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What They Do, What We Need To Do
(Before you can solve a problem,  you have to know what the problem is.)


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WHAT THEY DO:
THE 5 STAGES OF VIOLENT CRIME
created by Marc MacYoung
(rephrased and embellished by Teja Van Wicklen)

1) INTENT

The visible physiological signals that a criminal is ready, willing and able to commit violence.

This is the obviously the best stage in which to detect an attack so you can cutoff your potential assailant early in his decision-making process. At this stage you may never know for sure whether you were in danger or not - for instance if you leave an area where someone or something is making you uncomfortable. But better safe than sorry! If you avoided a robbery or a rape but don't know it, it is still a robbery or rape avoided!

Criminal Intent can be a preplanned decision or an emotional reaction to the circumstances. Even if the attack is sudden and emotional there are signs you can watch for. A baseball player can read a curve ball coming at him at 90 mph. You will be amazed at how a little practice - observing the outside and listening to the inside - will work for you in reading people and circumstances.

Human decisions are reflected body language. While the signals can be subtle - a change in blinking rate, or an almost imperceptible twitch  - they are recognizable to a trained observer, and often to untrained observers who have learned to trust their own subconcious signals - or intuition. Even the most subtle signal is often read by your subconcious as a danger sign. When people are lying we can often tell even though we can't quite say why.

Intuition is a very important tool in reading intent. What you see out of the corner of your eye, or hear as background noise, may send a signal to your subconcious brain even though it hasn't yet been deciphered by your concious. If you override these signals you could be putting yourself in danger.

That doesn't mean you should give weight to any sudden impulse - but it does mean if you get a funny feeling around someone, pay attention to it. The guy at the party may just be annoying! But your subconcious may also have picked up on an incongruity - a glance he just gave another guy at the party he just claimed not to know. These subconcious signals are telling you someone isn't what they appear to be. That this guy might be playing you in order to get you in his car where his friend will be waiting.

Even though the criminal has often learned how to mask his Intent behind words and feigned innocence, you can learn to see the signs. The attackers own body will tell you he's about to attack. 80% of all communication is non-verbal. We are constantly reading visual cues. We read cars  which don't have expressions at all. Both on the highway and as pedestrians we make flash assumptions about whether a car is going to turn or stop for us all the time. The majority of the time we are correct.

Learn to trust your feelings. Often it is your subconscious recognizing the physiological danger signals an attacker displays. When your alarms go off, even if the situation looks normal, listen to your inner voice, see if you can pinpoint what is bothering you, and start looking for the next two stages (Interview and positioning) to develop. Or just go someplace else!

Your ability to read body language will often determine whether or not to take evasive action. But before you can "read" it you have to know about it. Knowing about these physical and mental processes can serve as an early warning system

Intent is a nebulous yet crucial concept for determining who is a threat. Learning more about the criminal mindset will help you better grasp the concept of Intent.

2) INTERVIEW:

This is where the criminal decides upon your suitability as a victim. The criminal's safety is a critical factor in his deciding whether or not to attack.

This is one interview you want to fail - which means the assailant decides that he cannot successfully, or easily, attack you. In this case he will likely proceed to seek easier prey. In the case of an emotionally upset individual, he will change tactics. For example instead of physically assaulting you he will proceed to stand back and verbally abuse you. This allows him to 'win' without putting himself at physical risk.

There are five basic types of interviews. The one a criminal uses depends more on his personal style than anything else.

Regular - This is the most common form of interview for muggers and rapists. The criminal will approach you under the guise of normalcy, i.e., needing information or matches. This is a distraction. While he is talking, he is not only getting in position to attack, but a) checking your awareness about what he is doing and b) your commitment to defending yourself.

This is why you should always be careful when someone approaches you in a fringe area and asks for something. Your answer should always be "no" and insist on him keeping his distance. Both muggers and stranger rapists often use this technique.

Hot – Hot interviews are sudden and unexpected emotional blitzkriegs. You are minding your own business one minute, and the next you have a threatening, obscenity-spouting maniac charging you down. The success of this strategy relies on your discomfort in dealing with extreme emotional violence and reacting in a stunned and confused manner. You must be willing to immediately shift into an extreme of physical violence to fail such interviews. Paradoxically, if you can immediately display this commitment, the attacker will often abort.

