Home Forums Krav Maga Worldwide Forums General KM Related Topics Are there gangs in your neighborhood?

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 31 total)
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  • #28255
    guerriere
    Member

    My apartment complex *used* to be nice, then someone got mugged in the parking lot, and someone got raped in the classic \”wooded area\” across the street, and now gang graffiti has started showing up, and just the other day someone left a scarecrow near some new graffiti, which apparently means that someone in the building next to mine or in my building is marked for death. A few months ago, just up the hill, a gang member had his hands chopped off with a machete by rival gang members. I’m kind of hoping it’s the same people, because I’ve never heard of anyone being killed by a stray machete. Still… *shudders*

    Does anyone have any advice? (other than to break my lease and get out!) I’ve started practicing sprinting from the parking lot to my front door but with exercise-induced asthma I have a hard time covering the distance – it’s about 1/2 a city block – before having breathing trouble.

    p.s. my elderly dog is on diuretics so I’m often outside with her in the wee-wee hours (heh – sorry about the pun, I couldn’t help it)

    #34925
    dv8njoe
    Member

    re:

    Take a knife when you walk or register for a concealed weapons permit. Srry about your neighborhood. LB is bad but I’ve never heard of a scarecrow being a death threat. Weird.

    #34929
    jjbklb
    Member

    Hi Guerriere
    I’m glad that your posting,but sorry to hear of your housing problem.
    If you are walking down the street & see some potential trouble-makers ahead;you would go a different way rather then take on needless risk.

    In the same vein,if I was in the same situation ,I would try to get out.Move to a less dangerous section of town,even if it means you have a little further to go to work.

    Best of luck.

    #34936
    emil
    Member

    I agree with above. If you don’t feel safe with your current housing, find a way to get out of the lease or leave as soon as you’re able to.

    #34948
    guerriere
    Member

    Moving is easier said than done. I’d pay over $1000 for breaking my lease, plus over $1000 for a deposit on the next place, plus the cost of moving itself. And since I have a dog, my choices for my next place would be rather limited and possibly not any safer anyway. If things continue to deteriorate, I’ll definitely move when my lease is up in August tho.

    I don’t think I could use a knife effectively. I’d be more afraid of having it taken away from me, or of cutting myself accidentally, and my arms aren’t all that long. Yesterday I accidentally bonked myself in the nose in class! 😳

    One thing I’ve just thought of is to move my bookcases to the outside walls, so if a stray bullet comes through the wall it would have another layer to penetrate before getting into the apartment. All my windows have some protection because of the balcony being near them. And I have my complex’s security guard’s pager number on my cell phone beginning with * so it’s first in the alphabet.

    #34952
    rosie
    Member

    Another thing you can do is get and carry a personal alarm. When you are going from your car to your home, have it in your hand. It emits a very loud alarm (when you test it, don’t hold it close to your head) and all you have to do to trigger it is pull a cord.

    #34975
    guerriere
    Member

    Excellent idea! My compex is in a valley and sounds travel like you wouldn’t believe!

    #34981
    mordechai
    Member

    When you can move, you should move out of the United Socialist Republic of the District of Columbia and get yourself a carry pistol and a shotgun for your house. My heart goes out to ya. Living in a city that has taken away your Second Ammendment rights must suck. Now you live in constant fear of gang violence because the idiot city council wants the only people to own firearms to be the big government (can you say 1930s Germany) and criminals. I have read recently that Congress is trying to repeal those laws, but your city council is crying about gun violence. Move. Dont support your corrupt city government any more. Vote with your feet man.

    Pax urbana

    #34992
    angryangel
    Member

    Hi Guerriere, sorry to hear about your situation.

    If your really stuck there and it is not realistic to move, here are some other things you may want to think about.

    Have a think about a realistic threat assessment. I think the likely hood of a bullet through the window would be low, say compared to some other threats.

    The security of your apartment. A DIY alarm can be picked up pretty cheap. It is movable too so you can take it with you when you leave. It consists of a keypad, movement sensor and up to two very loud alarms. If any wires are cut the alarm goes off. Good idea if you can place it somewhere between any main entrances your apartment has (front door, balcony) and your bedroom (depending on the layout). In Aust we can get them from Dick Smith, but Tandys or something similar should have them over there.

    Having a practiced plan if someone tries to break into your apartment – is there a lockable room you can retreat to a set up a defensive \”line in the sand\” and contact police?

    How far away are the police typically? How long would you have to \”hold the fort\”? All things to consider.

    Have you thought about where furniture is placed? In the dark it can help you because you know it is there, and can get in the way of anyone who is unfamiliar with the layout.

    Is there a deadbolt/ deadlock? Keep a spare set of keys closeby so you can get out if need be. Attached to a flashlight would help to, a microlight to work the key and lock in the dark.

    A friend of mine was in a situation where some punks who had a set of keys to a apartment progressively went through the entire block and cleaned out those the keys opened. Unfortunately developers can take short cuts that result in things like this happening.

    Are there any good neighbours you could depend on if in trouble? Others who walk the same path as you about the same time? There is greater safety in numbers.

    Are there well-lighted paths you can use – take note of these – and be wary if for some reason these lights are not on one night on your way home. Look for warning signs. If something does not feel right, it probably isnt.

    Testing your sprinting time is a good idea but be careful not to gas yourself. You might need the energy.

    Walk tall, strong, bad guys look for easy prey. Be smart, be strong, do not make yourself a target.

