Riots

One might guess why I bring this up at this particular point in time. I won't elaborate a whole lot on why there may be riots soon in the US as it might be construed as political.

But, having seen some commentary by very serious people about the potential and the actual threats of riots, it occurred to me that it might well be something to consider. I don't know how likely it is. One never really knows what will set off a riot.

If you live near urban areas with large concentrations of likely rioters, what is your plan in the event of riot?

Several govt agencies are warning of and preparing for massive civil unrest in this country. I use a Threat Condition Checklist to match current events and maintain a certain readiness level, IAW my contingency plans.

The most important item to plan with is Location, Location, and Location. It is best to live and work in quiet places.

I am currently in ThreatCon 4 which is peace in the kingdom but with a rising crime rate in my quiet area in which I live.

The LA riots gave some good lessons.

Situational awareness,ie,dont drive into groups of people. The Koreans that stood on rooftops armed seemed to have protected themselves and property without killing people,so caliber wasnt the deciding factor but apparently armed was a help.

I dont recall them killing people or trials in the aftermath so I guess the suppressive fire was helpful?

Lesson i got was avoid crowds and be prepared to defend your family/property actively.And dont think of it as an excuse to play Rambo and start killing people.

Search the forum for "riot". 200 or so posts.

Nomad

I suspect the next "riots" will be sports induced, either winning or losing the Super Bowl or World Series. It seems to happen on a fairly regular basis.

I was on the periphery of the recent LA riots, but I had defense mechanisms ready, just in case.

This is something I've been thinking about lately as I work in a rough area of town. Building security isn't a concern as much as getting to or from work safely is. I drive 45 miles each way through some even worse neighborHOODS, and it's crossed my mind that I might have to shelter in place at the office until it's safe to go home. I need to work on a bug-in bag to keep at my desk so that I can have some comfort items to help pass the time.

I can't remember ever hearing of a riot in a non-poor neighborhood. They always occur in the poor and rundown areas of large cities. Easy enough for me to avoid. I don't live there. I don't work there. That may sound like a snarky comment, but it's true.

Chances are, if riots ever make it out to the suburbs or nicer areas of the cities, civilization will have totally broken down and you would have the green-light to pull out your firearms and other weapons to protect your family by whatever means is necessary.

We work in hospitals,notorious for being in the center of large cities,often bad areas is the norm.

So for us,awareness is key as we try to travel,leaving involves roads easily obstructed by crowds. I sure dont intend to get blocked in,leave space in front of vehicle to pull around,no qualms driving over curbs OR crowds,they best move,Im sure not going to stop and get pulled out AKA Reginald Denny type scenario. I will keep that vehicle moving,NOT STOP.

Wife says if she does get stopped she will deploy her pepper spray anyone breaks a window.OK,time to get a larger one that sprays a better stream for vehicle. I know a lot here dont believe in pepper spray,WE do.

Thanks for thread,discussing with wife right now,also told her If need be a car blocking her escape,just move it right out of way,good Ole Dodge Diesel,it'll move em I would bet.If it doesnt,pull 4 wheel drive lever .....

(mechanical direct connection,love it! You need it,it WILL work,no vacuum or electrical connections or hub locks,part of reason I bought a 1997,last year of the very mechanical no smog testing Dodge Cummins truck,I coulda bought a newer.)

and do the move em out maneuver again.Should move about anything.Just dont stop moving.

I'll deal with the insurance company later,bummer Farmers,LOL!

Im gonna scope out the escape routes from the roads on way to work TODAY,thank you again,great prep topic.Has uses beyond riot too,shooting,road rage, etc.

I don't want to make a political statement either, but soon after Nov. 1st, I intend to make sure my car's full of gas, bottled water and food. If a riot starts downtown, I'll move out from the riot faster than the rioters move out.

Firing pepper spray from INSIDE a car, where YOU are the person INSIDE, is probably going to do a lot more to YOU than to anybody OUTSIDE the car. Especially if you are trying to fire it through a broken window. The spray would be richocheting off of all kinds of stuff - broken glass, window frames, door panels, etc. - right back at you! And if it was a fog type of spray pattern rather than a stream, you just set off something akin to one of those "bug bomb" sprays that you let loose in your house (and then have to evacuate the house for several hours while it dissapates).

I posted this back in 2007. Perhaps yall can find it useful after modifying it to your own needs and situation:


This is what I've put together as a Threat Condition Checklist. It needs a great deal of work and yes, this is a DRAFT edition.
So take your best shots and we'll all have something that is useful!!!