Escalating - Starts out normally but it rapidly turns hostile. The person or people test your boundaries by escalating toward more and more outrageous behavior. Every time he is not slapped down (i.e., he is successful), his behavior becomes more and more extreme until finally he attacks. This is very common interview for date rapists. It is also common when you walk into the middle of a group of loitering young thugs. What "supposedly" starts out with them "jes messin' witcha" escalates into a robbery or assault. Sometimes both.

Silent – When a criminal is observing you he may never speak until the attack, but he has been watching all along. He may position himself out of sight in a parking structure and follow you.

Prolonged - An interview can take anywhere from mere moments (hot) to weeks (prolonged). Prolonged interviews are often combined with other types. Being stalked is prolonged interview. A serial rapist can silently watch a victim for days. Whereas a bunko scam would be prolonged regular interview while the con artist attempts to win your trust. With prolonged interviews, the intent is seldom obvious from the beginning.

3) POSITIONING:

This is the criminal putting himself in a place where he can successfully attack you. A criminal doesn't want to fight you; he wants to overwhelm you. To do this, he has to put himself in a position where he can do it quickly and effectively. Positioning is crucial. Someone trying to position himself to attack removes all doubt that the situation is innocent.

Though robberies and rapes do occur sometimes in the middle of a crowded parking lot or mall, a key point of positioning is "fringe areas".  A fringe area is any place where you are close to people, but out of range of immediate help. You might not be mugged in the middle of the mall, but you might in the bathroom, ATM, parking lot, stairwell or elevator. Even a separate room in a crowded house can constitute a fringe area, as many women who were raped at parties can attest. Being alone with someone in a fringe area is a major part of the opportunity element of the crime triangle used commonly by law enforcement. Read more about the Crime Triange on this page...
Types of Positioning:

Closing  is the most basic form of positioning and involves simply walking up to the potential victim which doesn't give you much time to act. Rule of thumb - the closer a criminal gets, the greater his ability to overwhelm and contro youl. Five feet is the closest you should allow someone you don't trust to approach in a fringe area – whether you know him or not. If the person insists on coming closer after you have warned him away, he has clearly announced that his intentions are not good.

Cornering / Trapping - This is the most common form of Positioning. A criminal approaches you from a direction that traps you between himself and a large object, like a car or wall or between you and an exit.

Surprise – This is your classic jump-out-of-the-bushes type of attack. The criminal hides, so he can easily step out and attack. Once you know the types of locations (doorways, cars, behind dumpsters or trees, etc.), this kind of positioning is easy to foil primarily by avoiding being too close or by paying attention.

Pincer – Professional criminals often work in packs, so you will not face just one. The most common maneuver for two criminals is the pincer. One criminal circles around while the other distracts you. You should always be aware of individuals splitting up when they approach you. Another trap is when two characters face each other in a narrow walkway in such a way that you must pass between them. A third trick is to spread out along a way, when you pass one he starts following you, while the other waits down the way.

Surrounding – This is the most common ploy of a pack (three or more). Again, one will distract you while the others surround. They can swarm around you, but most often they will casually drift. A serious danger sign is when a group is spaced out along the wall in a walkway. When you are at midpoint, it is simple for the wings to fold in.

4) ATTACK:

If the first three stages have been achieved, there is no reason for a Criminal not to use force, or the threat of force, to get what he wants.

This goes for thieves, rapists, murderers. Until the attack you may not know for sure which one you are confronted with.

In extremis, an Attack deals in life and death. While not all attacks lead to death (in fact, a majority don't), a lot of them do. That consideration must be factored in to your decisions. This is why all these tools are so important.

Being able to make a quick decision about whether or not to use lethal force against someone is a big responsibility. You don't want to wait too long and you don't want to jump too soon. Once your attacker has pulled the proverbial triggerd, there's no calling the bullet back. By the same tolken once you've pulled that trigger, you may have to justify the damage you've caused.

That said better alive than dead. And if you have a child with you who is depending on you for his or her safety... all bets are off. Protect your child at all costs.

5) REACTION:

is how the criminal feels after the act. Until he is out of your sight you are at risk of his reaction whether
you’ve cooperated or not. The criminals attitdue after the main attack may determine whether he leaves you alone after a rape or shoots you.

The volitility of the criminal's reaction is another reason it is far easier to avoid violence than to try to safely extract yourself from it.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO:
THE 5 D's of SELF DEFENSE
by Erik Kondo (rephrased and embellished by Teja Van Wicklen)

1) DECIDE:

Decide not to be a victim and to acknowledge the existance of risk. Decide to be informed about various emergencies and criminal behavior and to inform those you love.

