Skill: Civil Disturbance Planning

As civil disturbances are increasing and we approach the deliberations phase of the Derek Chauvin trial, I thought it would be a good time to discuss civil disturbance planning.  There are things you can do to reduce the impact of civil disturbances on your life.

First, let’s come to an agreement that politics plays NO role in planning for civil disturbances.  In fact, as we learn from the Ultimate Tactical Handbook, not even the rioters agree on the reason for the protests:

The assembly was in confusion:

Some were shouting one thing, some another.

Acts 19:32

When groups come together for a protest and it turns violent, there is no reasoning with them, so don’t even try.  Attempting to reason with them is how people get hurt.

The best thing we can do, is make our homes and ourselves as anonymous as possible.  That’s right, not just Gray Man, but Gray HOUSE.

First, don’t wear clothing that broadcasts your political beliefs for either side.  I’m not saying give up your ideology, I’m saying don’t be so vocal or apparent that you make yourself a target needlessly.  Our goal is SURVIVAL.  On a side note, I gather a lot of information by attending protests and counter-protests in gray man gear and it’s all helpful.    Try your best to be nondescript.  Guys:  Wearing your tacti-cool pants (I have a large collection) and your Blackhawk shirt (I have a stupid number of these because they’re ridiculously comfortable) with  your Under Armour boots is NOT Gray Man in the least.  It has it’s place, but this isn’t it.

Second, let’s address the house situation.  If there are protests in your area, remove your flags and any political signage.  Again, we aren’t doing this out of fear, but practicality.  We’ve seen time and again that they target houses displaying these things.  For the record, many times a homeowner has been arrested for lawfully asserting their right to defend their home.  You CANNOT count on the police to help you.  Here are two stories from just last week:

1. A man gets informed of a guy in his neighborhood inappropriately touching women.  He approaches the male, asks him to leave the area, and tells him to not approach his house.  The male approaches the house and the homeowner pushes the male off his property.  The homeowner and his wife make a police report and the police leave.  A short time later, a highly-edited video goes viral, and under public pressure, the Sheriff sends deputies to arrest the male for his lawful self-defense.  A crowd then surrounded the man’s home.
2. A man in Minnesota went to turn onto his own block and encountered a Black Lives Matter roadblock.  He got out of the car, and told them he lived on the block and they told him to go away, and pushed him.  When he pushed back, the police, who had been sitting a few car lengths away, swooped in and arrested him.

So, then, what’s the answer?  I can’t answer that for YOU.  We each have to make our own plans.

When it comes to mass unrest, we really have two choices:

1. Leave the area.
2. Bunker down at home.

As a general rule, we all know that I advocate the martial art of “Don’t-Be-There-Jitsu”, of which I’m Grand Master.  You can’t be targeted and trapped if you aren’t there when it happens. 

This also applies to not going to counter-protest.  As my friend, South African Author Charles Marais puts it: “Don’t go to stupid places with stupid people at stupid hours and do stupid things”.

If you decide to leave the area before anything happens, you can just come back after a few days if nothing bad happens.  The opposite is not true.  If you stay home, and things get bad, you may not be able to leave the area after trouble begins.

In the COVID era of “work from home”, a good majority of us can leave and work from a remote location with no issues.  Some of us can’t and may not be able to leave for other reasons.

If you have to stay, there are some steps you can take at home in addition to taking down flags and signs.

1. Ensure that all fire extinguishers are up to date & fully charged.
2. Buy an extra fire extinguisher or two.
3. If your yard if fenced, close the gates.  I know it’s not a positive bar to entry, but under the law, if they have to open a gate, they’ve committed burglary and you are now on much safer legal ground.  Open gates could be construed by courts as “invitation”.
4. Ensure that all exterior lighting is functional.
5. If you have a camera system, ensure that it is recording and functioning.
6. Close and lock all out buildings (garages/sheds/etc.).
7. Close and lock the door from the adjoining garage into the house.
8. Keep all windows closed and locked.
9. Keep all doors closed and locked.
10. Keep a garden hose hooked up to the water supply in case there are fires set nearby.  It’s better to get out and wet down your house before a fire spreads than to be searching for the house in the shed as your house burns.
11. Secure all tools in a shed or garage.
12. Remove any toys or yard decorations that normally sit in the yard.  They could become projectiles.

Gather up your belongings to leave the land,

You who live under siege.

Jeremiah 10:17

Jeremiah laid down some seriously good tactical advice, didn’t he?  If you are remaining home, don’t be so tied to it that you can’t run away if you have to.

Have a bag packed with essential supplies and clothing to leave if you absolutely have to; as we said before, you can always come back.  Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice if you have to.

Before the later part of the week gets here, plan 3 or 4 routes out of your area by vehicle, and 3 or 4 routes on foot.  It will only take an hour or so and could well save your life.  Make sure that your routes avoid major roads, areas where rioters will gather (shopping areas, government facilities, and hospitals), and provide some degree of safety.

Understand this:  There is no shame in not fighting on their terms.  We aren’t saying NEVER fight, but you should choose the time and place, not anyone else.  A mass riot against one family is a losing proposition, and we all know that riots are very real danger right now.

That’s the same reason that we recommend if you get caught in a spontaneous protest and they demand that you raise the fist or chant some slogan, go ahead and do it.  It means nothing and being attacked by a mob isn’t a virtue.  It’s a different thing if they demand kneeling, and that’s your own decision to make – I know mine.

Understand also that assuming that this will all just go away is deadly.  It’s not going away, and eventually, as a nation, we’ll have to do something to put an end to it, but it’s going to worse before it gets better.  By making ourselves and our homes not stand out, we’re preserving our ability to fight back later.

When making these preparations, also take a look at your vehicle.  The gun stickers, Trump stickers, Thin Blue Line Stickers, and giant American flag on the tailgate all make you a target.  ANTIFA has been known to follow people home or run license plates.  Either remove that stuff, cover it, or park your vehicle so that it can’t be seen from the street.

We are in for a rough couple of weeks, so prepare and be safe.

UPDATE:  The last step of the book is being finished, the cover design.  It should be up on Amazon very soon.  If you’d like to help us with that project, donate below.