Dear fellow readers.
This week has been “interesting” in South America. Interesting, indeed, but as in the ancient Chinese curse style.
For those of us in this side of the hemisphere, having been able to witness first-hand, in the front line, how the very same plot that made us get the heck out of our country, is unleashing a vendetta against the countries that have received us Venezuelans.
I know geopolitical issues are not the intention of this blog, but please, allow me to continue. It will be necessary to establish a context of the circumstances. This vendetta I mentioned, has the exact same features that Fidel Castro once sent to Miami, from Mariel, in Cuba (a pilot test?). President Moreno has accused directly to Maduro of sending hidden terrorists, camouflaged between the refugees. For those readers interested that maybe are going to buy the book Daisy and I are writing, you will find a direct relationship between travels of communist leaders to South America, and civilian turmoil generated within a suspiciously short time frame after their “visit”. This is not the only indicator of troubles, indeed. If we remember, in 1988 the Venezuelan president Carlos Andres Perez invited Fidel to his ceremony of possession. Some people who were there informed that a significant part of the companions of Fidel for that ceremony did not come back to Cuba. They stayed in Venezuela.
This said, it is not hard to suppose what kind of influence these “visitors” had in the 1989 coup d’etat. The incredible violence unleashed in the cities was something totally unexpected, and rarely seen in a country such as Venezuela. For more details, you will read about it in the book, with some testimonies of friends and acquaintances, and some anecdotic data. I was like 15 at the time and remember everything as it was yesterday.
The objective, finally, of this article is getting to the reader accustomed to this idea: civilian turmoil presents so suddenly that maybe the only option you will have is to bug in. For more information on surviving a situation like this, check out Selco’s mini-course on surviving civil unrest and riots.
A couple of weeks ago, everything was so quiet in Ecuador that it was even boring. Don’t believe me? Watch the news. A few days ago, a violent mob kicked out the police out of their way and invaded the National Assembly (something very similar, indeed to what happened in Venezuela).
A very volatile situation is brewing in all of South America.
Countries that had been relatively peaceful are now (thanks to the hidden terrorists sent by the Maduro regime) a powder barrel. The timing could not be worst for me and my reduced family group. An old illness has come back and I´m struggling to recover at least partially before things get worst. Fortunately, we are in a popular neighborhood where there are lots of Venezuelans, and the people renting me have no complains because I´ve been quite a good tenant: no noises, paying on time (thanks to my extreme frugality and the generosity of a few readers, I have to acknowledge). They are a senior couple and hardly would allow me to get hurt by an angry mob or someone of my family. However, I´m ready to defend myself and mines.
Related: How to Survive Civil Unrest and Riots
OK, here´s the thing. Maybe you can have some indications in the nearby days about how bad things can get, all of a sudden. You won´t even notice it until you´re in the middle. If you don´t believe me just ask to Ecuadorians. They were caught in the middle of a geopolitical storm stirred from abroad. Looting, empty shelves as a result, and half of the country blocked because of the mobs. Tear gas, and shootings. Three young men thrown from a bridge by other angry enemies. Things like this happen when people are exposed, and unaware.
I want to tell you something. I’m not in my better moment these days. But every time I need to go outside for some reason, I do it with the firm, strong idea in my mind, of defending myself and my family (and the means to do it). Being partially impeded, defense will have to be lightning quick and disabling. No mercy and I am sorry about this, but it’s true. It’s the survivor’s mind setup clicking in since I saw the chain of events. Facing the law afterward? Sure, as much as the taken down predators face it too. There is footage of an angry mob (identified with leftist guerrilla colors by the way) beating with batons innocent people inside a building. Same as Germany in the 30s. Jeez.
If for some reason in the future these few paragraphs save your life or someone’s you love, I will feel rewarded.
Although our exposition to xenophobic behavior has been minimal, I´m pretty aware how bad things can get under the current social climate. Therefore, signals definitely can´t be ignored. Every society of the world, unfortunately, seems to have the potential for civilian turmoil, and the possibility of the appearance of more or less organized gangs of marauders NEVER can be dismissed. (I´m sorry Canada, never been there but maybe even you have some percentage of this happening somewhere in the future).
Here are 6 signs that civilian unrest is impending or already occurring.
The first sign, of course, is bad looks when you walk on the street. Small groups of people (especially young men) staring at you? Don´t show fear, but leave the place fast, and find a safe spot. A shop, a restaurant, someplace with guards, preferably. If you´re classified as a “vulnerable” inhabitant (a migrant, ethnical minority, etc.) you know what I´m talking about. Don´t expose yourself and become gray. No one will open an investigation until much time afterwards an attack under these circumstances. And what we want to avoid is an attack.
