Underpants Man

I want you to all watch the video and read the story before we go on. There are many teachable moments in this interesting article.

http://www.news9.com/story/19105268/okc-dollar-general-manager-beats-serial-burglar-with-baseball-bat

First thing that I noticed: Bizarre
What did the robber wear? Underpants on his head. I have HEARD of police officers stopping people for wearing or carrying very strange objects. What comes to mind, is a guy who was dressed like a zombie walking around downtown with a back pack on. The back pack had a Loony Toons style alarm clock strapped to it with a ton of wires going in and out of the bag. The police APPARENTLY stopped him. Sure, it was more than likely some kind of prank, but when someone does something like strap a Loony Toons style bomb to his back, you deserve a bit of extra attention.

The point is, when you see something strange, just bizarre, be on guard. If it's a man with underpants on his face, a zombie kid with a bomb on his back, or perhaps a guy in a movie theater dressed as the joker... you should watch out. Let your instincts take over and decide if you should beat feet or not. Try to really assess the situation and decide what the best course of action is.

2nd: Small Crimes should get your attention.
In this case, it sounds like the robber "smashed in the front door" before going in. It sounds like it was normal business hours, so why would he do that? I think it's either intimidation or just mental deficiency. Either way, a small crime like smashing in a sheet of glass, should fire you up. Time to cut the fence shit and go right into "This world is about to get ugly". Criminals are not known for subtlety. Almost always, they are loud, dressed like shit, or just plain old nasty. Don't let your wonderful fore brain get silenced by those keen animal instincts that you have!

3rd: The "security expert" and I agree: You need a plan.
I'm not sure if this guy is a badass or not, but the security guy and I agree: You need some kind of strategy! The question is, how do you formulate one? First, you need to have your tools available for the situation. You must be physically fit (and carry the proper weapons) to carry out whatever plan you are coming up with. Second, you need to have a core of DRILLED skills that you can preform under pressure. You will be shaking, and scared shitless... even if your a badass. So you need your body to preform on it's own. Thirdly (and most important?) You need to prepare your mind. When you formulate a plan, you must work it over constantly in your head. What will I do if X,Y, or Z happen? How will I react? When your sitting in Perkins, just imagine a gunman robbing the joint. Imagine if the dolt in the both next to you hits his wife, what then? Ignore it? Call the cops? Say something? Imagine if the place has a fire! Imagine if the gal at the table over there chokes! To be prepared, you must think prepared! Practice this stuff everywhere!


4th: "At least 5 times to the head with a baseball bat" might not be enough.
Based off the mug shot, the robber doesn't appear to be some kind of physical freak. He looks like your average scumbag who just got beat with a baseball bat. He looks out of shape, and older. But that didn't stop him from taking 5+ hits from a baseball bat and getting up only moments later. Sure, we are probably talking about someone who has had some chemicals in their head, or perhaps some kind of mental affliction, but THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WE EXPECT. Very seldom do we have a clean thinking, normal person commit a crime. They will have chemicals on board, or serious mental health issues. They probably have much more street fighting experience than you. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Mr. Coates has probably seen the business end of a baseball bat before. This is just an average Thursday to him. So don't think that just because you landed an awesome punch that the game is over. IT'S OVER WHEN THE THREAT IS ELIMINATED. This means you must escape, or shut down the threat. Know the law in your area before you go out trying to defend yourself too. It's expensive as hell to go to jail for 1st degree assault!

5th: This is the south. It doesn't sound like the victim here was arrested.
I'm not 100% sure that he would have remained out of jail in other states. Furthermore, the victim is going to get sued. If not him personally, the dollar general better lawyer up. Up here, Mr. Coates would have a nice man with a J.D. meet him at the hospital and explain to him that the guy with the bat just made him a millionaire. I can assure you that Mr. Coates will make more off the law suit than he ever would stealing DVD's from the Dollar General. My point here is that protecting yourself isn't a virtue to all people in our society. This is why you must be proficient, articulate, and knowledgeable before you go out and do something as "outrageous" as protect yourself.

