# Riding through 'bad' neighborhoods...



## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

... I recently changed jobs, and will soon move to a rental closer to work and I am looking for experiences from others regarding riding through not-so-good neighborhoods. Where I will be living is an acceptable 'hood, but I will be riding through parts of LA such as Compton and Gardena...

Thoughts? Reassuring comments? Plea's to not do it?

Thanks!


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

BentChainring said:


> ... I recently changed jobs, and will soon move to a rental closer to work and I am looking for experiences from others regarding riding through not-so-good neighborhoods. Where I will be living is an acceptable 'hood, but I will be riding through parts of LA such as Compton and Gardena...
> 
> Thoughts? Reassuring comments? Plea's to not do it?
> 
> Thanks!


Bring three different colored bandannas.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

You've got a rental house squared away, already? Did you make promises? Did you put money down? Is the place a palace at a price you can't turn away from? If not, have you thought about living in a neighborhood like Westchester or Playa Vista or Marina del Rey? Or, for that matter, Palms or Mar Vista?


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Armadillo tires with slime tubes. I commuted through a bad area of Norfolk for two years. I noticed that the bad people were off the street in the early am and during the afternoon there are lots of people around so I felt safer. The only sketchy rides were after 7pm. 

Here is my bad neighborhood commuter tip: Run 25mm armadillo tires with 28-38mm tubes. It's a heavy setup but the larger tube isn't stretched thin so even if you get a puncture it leaks slowly and you can ride out of the bad area to find a good place to change the tube.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)




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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Talk to MarkS about his also. He loves riding through the "finer" areas of Baltimore and has a lot of experience staying alive.


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Mapei said:


> You've got a rental house squared away, already? Did you make promises? Did you put money down? Is the place a palace at a price you can't turn away from? If not, have you thought about living in a neighborhood like Westchester or Playa Vista or Marina del Rey? Or, for that matter, Palms or Mar Vista?


Map,
No place yet, my friends realtor is looking for a rental for us. Those are the places she is looking into. PV would be ideal, imo.

Bill,
Dont stop. Roger.

**Paging MarkS**


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## rward325 (Sep 22, 2008)

When I road from Garden Grove to Santa Ana I road the river trail which is famous for bike snatchers. You had to always be aware going under bridges. I used 25mm tires with slime filled tubes back then because of all the glass from the drunks. Once off the path I had to ride through a pretty bad part of Santa Ana to get to my office. Lots of road hazards and no bike lanes to speak of. You just had to pay really close attention to the road and your surroundings. I got yelled at a lot and stuff thrown a few times. Just have to be aware and pedal fast.

The Mar Vista thing would be good for where are working. Play del Rey or Paly Vista might be affordable also. There are some nice areas of Redondo Beach and then you could commute North to work and go through as many bad areas, this would allow more bike path or bike lane access also. There are also some decent pockets in Hawthorne.


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

rward325 said:


> When I road from Garden Grove to Santa Ana I road the river trail which is famous for bike snatchers. You had to always be aware going under bridges. I used 25mm tires with slime filled tubes back then because of all the glass from the drunks. Once off the path I had to ride through a pretty bad part of Santa Ana to get to my office. Lots of road hazards and no bike lanes to speak of. You just had to pay really close attention to the road and your surroundings. I got yelled at a lot and stuff thrown a few times. Just have to be aware and pedal fast.
> 
> The Mar Vista thing would be good for where are working. Play del Rey or Paly Vista might be affordable also. There are some nice areas of Redondo Beach and then you could commute North to work and go through as many bad areas, this would allow more bike path or bike lane access also. There are also some decent pockets in Hawthorne.


Ahh, now I remember... Rancho Palos Verdes is where shes looking primarily. She had found a nice place with room in the garage for all our crap. The rental market is good right now, so three engineers can afford to live in such a place for reasonable rates...

I dont pedal too fast...  and I dont like getting sh*t thrown at me... damnit.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

Pick the best route. Wear normal clothes and act like you live there. Most people ignore me since I'm on a bicycle. It's like I'm invisible.

Avoid the lycra and team kit outfits. Carry cash for bus, transit pass, or taxi ride in case of a breakdown. 

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=30821


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Art853 said:


> Pick the best route. Wear normal clothes and act like you live there. Most people ignore me since I'm on a bicycle. It's like I'm invisible.
> 
> Avoid the lycra and team kit outfits. Carry cash for bus, transit pass, or taxi ride in case of a breakdown.
> 
> http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=30821


Explain 'normal' clothes?

Dickies and a t shirt?