The second sign, perhaps this is more subtle, when you see people that normally would be polite or indifferent, as a minimum, starts to look at you in sort of aggressive manner. It´s surprising the number of women from a certain age up that have insulted and been racist with Venezuelans in some countries. (Well maybe surprising for some single people…not as much for me already anyway LOL)
The third sign, of course, is people disappearing of the streets. I think one of my worst nightmares would be to be walking with my kid in middle downtown, and suddenly to find ourselves roaming in deserted streets because there is an aggressive gang coming and you can´t see it. One of my friends was caught in the middle of the coup d’etat to Rafael Correa a few years ago in Ecuador, and when he finally could arrive at the hostel he supposed to have booked in, the lady running the place kick his suitcase by the stairs, closed the door and never opened. Go figure. A Venezuelan never would have treated someone like that, and I am proud to say this.
The fourth sign is (obviously) LEOs presence in massive amounts in the streets. Any kind of uniform is a strong indication of expected turmoil. Find cover.
The fifth sign in modern times would be (because in the demonstrations the uniforms used it massively to identify potential groups as a target) drones flying close to some blockage or LEOs control point. And I know this because people who took part in the demonstrations informed me. Everything was peaceful, and after they saw the drones, minutes later all hells broke lose.
The sixth sign, and the last one, is when you start seeing people wearing a single color. All in black, or all in white, or all sharing a bandana, or some symbol that indicates they are part of a group.
Be prepared to defend yourself and your loved ones.
This said, the logical protection measures have to be taken: carry a baton, disguised as a cane. This will work better if one can simulate a limp or something. That´s my first choice. The second one (depending on the laws of the area) would be a concealed knife. A small brown paper brown with a loaf of bread, a peach or apple and some cheese could be useful to explain why we are carrying this, just in case. This would be in my briefcase. I walk decently dressed, but not too much that I call the attention. For some reason I think that someone in a cheap jacket could be attacked by a racist mob faster than someone dressed up with a suit (maybe think one can be a lawyer?).
Any other blunt weapon that can be concealed should work. Be creative. Nunchukus (for those that have practiced martial arts like me) can be easily concealed under loose gym pants, for instance.
But the best protection is exposing yourself as little as possible. This is what I like the most of home-based jobs. An old friend complained about crime rate being so high…but he was a young man in his low 30s and loved partying all night long as a male cat….That saddlebag comes with the horse when you buy it, fellow!
Thank you very much.
Thanks for your comments. Thanks very much for your patronage and much-needed assistance.
Thanks for your companionship, and making me feel with courage to keep struggling and walking ahead.
And especially, thanks for giving me back the trust in God!
See you in the next article!
Love,
Jose.
About Jose
Jose is an upper middle class professional. He is a former worker of the oil state company with a Bachelor’s degree from one of the best national Universities. He has a small 4 members family, plus two cats and a dog. An old but in good shape SUV, a good 150 square meters house in a nice neighborhood, in a small but (formerly) prosperous city with two middle size malls. Jose is a prepper and shares his eyewitness accounts and survival stories from the collapse of his beloved Venezuela. Thanks to your help Jose has gotten his family out of Venezuela. They are currently setting up a new life in another country. Follow Jose on YouTube and gain access to his exclusive content on Patreon. Donations: paypal.me/JoseM151
The “third sign” – empty streets when they should be busy – reminds me of a story a missionary to Columbia told me about. The rebel forces had planned an attack on the local railroad station. In the hours leading up to it, they let it be known to “their people” to stay away from that area, and so word was also passed along to the missionaries there. The missionaries, of course, stayed away, but they were later told that it was quite eerie – as though everyone just disappeared into the jungle.
Jose is right on target – the really local people know when bad things are about to happen and they stay away. Do the same.
Dear Stephen,
Thanks for that anecdote! It´s really important to share that kind of experiences in our community.
Be safe!.
José.
Here is a similar incident — an empty office that should have been busy.
The ATF office at the federal building in Okla. City was usually a bustling place. On the morning of 4/19/1995, however, it was nearly empty. A clerk was quoted as saying the place was “like a tomb.” Minutes later, a truck bomb detonated outside the building and killed >140 people. The alleged target of the bombing: the ATF.
Well, the US govt did the Oklahoma bombing, I’m sure their friends in the ATF office were notified to call in sick.
I am 69 years old. I have seen civil unrest. It comes and goes. Just a fact of life in the world. Today and yesterday. It works it’s self out or it doesn’t.
I believe that the United States is being destabilized to promote a round of severe civil unrest, perhaps even a civil war. The end goal is to break up the U.S. into several smaller countries which will not be a challenge to the Axis of Evil i.e. Cuba, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Red China, and so forth. The Beast with ten heads from the Book of Revelation. .
