Riots broke out last night across America in a number of metropolitan areas after the in-custody death of George Floyd.
The spontaneous outbreak of demonstrations and violence is something we have no control over. Yet, we need to be aware of and how to react to these types of situations to keep our family safe.
We've highlighted in other posts here the mounting social pressures which can lead to outbreaks and riots like this. And the big post we did on the self-defense lessons of the L.A. riots are extremely relevant today and remind us of these things we need to keep in mind:
Accept. Realize and accept that crime and violence can overtake you without any culpability on your part. You cannot be prepared to defend yourself if you are in a state of denial. Accept that bad things can, in fact, happen to you even when you are doing nothing wrong. Accept your own responsibility for your safety. Accept that the police are probably not in the position to save you. Accept that you will have to act.
Avoid. This should be obvious. Stay away from crowds. Stay informed through the local news and your social media feeds.
Observe.Scan your environment to look for people who are out of place or acting unnaturally. Being a good observer is also connected to the 'accept' advice in point #1. You can miss a lot of information if you are living in a state of denial. There is more information here on the sorts of pre-indicators of violence you should be looking for in the L.A. riots post.
Evade. Leave at the first sign of trouble or go out of your way to avoid the reported disturbances. Don't let your habits of convenience or denial put you a bad situation.
Escape. But what if you are trying to evade and you still get trapped or surrounded by violence? You have to respond definitively and escape!
There are more details and helpful information on all five of these points at the Self-Defense Lessons from the L.A. Riots post.
Unfortunately, in the U.S. and parts of Europe, we are heading for continued social unrest, social violence, and political violence as we transition through some historic financial, economic, social, and geo-political changes.
Your personal protection plans and skills will be tested during these turbulent times. Get educated, get fit, get skilled. Train like your life depends on it.
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