Check your vehicles before you get in -

Look inside the cabin, back seat area and truck bed if you had a truck. It is a good practice.

My daughter started taking dance lessons in a seedy part of Chinatown. I was not happy she had signed up for it. I know the area all too well. And the class is at night. 8-9 pm with dancing after until 11-11:30. It is one of the seediest areas on the island at night. Homeless, druggies, etc. So since she insisted on going, I told the wifee and daughter that I need to be the one taking her. And told them why.

Her first class was eventless. And she really liked it and it helps her ballroom and Latin dancing. Eventless other than walking pass an army of homeless folks.

Second time, I had to park several blocks away and walked her to her class. After I made sure she was safely in, I walked back to my truck. I must have been gone for no more than 15 minutes. I get in and call the wife to check up on her and the little monkey. As I am talking to her, I drive off to go plant myself in a restaurant or coffee shop to hang out until the older one is done. I am about a mile or so away from where I parked when I hang up. And as I am about to change lanes, I see an arm hanging out of the corner of my truck bed in the side mirror. WTF?!? I check again. An arm where there wasn't one before. Then I check the rearview mirror. And hidden behind the back seat rest, I see someone. I check again. My first thought, after going on the downtown ghost walk was that it was a ghost or something. Appeared out of nowhere.

Then my reasoning kicked in. Must have been a stowaway who decided to climb into my truck bed to sleep. And no was up. Guy looked like he was casually chilling. I called the wifee and tell her that I have a stowaway. She did not believe me. Maybe because I was calm about it, she thought I was kidding. And when I assured her it was a guy I see, she started to freak out. She was yelling at me to call 911. I told her that I did not feel anything malevolent coming form him, so I was just going to pull over someplace, hopefully with other people around and kick him out. So the whole time I am driving, she is freaking and telling me to call 911.

I pulled over and told the guy that it was time to go and he needs to get out. Then he surprised me a second time. He spoke better than most. And he said, "Aren't you going to buy me dinner first?" So I told him no, just get out. So he stood, climbed out and walked away. I am happy there was no confrontation. He was a young, tall, lean Hawaiian looking guy. And he was dressed too cleanly to be homeless.

So wierd. But happy we both walked away unharmed. But I started thinking. What if he wasn't a homeless guy. What if he was a car jacker.

I told my students to be careful and to check their vehicles. One of my students is a retired police officer. And she told me I should have called 911. And that they would have kept me on and arranged what looked like a routine traffic stop to remove the guy. Hope it never happens again, but I think I would call 911.

Another student asked me if I was sad that I did not get to use my martial arts. I replied that I did use my martial arts training. I stayed calm the entire time and walked away safe. That is the best result. No one got hurt.

 

You were absolutely right ,, Staying calm and aware is the #1 offense ,,, in my opinion . Glad you had no problems .

 

All things considered, that was the best ending it could have been, I would not want to deal with any of the other things that could have went down! This world is really going sideways ain't it! Sad times!

Stay safe brother, that family need you!

 

I'm torn on this one, and I have done it myself (letting someone get away with a crime against me). I always wonder if I am responsible if the kid I let go becomes a burglar or an armed robber or something.

 

Thanks for the comments all. I was thinking that after the fact, @Seepalaces. First thought was to not waste the police's time. I never felt threatened. Then after, I thought what if he was a carjacker that left for easier pickings. Because while I may have gotten hurt, he sure would have too. That's why, while I hope it never happens again, if it does, 911. My wife will breathe easier too. She and the little one were frantic on the phone. That made it harder to stay calm.

 

Glad it worked out OK. Problem is it is always the unknown that gets you. No way of knowing if they are rational, under react and it could get you dead, over react and in this day and age, you could be in serious legal difficulties. So many of the homeless here would of been institutionalized in the past but our dear court system has said they have "rights". Local sheriff out right stated that most of the inmates in the county jail are there because they are mentally ill or addicts. He can not treat them, doesn't have the money or the resources, but they do not play well with others so the system tucks them out of sight in his jail. Used to be the problem was limited to skid row and wino's, but now it is an equal opportunity problem, live in small town, no real center, 30 miles from any town of size, and a couple of my neighbor's kids, in their 20's and up, are addicts and crazy, and just as dangerous as in the worst areas of the city. In some senses even more dangerous as they have the stealth effect of being semi familiar and their parents try their best to keep them clean and healthy, but their diseases have removed any limits on their behavior. It now requires constant awareness of your surroundings. going to the greenhouse at 5 AM, or the dog barking at 3 AM, could force you to interact with someone who is at best drunk or high, or at worst, trying to steal something to raise money for his habit. In some senses for many of us, TSHTF is already here, and over reacting can in this state get you in serious legal trouble, as many of those ripping us off know how to play the racial, poverty, disadvantaged, etc, card very well, and you have to pay your own legal bills while they get a public defender or the local authorities cover theirs.
Sorry to hear that somethings are problems even in paradise, looking forward to more pictures of kids, dogs, food, rivers, etc, and leading the lives we wish we could, rather than the lives we are forced to live. Interesting to me that most religions, some very bad exceptions, focus on leading a good life and having inner peace, even if surrounded by a less than perfect world.

 

Your experience is one of the reasons I purchased a hard, lockable tonneau for my truck. I have to venture into some rather seedy areas on occasion, not to mention sometimes carrying tools or firearms in the bed. And my GHB stuff is in the compartment under the bed. Now it all locks up behind solid metal with real key locks.

 

Should have taken him to the other side of the island and dropped him off

 

I made a habit years ago of always checking the back seat before I get in the front. It's trivial to break into a car or truck, and this is a favorite trick of thieves and rapists. As soon as your daughters get driving permits train the that this is the first step to getting in a vehicle. You can start the training even before since they should see you doing it each time.

 

Or simply drive to the nearest police station...

 

Certain parts of the South La hobo would have been taken for a ride,Forcefully removed with a few knots on his head for reassurance that one does not climb unto ones property.....Nothing as bad as a Jasper truck ride....But close.....lol

 

One issue with SUV's is the tinted windows. When I approach my vehicle, I try to see if anyone is in the trunk/storage area but the tinting is hard to see through. Evening is almost impossible to see if anyone is lurking in the back.

 

Yep, tinted windows are sometimes not good. Some vehicles will flash interior lights if you hit the unlock button, yours maybe one that does. (Mine does, but it's a pickup, so ---)

 

Then I would have driven to the other side of the island.

Plus I stay pretty close to where my daughter is. She has called once before where the studio closed early. And I just got back when they all came down and were on the street. Would not want her to wait alone there! Thankfully, several of the folks waited with her until I picked her up.

 

I thought about that. But I did not know where the nearest police station was. I know now. But I like the coordinated traffic stop when you call 911 too.

 

If you unlock with the remote, the lights go on. But if someone is inside, they know you are there too. But you could reengage the alarm and if they come out, at least it will go off.

 

Understand

 

It’s a shame to have to live like this

 

On a winter day in Pontiac Michigan my neighbor returned to her car to find a homeless woman inside. They played the lock/unlock the door game briefly before the police were called. They got a door open, dragged the woman out and took her away.

That was in1980. I wonder how the police would handle the situation today?