Rules to live and die by
Being homeless is probably one of the hardest things in life you’ll have to deal with. You’re probably scared and fearful. That’s a good thing. That means that your brain is fully working. You’re in a new environment and you’re not sure if it’s safe, and your brain is telling you to be very cautious about your surroundings. If you give it time your fears will eventually subside.
There are not a lot of good people in this world. You’ll have to rely heavily on your instincts. Listen more than you speak. And never fully trust anyone. Learn how to read a room before you engage with people. Go out of your way to avoid conflict of any kind. Stay away from people who are obviously looking for trouble. Trouble is always present in this environment. Like gasoline, it just needs a spark to set it off. If you take a random group of people, some of whom are addicts, people suffering from mental illness, convicts that just spent the last 15 to 20 years in prison, a bunch of senior citizens, and whoever else. Throw them in a room where there’s not enough staff, that are underpaid, overworked, and stressed out. That environment is not going to be safe. That’s a fire waiting to happen. There’s always going to be problems and conflicts.
The Good news and the Bad news
My dad always gave me the bad news first. The bad news is, that there are a lot of trouble-makers among the homeless. The good news is, that trouble-makers are the most predictable people on the planet. You just have to be paying attention. They all have the same social habits, body language, vocabulary, and tone of voice. Some are easier to spot than others, but if you’re paying attention, they’ll eventually give themselves away.
If you ever find yourself in a conflict with someone where you feel threatened, try your best not to let things get physical. Try to de-escalate the situation. Create as much distance as possible between you and your aggressor. Let them verbally know that you don’t want to talk or engage with them. Be stern, repeating yourself multiple times. Take out your phone and record the interaction if you can. Most troublemakers will back off at this point.
Weapons of Choice
If someone ever produces a weapon during a conflict, it will most likely be a knife. It’s the weapon of choice among the homeless. You’ll notice just about everyone carries a blade on their hip. It might make you think that you should carry one too for protection. WRONG. You don’t want to get into a knife fight with anyone. A knife fight is no different than a fistfight. Even the best boxers in the world get hit in a boxing match. A knife fight is the same. You’re going to get hit a couple of times and you’re going to bleed. And if the cops get involved somebody’s going to jail. If you’re going to carry protection, get something that gives you distance from your aggressor. If you are the one being victimized, you really don’t want to hurt anyone, especially permanently. You just want that person to go away. And in my experience, the best thing for that is pepper spray. It gives you the distance between you and your aggressor. It works in seconds, immobilizing the threat for up to 45 minutes. It prevents what could have been a bloody mess.
Most shelters won’t allow you to carry pepper spray, which is mostly why I sleep outside. Your safety is your highest priority. When you are homeless, you have to constantly protect yourself and your things. You may get into conflicts with others, even if you are minding your business. Unfortunately, the most conflicts you’ll have being homeless will come from other homeless people. Homelessness is a dog-eat-dog world. A world where you can’t trust anyone. This life is filled with predators, waiting for their next victim to come around the corner. No one is going to protect you, except you. If you find yourself in a conflict, nip it in the bud, disengage, and go on with your life.