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## hepcatbent (Aug 19, 2009)

Good advice here. As a now-retired former bike cop with SoCal ghetto patrol experience, let me second a couple of those thoughts. Riding through the 'hood in the early morning will be the safest. You can see obstacles (like broken glass) and there will be little action to be concerned about. Early to late evening will be the most dangerous time. Everyone is on the streets in the evening... and after dark you haven't a clue what's out there.

Ride like you own the place. Don't be flashy. Ride a dull, inexpensive-looking commuter. Wear street clothes, and _learn to sprint on your bike_. Speed and stealth are your friends. Get some bullet-proof (figuratively speaking, of course) tires and tubes as you'll find more tube-killers in some of the less-well-heeled neighborhoods. Beer bottles seem to get broken in the streets in some of those neighborhoods at a much higher rate than others, and it's tough if you find you have a flat while you're sprinting away from a "situation". Last, vary your route. Don't establish patterns. If you do, someone will take advantage of knowing when you're coming through.

Good luck!


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Well, I drove the route I had planned today. Man... some rough areas... kinda discouraging...

I may end up waiting a couple months till I move so I am riding UP from the south, which limits my riding through the ghetto...


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)




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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Well...

Moved into the new place July 5th. Still haven't made the trek to work via bicycle yet. New place puts me between 7 and 10 miles from work (depending on route), riding up from Redondo beach.

For various reasons, I havent pulled the trigger. Some recent Car-on-cycle collisions (and one death via hit-and-run) in the area around work have me finding reasons not to do it. 

Crap.

:/


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*issues?*



BentChainring said:


> Well...
> 
> Moved into the new place July 5th. Still haven't made the trek to work via bicycle yet. New place puts me between 7 and 10 miles from work (depending on route), riding up from Redondo beach.
> 
> ...


You more worried about getting hit, like in busy areas with no bike lane, or someone shooting you?


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

BentChainring said:


> Well...
> 
> Moved into the new place July 5th. Still haven't made the trek to work via bicycle yet. New place puts me between 7 and 10 miles from work (depending on route), riding up from Redondo beach.
> 
> ...


Actually, I want to just express my support for what you're saying - if I was thinking of riding through the ghetto, AND there were a number of collisions and a hit and run where the cyclist died - I know the rhetoric, but seriously I would just stick to driving, especially if driving didn't take you through the ghetto.

I mean, consider it the other way - if driving took you through a bad neighborhood and you have learned of a number of carjackings there, but riding your bike took you through nice neighborhoods where you hadn't heard of any problems, do you think anyone would be telling you you're a wimp for biking rather than driving? lol


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## |3iker (Jan 12, 2010)

Fixed said:


> You more worried about getting hit, like in busy areas with no bike lane, or someone shooting you?



Maybe both.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*clothing?*



Art853 said:


> Wear normal clothes and act like you live there.


Which look would you recommend?


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Fixed said:


> You more worried about getting hit, like in busy areas with no bike lane, or someone shooting you?


Shooting, low likelihood. More likely to get hit. Zero bike lanes after the first mile, and while there is one bike path, following the LA River it has all its crossings mid-block, so its practically better to avoid it.


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Fixed said:


> Which look would you recommend?


That was my question too... Nobody who lives there rides on the street.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

One constant of riding though ghettos seems to be just CRAZY amounts of glass on the roads. I ride through east palo alto and this seems to be where all my flats come from. Before riding though there I used to only carry a patch kit, until I realized I can't find a leak with all the ghetto blasters, loud pipes, etc - now I carry two spare tubes. I remember riding up the coast and that area just north of Long Beach looked pretty ghetto. Tons of glass and torn up roads just like E. PA. I felt pretty invisible in both places though. If you ride on the road normally you have confidence, and even in lycra didn't feel like anyone giving me the eye. I also ride fast in these places, 25+ if I can maintain it. In LB felt like I had a tailwind going north and southbound


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

dwgranda said:


> One constant of riding though ghettos seems to be just CRAZY amounts of glass on the roads. I ride through east palo alto and this seems to be where all my flats come from. Before riding though there I used to only carry a patch kit, until I realized I can't find a leak with all the ghetto blasters, loud pipes, etc - now I carry two spare tubes. I remember riding up the coast and that area just north of Long Beach looked pretty ghetto. Tons of glass and torn up roads just like E. PA. I felt pretty invisible in both places though. If you ride on the road normally you have confidence, and even in lycra didn't feel like anyone giving me the eye. I also ride fast in these places, 25+ if I can maintain it. In LB felt like I had a tailwind going north and southbound


Haha, sounds about right. I think I could only maintain 25mph right now if I were falling. :thumbsup:


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

Are you still driving, or bussing, or have you found a better route yet?