ThreatCon Checklist
Updated 28May07



5=definite threat possibility with no specific intel.
4=event could occur/start in 3 months - no specific intel.
3=event could occur/start in 1 month – no specific intel
2=event may occur/start in 2 weeks - specific intel (includes “special” dates)
1=event may or is occurring/specific intel or news of an incident


ThreatCon 5: Upon setting ThreatCon 5:
HSD (green) Low
MARSEC 1
DefCon 5
1) Have a “Family Plan” of what to do and where and how to meet in the event of an incident. Insure all family members are thoroughly briefed.
2) Ensure that basic supplies are kept at home for a minimum of 72 hours (3 days) sustenance/maintenance.
3) Know where the other family members are, when not at home.
4)

ThreatCon 4: Upon setting ThreatCon 4:
HSD (blue) Guarded
MARSEC 1
DefCon 4
1) Ensure that basic supplies are kept at home for a minimum of 144 hours (6 days) sustenance/maintenance.
2) Know where the other family members are, when not at home.
3)

ThreatCon 3: Upon setting ThreatCon 3: (This is the NORMAL level in the USA)
HSD (yellow) Elevated
MARSEC 1
DefCon 3
1) Ensure that basic supplies are kept at home for a minimum of 3 months sustenance/maintenance.
2) Know where the other family members are, when not at home.
3) Keep fuel tanks in vehicles above the Half Full mark.
4) Sound out your neighbors about the situation and find out what their “worst scenario” concerns are.
5)

ThreatCon 2: Upon setting ThreatCon 2:
HSD (orange) High
MARSEC 2
DefCon 2
1) Ensure that basic supplies are kept at home for a minimum of 6 – 12 months sustenance/maintenance.
2) Keep Family Members close to home. Know everybody’s whereabouts.
3) Keep fuel tanks in vehicles above the ¾ full level.
4) Top off stored gasoline (stabilized) cans and propane tanks.
5) Insure that proper supplies are on hand for special needs persons and for the pets.
6) Sound out your neighbors about the situation and find out what their “worst scenario” concerns are.
7)

ThreatCon 1: Upon setting ThreatCon 1:
HSD (red) Severe
MARSEC 3
DefCon 1
1) Consume foods in the freezer and refrigerator first.
2) Have all Family Members return or stay at home.
3) Top off vehicle fuel tanks, if it can be safely done.
4) Monitor the news/internet to determine the threat and subsequent events that must be guarded against.
5) Sound out your neighbors about the situation and find out what their “worst scenario” concerns are. Attempt to make agreements for mutual aid and defense.
6)

ThreatCon 1CBR: (Chemical, Biological, Radiological)
1) Execute either the “Shelter-at-Home” plan or the “Bug Out” plan.
2) Get everyone home immediately.
3) When time allows, check with your neighbors, help where you can; physically and informationally.
4) Establish basic property defenses, consult with neighbors to enlist their assistance in setting up their basic defenses.
5) Establish a communications monitoring watch ASAP to gather Intel.
6) Get the Kearney Fallout Meter (KFM) online ASAP and begin monitoring.
7) Establish a communications system with cooperative neighbors.
8)

ThreatCon 1J: (Jihadists)
1) Execute either the “Shelter-at-home” plan or the “Bug Out” plan.
2) Get everyone home immediately.
3) Arm those that are capable and establish a watch of the property perimeter.
4) Establish a communications monitoring watch ASAP to gather Intel.
5) When time allows, check with your neighbors, help where you can; physically and informationally.
6) Establish basic property defenses, consult with neighbors to enlist their assistance in setting up their basic defenses.
7) Establish a communications system with cooperative neighbors.
8)


ThreatCon 1 C: (Civil Disturbances/Unrest)
1) Execute either the “Shelter-at-Home” plan or the “Bug Out” plan.
2) Get everyone home immediately.
3) Arm those that are capable and establish a watch of the property perimeter.
4) Establish a communications monitoring watch ASAP to gather Intel.
5) When time allows, check with your neighbors, help where you can; physically and informationally.
6) Establish basic property defenses, consult with neighbors to enlist their assistance in setting up their basic defenses.
7) Establish a communications system with cooperative neighbors.
8)

Got this spray,and no,it will be deployed when window is gone and they are pulling a Reginald Denny.One per vehicle.About 20 bucks.

I have no fear deploying pepper spray any more than deploying a weapon,Im comfortable I know what Im doing,weve practiced with them.From keychain to LARGE Bear Spray.For BEARS,really,we do go into bear country.

Taser for the Mrs,on the list.Checked some out today.

Further thinking....I think I will velcro a wasp spray in each vehicle,so I wasp spray some idiot perpetrating a felony assault,too bad sucker! The stuff has range and a concentrated spray pattern.We will protect ourselves.Period.