    Personal alarms are an option, but get a sturdy one. Some are notoriously easy to break by stomping on them. And depending on your environment it may just annoy any attacker and cause everyone to close their blinds because they \”do not want to get involved\”.

    Perhaps pepper-spray might be a more pro-active solution.

    Sorry this all comes across as doom-and-gloom, just remember that the liklihood of being attacked is low, take the the right precautions, identify the risks, act to minimise these risks and even in the unlikely event something does happen you have helped stack the odds in your favour.

    Just one question. Why the negative view on weapons? In Australia our right to self-preservation has been effectively removed because we are forbidden to carry even non-lethal weapons while at the same time banks can hire multiple armed guards to protect their money. It is actually illegal to carry any item with the intent of using it for self defence. Women have been arrested and charged for admitting the hairspray they carry in the bag is there for self-defence. Meanwhile the bad-guys import cheap Norinco .45’s from China by the shipping container load.

    As Mordechai said, you guys have the right to a fair fight over there, why not use it!

    Hope this is all helpful, sorry about the long post. But I tend to do that.

    #34996
    jjbklb
    Member

    Our local SPCA has a huge book of apartment listings that accept pets.You might check there for some options.They also have private homes with rooms to rent that accept pets.Just an idea.

    #35002
    straykat
    Member

    If a knife or gun is out of the question, consider an ASP expandable baton. Smack someone with that, you are sure to ruin their day. Hopefully your KM training is giving you more confidence. Confidence will make you look like a less than desirable target. The thugs and creeps don’t want someone who looks like they won’t be an easy mark. I know it is easy for me to sit in the suburbs and say move, but your life is definitely worth more than a couple of grand. I wish you well.

    #35006
    guerriere
    Member

    I actually live in Virginia, but I’m still reluctant to get a gun. Burglars tend to break in during the day, so the odds of it being stolen and used against someone else are greater than the odds of me using it for self-defense. I’d want to learn how to use it, too, and I don’t have time for that. If the bad guy is able to take it away from me then it’s not going to help me much. I like the baton idea, since it extends the reach of a short person like me. I’ve often carried umbrellas for defense but I hadn’t thought of a true weapon.

    Ordinary street crime I sort of understand, but gangs mystify me. As long as they only hurt each other I don’t care that much, but a person could still get in their way. I’ve stopped using the short-cut that goes next to my building. It’s where all the graffiti has shown up. One thing I want to do is ask my landlord to cut down the 6-foot-high shrubs that block the view of my doorway and the path where the graffiti is. There are 9 other units in my building and I’ve given the security guard’s pager number to 4 of them so far. (I don’t know why the management doesn’t do this! grrrr!!!!) Despite what I hope are just a few gang members there are still a lot of nice people here.

    p.s. while I was writing this I took my dog out and saw someone in the rental car lot nextdoor, so I called 911 thinking it was a car thief, but maybe it was these gang members! I sure hope so! If the police really did check it out right away they might have caught them in the act. I’ve got my fingers crossed!

    #35097
    simhamukha
    Member

    I know the area you are talking about. It is true that gangs are emerging as a problem. But I want to mention that the machete attack was dramatized in the papers – the kids hands were not actually severed. He had some serious cuts on his arms from defending himself. Not a big difference in the end, but not quite as chilling as the idea of a gang cornering him and deliberately chopping off each hand as some kind of retributive act.

    You say you can’t leave, so you know what that means in the KM philosophy. The only thing left to do is to kick some butt and get yourself safe.

    In this case, that means get involved in the community efforts to nip this activity in the bud. You live in a wealthy community (even if you are not!), and it also draws a LOT of shoppers and tourists. The county officials and local police know the emergence of gangs are the kiss of death to the local economy. They are being quite responsive, but they also need organized community support and participation by average citizens.

    Your call to 911 was a good start. You may want to make a few more phone calls to City Hall and go to a few meetings. Find out what you can do to support the troops. I would bet there are at least a few committees and task forces that have formed that could use a hand.

    I forgot to add that when I was in a similar situation, same city in 1993, I joined the community watch program. I also carried one of those BIG flashlights that have, like, six D sized batteries in the barrel. Besides that no criminal wants a bright spotlight on their activities, it makes a really good club.

    Anyone looking you over to see if you are a good target will note the potential weapon and pass you over for something easier. You can’t walk around with a gun or knife strapped to your waist, and they are not a deterrent if no one can see you have them. Plus there are all kinds of legal problems that you can get into (do an Internet search on Bernard Goetz, New York City, subway shooting).

    You can carry the flashlight out in the open and no one will freak and yell \”look out, she’s got a HUGE flashlight!\” But it will make a predator think twice!

    #35099
    darke
    Member

    We have a few people that claim Crip but that’s about it. Out of curiosity what symbols are in the grafiti? Certain gangs tend to be more violent than others and I could tell you what gang it is by the symbols they use.

    #35101
    simhamukha
    Member

    The problem gang in this area (Northern Virginia) is Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, from El Salvador. Central American countries recently adopted some draconian regulations against belonging to a gang, and officials in this area believe this has forced many gang members up north. Most of the Hispanics in Northern Virginia are from Central America, so there are usually family ties here. It is not a new problem. The police here have been dealing with it for years. But this past year there were some particularly heinous crimes, like the machete-thing, that got a lot of press. Also, MS-13 has expanded into rural areas, like the Shenandoah Valley, and this is so unusual that it has also gotten some press. The symbol is the tatoo MS-13.

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