Decide to take Personal Responsibility for your decisions and actions or lack thereof.

An example of responsible decisionmaking would be deciding not to take your child to pick up a Craig's List item at an unfamiliar location or person's house and deciding instead to bring an able-bodied friend or not to go no matter how much you want the item. An example of a lack of decision making and not taking Personal Responsibility would be to take your child to the Craig's List location and then after something went wrong, blame society, blame the criminal, blame the world when you could have exercised common sense and planning to protect yourself and your child from predetors who are always going to be out there.

Decide to exercise Common Sense at all times. This doesn't mean emotions don't inform your decisions, it means you pay attention and don't make decisions based entirely on high emotions.

Decide to learn how to be Prepared. Don’t buy the umbrella after the storm. Gas your car up when your tank is half full; buy extra smoke detector batteries so you have them when you need them and you don't go days without them; learn CPR and first aid.

Decide to learn to spot Criminal Intent (on this page).

2) DETER

Deter by preparation. Always have a plan, a map, a direction.

If you have Decided as above, you have many tools at your disposal, such as the pepper spray (to the right on this page) you keep in your purse at all times attatched to the strap by carribeener so you can access it quickly. (Objects and protective tools as well as info on accessing them in an emergency can be found on the Devi DVD.)

Deter by awareness. Notice things, Listen, Respond to the warnings of intuition. Detect Danger.

Deter by de-escalation. Use a calm attitude to disarm aggression if a criminal seems nervous or flustered. The only place this might not be true is in a Hot Interview (above on this page).

If Interviewed (above on this page) by a criminal Deter by Preparation, Awareness and De-escalation.


3) DISRUPT is the counterpoint to ATTACK (above on this page)

Disrupt using any method possible to prevent a criminal from getting into Position (above on this page). Be the controller of events. Cause your aggressor to faulter in his resolve. Have an AlphaAttitude (to the right on this page).

If you are sure you are being or are about to be attacked, Attack your Attacker using verbal and/or physical techniques including Protective Objects, (to the right on this page) to create an opportunity to escape.

Caution: There is a distinct difference between an Attack and Intimidation.

To paraphrase Marc MacYoung - Even if a physical assault does not occur, the threat, achieves a physical manifestation (e.g. getting your wallet, forcing sex, assault, etc.). That is what takes it from intimidation into an attack. The damages of an attack are demonstrable, whereas, the goals of bullying and intimidation are entirely for the psychological gain of the aggressor.

This is a small, but very important detail. The reason it is important is that since the damages of an attack are physically demonstrable, so too can be your countermeasures. This includes action against the threat of violence (e.g. "give me your money or I will hurt you"). If the threat of damage is real, so too can be your response.This of course within reasonable and Legal Limits (to the right on this page) regarding how much force you use."

Intimidation for social or psychological gain (bullying, manipulation, etc.) is not actionable. Until the immediate threat of violence is present, extreme responses on your part are not justified. You can't have him thrown in prison for looking at you the wrong way or injuring your pride.

This does not mean that you are helpless. As the goals of bullying, intimidation and manipulation are not physically obvious, so too need to be your countermeasures. The good news about this is that there are a lot of countermeasures you can use to keep it from going violent. - (end of paraphrase)

The previous D's are some key things you can do to avoid violence.


4) DISENGAGE:

Respond immediately to the opportunity you’ve created to escape the Attack - it may be difficult or impossible to create another. Get away as quickly as you can!

Move to a well-lit, populated area or keep moving until you find one. There is no way to know what a criminal’s
REACTION might be.


5) DEBRIEF:

Go to the Police.  Preserve evidence and get legal advice. Discuss the consequences of aggression. Do whatever you can to reduce the after-effects. Seek support, promote physical and emotional healing. Learn Resiliance.

Do not shower if you were raped. Do not throw anything away. Do not pretend nothing happened. Do not think you should be strong enough to "suck it up and move on." This is irresponsible to you and anyone who depends on you.

Criminal Mindset
written by Marc MacYoung
(modified by Teja Van Wicklen)

Coming Soon...

Legal Limits

Coming Soon...

Pepper Spray

Coming Soon...

AlphaAttitude

Coming Soon...

Protective Objects

Daily Protective Objects: Coming Soon...


Spontaneous Protective Objects:  Coming Soon...

Long Distance Protective Objects: Coming Soon...

On Protecting Children

Coming Soon...