I’m sure many of you have seen this story. I actually hadn’t until my friend and trainer Craig Harper brought it to my attention this morning.
As he often does, Craig turned this incident into a teachable moment for students of personal defense. I think it’s particularly important for new permit holders to keep in mind what Craig is saying here (and for HCP/CCW instructors to impart this message to reluctant carriers). So with his permission, I thought I’d share Craig’s thoughts:
The Three Big Lies
You know: “The check is in the mail” and “I promise I’ll bring it back.” The third is: “The government/ police/ security/ cameras will keep you safe.”
Trusting a third party for your personal safety is a fool’s folly. Here is a vivid example. Somebody recently replaced the American flags on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City with white flags. Here’s a picture:
Notice the sign. Yet nobody saw who did this. On top of that, if you have been to New York City recently, especially after 9/11, you know that there are police stationed on every bridge and at every tunnel entrance. So, we have cops on duty and video surveillance and NOBODY saw the people responsible for this act.
I have no idea what this flag swap is all about. For this posting, it doesn’t matter. The point is this: If cops and video surveillance couldn’t prevent this incident, how likely is it that a third party is going to be able to protect you?
Personal safety is personal responsibility. You can’t delegate.
– Craig Harper
The news coverage (that there were no cameras) seems to contradict the sign, which might have been there just as a deterent. Who knows. Bottom line: I am eternally grateful to law enforcement for doing whatever they can to protect me. But of course, chances are I won’t have an officer strapped to my back when the stuff hits the fan. So the first line of defense will have to be me.
P.S.: I’m pretty sure that the point of Craig’s note — and I’m absolutely certain that the point of me choosing to share it here — has nothing to do with whatever political message or agenda these elusive banner bandits were hoping to advance. So, let’s save that debate for another day on another blog, shall we? Great. 🙂
Solid points, all. Another teachable moment item – Always look up and always look around. There is a reason it is so easy to harvest from a tree stand.
Very poetic! 🙂 Reminds me of a story here where a jogger recently got hit by a train. He was wearing earphones and listening to loud music, as his family said he often did while jogging.
The story I saw on Fox News’ website implied they have video of the bridge and were reviewing it to see if they could identify the preps, even mentioned there were 4 of them.
I lived in Florida for a number of years (before FEMA to the rescue) and the rule was that if a hurricane hit, you were on your own for the 1st week or so. I tell my students that in a self defense situation that they are on their own for at least the 1st 10 minutes.
Yep. I lived in Florida for a while. In fact I was in Miami when Katrina passed through there. Wasn’t nearly as strong as when it later hit New Orleans. But I remember watching the roof peel off the building next door. And yep, I was definitely on my own for a while.
The whole, “We’ve got cameras!” meme is long on wish and short on substance.
I am eternally grateful to law enforcement for doing whatever they can to protect me.
I’m grateful for what they’re allowed to do.
When they ‘do whatever they can’, more often than not it just pisses me off.
Or more correctly, “whatever they *think* they can.”
The message contained in this post (“we are always our own first responder”) is even more stark when you read all of the court decisions holding that police departments do not owe the individual citizen any duty to protect them. Our students are absolutely stunned to hear about these cases. This could probably be the topic of a blog post by a talented and legally informed attorney blogger!
Absolutely right! When I was practicing at a firm, I was shocked at how often citizens thought the police “owed” them some sort of safety guarantee. That sparked many a candid discussion with folks who were all too eager to sue the police. Many have a fundamental misunderstanding of what law enforcement actually does, and what citizens should realistically expect.