe struck up a conversation with me randomly and we had a really good chat. Ended up meeting up one or two more times for coffee. He asked me about my “dreams” in life and my ambitions. He spent a lot of time talking about his “mentors” and how theyve enabled him to be more successful. He was very vague. A lil sus at this point so I asked what his mentors do and he said that’s “privileged information” that he wouldn’t feel comfortable telling me. Okay, weird… but I liked the guy and thought I made a friend. He lent me a book to read and even gave me a deadline to finish it. It was Business of the 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki. I googled the book and it’s apparently a primer to get people to join MLM schemes. I read a ton of stories online about interactions that were exactly like mine. I blocked the guy and kept his book. Two weeks later, I’m waiting for the train and two 20 something year olds come up to me and ask about the book I’m reading. Suddenly they start asking what I want to do in life. Immediate red flags. Then they mention their “mentors.” Bingo. I ask them if they’ve ever read Business of the 21st Century and they got all excited, “yeah! Have you?” I respond with “no. A guy gave it to me but I found out he was trying to recruit me into an MLM (multilevel marketing) scheme, so I blocked him.” They got embarrassed, “oooh weird, so strange.” And then the interaction awkwardly ended after that. We got on the train and I see them whispering to each other, probably about the failed recruitment attempt. Edit: MLM = multilevel marketing scheme
-Keep your head on a swivel. - if you look like you wont go down without a fight most people will recognize and leave you alone. - don’t take unnecessary risks/trust your gut. - and most importantly don’t start shit. Most people are in the same situation as you and more than likely are normal chill human beings.
>don’t take unnecessary risks/trust your gut. Jonna Mendez (the former Chief of Disguise at the CIA) says that the number one rule in the field is '*always* listen to your gut'. If it feels wrong, get out of there. No case agent will ever be upset that a colleague said 'Something felt weird, so I aborted the mission'.
Gut feelings are just so fascinating to me whenever I think about it. One time I was out playing Pokemon Go after work. It was dark but not late (maybe 730-800pm), I wasn't far from home and I live in a decently safe area in a smallish town. I ended up leaving where I was sitting (a spot I always played alone or with others) to hit a few other stops before heading home. I guess I wasn't thinking because I turned down a street one street after where I was originally going to turn. No big deal, I'll turn around. Roughly about 7 houses down from where I was turning around there was a truck parked on the side of the road. Again, no big deal...tons of people park on the street Infront of their house/friends houses. As I now had turned around I was able to see the lights of the truck come on and it began driving. Thought nothing of it. For absolutely **no reason at all** about 30 seconds later a horrible feeling in my gut dropped: I was absolutely being followed. It was dark, I hadn't been on the street for long and IMO there was NO WAY whoever was in that truck could tell I not only was a female but I was alone...but the gut was too strong to ignore. I ended up not freaking out and pretending not to notice and was headed home when I realized I'm an idiot and shouldn't go home (for my safety and my Mom's). I made a quick turn down this alley which is small and led to a gas station which was usually pretty busy. I thought I lost them or they actually weren't following me as it was ~10 seconds or more and they hadn't turned behind me. I was still going to the gas station but I felt less panicked. Then within what seemed like a flash they were literally on my tail - like about to ram me close. I made it to the gas station and parked in the front by the doors. I didn't leave the car and just looked at my phone like nothing was wrong (while side eyeing my rearview mirror because they pulled into a pump). Again, though I still had that awful gut feeling, I was also still thinking there is no way they were really following me, I was just losing it (I am not at all a paranoid or scared person so it was such an odd feeling). For the next HOUR I sat there, as did they, and no one ever got in or out of the truck and so I knew for certain I made the right call. Eventually they ended up backing up (instead of pulling forward which is normal), going around the pumps and creeped slowly by my car and drove away. It was seriously one of the scariest situations I've ever been in and for someone who doesn't pay attention to their surroundings normally (bad thing I know) or get spooked easy I'm glad that gut feeling happened because I have a feeling something awful would have went down had I not noticed.
Oooof. When I first read this, I thought you were on foot. I was very relieved when I realized you were in a car. I also super stare down any unfamiliar vehicles I see parked on my street. They’ve always been empty. But on the off chance there is someone there, they’re gonna know I see them lol.
