FLASH MOB DEFENSE

[tt11758]

I'll be in Atlanta in a few weeks talking to some.  However, those that come to these events are usually the ones that don't need to be "refreshed."

Unlike their clients. 

[Rastus]

I'll be in Atlanta in a few weeks talking to some.  However, those that come to these events are usually the ones that don't need to be "refreshed."

So...is there anything about the rumor of what happened to the morticians who stayed still too long at the convention?

[MikeBjerum]

So...is there anything about the rumor of what happened to the morticians who stayed still too long at the convention?

I don't know about conventions, but you don't want to be caught laying down on the job!

[PegLeg45]

I don't know about conventions, but you don't want to be caught laying down on the job!

Now that's thinking inside the 'box'.  

[tt11758]

So...is there anything about the rumor of what happened to the morticians who stayed still too long at the convention?

I'd think those conventions would be kinda dead.

[Sponsor]

[Pathfinder]

I'd think those conventions would be kinda dead.

I've heard everyone there is kinda stiff too.

[tt11758]

For some unknown reason this thread has reminded me of an old joke.

A guy calls 911 and tells the dispatcher that his wife is dead.  The dispatcher asks how he knows she has died.  He replies, "Well, the sex is the same, but the laundry is starting to pile up."

[JC5123]

This flash mob is practicing thievery in numbers.

A group of 50 people were caught on tape as they flooded into a 7-Eleven in Silver Spring, Md., this past weekend and casually pilfered from the shelves as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

The group, comprised mostly of teens and young adults, walked into the convenience store and stole various snacks and drinks just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to Montgomery County Police Department officials investigating the incident.

Surveillance video posted on YouTube by the department shows the suspects walking up and down the aisles of the convenience store and grabbing snacks, then placing the food in their pockets.

When cops arrived at the scene, the flash mob scattered, running from the store. Six stragglers were found later with items that they could not prove they paid for, according to police.

Investigators believe that the large group had come from a birthday party in the area.

A similar incident happened in August at another 7-Eleven in nearby Germantown, where 30 youths walked into the store late at night and plucked items off the shelves as if they were shopping. Some were even savvy enough to cover their faces with their shirts to protect their identities from cameras. No arrests were made in the incident.

Officials in Montgomery County are now considering putting a teen curfew in place as well as creating legislation on loitering.

The city of Philadelphia instituted a curfew this past August after a spate of violence involving teen flash mobs.

Police departments in several U.S. cities have been investigating flash mob incidents for the past several months -- large groups of youths suddenly appear, as if out of thin air, to commit assaults, robberies and other crimes, according to an earlier report by FoxNews.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/22/flash-mob-rules-at-maryland-7-eleven/#ixzz1eSiRsMmM

[Rastus]

This flash mob is practicing thievery in numbers.
.......................

After Katrina the surrounding towns had to limit the number of people in a store to prevent thievery in numbers.  The Lowes would only let 5 parties of two in at a time...and that's a big store.  The local car parts stores would only let two people in at a time.  Everyone had "guards" posted at the doors if they were open and everyone limited entrance.  The car parts store I went to explained they had New Orleans riff raff walk in with numbers of 10 to 15 picking up batteries,..heck whatever they wanted and walking out...it disoriented the clerks and you can't shoot for walking off with merchandise and the cops were helping people who were stranded.  A clerk also couldn't lock the door with several of the thieves already inside the building refusing to leave.

Opportunistic thieves.  I was wondering when the mob approach to stealing was going to take off....looks like Summer of '11 was the beginning of a national trend.

[MikeBjerum]

The timing of this is perfect!  For those not following the news, or not getting the info of fly over land up here:  On Monday, December 26, 2011 over 200 people were involved in fights that broke out all over the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN.  The first fights were reported in the food court, but they quickly spread through out the entire mall.  First reports were that it was based on on rumors of rappers to the mall, but soon it was determined that "social media" was involved.  It has been very sketchy since.

Issues:

Awareness - How do you spot this coming when you are in a setting of ten's of thousands of people of all walks of life.  The only thing the mob is going to be doing out of the ordinary is watching for a signal.  It may be watching clocks, checking phones or watching for a physical signal - normal daily life.

Self Defense - How do you defend?  Who are the instigators and who are the victims?  Who are the opportunists and who are just mixed up in it?

Retreat - Hundreds of people involved in several areas of a confined and crowded facility.  Where do you go, and how do you get there?

Weapons - This was well planned and executed.  Many were arrested, and at last report there were no weapons found.  This shows the importance of being well prepared in what you plan and how you react.  I'm not saying that there isn't a place for weapons use in this setting, but you had better know why you would use a weapon in this setting and why you did!

I don't care if it is mass violence like the Mall of America or it is a preppy choir in a food court, I see a level of danger in any flash mob.  If for no other reason they are an organized distraction that can offer an opportunity to criminals to exploit.  A well prepared criminal will react just as fast to the opportunity of a flash mob as a well prepared citizen will react to the possible danger.  Sadly, the criminal has fewer restrictions and more options to capitalize than a citizen has to protect themself.