Sometimes, like to my second to last job (been a rough year) everything was good until the last two miles. The last two miles was a death trap full of uninsured, unlicensed, don't care 'bout nobody but themselves, shoot you for a doughnut or a dime, eat an ant on a two cent bet, rude crazy drivers. Made it about impossible to find a safe way to get there, 20 miles of pleasant riding, two final miles of chisel out a tombstone for yourself danger.

But other places I've worked and lived I've found by adding a few miles I could avoid the worst places many times. A 7-10 mile death defying commute could be turned into a 12-18 mile reasonable commute.

Just a thought.


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

treebound said:


> Are you still driving, or bussing, or have you found a better route yet?
> 
> Sometimes, like to my second to last job (been a rough year) everything was good until the last two miles. The last two miles was a death trap full of uninsured, unlicensed, don't care 'bout nobody but themselves, shoot you for a doughnut or a dime, eat an ant on a two cent bet, rude crazy drivers. Made it about impossible to find a safe way to get there, 20 miles of pleasant riding, two final miles of chisel out a tombstone for yourself danger.
> 
> ...


Thats kinda what I am scoping out... at 4am when I leave for work, the roads are fine. No issue at all.

At 6pm when I leave, its a bit more sketchy... The Route I am thinking of taking in gets pretty busy, which is generally pretty good for bikes since the cars are moving slower... Still, I am lagging because roommates have taken over the garage, and make it hard to get at the bikes (grrr)...


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

Just hang up one of these, problem solved:
https://www.recyclereminders.com/img/lg/K/Bicycle-Reserved-Parking-Sign-K-1854.gif

Maybe paint a bicycle lane graphic on the garage floor and call it a MUT pathway for bicycles and for people carrying in groceries from the driveway.  

When I lived in Costa Mesa I found that busy roads often had a virtually untraveled residential street within two blocks of the main roadway. One route I took I just had to cut through a church parking lot in a neighborhood to keep going in my general direction.

But you're the one riding there so use your own judgement, but you know that already. And post some pics or a video once you've got the route figured out, should be interesting.

People thought I was nuts driving around Pershing Square and East L.A. and Boyle Heights with an open car (Triumph TR3A) and my camera gear on the passenger seat late at night taking photos of the city. I told them I went to bed early, then got up around 2:30am and didn't get to the "bad" areas until 3:30-4:00am after the bad stuff was usually done and just before the sun came up. Sometimes I miss SoCal, othertimes not.


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## SilentAssassin (Jul 29, 2010)

Bring Mace...yes I've heard a lot of reports where Mace has saved someones life. I'm not saying whip it out if someone hijacks your bike at gunpoint. Flat tire like everyone said will make you vulnerable. Your bike maintenance and pre-ride inspection will be all the more critical. Tubeless with slime has it's advantages. That could also be a crutch because I have read a tubeless set up takes longer to change out if you get a flat. 

Also I'm not sure if stealth is the key like the retired bike cop stated. Stealth in that situation could also be a crutch, because if it's the bad people that only notice you rather than the good people...you are in more trouble. Remember it's the criminals that will probably be more focused on you, since they are the ones looking for the opportunity...as opposed to the good people who are simply focused on their routine, rather than some random cyclist. In that situation I'd still maintain high visibility but making sure to keep on busy streets. 

Might actually be a good idea to do a reconnaissance of the neighborhoods you'll be riding through before hand, that way you can customize the safest route. Definitely choose a route that has more businesses and more donut shops. 

Use the cheapest looking bike possible. Hell make the frame rainbow color...a bike that no one would want to be seen on, lol. I still remember stories about a kids killing eachother for air jordan shoes back in 80s/90s. Crazy stuff.


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

SilentAssassin said:


> Use the cheapest looking bike possible. Hell make the frame rainbow color...a bike that no one would want to be seen on, lol.


This also doesn't mean you need to ride a POS. I don't just commute through the 'hood, I work there.

I have a bright yellow, 11-year-old Trek 1000. Bought it used four years ago for $100. Every time I stop, and sometimes as I buzz by, people remark about the bike. Doesn't matter that it's Fredded-out in full commuter regalia, the paint looks flashy.

I also have a Litespeed--plain, brushed Ti finish--with a mix of Ultegra and DA, and the only thing Fred about it is the rider. That bike is invisible. 

However, mountain bikes of any ilk--from Next to S-Works--are highly prized.