In a Flash

The physical aspects of our training focus on the hyper-violent.  Often included in our sessions are discussions on the mental aspects, such as making assessments and quick decisions to get yourself out of bad situations as soon as possible.  We have discussed many a 'what if' scenario.  Things like: you are alone and approached in hallway, bus stop, bathroom, or dark alley.  What if you alone or with your family, or a knife or other weapon enter the picture.  A bar fight is a situation we talk about a fair amount too.  Perhaps the last post even has you wondering about dealing with a naked zombie attack.

I'd like to throw into the mix another modern phenomenon: the flash mob.  Here is an example:
http://www.wokv.com/news/news/local/flash-mob-overruns-northwest-jax-walmart/nPwh8/

A quick search on YouTube turns up many results.  Sometimes, flash mobs are merely kids and young people showing up to a place dressed alike, or just to hang out for a few minutes.  Sometimes these mobs are benign, and other times not.  Sometimes, significant damage and violence ensues.

Although you may hear about these mobs on the news from time to time, there are many cases of flash mobs showing up and misbehaving.  Here is an interesting website to check out:
http://violentflashmobs.com/

Take note of the locations, a number of them are here in Minneapolis.  You might think that since you don't hang out in Walmart much that you are probably not likely to be caught in a flash mob.  Notice that grocery stores, Walgreens, restaurants, parks, and convenience stores are all common targets.  It is becoming well understood by young people who want free stuff that all they need to do is get a large group together and it is Take Whatever You Can Get Your Hands On Day.  Today it might be Walmarts and convenience stores, but it doesn't take much of a genius to figure out that Best Buy might be a good place to go too.

So take a minute to use your imagination and play 'what if'.  You are in a gas station, convenience store, Walgreens, or some such and a large group of young people suddenly come flooding in.  They are all overflowing with crowd excitement and you can tell this isn't a church outing.  What do you do?  It isn't necessarily time to start throwing elbows and playing your own game of bonkey-konk, but your self-protection nerve starts screaming at you that you are not in a safe place and things could head South in a nanosecond.

Let's say you are in a scenario which looks like the video above.  Are you going to the be the suburbanite scurrying for the door when a group of fun-time seekers say 'Hey whitey, where you goin'?  Let's have us some fun."  Take a look and notice the thrill these kids show (it is a common theme in the vids).  They seem to have the same kind of thrill high brought on with criminal attacks.  They are pumped up and riding adrenaline.  This means they are more aggressive and combative than normal, and have the confidence of being in a large group.  That is why they got together in the first place: the protections of the crowd.  Even if a security camera does get them on video, will the cops really investigate to find any individual?  No, and these kids know it.

At the risk of sounding racist, just take a look at a dozen or so flash mob videos on YouTube.  Do you think for a second you wouldn't stand out like a turd in a punch bowl in one of those flash mobs?  And not even due to race either.  These flash mobs are usually young people who are no strangers to the street.  Regardless of color, their look is drastically different from yours and you stand out.

I believe it is safe to reason that there are many who, in our failing economy, will not hesitate to use this new and easy method for getting what they need.  What if you are in the way of their frenzy?  How would you handle it?

Naked Zombie Ninja Vs. Cops

So, this post is going to be about gardening and math.

Just kidding...

It's about Naked Zombie Ninjas! Or... NZN's as they are called on the street.

Let's cut to the chase...

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/zombie-attack-indianapolis-video-david-martin-fights-off-cops-stun-gun-shocks-in-ninja-attack

Here is an objective analysis on why the NJN won against a more well equipped, and higher number of opponents.

1. The NJN was better at getting up
2. The NJN didn't rely on devices or bullshit to win.
3. The NJN (probably due to the drugs in his system) was in better shape
4. The NJN played to win.
5. The Cops didn't know the fundamental rule of Jailhouse fighting: Keep the guy down, and under a toilet if possible.
6. Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face.
7. When taken down, make sure to land ON TOP of the other guy.
8. A well placed fist is a greater weapon than a taser
9. The slight KO from a fist or a fall will get your ass away from the fight

I can't say enough awesome stuff about this fight. Naked Ninja Zombie. Wow.