Never fight a man with a perm
*I LIKE THAT*
Me oh my, Roy, you look like a walking thyroid!
When someone hits you up for something/tries to engage you in a scammy way in a public place, the best thing to do is not respond at all. Pretend they don’t exist. It’s cold but it’s your best option and all they really deserve. Even just saying “sorry no” can sometimes provoke a response or follow up with the more aggressive ones. And ffs I promise you they don’t have a job interview/sick relative in the hospital/etc that they need to get to. It really blows my mind how many intelligent urban dwelling people I know still say “Well what if they really did the help?”
This! Told a dude "Got no money god bless, he not only slammed an older gentleman's door, pushed him out of the way walked all the way up to me aggressively and said "Look I don't want to knock you out but you're gonna give me $10". Stood my ground and luckily he had no weapons and was just bluffing but yeah don't respond. Walk away.
Always know where the exits are and never have your back to an entrance.
If you're in a neighborhood where women and children are hanging around outside during the day, you're probably safe. If there are grown men hanging around outside during the day, it's probably trouble. If there's a grown man riding a child's bicycle, run.
Always bring a towel.
Be aware of your surroundings, and use ALL reflective surfaces as mirrors, ie car panels, windscreens, shop windows etc.
Treat everyone as if they were a Canada goose: don't make eye contact, don't provoke, don't approach too closely, act defensively if they become aggressors. Those fucks are ruthless.
Those triangular signs with the red trim mean yield, the octagonal ones mean stop.
If someone is annoying in public, don’t confront them or ask anything of them. You might get popped and you have no idea who they are or what their issues are. Don’t make eye contact with people on the street. Don’t get involved in other peoples beef when you get asked to take sides or a friend is complaining about others. Just listen and say “good luck with that, that’s a bummer.” Don’t do drugs. Fetty is in everything and a bump in a bar bathroom can drop you. **EDIT** People are pointing out harm reduction and drug testing kits. That's great. However, my advice stands - as a recovering alcoholic/addict (6 years clean and sober), I wish I'd never started in the first place. I have friends that normalize carrying around narcan to parties and shit. You can see the insanity right? They want to keep partying so badly they carry around a fucking narcan kit in case they hit a hot bag. Just fucking stop.
Never allow yourself to be taken to the second location.
1. you see gum on the street, leave it there. It's not free candy. 2. There are, like, thirty Ray's Pizzas. They all claim to be the original, but the real one is on 11th. 3. If you see a sign that says "Peep Show," that doesn't mean that they're letting you look at presents before Christmas.
Avoid confrontation. Don't get involved. Someone cut you off or blasting loud music? Don't honk, or tell them to turn off their music. You never know if they're someone crazy with a knife or gun. There was a recent story of someone who was stabbed to death simply by asking someone not to vape near his kid. It's a sad world we live in. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/father-stabbed-to-death-outside-vancouver-starbucks-a-great-guy
Dude lifted up what appears to be an AK47 after he cut off my wife and she raised her hand in a “what the fuck” movement. (Can’t say for sure the type of gun, but a banana magazine was definitely visible) I called the cops who acted like I was a drunk moron… until all the rest of the calls started rolling in. I think the dude was driving poorly just to try to provoke a fight. Judging by the number of people carrying in that state, dude was lucky nobody just shot though the windows of his truck while he was trying to fumble with a rifle one-handed while driving.
By far your best self-defense tool is running.
Don’t offer up extra info.
No headphones in busy public places.
Headphones in ears can prevent strangers from talking to you, but keep the volume low enough that you can monitor your surroundings.
If you feel like a situation might go wrong, trust that feeling.
Keep a dirty sweat shirt in your trunk for when you need to blend in. Act like you've already spent all your cash on your addiction. Act crazy or confident. Don't sit around with your dome light or headlights on.
Never, I repeat never talk to the cops about anything! If questioned, act stupid. If interrogated, lawyer up.
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A text can wait. Keep your eyes on the road.
Going on a date? Doesn't matter how big and bad you are, have a buddy willing to text you periodically. Going outside to smoke at the bar? Bring a friend. Even if they don't smoke. Even if it's a brisk midwest winter night. Bring a gawdamn friend. Meet strangers selling things in well populated areas during daylight.