I disagree with the advice that you should try to appear to fit in. There is no way a guy as white as me is going to fit in, unless I look like a player--a cop or someone looking for drugs or sex. Players are fair game.

It's very clear that I'm not a player. (Maybe it's the hi-viz.) Since I'm not in the game, there's little if any incentive to waste time, energy or ammunition on me. As long as I also don't do something silly and make myself a target of opportunity, I'm probably safer on the streets of the 'hood than I am in suburbs.

That's my experience based on a Northeastern variant of the 'hood. There are vast cultural differences between here and LA, and our 'hoods are no different in that regard. (Now that I think of it, the Puerto Rican sections here are vastly different than the black sections.) You'll certainly have to adjust for that.


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## o0adam0o (Jul 24, 2010)

Make sure to look crazy while you are ridding. Like "cock-eyed" or "cross-eyed" and dont comb your hair.

Dont want this to happen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFJThMDLYM4&p=D69D68751F644107&playnext=1&index=6


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## dwadamcat (Feb 20, 2008)

I will though one out there..... carry a gun in your messenger bag and know how to use it. Seriously I wont commute without a gun never know when someone will pull in front of you and get out in those area's. just a thought, a legal safe thought btw for gun haters out there.


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## axlenut (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi, while this will not help you with your commute have you tried riding on the bike path on the beach? I have only been to LA once - Used LAX to visit my brother up North and on the return trip I had an early morning flight so I spent the night in Redondo beach. The hotel had free loaner bikes, crappy beach cruisers but I had my multi tool with me and was able to adjust the seat and move the handle bars for a much more aggressive ridding position. I took that crappy bike on one heck of a ride, past Marina Del Rey and back. It was a very nice ride! Lots to see and safe provided you slow down for the turns and people. I would love to be able to do that ride again. Might not be good for a road bike but a mountain bike with big urban tires should be a a lot of fun.


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

I still have nightmares about some of the places where my life in music took me at night or day in Alphabet City, the Bronx, the West Side and the Lower East Side and Washington Heights and parts of Brooklyn in the 80s and 90s all of New York's choicest neighborhoods.

Do yourself a favor, pick a neighborhood with a safer commute, fewer bikesnatchers, rapists and muggers. One bike snatching and you've got to walk out of there.

There are no guarantees of course, but IMO as an older geezer, who's missed some opportunities here or there along the way, the quality of life added of being able to ride to work more often is worth the extra dollars spent, if that's what floats your boat, and if you're on RBR I'd hazard a guess that cycling goes a long way toward scratching the itch.


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## nealric (Jul 5, 2007)

> I still have nightmares about some of the places where my life in music took me at night or day in Alphabet City, the Bronx, the West Side and the Lower East Side and Washington Heights and parts of Brooklyn in the 80s and 90s all of New York's choicest neighborhoods.


It's amazing how much NYC has changed. I've only heard of Alphabet City as a place to go out at. 


As to the OP, I've ridden through pretty rough neighborhoods in DC wearing full lycra. For the most part, people treat you like you don't exist.


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

By far one of the funniest threads I have ever read on any of these forums! Debo, Chevy and The Village People; you guys are killing me! Man Seattle sure is tame compared to LA; the homeless guys on my route wave to me as I ride by..............MTT :thumbsup:


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

Rode in yesterday.

AM is no problem. I left at 6am and headed north and east on the major thoroughfares without issue. I typically leave for work around 4am, so there should be even less people.

PM is a bit sketchier, leaving between 5 and 6pm, so traffic is generally slow. I basically need to come back west 2 miles, and I think the best way is going to end up being one of the major streets...3lanes ea way, and mostly empty parking in the right lane, so at least its not generally occupied. I found a side street route to come south that is perfect.

We'll see how a weekday ride is.


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## malanb (Oct 26, 2009)

I cant train on streets , I train in a 3km loop on a closed park, with the police building in it. Last year they robbed at gun point al the bikes from the colombian team when they came for la Vuelta al Tachira. They usually steal bikes at gun point, ask for ransom afterwards. Today they stole my friends Kuota kueen ka, when he was getting home, they took his pick up too. I usually feel safe when I go ridin on the highway with the team cars
in bad hoods.I just go fast. look strong. they usually target weak prey


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

I loved California, but I sure don't miss having to worry about crime. Its amazing how places can be so expensive to live, and have so many ghetto people. 

Good luck! Better you than me


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

TomH said:


> I loved California, but I sure don't miss having to worry about crime. Its amazing how places can be so expensive to live, and have so many ghetto people.
> 
> Good luck! Better you than me


Yup, and how fast it can go from expensive to ghetto is amazing too...


