DIstrict 10 Preparedness Newsletter - June 2023
Hello Folks! Here is another newsletter. This month's theme sort of breaks the traditional thought pattern of the kind of thing we think of when we talk about "preparedness", but we feel it addresses an important aspect of preparedness that needs more attention than we usually give it. Please read it and consider adding the workshop on your calendar. It is for adults (possibly teens old enough to benefit from it). We feel it will be well worth your time!:
“PRAY AS IF EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON GOD; ACT AS IF EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON YOU.” -JEWISH PROVERB
Goals:
Practice:
Attend our District 10 Workshop on
Situational Awareness and Personal Safety
Conducted by Officer Travis Hall, HCPD
Wednesday, June 28th at 7:00 p.m.
Heritage Chapel, 1178 S 700 W, Hurricane
(Everyone is Welcome!)
Short Term Preparedness:
Personal security items to keep in your cars.
Long Term Storage:
A security or alarm system for your home.
Prep Equipment:
Obtain personal protection devises, for example:
Personal Alarms: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NLFQS7T?tag=bravesoftwa04-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&language=en_US
Pepper (or Bear) Spray: https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-Pepper-Spray-Quick-Release/dp/B000UVTDLG/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=pepper%20spray%20self%20defence&qid=1685837570&sr=8-5
Connect:
Get professional and safe training for your family in personal safety, such as in martial arts, firearms, etc. Train your family on how to operate your home security system and to get help when threatened. Together read applicable chapters of a book on personal safety such as The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
Incomplete Notes on Recognizing Strategies of a Potentially Dangerous Stranger, from The Gift of Fear, Chapter 4
“True fear is a gift. Unwarranted fear is a curse. Learn how to tell the difference.”
Forced Teaming: the projection of a shared purpose or experience where none exists; a stranger saying things like “We make some team!” “How are we going to handle this?” “Now we’ve done it!” when you didn’t ask for an association of any kind or if you are being offered unsolicited help.
Charm and Niceness: Charm as a directed instrument has motive. “To charm is to compel, to control by allure or attraction.” See charm as a verb, not as a trait: “This person it trying to charm me,” instead of “This person is charming.”
Too Many Details: A perpetrator will provide many details to make his story seem legitimate. “When people are telling the truth, they don’t feel doubted. So they don’t feel the need for additional support in the form of details.”
Typecasting: “A [perpetrator] labels a [potential victim] in some slightly critical way, hoping she’ll feel compelled to prove his opinion is not accurate. ‘You’re probably too snobbish to talk to the likes of me.’” It’s a manipulative invitation to surrender.
Loan Sharking: A stranger might offer help in some form because it places the receiver in his debt, “and the fact that you owe a person something makes it hard to ask him to leave you alone.”
The Unsolicited Promise: Promises are the very hollowest instruments of speech. There is no guarantee, only a desire to convince you of something. “The reason a person promises you something…is that he can see you are not convinced. You have doubt (which is a messenger of intuition), likely because there is reason to doubt.”
Discounting the Word “No”: “Actions are far more eloquent and credible than words, particularly a short and undervalued word like ‘no’…. ‘No’ is a word that must never be negotiated, because the person who chooses not to hear it is trying to control you.” If you feel uncomfortable about a request to help or something else, remember that “No!” is a complete sentence (at most “I do not want your help!”). Do not equivocate, negotiate (“negotiation is about possibilities”), or attempt to explain…only make your “No!” more certain. “If you let someone talk you out of the word “No”, you might as well wear a sign that reads ‘You are in charge.’” If you actually need help, it is far better to seek it from the most trustworthy source available than to wait around looking like you need it. A decent man may offer help if it’s obvious that you need it, but he will not insist, expect a return favor, or discount a “No!” Better to offend than to become a victim.
Call it “The Spirit”, “intuition” or what have you. It’s all about listening to it without rationalizing your way around it or dismissing it for fear of being impolite.
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