Civil Unrest - Damian Ross, The Self Defense Company

I'm not a survivalist, I'm a realist. While there are people predicting the end of the world this year, from complete economic meltdown to the Mayans December 21 prediction.

Personally, I don't think the world is going to end and I don't think we're going to go back to the stone age either. Because even if that happens, no problem, the world is over and all the crap we're worrying about right now is over and done.

The end of the world doesn't scare me, but civil unrest does.

The term civil unrest is innocuous. It sounds more like a little nuisance or a bad night's sleep if than anything else but civil unrest can range from a protest to a full scale riot of biblical proportions. The problem is you never know when or where you may find yourself neck deep is some serious civil unrest.

This summer we had Hurricane Irene hit our shores. Well, she didn't really hit anything, she just gave us some really good surfing for a few days. But that didn't matter. She was do in on Saturday and it just so happened that I was in Long Beach Island, NJ (ground zero for Irene)on the Thursday before when Governor Christie said "Don't be ridiculous, get off the beach." And then proceeded to execute a mandatory evacuation of Long Beach Island and the rest of the Jersey Shore on Friday morning.

That Thursday evening and it just happened to be raining out. The weather was unrelated to the pending storm. But that didn't stop people from panicking. As soon as the first rain drop was felt, every car on the island went to the gas station until the pumps were dry and then the grocery stores were ransacked until nothing remained. I saw at least four separate fights break out in the short time I was on the roads. It was crazy. This wasn't the inner city or some war torn, third world country. This was an affluent beach town during a summer rain shower.

There wasn't any real threat. Even if the storm hit with F5 proportions, in a matter of an hour by car you would have reached safety. The real threat was the people.

Seem too far fetched?

Imagine your in your truck, driving through town and you come upon people rioting and looting. Before you can put you rig in reverse, you're dragged out of rig and beaten by the crowd of men. Seem impossible? That's exactly what happened to Reginald Denny on March 3rd, 1991 in downtown Los Angeles when the jury handed over a "Not Guilty" verdict on the Rodney King trial. Reginald was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the cops couldn't help him, the national guard couldn't help him, he was on his own and when the shit hits the fan, so are you.

The police are not equipped to handle an all out riot. L.A. has one of the most elite police forces in the world and all they could do was contain it and let it burn out. It's all you can do.

Most people think of having to defend themselves against a mugger, a rapist or a drunken bully. And while these are very real and dangerous threats, people think they will avoid these people by staying in areas that don't have that sort of crime. I can assure you that the people in the little, sleepy town of Long Beach Island who with no prior criminal activity, took to fighting for the last carton of milk the second they felt it was life or death. I will go out on a limb and say the majority people who participated in the London riots would avoid any sort of conflict under normal circumstances.

I listen to some people tell me they don't need to worry about these situations because they live in a safe and affluent community. BULLSHIT. Mr. Jones next door may help you take your bulk trash to the curb, but when it comes down to his family or yours, guess who he's going to pick?

When you get the chance, watch the movie "Contagion". You thinks it's just a movie? Right, we've already seen this behavior with the Bird Flu epidemic in China. It's not a matter of IF it will happen only WHEN it will happen because IT DOES HAPPEN. It's not a rare or isolated incident, it's a regular occurrence.

How prepared is too prepared? I don't know, digging foxholes in your front yard, laying mine fields and making your family car a decommissioned Abrams, might be a bit extreme. Personally, I keep a bug out bag and a whole host of "get out of dodge" items if me and my family need to evacuate the area. And if anyone get's in the way of me and where I have to go, I'm ready to take care of them too. I'm not a tough guy, I'm not an alarmist, I'm not a survivalist, I'm a realist.

I would expect anyone else to do the same.

Train Honestly,
Damian Ross
The Self Defense Company








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Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr. Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.