Thank you Jose. I don’t know how to get that little mark above the “e” in your name-sorry!
Your observations are priceless. We should all be grateful that you are willing to share them with us. Everything you said makes sense. One MUST be aware of their surroundings and pay attention to anything out of the ordinary. I like gray a lot but am not afraid to fight if need be. I would really rather use my “bullshit” ability to talk my way out of things but a mob mentality will not listen. Mobs are awful things.
I wish you and your family the best. Hope no more bad trouble comes your way.
Seems the whole world is getting to be a very messed up place 🙁
The accent above letters is an HTML markup code. I haven’t tried HTML markup on this forum yet, but I don’t think it is activated for commenters. I’ll try it now just to see…this word should be BOLD.
OK. HTML markup IS supported on this forum. I can show you what to type to get that accent over Jose’s name if you want me to.
Dear Dawn,
You´re welcome. It´s a real pleasure write for you people. Don´t worry about the accent on the “e”. My mom calls me “Joe” as a joke because I write in English too much, read and watch movies, post in FB, twitter, and have lots of Internet buddies from the USA.
A significant defense against mobs are a telescopic baton (the good quality ones, heavy gauge steel) and a pepper spray with capacity to spray 10 man. And your ability to run the heck out of course.
Thanks for your good wishes!
Jose, Thank you for those suggestions. I have neither the baton or pepper spray. I have a lot of other weapons depending on the situation. Will be adding those to my “little” collection! Fortunately I can still run!
Charles, thank you but I’ll pass for now 🙂
Wasp spray is much more effective than tear gas or pepper spray. Wasp spray shoots a stream like a fire hose for over 20 feet and will stop anyone unless they are wearing a full gas mask. They do have to be replaced every year as they lose the gas propellant over time.
Also — It’s normal business hours, but shop owners start pulling down the rolling metal shutters over their storefronts.
You are right about people disappearing off the streets. I have to suppose they are getting messaged by friends in the know.
An unusual number of employees fail to show up for work. Again, they must have friends in the know.
Mobs start gathering in open spaces. Your instincts will kick in and you will realize it’s not a crowd, it’s a mob.
I remember all of this from the OJ Simpson trial.
Dear Maggie,
You don´t know what fear is until you hear EVERY SHUTTER in the block being locked down at the same time. I had even nightmares years after with that sound.
Ecuador is coming off the hinges too
Excellent advice, Jose. Right signs in the right order! Even as a natural born American, if I see a cop on the street, I casually go out of my way to avoid them. They’re just trouble on the hoof waiting to happen. Who needs that crap, right? You never know when one of them is going to ask for your papers or worse.
As a well traveled sailor in the US Navy, I learned all these signs in my travels in Europe and North Africa when I was only 17. Those port towns can be pretty rough.
Dear Charles,
I feel honored someone acknowledging this as a good advice. You´ve learned enough to recognize what I tried to transmit to my readers.
Thanks :).
Thank you Jose for his info. It is always good to be aware.
Ecuador, wow. I was seriously considering it as a potential for my retirement home…..
Dear Linda,
I would suggest to monitor what happens in the lapse before your retirement. Things could evolve. I was in the part of the city known as Cumbaya, it´s a high end neighborhood. I saw footage of locals defending themselves with weapons. That´s good, I think.
On the other hand (a usual) downtown took the worst of the vandals.
Needless to say, I always though that, if someone happened in Venezuela it would be something like that: two weeks, maybe a month, and that´s it.
Under the current state of things, with Russia and China trying to set foot in South America to threaten USA…it´s a volatile, unpredictable situation.
Wow, it sure seems like “out of the frying pan and into the fire” with your situation Jose. All your posts have been most instructive and more importantly driving home the fact that changes are sweeping the globe. Sadly, there is no place where we can be immune to trouble. Seems better for Americans to just sit tight and prepare rather than to move to a place where they just aren’t that welcome by the locals. ( I say that even as a conservative Californian who might need to relocate to another state) Tough decisions for all. Thank you for your timely insights.
“If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives freely to all that ask, and that without reproach.” James 1:8
Dear Debbers,
it´s a real pleasure for me to write for fine people like you.
Good signs to keep in mind. Thank you. I can’t help but be reminded of Antifa, Proud Boys, etc., and the fact that crime as a whole is beginning to move out of the cities even faster than before, people aren’t as civil as they once were… You can feel the tension in the air. Thank you for this reminder.