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

BentChainring said:


> Yup, and how fast it can go from expensive to ghetto is amazing too...


Takes about 4-7 blocks here (Milwaukee, WI) for full transition from Ritz to Pitz.

I remember when I lived in SoCal that all it took sometimes was to cross a river or a freeway and you'd be in a whole 'nuther world. Sometimes the difference was so drastic it felt like time travel.

Glad you survived the Sunday commute. It will be interesting to see how a workday works out.


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## BikeLV702 (Apr 19, 2008)

bigbill said:


> Here is my bad neighborhood commuter tip: Run 25mm armadillo tires with 28-38mm tubes. It's a heavy setup but the larger tube isn't stretched thin so even if you get a puncture it leaks slowly and you can ride out of the bad area to find a good place to change the tube.



Seriously the best advice you can get and if you can, DO IT. I ride through tough "hoods" and bad hoods=unkept streets=broken 40 bottles=flat city. Do yourself a favor and do anything you can to avoid flats. Good luck and ride safe. :thumbsup:


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## paul2432 (Jul 11, 2006)

TomH said:


> I loved California, but I sure don't miss having to worry about crime. Its amazing how places can be so expensive to live, and have so many ghetto people.
> 
> Good luck! Better you than me


Most people that live in poverty are not criminals. They are trying to get by like everyone else, but just having a tougher time doing it. 

To the OP: I commend you. I know it's wishful thinking on my part, but as I see it, every time someone like you rides through an impoverished neighborhood, its an investment of sorts in that neighborhood. It shows a basic trust in the humanity of the people that live there. If enough people are willing to make that investment, perhaps the poor will not be written off as "ghetto people" and their lot in life will improve.

Paul


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## kbnorth99 (Jul 8, 2011)

Ok guys the system won't let me start a thread until I have 5 posts. So I'm gonna cheat and bump this post 5 times. Sorry......


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## kbnorth99 (Jul 8, 2011)

bump 2


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## kbnorth99 (Jul 8, 2011)

bump 3


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## kbnorth99 (Jul 8, 2011)

bump 4


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## kbnorth99 (Jul 8, 2011)

bump 5


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## FiveFooterDude (May 7, 2011)

I'm a retired employee of the Prison System (25 years AND another 10 elsewhere); been around the unsavory characters long enough to know some'n......

I also live in Stockon, CA.... used to be known as the "Drive-by capital", highest forclosure rates in the country, highest drop-out rates, car thefts, illegals EVERYWHERE, assinged a "Most Miserable place to Live" by Forbes. And I am soooo underwater in my house that I may NEVER be in the black again. In other words, I gotta deal with what I've been dealt, looks like I'm stuck in Leftist Kalifornia for a spell....

* Your best bet would be to avoid any areas where you can't KEEP MOVING. 
* You should avoid dipping into & under small bridges/underpass' at speed where it was said recently that the last thing he remembered was a big 2x4 hitting him across the face and his bike missing when he came to.
* Your bike should be of muted colors, no obvious designer-name decals, understated.....
* As well your clothing should be muted, understated, and avoid at all costs wearing bright colors!
* Maybe not obviously DARK glasses, but something that conceals where your eyes are looking.
* You gotta 'look the part', look like you're "on a mission", absolutely no indication of fear
* Learn the subtle art of a ghetto head nod, or a "whas up" chin-up acknowledgement, but try to avoid from any interchange with da folks.... you got somewhere you gotta be, get there!
* Display (in as sublte fashion as possible) a heightened sense of awareness. Folks up to no good can READ body language and won't mess with anybody who shows understated confidence, who minds their own business, who may 'look' smart enough to leave well enough alone.
* Once again, KEEP MOVING, rarely slowing, avoiding stops.....
all the while not afraid to make eye contact, but knowing that too much or the wrong kind of eye contact can be taken as a personal affront by somebody_ looking for _trouble....
* Unless you know how to use a gun, have been made aware of the consequences of pulling it, absolutely sure you could take a life, would not hesitate long enough for the gun to be taken away from you, absolutely certain that the reason you're pulling it was to USE IT...... If you don't feel 100% about all these things, buy mace instead (but as a former C.O., and virtually all the inmates I worked with..... we EAT mace, built up a tolerance to it, quality modern strong Pepper Spray would be a better option.


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## Philldotcom (Jul 26, 2011)

you're looking for a confirmation bias. reassurance of safety when you know what you're getting yourself into. I would take a second look about how im getting to work if i were you. be careful. Im pretty sure you know how dangerous the areas can be.


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## hept (Apr 28, 2011)

Ouch!


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