Surviving Riots, Civil Unrest and Political Turmoil

By Tim Gamble

It is Election Week. Regardless of the outcome Tuesday (or whenever they get around to telling us the "official" results), there will be lots of very unhappy people. Riots, civil unrest, and political turmoil could ratchet up for weeks, or even months. Censorship campaigns by Big Tech will increase (article). Doxing and cancel culture will ramp up. Our already politicized legal system will become even more so (article). The mainstream media will become even more dishonest and one-sided. 

The question becomes How do we survive an extended period of civil unrest and political turmoil? Here are some pointers:

Four To Survive a Riot

1. Avoid the Riot - Seems oblivious that the best way to survive a riot is to not be in or near one. Areas likely to experience rioting and looting are large cities (especially under Democrat control) and urban areas, in particular inner city areas and near "bad" neighborhoods, or near university and college campuses. If you live in or near a riot-prone area, now might be a good time to visit Grandma in the country for a week or two. 
2. Move Away from the Riot - If a riot breaks out near you, leave the area immediately. If you are at work or university, go home. If your boss doesn't like it, tell him to kiss your a**. That job isn't worth your life. If the riot breaks out near your home, bug out immediately. You should already be packed, have a plan of where to go, and a full tank of gas to get you there. 
3. Hide/Shelter In-Place - You waited too long, hoping the riot wouldn't come near you. Foolish, but okay. It happens. Your best bet may be to hide and shelter in place. You should always have some water, some food (power bars, etc), a flashlight, a fully-charged phone, and a first aid kit including tourniquet with you (and know how to use them). Stay alert, and be ready to run if needed. 
4. Self-Defense - Self-defense is always a last resort. It means you have failed to avoid the situation. It means you may have to take a life. It definitely means your life is in grave danger. And in a riot situation, you will almost certainly be greatly outnumbered. Not a good situation to be in. You are armed and well-trained, right? 

Note: This is why it is important to be armed and well-trained. Well-trained means more than just target practice - you need to take a good defensive shooting course (or several).  So, if it is legal to carry where you are, please seriously consider doing so. Know and obey the laws, get all the proper licenses and permits, get well-trained, and practice gun safety, of course. But carry if you can.

Situational Awareness 

Situational Awareness is essential in dealing with civil unrest and political turmoil. Much more than just being aware of your surroundings, situational awareness means both knowing what to look for, and how to assess (make decisions about) your surroundings.

The end goal for situational awareness is correct action. The bridge from simply paying attention to taking correct action is the OODA-Loop. OODA Loop is an acronym for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. The Loop aspect is that one should be constantly looping through OODA since situations and circumstances change constantly. 

See my article on Situational Awareness and the OODA Loop for a much more detailed description. 

Doxing and Cancel Culture

Doxing and cancel culture are viscous weapons that the Left uses to go after their opponents. Doxing is the act of exposing someone's personal information publicly in hopes of opening up that person and their family to harassment and intimidation. Some folks have even lost their job due to being doxed. The doxer will expose the names of your spouse, children, grandchildren,  and employers, along with address and telephone numbers. They have even been known to reveal the name and address of their victim's church and even their kids' schools. Doxing is a vicious attempt at intimidation and bullying, with potentially sever and even fatal consequences. 

Cancel culture makes use of doxing in an attempt to get the people they dislike or disagree with "canceled" from their lives. Leftist activist demand that employers fire their victim, that social media and Internet platforms ban them, that banks and financial institutions remove them as customers, and threaten their family, friends, and even churches in an attempt to get them to renounce that person. 

How do you protect yourself from doxing and being canceled? This is a huge topic, and frankly you needed to have started on it years ago. Most importantly, protect your personal information. Don't overshare on social media. Be especially aware of revealing personal information such as address, phone number, social security number, where you (or your spouse) works, where your kids go to school, where you bank, and so forth. Make sure your spouse and other family members know the importance of not oversharing on social media or elsewhere.

It is also important to know who you do life with - who are your family, friends, fellow church members, employers... Are these people going to rally around you when the Left comes after you? Or will they give in, not wanting to deal with the pressure and bad publicity? Or worse, are they Woke and actually agree with those targeting you? Be especially careful of Woke family members. We don't want to remove these people from our lives because they are family, but in truth they are untrustworthy when it comes to these political and social divides. It is time - past time, actually - to take a hard look at who we do life with. Create your own tribe. 

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Kaito KA500 Emergency Radio. This one has is all: AM/FM/SW/NOAA (weather alert) bands; powered five ways (electrical cord, USB port, AA batteries, solar, and hand-crank); plus flashlight, reading lamp, and cellphone charger.

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