Best tactics for safety in a mob.

[MTT TL]

Better late to the party than never I suppose.

Excellent thread Ze BTW. Here is a situation that anyone in a city could well find themselves in quite unintentionally. Let me answer your basic questions first:

What if you were open carrying?

Bad Ju-ju. The last thing you want to be in a mob with police around is armed. If you are allowed to carry concealed it is now time to do so. Shifting to conceal might be difficult without being noticed. Still it is better than carrying open, where you could get mixed int to the fold and targeted by the police for threat elimination. Even if you are not allowed to carry concealed I would make the switch anyway. An explanation if you get arrested might be helpful. This is one of those time that it really is better tried by 12 than carried by six. (Sorry mods, I know I am advocating breaking the law here but it is better than likely being killed by the police)

What if you were carrying concealed?

Keep it concealed, avoid contact and be ready for retention drills. You do not want to be responsible for introducing a weapon into a mob situation.

So if you were just walking down the street and suddenly found yourself in the middle of this mob that swept out of nowhere to clash with police, what would you do to maximize your own safety?

A true mob is fairly well leaderless. I think your best bet in a true mob is to blend in and but at the same time hang back and drift towards the rear or side to make an escape. Don't run or you might trigger some kind of predatory response. Try to be non-completely non-confrontational with the crowd or police. Prepare for your personal space to be violated.

If you can't blend in (wrong color, gender etc) then you are stuck, now aren't you?

[Nnobby45]

So if you were just walking down the street and suddenly found yourself in the middle of this mob that swept out of nowhere to clash with police, what would you do to maximize your own safety?

LOL, well, I'd ask the first mob member to slap me hard upside the head for being so tuned out and unobservant that I let a mob, which by definition is loud and unruly, creep up on me like that.

[MTT TL]

LOL, well, I'd ask the first mob member to slap me hard upside the head for being so tuned out and unobservant that I let a mob, which by definition is loud and unruly, creep up on me like that.

A peaceful protest can turn into a mob in seconds with the proper motivation. A riot can expand in an direction that does not face stiff resistance. This can happen quite quickly if you are not expecting it.

[sakeneko]

What MTT_TL said. A "crowd" and a "mob" are different animals, but in some cases the first can turn into the second very quickly. I'm always very alert in any sort of crowd, and at the first sign of any type of group think or "crowd action", I usually leave. Not all "crowd action" is bad, of course, but I'm not comfortable with that sort of thing even when it's benign.

[cubesmoothie]

The smartest thing to do is run up to the line of police, yell "THIS IS SPARTA!"

But if you're carrying a gun, you cant allow yourself to have that kind of fun and you need to be a man and force your way to peaceful solitude as quickly as possible. Do not dilly dally.

[teeroux]

This is something that no Ninja should be without.

http://www.defensedevices.com/foxpespgr.html