I think I was "approached"... What do you think?

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Quite a few trainers offer classes that deal with street interactions. For example: SouthNarc, Insights, KRtraining, FAS - just to name a few.

They are well worth taking. Street approaches can be efficiently handled with the learned skills. Works for me.

About washing your windshield.

When I was in college, I needed a good typewriter. They were quite expensive. My uncle, who had some 'suspect' connections in NYC - suggested paying full price was not necessary. Thus, one evening, my dad, uncle and I went to a less than optimal part of the East Side to purchase said typewriter. So we get the typewriter of a loading dock in a dark and evil alley. As we are going to leave - a dirty man in a long overcoat approaches the car and and asks for money. My dad and uncle were known for combative youth adventures and were not panicked. Uncle says - GET out of here ya bum - work for a living (sidebar-cracks my dad up as Uncle had a suspect income stream). The bum reaches into his pocket. Well, did a gat, roscoe or piece appear? Did a fire fight start. NO - it was a mackerel - which the bum wiped over the windshield of Uncle's car. And he fled. Windshield wipers do not remove fish goo!

Dad and I busted a gut laughing. Dad - says - Tough guy - haha.

If the bum was shot (did Uncle have something illegal in NYC - who is to know?) his claim of self-defense would have been fishy.
 
There is another possibility, though a small one, but the fact that he didn't ask for money or threaten you makes it fit somewhat. Around here there are sometimes people doing strange things to guage and record responses as part of a college project. Are most people paranoid, helpful, beligerant, polite, grateful, etc.
 
Sociology 101, term paper: responces to devations from cultural norms.

An older woman in my class went grocery shopping OC and without and compared responces.

This particular example doesn't seem to fit the experiment, unless the location is heavily populated by birds who poop on mirrors. ;)
 
I think your reaction was a proper one. You did not escalate the situation, or cause a scene. He very well could have been wearing that get up just to dump it later so the leo's are looking for a guy in all black and he is wearing breezy short shorts lol. Back on track most criminals try very hard to blend in. Sticking out like that is likely to spook the target. That coupled with the heat and the high cost of long coats like that leads me to believe he is simply a local crazy. Though maybe you know them all already? Could just be a harmless drifter, but when it comes down to it. You were ready if things went south and you did not provoke a confrontation. So no one got hurt and the police did not have to get involved. Sounds best possible ending to me.
 
About 2 months ago would more likely be April. In fact there was a string of days in the upper 80's & lower 90's in VA, but I digress. :rolleyes:

The OP did good. First by locking the doors and second having his pistol at the ready. The prospective perp likely observed the pistol. Probably should have called the calls just to cover one's self in case the guy decided to call 911 himself.
 
I do not think personal fear justifies pulling a weapon, at least not in California.
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Feeling threatened is enough for some bad cops to empty mags into innocent people. But I guess they are not held to the same laws as mere civilians.

OP did not ask if he would have been justified in shooting the bum. He asked if he should have drawn his weapon. I find it hard to believe that the bum would be taking down plates or other info for if he decided to go find a cop to report the guy for brandishing. If I cannot see both of the individuals Hands I will have my gun on my lap. I know if he pulls a gun from a bag I will take longer to pull one from a holster trapped next to my seat belt buckle. If he sees my gun, he may also think twice about scratching my paint with his squeegee.
 
About 2 months ago would more likely be April. In fact there was a string of days in the upper 80's & lower 90's in VA, but I digress.
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Yet somehow, I didn't break out the tanktops till three days ago... funny, that.
 
Is there a reason kahrdriver11 hasn't graced us with his presence since posting his question? I hope he's in good health.

I would only say this. Whenever possible, I park in the least populated part of the parking lot. More room to see who's around and who's doing what. Locking the door, both entering and exiting the vehicle, is reflexive. When the butt hits the seat, the door is locked. Now, having a small child with you is certainly reason to be momentarily distracted. It happens. I live in Northern Virginia (the OP didn't specify), but squeegie guys are pretty much unheard of here. I'd have been on high alert if that guy approached me.

