• articles >
• georgmicrodong

If you're like me, and prefer the less respectable sorts of clubs, how do you know that you, or your belongings, are going to be safe when you enter a club, or when you meet someone you've just met, outside the club.&nbsp; Short answer, you don't.&nbsp; Longer answer, there are some things you can do to, if not ensure, then enhance, your safety.<br />
<br />
Being aware of your environment, the people in it, the activities going on, and being able to accurately predict what will happen next in that environment, something the military calls &quot;situational awareness,&quot; will go a long way towards helping you avoid, deflect or defend yourself from overt harm or danger, or even just inconvenience.&nbsp; Learn to watch people, and be aware of what they are doing, and to predict what they are going to do.<br />
<br />
For preparation, here are a few things you can do before even going into a club:
<ul>
<li>Don't drive a big, fancy car to a rundown dive style club.&nbsp; If it's the only one you've got, park it at a supermarket or parking garage and walk, bus or cab to the club itself.</li>
<li>Don't take any belongings you don't need into the club.&nbsp; ID, if you're drinking or look under the age of admittance, keys, if you've brought your car, and the cash you expect to spend.&nbsp; Leave them in your car, or better yet, at home.&nbsp; Especially, don't bring credit or debit cards.&nbsp; You may or may not have the discipline to refrain from using them, but a thief isn't going to be so considerate.</li>
<li>Put your cash in your front pockets.&nbsp; Divide up the bills by denomination, and put them where you can tell what they are without actually taking them out of your pocket.&nbsp; When you pay for something, take out only what you need, not the whole wad.&nbsp; If you must count or divide your cash, go to the bathroom, lock yourself in a stall, and do it there.</li>
<li>Some will disagree with me on this one, because of their personal taste, but in order to avoid the wrong kind of attention, dress in clothes that are nondescript, even if they are nice.&nbsp; No need to be flashing jewelry that can be cut off of your still steaming body, or otherwise advertising wealth.&nbsp; The dancers are likely not the only thieves in the club.</li>
<li>If you are in a state that doesn't violate your right to do so, carry a gun, knife or other weapon with which you are proficient (note the last part).&nbsp; I believe that in most states, you can't carry such into a place that sells alcohol, and many establishments themselves, alcohol selling or not, forbid carrying, concealed or not, on the premises, so you might need to leave it in the car.</li>
</ul>
Once you're in the club, a few simple precautions are in order:
<ul>
<li>Like the skittish gambler, sit with your back to the wall, never to the door or a large portion of the room.&nbsp; Pay attention to anyone who tries to get behind you.</li>
<li>If the club has cameras outside, and they have monitors for them inside, keep an eye on them.&nbsp; Unusual activity in the parking lot can be as dangerous as unusual activity in the club.</li>
<li>Sit next to an exit, if possible, even if it's one of the emergency ones that will set off an alarm when you open it.&nbsp; In the event of a problem, a quick exit is much preferable to getting involved, or trapped.</li>
<li>Watch the bouncers, and pay attention to anyone they might be paying attention to.&nbsp; Move away from potential troublemakers.&nbsp; If they follow, pass some time with the bouncer or manager.&nbsp; Of course, for this to be effective, you need to be confident that the bouncer/manager himself isn't in league with the troublemakers.</li>
<li>If somebody, regardless of who, starts a fight or argument, move away.&nbsp; In addition to being a source of trouble itself, it might also be a distraction for the purpose of pocket picking or some other nefarious end.</li>
<li>Don't drink to excess.&nbsp; While that standard is different for different people (for me, the period in that sentence comes after the word &quot;drink&quot;), most everybody knows their limits.&nbsp; Respect them.&nbsp; Being impaired is the best way to get taken advantage of.</li>
<li>While I like a pair of wandering stripper hands as much as the next guy, pay attention to exactly where they are wandering, and what one hand might be doing to distract you from where the other is going.&nbsp; Lap dances and other tipping activities are not the only source of money for some dancers, sometimes, directly from a pocket works well, too.</li>
<li>Don't ever take responsibility for anyone else's money, especially a dancer's.&nbsp; It is far too easy for her to claim that while it was in your care, something disappeared.&nbsp; For those who think this is far-fetched, maybe so, but I saw that very thing happen.&nbsp; Girl left her purse with a customer, and when she came back, she looked into it and started screaming about how there was $200 missing.&nbsp; Now, since the part of this man's table that held the purse was directly on line of sight between me and the stage, I had it in my sight the entire time, and he never even touched it, nor did anyone else.&nbsp; Fortunately for him, the manager believed me.</li>
<li>Be ready to leave at any time, even if you are in the middle of something you don't want to stop.&nbsp; Your safety is more important than what you are getting.</li>
</ul>
As for meeting someone, danger can lurk here.&nbsp; In addition to the possibility of being tagged for solicitation, an accomplice of the person you're with or meeting could be waiting to ambush.&nbsp; Consider these precautions.
<ul>
<li>Don't offer a ride home from the club to anyone you don't know.&nbsp; If you must do so, make them give you an address that you can plug into your GPS, rather than directions on the way.&nbsp; If the destination isn't well lit and open, drive past and drop the person at the nearest open area with a streetlight.&nbsp; It's far to easy to be guided into an ambush, as evidenced by the recent post in the discussion area.</li>
<li>Never pull into any blind alley or driveway, or any area for which the exit or exits can be blocked, trapping you inside.</li>
<li>Don't offer to pick someone up and take them to your final destination, always meet them there.&nbsp; The former is another ambush ambush opportunity. </li>
<li>Don't offer any rides &quot;to a friend's house to pick up some stuff&quot;.&nbsp; This will in all likelihood be a drug buy, and you don't want <b>anything</b> to do with that.&nbsp; For one thing, even being in the area makes you suspect if LE shows up, and for another, if any drugs are found in your car, your number is up, whether you knew about it or not.&nbsp; Say goodbye to your car; you'll likely never see it again, at least in one piece.</li>
<li>Never give out your exact location, e.g. room number, until you can verify that no unexpected additions are present. If possible, at your destination, station yourself in a place where you can watch others approach.&nbsp; Let your party know that if there's anyone you're not expecting, you're bailing, and they'll never see you, or your money.&nbsp; You should meet your party in the lobby, and lead them to your room, rather than give them the number over the phone, so they have no opportunity to communicate it to anyone else.</li>
<li>Once in a room, lock the door, using all available locks.&nbsp; Don't let anyone else near it, and if they do go near it, verify that they haven't unlocked anything.&nbsp; In addition, once there, there should be no reason for anyone to make any phone calls.&nbsp; If you <b>do</b> get a visitor, make sure you've brought the aforementioned weapon, and that you are indeed proficient with it.&nbsp; Only had a need for that once, but it was a situation solver in that instance.&nbsp; The $50 bucks for the room was gone, but hey, better than something else.</li>
<li>When exiting, make sure there are no lurkers, and take most of the same precautions you took upon arriving.&nbsp; Again, don't offer any rides.</li>
</ul>
These are only a few of the things you can do to increase your safety, and that of your property.&nbsp; Don't assume you are safe, nor that everybody you meet is going to be honest about their intentions.<br />
<br />
Hope it helps.<br type="_moz" />