I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how, with things exactly as they are (so, without the community resources, policy changes, and ideas that would ideally exist in the future) I might want to respond to a situation in which I feel threatened. There is not a particularly strong sense of community in my geographic area, and I cannot think of any ‘people i know’ who I would feel comfortable calling for help were I to need it. I’m thinking primarily of abusive people, threats to my safety, dangerous behavior, and the like - I think drugs are a medical issue and being robbed would suck but that’s also not necessarily going to become personal if it’s just about money. Has anyone here read about, or practiced, any methods for deescalating, defending against, or getting out of such situations without having to ask the police? I would like have some of these ideas thought through and waiting in the back of my mind before I actually need them.
This topic specifically is how many of the well known gangs of Chicago and LA were formed, like the Crips originally being formed to eliminate gangs to become a neighborhood watch, or the Latin Kings forming to combat racist acts of violence and depredation, there are a lot of similar instances over the decades (maybe even centuries) but ultimately a legitimized citizens militia or neighborhood watch that can react to circumstances would probably be a good alternative, but we all know what happened when the Black Panthers tried to fill this niche.
Edit: I also left out the Guardian Angels, which still exist as a organization, used to see them all the time growing up in NYC during the 80’s, but they have their faillings as an organization as well.