We will NOT be undefended Denny's.They are going to have to WORK to assault us.BTW....BTDT,and got caught flatfooted camping once,never again.Could have turned out deadly,we were LUCKY,nothing else.

Drove the route to work studying all the escape routes from the road,and set up a secondary route for when things are dicey but nothing has happened yet,this route has only one intersection on a main road and can side street all the way out of the town.Gets us out of concentrated population very quickly.

Wildman,excellent situational awareness tree.

6" x 1.5" spray

My guess is that a mob that is breaking your car windows out will be on you before you can spray them with anything effective.

car side windows are not especially strong or break resistant like your windshield is.

If you spray from inside a car, you will almost certainly do more to incapacitate yourself than any attacker.

there are really just three things you can do in a situation like denny found himself in.

1. Rev up the engine and get the hell out while running over as many rioters as is necessary to escape.

2. Shoot as many rioters as is necessary to get a chance to engage option 1.

3. take a serious and potentially fatal beating at the hands of the savages.

one thing that a lot of people do not get is that even option 1 is often unavailable, especially with smaller cars that do not have 4WD it is very hard to run over human sized obstacles.

I've seen those news reports and I live in Washington, D.C. two blocks from a street burned out in riots in the 1960s.

I'm not worried about civil unrest in this country.

I'd be more concerned if the Washington Nationals had won the World Series -- this entire city would have gone bananas.


.

I don't think there will be any political riots, people care more about sports than any election

There could be isolated pockets of rioting and serious vandalism. In which case, the idea would be to avoid the area. Just don't be there. I currently live in a fairly quiet part of suburbia; this is where I'll be hanging out unless I decide a road trip to less inhabited areas is in order.

The London Riots (also other Cities in England) were essentially quite predictable. The spark that lit the touch paper to kick off the riots wasn't predictable at all. The UK government was essentially caught of guard (many were vacationing in the south of France and Caribbean) by the way the riots grew and expanded to other areas through Internet social media communications and even by the normally law abiding people that ended up getting involved in the looting and criminality. But I suspect that the USA is quite a different to England due to the fire arms situation and the risk to life being involved in an actual Riot.

The US Federal Government internal security agencies within the USA has some very effective intelligence gathering networks and its recent ammunition purchases indicate that they are possibly preparing for a very serious potential situation on a scale previously unknown.

For example the electronic Food rationing system (administered by a well known Wall Street Banking Firm), which have almost 1/6 of the countries population dependent in the US could be subject to systemic economic failure. Even if this hand to mouth system was recoverable even after a week or two, this could be too late.

I really wouldn't dismiss this as not being a serious issue requiring at least some preparation planning out of hand.

Ive deployed pepper spray once in a situation. The aggressor suddenly got a LOT less aggressive,without having to spray. Will always be a defensive option for us.I will spray outside my window at someone pulling on me,and spray more if they get me out.

Ive also been hit with back spray,in wind,testing the stuff,its nothing compared to what came out the other end.

There is a reason Law Enforcement has it,and uses it,it has a purpose.

I believe in layered defense and increasing levels of force and legal liability.And its worked.

Remains solidly in my preps.Ive seen what it can do.

YMMV.

If someone broke my car window and was pulling me out, I would definitely consider that a level of force on their part that could be met with lethal force on my part. The law would be on my side too (at least where I live). If their hands were on me, dragging me out, I would respond accordingly to save my life - and it sure as heck wouldn't be with pepper spray or a stun gun at that point. But some people, due to where they choose to live and the government there, do not have viable options like those of us in other states/countries do. So you have to find out what your personal options are and work within that, or move to a place that allows you more effective options.

The best defense, of course, is to avoid getting into the situation in the first place. Stay away from rioting mobs (duh!)

This video gives a very good demonstration of the effectiveness of pepper spray (on non-violent protesters):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdDLhPwpp4

Fortunately for those commuting home on Election Day, the timing of the "final" election results/concession speech will be well after rush hour unless it's an obvious early landslide in favor of Romney. There was an article in the mainstream media recently predicting which 5 cities were likely to see unrest but now I can't seem to find it.

Sioux Falls, SD, or Minneapolis, MN, probably aren't on that list..... Maybe NYC?

Typically, shooting during riots in the USA comes from the police or the troops, not from rioters.



I respectfully disagree with the second half of that statement. Riots in the USA are essentially never dealt with by Federal law enforcement. They are the domain of municipal and county law enforcement, with the escalation path going to the state police, then the afflicted state's governor and from there to the National Guard.

