Situational awareness and taking basic precautions

[Cypher]

That may not be the right title but it's as close as I could get.

Recently I've noticed several posts on my Facebeast feed about people being stalked by gangs of Russian sex traffickers in Walmart and narrowly escaping being sold into slavery. I also notice that the people in the stories never feel concerned enough to call the police or cut their shopping trip short but that's another topic.

Even though these stories are (probably) all fake they illustrate a truth that a lot of people seem to refuse to acknowledge, we live in a very dangerous world.


Even on Gun forums (where I Ass-U- Me people give at least some thought to self defense or situational awareness) I read stories of people doing things that are (IMO) phenomenally stupid. I actually read a post several months back in which the poster makes a trip to Walmart at 2AM to get Moon Pies for his kid's lunch. The poster also lets his wife out of the car some distance from the store because she wants "to get her steps in." To me this is so over the top stupid I actually thought the guy was trolling.


There's a connection that I want to make but I'm not sure how to. I have worked as a security guard mostly third shift for ten years. One of the first things that I noticed is that street people move through this town all night long. It's almost like an episode of the Walking Dead. I would see a homeless person on the south end of town one night and riding his bike through the suburbs on the north east side the next. These people don't just stay in the "bad neighborhoods". Recently a security guard was murdered in Denver when he tried to remove a trespasser from the Denver Center for the Preforming Arts. I've been attacked. Those experiences form my world view. I'm a lot more cautious and I'm especially cautious around people I don't know. I'm very picky about who I let approach me at work.


There are people in my life that I care about that that refuse to believe me when I tell them that these same violent criminals cross their paths every day. It's not even so much that I'm even trying to get them to carry a gun as it is that I want them to exercise some caution around people they don't know and pay attention to their surroundings.

[Joe in PNG]

Sadly, too many people are too engrossed in the world of a screen to note what's happening around them. Others have the superstitious belief that thinking about bad things will cause bad things to happen. Plus, thinking that one isn't perfectly safe is kind of scary!

And to be honest, pure dumb luck does protect a good majority of people from harm- most people follow the "avoid stupid places/things/people/times" rule in complete ignorance, and trouble is often avoided. Right up to the point that it isn't, and then they're in serious trouble.

[HCountyGuy]

The hard truth is there are people who flat out emphatically refuse to acknowledge the evil in the world. You can preach to them til your last breath, provide all sorts of indisputable evidence and at the end of it all they’ll just shrug it off. Some think “it’ll never happen to me” and others think “well if it’s my time then it’s my time”. Some remain stubborn even after being victimized. One of my wife’s grandfathers has been robbed three seperare times and still walks around with his rose-colored glasses on.

[blues]

Give them a copy of "Why They Kill".

If they bother to read it, or part of it, it might open their eyes.

There's only so much one can do to help people.

[Redhat]

A funny side to this issue...anyone who is more aware than me is paranoid and anyone less aware is a sitting duck.

I do have a problem with people having their face stuck to their phone, especially when they walk right out in front of traffic in a parking lot or cross walk.

[Clusterfrack]

Yesterday while on an urban bike ride with my wife:
Me: “Did you see that homeless guy run behind that bush?”
Her: “Yeah, why?”
Me: “Did you notice the spear he was carrying?”
Her: “NO!!! Really? How did you see that so fast?”
Me: “Just staying aware of our surroundings.”

We are seeing a lot more and various weapons carried by the homeless here. I’ve seen lots of big knives of course, but also machetes, spears, arrows, a mace, various chain weapons, and a bunch of sticks and staves.

[peterb]

The Bangor, ME PD responding to a Facebook epidemic of Russian sex traffickers in supermarkets:


Bangor Maine Police Department
August 17 at 10:24 AM ·
**Friendly update- Since we had become aware of one such post indicating nefarious activity in our small and safe city, our Criminal Investigation Division employees sought out one of the posters to inquire about when and where the conduct occurred. Possibly to secure video tape of what was described as "possible sex traffickers." We are pro-active, not just sarcastic on Facebook.
You will be happy to know that we found the activity had been arguably "overstated" for the purposes of bringing attention to what the person believes "could happen."
Come to find out, the story was slightly dramatized (I am being kind here). If you are determined to put a community into an uproar, we will look into it, not only for your safety, but for others.
It is safe to say that the post we found was somewhat inaccurate. Continue to feel safe in the city.
TC BPD**
Too many messages, that I cannot answer on my vacation, leads me to walking away from a very inquisitive school of White Perch to post this message-
There have been a plethora of postings regarding suspicious individuals approaching shoppers at large retail facilities in and around the state of Maine.
If you have concerns about a crime occurring in your presence, please REPORT IT TO A POLICE DEPARTMENT. How hard can this be?
Mark Zuckerberg is not going to investigate suspicious incidents. He is far too busy.
Your friends will share your post, and then other concerned citizens become too frightened to go buy Tide and paper towels at their favorite shopping facility.
Now, I am not telling you to ignore people who follow you, talk to you in an inappropriate way, or make you feel uncomfortable. REPORT IT TO THE POLICE.
You will see this as a theme as we continue to investigate what the heck is going on around here.
I am merely telling you that nothing will be fixed by warning the world about a suspicious man asking you where you found the Fritos, or if you like lavender soap as opposed to the peach, or that god-awful vanilla which is everywhere.
A question about corn chips might seem more sinister when you have read 589 posts about someone who felt uncomfortable with how they were spoken to, treated, watched, or bumped into while they were shopping.
Shopping is still a very safe activity in Maine. It is also very important in regard to nourishing ourselves, getting oil for service of the Ford pick-up, or picking up a three burner gas grill for a darn good end-of-season price.
Some posts which I have been sent do not even mention any type of criminal conduct, but the level of concern of those involved has been piqued by all the other postings regarding suspicious sex-trafficking, alleged abductions, and men speaking a language that you cannot understand.
If you have an issue, anywhere, which makes you feel unsafe for whatever reason, PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE POLICE.
Do you smell what I am cooking? CALL THE POLICE when you have concerns.
At least then we could speak to the person who has made you feel uncomfortable, possibly review security video of the alleged activity, maybe even find out that there was nothing nefarious going on so when you do go home you can just post selfies and cat photos.
Be suspect of posts on social media which not only stretch the specific truths about an interaction, but sometimes leap to the far side of the shark pen to include that the persons involved were sex traffickers from ______(big city name here).
IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT INTERACTIONS WHICH SEEM CRIMINALLY BASED....CALL THE POLICE.
Issues seem far bigger when we repeatedly hear that the issues are far bigger.
In the City of Bangor, we have had ZERO reports of suspected criminal behavior in regard to interactions between shoppers at area retail facilities.
CALL US IF YOU NEED US, Facebook is great, but the Zuck doesn't really care.
Keep your hands to yourself, leave other people's things alone, and be kind to one another.
We will be here.
We love Fritos.
TC BPD

[Cypher]

Yesterday while on an urban bike ride with my wife:
Me: “Did you see that homeless guy run behind that bush?”
Her: “Yeah, why?”
Me: “Did you notice the spear he was carrying?”
Her: “NO!!! Really? How did you see that so fast?”
Me: “Just staying aware of our surroundings.”

We are seeing a lot more and various weapons carried by the homeless here. I’ve seen lots of big knives of course, but also machetes, spears, arrows, a mace, various chain weapons, and a bunch of sticks and staves.

There's a guy where I work that rides around on his bike all night long with a sword strapped to his back.

I have yet to meet a homeless person in Colorado Springs who isn't armed with something. Lately they've caught a couple of them with guns that they've stolen out of cars.

I only approach homeless people at work when my job requires it. I have a coworker who buys food and cigarettes for the homeless people (who we're supposed to be kicking off property) that hang out around where I work. Which makes every else's life harder because "Well Chuck said we could stay." Which leaves me with I don't care what Chuck said you need to leave or I'm calling the cops.

[Redhat]

There's a guy where I work that rides around on his bike all night long with a sword strapped to his back.

I have yet to meet a homeless person in Colorado Springs who isn't armed with something. Lately they've caught a couple of them with guns that they've stolen out of cars.

I only approach homeless people at work when my job requires it. I have a coworker who buys food and cigarettes for the homeless people (who we're supposed to be kicking off property) that hang out around where I work. Which makes every else's life harder because "Well Chuck said we could stay." Which leaves me with I don't care what Chuck said you need to leave or I'm calling the cops.

Maybe "Chuck" needs to find a new line of work? Or he's getting intel from them...

[Cypher]

Maybe "Chuck" needs to find a new line of work? Or he's getting intel from them...

Above my pay grade. "Chuck" really is his name BTW.