All in all, I'd say kahrdriver11 did fine. As one poster said, everyone went home in good health. God be praised.
 
The hottest day in April was the 10th, 91 in Richmond. Look for yourself.
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I did. That's recorded temp at the official locations. Anyone living in the cities will tell you that temps vary easily by several degrees.

The post wasn't about the temp but about being interviewed & tested. It doesn't matter if it was 90+ degrees or 70+ degrees. Anyone wearing a trench in that temp is not in the norm and their behavior should warrant a second look.
 
"daydreaming to music (code white?), then scanned the lot? Why didn't you scan the lot as you were pulling in and already driving w/ your doors locked? IMHO the only time your car doors should be unlocked is when you are exiting/entering the car. "(quote)


On one of my cars,the doors unlock when I put it in park.
It's something you get used too,and don't think about much.
 
"The post wasn't about the temp but about being interviewed & tested."

Many things are forms of interviews and tests.

The OP was definitely wrong about the season, and probably wrong about the temp. Given that, his tale falls short on the credibility test (imo), and I'm not the least bit inclined to buy the story about Darth Vader/Squeegee Dude.
 
I live in a major Canadian city with a population in the millions.
CCW is strictly prohibited in Canada therefore staying out of condition white is quite important.

By walking around unarmed you are forced to use not only your senses but your social skills and manerisms.
You can project to others your self confidence and ability to defend yourself simply by how you stand, walk, look at your surroundings.
Carrying a gun most times doesn't change that.

My now elderly mother who is 4'10" tall had a way about her whenever she walked. Standing straight, confident, and walking with purpose.
She, although very petite and ladylike looked like someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

I've travelled the United States and even Southeast Asia alone and unarmed
In the nearly 50 years I've been walking this earth I can count on one hand how many times I've felt there was a legitimate threat to my life.
In all of those cases it was not that a violent act was about to be committed directly upon me but upon anyone who would have dared challenge the individual.

All this to say self confidence, posture, and the image you project may do more to prevent you from being a victim than that gun you are carrying may ever do.
At least in most of the USA you can have that gun on you when everything else fails to keep the bad people away.
 
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dayman said:
My own - maybe overly optimistic - opinion is that he was probably just mentally ill and harmless.
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That may be, but counting on the mentally ill to be of a harmless variety is kind of an iffy proposition.
 
Again it must be a American thing if someone approached me when I was in my car I would think he was looking directions or similar. The last thing I would think of is going for a firearm if I was concerned I would drive away.
 
"American thing"? Lets talk about that. Do you want to PM me on this "American thing" you're speaking of? I'm really curious and want to know. Seems like it's laced with a little negativity there.


Everything the OP described was weird. Better safe than sorry. Maybe that's the "American thing" that's kept us free since 1776.
 
He was probably pointing out that we Americans tend to be more fearful of being the victim of violent crime than our counterparts across the pond.

We live in a country where the majority of the population thinks that crime rates are going up, when in reality they've been going down for 50 years. Maybe it's the constant media stream inundating us with images of violence 24/7, or maybe it's something else, but as a society, we do tend to be a bit more jumpy than we need to be.

I'm not saying that we should be unconcerned or unprepared. But, presuming that every weirdo is a highwayman is probably a bit much.
 
"American thing?" I'd say we have a level of fear here that comes, among other things, from watching way too much TV news. We're also (biologically?) programmed to be wary of anyone we perceive as "other."

When I was much younger and living in Boston, I was getting ready to leave the parking lot of a 7-11 when I was approached by a white-haired, frail old woman. I had a wee adrenaline rush and thought about rolling up my window. My next thought was "Darlin', you've been living in the city too long."

She asked me for a ride back to her seniors' apartment building, because she was having heart palpitations.

:o
 
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