imported post
I'm more than 50 lbs overweight, but my kids say that I look like I'm still an LEO. Maybe that's why I don't get challenged very often. I guess my faded DHS baseball hat doesn't hurt. When asked if I am an LEO, I only offer than I am retired from DHS.
We don't need a "dress code" per se, but we should carry ourselves in a confident manner and not act like some posters to this site that have become famous (or infamous) and discredit the rest of us by their illegal actions (drug dealing while OCing). Some OCers (fortunately very few)just plain "don't get it" and act like ill-mannered cowboys. I think a common theme through this thread has been "OC Etiquette" and the need to be professional and confidentat all times.
If you exude confidence, you are less likely to be confronted by either a BG or an over-bearing LEO drunk with authority he doesn't really have. So many people don't understand this can be established with eye contact,a friendly wave and/ora friendly greeting accompanied by a smile. Its important to do these things as part of your own Situational Awareness (SA) and establishing your place in the "Food Chain" (Sheep or Sheepdog).
I can't even begin to count how many times I may have changed the mind of someone with less than honorable intentions. If you always think tactically wherever you go, it becomes second nature. It does require training and experience. I went to Taco Bell yesterday (the same one where a few months ago a couplehoodlums changed their minds about robbery when they saw me eating tacos with the Kimber keeping me company). I sat down at a tableneara pair of older teenagers in need of fashion upgrade. They needed someone to re-attach their trousers to their hips as I could easily see his paisley boxers above his waistband and below his t-shirt. Their conversation had been animated but unintelligible while I was in line for food. The conversation died to rarely spoken whispers after I sat down. I kept them in my peripheral vision while I finished my meal. They didn't look at me agressively, but neither would make eye contact with me for the entire 15 minutes I was there. Definitely not a good sign. I glanced at them several times before leaving and not once could I establish eye contact.
Would they have acted the same way if Pagan had been with me? He probably wouldn't be seen in Taco Bell, so thatprobably wouldn't happen. I'd like to pick his brain about his life experiences. His guidance and wisdom are an untapped gold mine of information.
Would they have acted differently if Danladi Moore had been with me? I'd like to spend time with him and talk to him about his OC experiences.
We strive for normalcy. Our goal is to normalize the "movement" until it isn't a movement anymore... It will be normal behavior to carry a sidearm rather than pull out a cell-phone-camera to record a crime taking place.
Its impossible to quantify how many crimes have been thwarted by the readers and contributors of these pages. How many times have we walked into a place and certain people seem to dissappear? How often do we walk down the street minding our own business and someone gets :shock:and changes their mind about that day's planned activities?
As long as we carry ourselves in a professional manner, our manner of dress shouldn't matter. if you choose to dress and smell like a bum, expect to be treated like a bum with a gun. You are more likely to be treated respectfully if you don't have holes in your knees. One of mydaughtersfeels strongly about self expression. I don't think her choices are the most wise, but I support her rights and have taken her to get several piercings.
I've spent enough time on the soap box for now... Sorry to bore you all with my silly rant.
msc
