You can't pick your battlefields. I've said this to countless students over the years and stressed the importance of situational awareness when talking with others. We just finished an ALERT class in the Turlock classroom the other day, and I found myself running through pretty much the whole list as I strolled through the Sherwood Mall in Stockton, CA yesterday. What a zoo!

My bride had requested (insert the word "sent") me to the Macy's store in Stockton to pick up a couple of Christmas plates for her collection as we were about to have the entire Gray Clan and numerous other inlaws and outlaws at our house for Christmas eve dinner. Her, being short of plates and me, being long on time, were sent to pick up the items. I left the house with my fairly standard load out of Glock Model 23, spare magazine, (both highcaps) ASP OC keyring, and a desire to "get there and get out" as fairly rapidly as possible. I'm just not a big fan of traffic and anytime you get around a shopping mall at this time of the year it begins to resemble the bar scene from Star Wars more and more.

Having accomplished my mission in Macy's, I decided to stroll through the mall and see if I could find anything else that would generate a Christmas gift idea. What I got instead was a lesson and practice exercise in situational awareness and a healthy dose of "When It to Win It" practice and training. Asian gangsters, Black gangsters, Hispanic Gangsters, or at least a large number of these people dressed in the usual fashion that says, "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck", were being loud, throwing handsigns at other groups, and generally mad dogging each other. I found myself picking out posts that would provide cover, possible exit points into stores, head on a swivel, moving around objects to keep barriers between street urchins and myself, and trying not to look like a target of oppurtunity. I was wearing my beloved Sharks Hockey sweatshirt so I had already formed my drawstroke plan, keeping my primary weapon hand free of the bag I was carrying with the coveted Christmas dishes. I knew that if anything happened I would be launching those as a distraction strike to start a Hackathorn Rip draw and to get inside the OODA Loop of anyone who wanted to attack. (sorry about the dishes honey)

As I was moving through the mall and deciding that maybe this stroll through what was starting to look like gang central wasn't such a great idea, I was aware of my surroundings, ready, and yet still in Condition Yellow. It may sound like I was paranoid as I moved through the mall, but it was really just being aware. As I walked out of the mall and in the general direction of my truck I found myself following along behind a lady who was, likewise, moving towards her vehicle. I was amazed that her body language told me that she was very uncomfortable about having me directly behind her as we zigged and zagged through the cars apparently heading in the same direction. (Turned out she was parked right next to me) But not once did she alter her course, look back at me, or attempt to change direction. I was only about four to five paces behind her and could have entered her personal space for an attack with only about two large steps. It appeared she knew this, and YET, she went into ostritch mode with her head firmly planted in the sand (or somewhere else) and would not do anything to shake me off her tail. I could almost hear her saying "I hope, I hope, I hope," the whole time I was behind her. I truly should have been nicer and backed off, changed my line of approach to my truck, or done something to put her at ease, but found myself using her like a lab rat. When she reached her car and she saw me getting into my truck right next to her, I swear you could hear her exhale with a sigh of relief.

I thought about giving her a business card and offering her a free class to ALERT, because the poor thing needed it badly. However before I could let that thought jell, she was off in a cloud of exhaust. Oh well. At least I got a lot of practice in that day. And the plates were still intact.

Maybe I should run fieldtrips with students up to the Sherwood Mall. Like the city motto says;
Stockton. Someplace Special.

Dan