Dear Sandy,
You´re right on the spot. One of the things that made me pretty much aware was the terrible assaults that are armed robberies in Venezuela. Shooting and running after the robbery is common. Therefore I had a vest under my armored jacket almost everytime I had to leave. Even in the countries where there is supposedly law and order it´s possible to suffer the attack of a gang.
Jose, thank you as always, for your first hand perspective. I don’t talk politics much, but if the topic comes up, I remind people if they think ‘it could never happen here’, to just look at Venezuela.
I read an interesting article today about how ‘lacking’ and twisted the teaching of history has become. And how the youngest voters know very little about the truths of socialism. They just hear ‘free’ this and that, and without knowledge of history, learning rhetoric or critical thinking, they just jump on the bandwagon. The title of the article was along the line of ‘we don’t teach, they don’t know’ and it was from PJ Media if anyone wants to look it up.
I hope your health improves soon. And I pray for continued safety for you and all of your family.
Dear Grammy,
It´s a real pleasure to write for this wonderful community. As it´s usual with mature people, you´re accurate regarding that scam called “socialism”. This is just a term used for decades to disguise a terrorist, criminal international gang intentions.
It´s highly hypocritical to give free drugs for junkies and not to provide insulin to diabetics.
Our labor shall be to warn the generations to come about the real intentions of islamists and communist world.
Jose, you have my sympathies for the troubles you’ve faced.
For the present however – at least until our own socialist government gets elected – we are able to carry concealed firearms here in the United States. The ability to pull out a .45 is better than the ability to pull a knife or blunt instrument.
I urge everyone to do so for two reasons:
1- The types of unrest described by the author may come your way, especially if you live in a state run by socialists.
2- It’s important to exercise your rights or you’ll likely lose them.
Dear Mr. Gray
Thanks for your kind words.
I urge to do so as well. We were forbidden to carry guns in 2012 and a couple of years later national guards (probably cubans disguised as such) were shooting gas canisters to the chest of the demonstrators. This is recorded and registered in video.
But the world doesn´t seem to care though.
Should we have been able to carry guns to fight back, the country would be free nowadays.
“sending hidden terrorists, camouflaged between the refugees”
Like across America’s southern border? The things left behind by people from the Middle East as well as Communist China? But the US mainstream media doesn’t talk about that.
Deserted streets, shops closed, and it happens NOT when the “call to prayer” happens but at other random times? Just ask a veteran who spent time in Iraq what the troops knew when things went quiet and deserted as they patrolled through an area, ambush.
“If you´re classified as a “vulnerable” inhabitant (a migrant, ethnical minority, etc.) you know what I´m talking about.”
Really? Don’t you mean white, male, christian, veteran, gun owner?
Just goes to show how far the “left” has gone to gain control on what used to be a constitutional republic.
Dear jon,
Being a male white migrant, I´m already part of an ethnical minority. I agree 100% with your comment, brother.
Attention ANTIFA and West Coast Pinkos. The $h*t you will cause is just a cover for a foreign Invasion by UN..China…and Russia. The minute you start anything Near Me I will under the rules of war consider you an enemy force and by right will be laying your ass on the ground in piles from sniper position. Consider yourself warned, watch your back…that sting hitting your brain-damage MIGHT BE ME!
-Signed
American Citizen Defender
Dear Defender,
I believe your message, specifically in the part mentioning the turmoil being a cover for an intervention is quite accurate as well. Just by looking at the mess that the criminal gang is spreading throughout South America we can see how evil the intentions of these conspirators are.
I can feel in the chain of recent events that something evil is coming and the regular sheep are not aware.
Some times I´d like to be an ignorant, maybe I would be much happier.
… Maduro? Why take a cheap shot at Maduro?
Ironically the Chavistas are living the prepper libertarian dream right down to the barter economy with gang hierarchy. With strongman Maduro on top; in any post SHTF situation there will be a top strongman forming the ‘official’ government.
Its the other guys who want normal middle class sheepledom.
Thank you JG Martinez D for these warning signs when a mob is around the corner. The malevolent stares and aggressive taunts and challenges are commonplace in the USA now. This election year will be the most violent as the very large mobs in the hundreds are being guided by political professors.
“I walk decently dressed, but not too much that I call the attention. For some reason I think that someone in a cheap jacket could be attacked by a racist mob faster than someone dressed up with a suit (maybe think one can be a lawyer?”
The two sentences seem to be inconsistent.
Did you meant to say “For some reason I think that someone in a cheap jacket could be attacked by a racist mob LESS faster than someone dressed up with a suit.”
And surely in practice the mob would hate the lawyer more than an ordinary guy and would attack him where there was a break down of law and order.
Do not apologize for keeping us informed about what is going on in your area, our friend, Jose. We have no other source–this is just as valuable as the survival tips!