Ammo is cheapest when purchased in bulk. I would not read anything into the recent ammo purchases that have hit the news.



Do you mean welfare (oops, sorry, "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families")? TANF is most certainly not a food rationing system.



It's good to be prepared for at least a few days of self-sufficiency, and riots are a reasonable threat to prepare against if you live in or near a large city. But despite the best-intentioned efforts of administrations current and past, we seem to be able to truck along in one fashion or another.

Yup,funny how that works.

There might be riots if the Vikings ever win a Super Bowl. So in other words, things are pretty safe.

I cant remember any election result riots....anyone?

If the election was over at 7:01 PM and people were milling in crowds for the result....perhaps.

But people are far too apathetic to bother. And getting more apethetic as each day passes.

The media focusing on a relative handful of nut jobs will not a riot make.At least nothing like roving mobs,I COULD see polling place violence as possible but I dont call that a riot.IMO

I agree,its things like court verdicts and sports drunken crowds of morons that make riots here in the US.

Now if we get serious financial collapse,bank seizures,monetary devaluation....you know,Life changing directly affecting your survival....that political stuff,then we might see riots.Eventually. Something along the VN war protests going violent?

Or like whats happening in Spain/Greece and France a while back. Just head down a side street,or into a building,seems to me those involved are choosing to be involved for the most part.

Until then,sports fools have to be #1 IMO.

I want to make a prediction.

If that Florida shooting case results in an acquittal,(right or wrong),there will be a good chance of rioting and smart money says lay low and stay home on verdict day,or when announced get your behind home or off the streets ASAP if possible. I predict crowds will be in abundance awaiting verdict.

You should be able to ascertain what areas to avoid.

Another Rodney King incident is on the radar and is in Florida (Perhaps elsewhere) is my prediction, IMO.

Brought to you by NostraSpudsDAmuos

Here in KC, we have witnessed a couple of the social media induced flash-mobs turned riot in our major shopping/entertainment district. Basically, hundred of teens with nothing better to do descended on the area and started terrorizing the usual patrons and shopkeepers.

The second time this happened someone was actually shot very close to where the mayor was standing. This got a curfew passed pretty rapidly for teens in KC. While not a major riot, it was certainly dangerous for the people that were caught there when it happened.

Social media makes it easy to rally even the apathetic to show up and destroy things.

Greg

Flash mob,good point.

Name them.

It's obvious what you're saying, which is if the white mormon wins over the 1/2 black guy, there will be rioting. Yes, that's political, but let's take it both ways and suggest that if the 1/2 black guy wins over the white mormon there are some rather vocal people, some of whom might have cat scratch fever, who have openly advocated violence. I've heard it all, from both sides, and I'll suggest that as a nation we're not interested in rioting anymore because we don't live in the 1960's anymore.

Consider:

There were no riots when the Supreme Court decided the election back when.
There were no riots when the current president was elected.
There were disturbances - but no rioting - when the "Occupy" movement was happening.
There are tent cities all across the USA - and all they want is to be left alone, they aren't rioting and demanding food and shelter.

The last time there were major, multi-city riots in the United States, it had nothing to do with elections, and everything to do with civil rights in a nation that was nothing like the one we have today. The conflict of the 1960's is really hard to imagine today, because the world then was so much different than the world today.

The big American riots all happened nearly 48 years ago. In 1965, a race riot erupted in the Watts section of Los Angeles, leaving 34 people dead. This was the first of many riots that erupted across the country over the next four years. In 1967, devastating riots also happened in Detroit and in Newark, New Jersey. The following year, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. rioting erupted once again, including in the nation's capital. These were scary times, no doubt.
But even with the violence of the riots, life went on for the overwhelming majority of people, including those in the cities affected.

If you are over the age of 60, no doubt you remember these riots vividly. However, consider the evidence of what actually drives people today to think that the whole nation is unstable.

There are some who are highly motivated to make sure that many people believe that the United States is teetering on the brink of chaotic collapse, because a scared population is an obedient population and an obedient population stays home and watches TV to get ever-more scary content proclaiming how bad things are and will be if the other guy gets elected. Select your own definition of "other guy" - it doesn't matter, the rhetoric of fear is identical.

The reality is that there are billions of dollars at stake - in advertising dollars - for the companies that peddle this tripe. If you stop playing along, a few very wealthy people are going to see their fortunes decline. YOU can change this.

Try this. For 1 month, abandon TV and Newspapers and get your news only from direct sources. By direct I mean go to a town council meeting. Watch C-Span. Read actual bills on the senate floor. Read the day's agendas of your state government. Go talk to people who oppose your political views. Listen to them. Do this for a month and see if there's still a realistic threat of riots.

