I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how, with things exactly as they are (so, without the community resources, policy changes, and ideas that would ideally exist in the future) I might want to respond to a situation in which I feel threatened. There is not a particularly strong sense of community in my geographic area, and I cannot think of any ‘people i know’ who I would feel comfortable calling for help were I to need it. I’m thinking primarily of abusive people, threats to my safety, dangerous behavior, and the like - I think drugs are a medical issue and being robbed would suck but that’s also not necessarily going to become personal if it’s just about money. Has anyone here read about, or practiced, any methods for deescalating, defending against, or getting out of such situations without having to ask the police? I would like have some of these ideas thought through and waiting in the back of my mind before I actually need them.
You can look into if there are neighborhood watch organizations in your area. Some are religious, some aren’t. You’d probably have to do some digging on how well equipped they are, but some are almost shockingly well equipped to handle certain situations.
A lot of times “neighborhood watch in effect” signs are empty threats or defunct at best but you really never know.
If you live in the northeast US, I do know there is a Jewish one that’s free and can help with lots of situations. I forget the name though.