Being Prepared; Social Disruption

 For the last year events of social disruption have become common-place in some regions of the United States, typically due to a rise in racial tensions but also attributed to political disparities. One blaring example occurred on June 29, 2020 when a Missouri couple squared off against a group of protesters who had entered their gated community. Public news outlets all displayed prominent pictures of the couple wielding firearms in a threatening manner to warn back the protesters. Regardless of your political views regarding the situation, the occurrence can serve as a lesson on preparedness against local social disruption.

Location Location Location

Away from Home

Broadly speaking you can address social disruption in two locational forms; you're away from home or you are at home. Finding yourself in the midst of social disruption away from home is highly stressful and puts most of us in a highly vulnerable state. Say you're downtown and a peaceful protest turns not-so-peaceful, or imagine you're vacationing in a foreign country when a political or military coup occurs. What do you do to avoid getting targeted as an outsider to the now-rioters or the more violent side of the political supporters? It won't matter what your own politics are in these cases, even if you agree with them, you'll likely be seen as an outsider and, potentially, targeted. 

As always, situational awareness is critical here (it's worth mentioning yet again). If the local or political spectrum in the area you're about to visit for vacation, or the city you're about to take a shopping trip in, is volatile maybe you should reconsider going on that visit or trip at all. 

If you absolutely have to go, say for medical reasons or such, keep a low profile. Blend in with the crowd, stay with others and take the role of 'observer'. Don't engage with anybody and do everything you can to get out of the area of any looting or violence. If you're in a foreign country you should know where the U.S. Embassy is located and head that direction. If you're not sure of that, head back to your hotel and ask. Normally the staff of tourist-oriented businesses will assist you and are not involved in such political uprisings (they're bad for business.)

Social Disruption Close to Home

Our home is our castle. In the case of the couple I mentioned above, they believed they were defending their property and their home. When social disruption (i.e. riots, looters, etc...) threaten our homes we get understandably aggressive in our defensive posture. I'm constantly looking at homes for sale and reviewing what would happen should a riot break out or, for those apocalyptic fantasies, what would happen if looters were moving door to door scavenging anything they could lay hands on? Such mental exercises boil down to how defensible is your home; from looters, from home invaders, from intrusive in-laws? I do not recommend doing what our couple above did (openly displaying firearms). Not only does it open up a world of legal ramifications (right or wrong), but such a threatening posture can backfire; someone in the opposing crowd could shoot you first in a pre-emptive strike. 

There are many options when it comes to preparing your home security for most scenarios. From rose bushes and other 'thorny' horticulture around and under your windows, to a decent, monitored security system. Locks, deadbolts, and security bars secure points of entry, buying you time or preventing entry altogether if sufficiently strong.

 

Barriers and limited egress should always be the preferred first defense, followed by communication methods to law enforcement and other first responders. One note on an alarm system; it's primary goal is to alert you of an intruder and secondary goal is to summon first responders. If your alarm goes off in the middle of the night, that's a good time to grab your firearm and carefully sweep your home and property.

Firearms are always a high-level prep, but they should be utilized or even actively displayed, only as a very last resort. Don't tip that hand until you absolutely have to, and by absolutely have to I mean only if lives are threatened. 

Conclusion

The year 2020 was a rough time for many parts of the country regarding social disruption. Hopefully, 2021 will be better (though as of the writing of this post, Minneapolis Minnesota is a bad place to be). The biggest key here is situational awareness especially when traveling. You do not want to be caught unawares. Do not stick your head in the sand while visiting another location. Be aware of any and all local issues, political or social, that could erupt while you're in that particular country, state, region, or territory. Have a plan and have some supplies if you have to leave quickly.

For local social disruptions, prep your home now, and continue to improve upon those preps as part of your consistent plan. Fortify your house and, again, keep a thumb on the heartbeat of your local environment, politically, socially, and otherwise.