kilimanjaro
New member
If you don't go where criminals and drug users hang out, and avoid their company at all times, you will generally never see an act of violence in your presence.
Trouble spots or "places to avoid"
- Thread starter lockedcj7
- Start date
Some interesting replies.
Maybe I should have prefaced my original question. I'm always in condition "yellow" and have walked out of many places because there was somebody there who was acting funny, belligerent or just seemed a little off.
I also agree that there are no "safe" places since there are evil, crazy, dangerous people everywhere. That said, I fully intend to live my life and enjoy it as I see fit.
Maybe I should have prefaced my original question. I'm always in condition "yellow" and have walked out of many places because there was somebody there who was acting funny, belligerent or just seemed a little off.
I also agree that there are no "safe" places since there are evil, crazy, dangerous people everywhere. That said, I fully intend to live my life and enjoy it as I see fit.
Yeah, I really want to second ClydeFrog's comment. When I moved to Atlanta, I would see some graffiti or tags around and immediately think 'oh oh, this is a bad area'. Having lived here for a while however, I also see that quite a few of these neighborhoods that I thought looked bad, are actually very well functioning neighborhoods. What I mean is folks are keeping an eye out for each other and their houses, generally know what is going on, etc.
My rules of thumb are to avoid some of the obvious such as ATMs late at night, don't be walking around at 2 or 3am, but otherwise, not to worry too much about it. Life is always risky and if you are too conservative about where you are willing to go, then you miss out on some great restaurants, good music, etc.
That said, one piece of advice that I think is good is that while you can't avoid them, that you do want to be particularly aware of your surroundings when you're in a transitional area where people pass through but usually don't stay. E.g., parking lots, cut throughs, etc. Those are places where a large proportion of robberies take place.
My rules of thumb are to avoid some of the obvious such as ATMs late at night, don't be walking around at 2 or 3am, but otherwise, not to worry too much about it. Life is always risky and if you are too conservative about where you are willing to go, then you miss out on some great restaurants, good music, etc.
That said, one piece of advice that I think is good is that while you can't avoid them, that you do want to be particularly aware of your surroundings when you're in a transitional area where people pass through but usually don't stay. E.g., parking lots, cut throughs, etc. Those are places where a large proportion of robberies take place.
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"bad spots", reaction...
I disagree to a point about the bad areas or spots with trouble.
In the mid summer of 2011, I ran into a closed US Post Office on a Sun afternoon to mail a few postcards out. In the post office on the floor was a vagrant who asked me for $. This took me by surprise & the USPS office was in a "upper-middle class" suburb. Not a ghetto or "bad area".
The big issue with armed citizens & concealed carry(not sworn LE or armed professionals who know they going to around criminals) is that you must react rather than act in a critical uncident.
That's why it's so important to be well prepared & to be alert.
Clyde
I disagree to a point about the bad areas or spots with trouble.
In the mid summer of 2011, I ran into a closed US Post Office on a Sun afternoon to mail a few postcards out. In the post office on the floor was a vagrant who asked me for $. This took me by surprise & the USPS office was in a "upper-middle class" suburb. Not a ghetto or "bad area".
The big issue with armed citizens & concealed carry(not sworn LE or armed professionals who know they going to around criminals) is that you must react rather than act in a critical uncident.
That's why it's so important to be well prepared & to be alert.
Clyde
BigD_in_FL
Moderator
Avoid everywhere outside your home.
Barricade yourself in the reinforced basement bunker, have Domino's deliver your meals and live your life in total fear.......
OR, live your life, use some common sense, and unless you live in DC, Chicago, or Detroit, you should be fine......
Barricade yourself in the reinforced basement bunker, have Domino's deliver your meals and live your life in total fear.......
OR, live your life, use some common sense, and unless you live in DC, Chicago, or Detroit, you should be fine......
Evaluate the area you're going into (obviously) for potential "bad guy" types. But also evaluate for potential "target" types. If someone is just so distracted or distract-ing that they're asking to get their purse (or someone else's purse) snatched or whatever, it's a red flag for me. That being considered, Wally World parking lots late Sunday mornings are a strong avoid spot for me. "Do gooders" handing out money to beggars are often VERY lax in their purse/wallet discipline.
ANY TIME a car pulls up and asks "What time is it?" you're going to get robbed. Look them squarely in the eye and say "I don't know", then seek safety/cover etc.
Convenience stores where I can't see the clerks.
Sgt Lumpy - n0eq
ANY TIME a car pulls up and asks "What time is it?" you're going to get robbed. Look them squarely in the eye and say "I don't know", then seek safety/cover etc.
Convenience stores where I can't see the clerks.
Sgt Lumpy - n0eq
True story; "trick rolled"....
About 2 years ago, my good friend visited my city & rented a nice, new model Volvo sedan. We were in a Walmart parking lot in a business district(not a bad area or ghetto). A attractive young woman around 20-25 years old came up & asked us for a ride to a local mall(approx 2/3 miles away). She had some sad sack story about a broken car or needing to find her friends at the mall nearby.
We quickly told the woman; sorry, no can do, & shook out.
We debated if we took the right course of action or if the woman was honest.
About a year after that event, I saw a TV news item of a young guy in a new car who was car-jacked & murdered by a thug. The guy picked up a young girl who he didn't know. She asked the guy to take her "boyfriend" too. The pair then killed the hapless vehicle owner & stole his new car.
Cops & security guards call this being; "trick-rolled". People let their guard down, then BAM!
It happens often.
Clyde
About 2 years ago, my good friend visited my city & rented a nice, new model Volvo sedan. We were in a Walmart parking lot in a business district(not a bad area or ghetto). A attractive young woman around 20-25 years old came up & asked us for a ride to a local mall(approx 2/3 miles away). She had some sad sack story about a broken car or needing to find her friends at the mall nearby.
We quickly told the woman; sorry, no can do, & shook out.
We debated if we took the right course of action or if the woman was honest.
About a year after that event, I saw a TV news item of a young guy in a new car who was car-jacked & murdered by a thug. The guy picked up a young girl who he didn't know. She asked the guy to take her "boyfriend" too. The pair then killed the hapless vehicle owner & stole his new car.
Cops & security guards call this being; "trick-rolled". People let their guard down, then BAM!
It happens often.
Clyde