The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

Hopefully, through my words, you’ll ensure you don’t make the same mistakes I
did. This could well have ended up as just another “It happened to me” story,
but thankfully, through quick thinking and the use of what I’ve learned here
at The Martialist, it didn’t!

The short version of this story is this:  I’d left work here in San Diego
at 2:30 in the afternoon, after a very busy Tuesday at work, and battled
traffic for the next 3 hours on my 100 mile drive up to the SoCal Blades
October “Mini-Show” held at the Crystal Palace Hotel & Casino in scenic
Compton, California.

For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Compton ranks right up there with
many of the worst urban jungles we have in the U.S. with regard to serious
crime against citizens. As such, this is not an area that I would normally
visit, but that night was an exception.

The Crystal Palace is actually a nice venue, well lighted at night in the
valet parking area, with armed security making regular patrols. Unfortunately,
because it was still daytime upon arrival and I was unaware of this, I’d opted
for self-parking in the unlighted, infrequently patrolled general parking
area. (Mistake #1)

I’d phoned my wife Edna along the way, mentioning that I’d worked through
lunch and was really excited about getting to the show as soon as possible.
She suggested that I temper my excitement and stop for a bite to eat before
the show. Yet, arriving at the venue and heading in to find the show had
started early, I didn’t heed these words of advice. (Mistake #2)

Entering the show, I almost immediately ran into friends and, through them,
made new friends. Four hours later I was leaving the show with new
information for our upcoming book on “Randall Made” knives, had two of the
three knife books I’d been looking for under my arm, had new knives in pocket,
and had many new adventures awaiting me in the future.

As I left the show, my normally alert awareness mode reminded me to look
around for trouble but, not seeing any and weary and tired from a long day, I
let my mind wander when I spotted my truck in the distance through the
darkness and fog. (Mistake #3)

Deactivating the alarm and unlocking the truck, I immediately brought the seat
back forward to retrieve my stashed valise and started putting away my new
goodies.  I also started putting away my watch, wallet, etc., completely
oblivious to where I was and what was going on around me. (Mistake #4)

I leaned over my seat, going about my business, and heard an unfamiliar voice
in the darkness call out, “Hey mister, excuse me, can you spare some change,
hey mister…” This happened a few times before I realized that the comments
were directed toward me and the voice was getting closer.

I stepped back and stood up only to witness a disheveled, skinny individual
approaching me at a very high rate of speed. This guy was on me, like,
right now, and coming around the rear of my truck.  He had closed the
distance between us in the blink of an eye! Truthfully, in retrospect, I’m
thankful that he (later) didn’t appear to mean me any harm, or was at least
cautious enough to announce his presence before striking.

Put yourself in my position now.  It’s late and you’re alone, you’re
tired/hungry/drained, it’s dark and foggy… and out of the darkness some guy
suddenly appears before you, so close to you that you can smell the alcohol on
his breath, see the glazed look in his eyes, and tell that he appears so
strung out that he’s shaking in the wind.  What would you do?

Standing next to the door, I pushed it closed and reset the alarm with remote
in hand (probably another mistake, but at least I was moving while buying
myself some time with the distraction). Quartering, I stepped back and raised
my left hand “‘palm out” while pocketing the keys and indexing my pocket knife
with my right hand.

(The
body position I used is similar to that shown in the Phil Elmore’s September
2003 article, Maintaining Space,
which I’d just read.  It is a position that almost makes it look like
you’re drawing a weapon… which I would have, if needed.)

“Stop, leave me alone!” I shouted,  I used the time bought by the
response to that comment to back up and start moving away.  Move away I
did, quickly backing up and then walking away from this, a potential problem
situation…

No, guys, no knives were drawn and no blood was shed.  I didn’t save the
world, but in my opinion I did save myself some degree of trouble. Did this
fine fellow mean me any harm? I don’t need to know. When I saw and yelled out
to the first armed casino security guard I saw, I’d only moved away about 40
feet.  Yet when I pointed to where my truck was, the “crackhead” was
gone.

From start to finish, this whole encounter lasted 5 to 10 seconds, yet I’ve
spent hours revisiting it in my mind.  This was a Class “A” screw-up on
my part, so I’d like to address the lessons learned here – not only to help
insure that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did, but to quantify for
myself where I went wrong.

The point here is not just that I screwed up, made some mistakes, and luckily
lived to tell about it. The point is to identify just where I made
those mistakes and to make suggestions to ensure that you’ll not make similar
mistakes in the future.

So, from the top, my mistakes, one by one – and some recommendations on how
you can avoid making similar mistakes.

Mistake #1: I went to an unknown venue, by myself, and parked in a remote area
when a better option was available. The lesson learned here is to take
advantage of better options and/or travel with friends, when possible.

Mistake #2: I allowed myself to get run down and lethargic, and therefore
inattentive, by not eating properly. The lesson learned here is to stay alert
and keep the batteries charged by consuming enough fuel to do so. Stay alert
in the process.

Mistake #3: I momentarily lost focus and, as such, awareness of my
surroundings when I could least afford to do so. The lesson here is that
complacency should come only after you get home safely, if at all… and not
before. As the song goes, paraphrased, “There’ll be time to count the money,
when the dealing’s done.”

Mistake #4: When exiting an area, especially one known for having a high crime
rate, regardless of your mental state, you should be focused on just that –
leaving! The lesson here is that the time I spent unnecessarily organizing
my affairs would have been better spent on simply exiting the area.

Mistake #5: When accosted, and that’s just what this was, I didn’t have a
plan. I reacted slowly and met this potential threat unprepared. It was only
when he started to lift his shirt (to show me that he was unarmed) that I
realized that I needed to respond forcibly (with body language and voice) and
to put distance between us. The lesson here, short of those mentioned above,
is to be mentally prepared prior to finding yourself in a similar
position.

Thankfully, this fellow probably only wanted a handout, because if it had been
otherwise, this situation truly could have turned out differently. It could
have become just another “It happened to me” story, and one with dire
consequences at that.