I must say that I have been thinking about this and am concerned about it. Irresponsible people have created an expectation of a verdict that may never come. Fortunately, the instigators have become less vocal as exculpatory evidence favorable to Zimmerman has come to light. However, I suspect that I and the rest of my family will stay at home the day the verdict is announced.

Riots are very low risk for most people, especially compared to blackouts, tornados, hurricanes, winter storms, home invasion, medical emergencies, etc. Sure, this depends on your location and contemporary events, but I daresay you'll do well to make sure you don't neglect preparing for other more likely situations. Besides, if you're prepared for those, you're halfway to being prepared for a riot.

In my location, I'd reckon that a nuclear disaster is more likely than a riot. So I don't bother with specialized preparation for riots at all.

I think we're talking about it either because we've talked out the other more probably scenarios, or because we're scared irrationally.

Agreed,low risk.

Nope,not irrational.It can play into other related scenarios.

Doesnt hurt at all to put it into your brain,could be beneficial and you are miles ahead if youve already thought out your actions.

No downside,possible upside,sounds good to me.

The Army, USMC, all state's National Guards, all local, county, & state police forces ( DHS funding is providing funds for training and equipment), FBI & ATF (providing training to Law Eforcement agencies).

An interesting plan in the making.
I presume that each threat level would need some preps for your Bug Out location, as well as your primary home location; including conferring with your Bug Out neighbours ?

Everybody's situation is different. Anyone who wants to, is welcome to make use of this checklist and to tailor it to their situation and needs as their life allows and/or dictates.

This subject has been raised by a large number of emails and is being discussed in various online forums.

My thoughts on the matter:

http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=574

I live in London and was near the riot hit areas, which was very alarming, though I suffered no actual harm.

Despite frequent monitoring of the news, I was caught unaware one evening by the rapidly worsening situation.
I had observed rioting the night before and felt it prudent to take a taxi home rather than public transport.

I then decided to visit a restaurant near my work place and to take a taxi home from the restaurant.
Whilst I was dining the situation near my home rapidly worsened with large scale looting and arson.
No reputable taxi firm was willing to take me anywhere near home, and public transport has been closed to protect staff.

In the end I bribed a taxi driver with £100 to take me home (normal fare £12) at one point the road was closed by rioters, several of whom the cab driver ran over.

In retrospect I should have gone straight home, or stayed at work.

Nicely written.

And, yes, various online forums are discussing it. Everything from "it won't happen," to the gun-happy "I'm gonna have me a case of beer and my shotgun" responses. Like many things, I think it won't live up to it's hype. The US is too big, and diverse (geographically, racially, politically, economically, pick one) to have a 3000x1500 mile riot happen.

My expectation is that any riots will be small-scale and put down abruptly.

Maybe the self-defense and weapons laws in the UK aren't as bad as I thought they were, if this is an OK thing to do!

I dont think that TPTB would regard it as an OK thing to do, and I was worried about the consequences, though nothing happened.
I dont think that the running over was fatal.

LOL . Back in another time there was a protest march/riot in what was then West Berlin. As the story goes, an Army Captain was out driving with his wife and got caught up in the crowd. Fearing for the safety of his family, he ended up rolling over at least one rioter. Mercedes sedans are good cars.

The German polizei investigated and as it turns out the rioter was not in a crosswalk. The Army Captain got a pass... or so the story goes. I wasn't there, heard it third hand from a different Army Captain.

Yeah,I agree,a political results riot in USA....this is the wildest dream of a small amt of racists,not going to happen.

But I do like the comment about flash mobs,thats a new phenom,will be intersting how that plays out going forward with political events.Hasnt that happened already with the Arab Spring situation,and maybe others,anybody know of these events?

That tech really could be a game changer......going to be interesting to watch it unfold going forward past this election.

I seem to remember that out of the 5 people that were killed during the rioting 3 of them were run over with motor vehicles. This was in Birmingham and the perpetrators are now serving/facing life sentences. Apparently these criminals were racists who set out to run over other folks who were protecting their businesses from the mayhem.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/10/birmingham-riots-three-killed-crash

No, this is where your political rant is deleted and you are suspended for 48 hours as a reminder of the rules.

Y'all do realize that this is is on Snopes?


Of course the banks and post office will shut down shortly after the elections, and there will be military in the streets. If you doubt me, bet me. I can use the money. Or your charity can, see below.

















Nov 11 is Veteran's Day, a Federal holiday in the US. Banks, the post office, all government offices are closed. Veterans and the military will be in the streets, marching in parades. If you doubted me, pls donate a dollar to the charity of your choice.

Good one JB!