I had cause to post about this on a thread about the Cleveland police shooting of 12yo Tamir Rice. A poster asked, possibly rhetorical, whether any critics of the shooting had ever faced down a gun. I have. This is not a heroic tale. The only life saved was my own. But I think it IS of relevance to the merits keeping cool and de-escalating matters vs homing a sense of mortal danger that requires a massively violent response, which seems to be a big part of what is wrong with modern policing, at least in some departments. It is just one case and for sure things might have ended differently even doing what I did. But most people, including criminals, dont seek out violence for its own sake and will choose other options when they are available, even when acting with clear malice. Not everyone, but most people. So I just dont buy the excuse that officers are legitimately in fear of their lives every time someone makes any move other than what the officer asked. Yes, it is stupid to make other moves. But it is unreasonable to start firing on the assumption that all such moves pose immediate danger. The problem is (a) that too much police training and official rhetoric makes cops paranoid and (b) claiming such fear after the fact has proven to be an all but assured means of escaping even minor punishment. In any case, the story goes back a few years to Tae Kwon Do class and supposed lessons on how to defend against knives and guns. Throughout the demo, one of our brown belt students (I think I was a green belt at the time) just kept shaking his head. The student went by the name Nisio. Let me tell you about Nisio. First, the one and only time I was knocked out by a strike was when Nisio planted a lunging sidekick to my solar plexus. I turned around quickly and put my arms to the side to signal that I couldnt continue. I recall looking down at the floor. The next thing I recall was Nisio hovering over me, pulling up on my belt to get oxygen back into my killings and thence into my blood and brain. I was told by my younger brother that he thought I had been killed. Yeah, Nisio could do some damage. Nisio was also a lacrosse player and the mens game just may be more brutal than football or hockey. He was also a top flight NCAA wrestler and when he sparred against the top instructor and school owner, a 3rd degree black belt back before the days if belt inflation, Nisio repeatedly took the guy down with impunity. Nisio was the real deal. So when Nisio interrupted the self defense lessons by saying: Heres my self defense technique and pantomimed handing over his wallet, that made a big impression. In short, dont fight unless there is no other option and dont get ballsy in the face of a gun unless you want to get killed. Now, fast forward several years and here I am, walking home after midnight in Hyde Park in Chicago. Hyde Park is a bit of an integrated, academic island in a very segregated city, bounded to the east by Lake Michigan and on all other sides by the proverbial rough neighborhoods. I get the feeling I am being stalked by a car. Sure enough, the cat pull up alongside me and out jumps a young guy. He first mutters something incomprehensible. He is nervous. So I am nervous. He then suddenly pulls out a Clint Eastwood special and tells me to get into the car. Uh ... no. That doesnt sound like a good idea at all. So instead, I use the Nisio self defense trick and quickly gran my wallet and toss it on the ground beside him. He says what, that? I say my wallet - take it. He picks it up, mulls a moment and then tells me to lie face down on the grass along the sidewalk. This time, I comply. He gets in the car and they roar off. Dont for a minute think that I have or had nerves of steel. This was scary and I never did really sleep that night. And for the next six months or so, any time a car drove slowly past me after dark, I felt a huge wave of anxiety. But I still say, when the heat is on, dont ADD to it. Try to stay cool and those around you just might stay cool themselves. I strongly suspect that this guy was put up to this. He was younger than me and seemed, if anything, more nervous than me. That is NOT a good thing. Obviously, you dont wNt to encounter a seasoned murderer, but youd rather have a seasoned armed robber who doesnt want a shooting rap and for whom it is all business than some kid in way over his head. That made me all the more determined not to freak him out by freaking out myself. So, maybe this is a heroic take. The hero was Nisio, who swallowed his machismo and pride in his fantastic fighting skills by cutting through the BS and teaching me how to REALLY defend myself against a gun. Maybe if both cops and citizens start learning how to stay calm and stop honing the fear that leads to violence, more lives can be saved. That would be way cool. I an glad I net Nisio, knockout kick to the solar plexus and all. Few could have if would have taught that lesson half as well,
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:06:33 +0000
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