Ferguson Decision and Rioting in LA

[phantomx48]

Can anyone chime in on the preparation for the Ferguson decisionin Los Angeles, in particular MLK, Crenshaw, Leimert Park area?

I am assuming that LAPD, CHP, LASD already have plans in place and will be working overtime, but does anyone have any expectation of major rioting? In particular something similar to the Rodney King riots.

A few years ago something like that would not have really crossed my mind, since I was living in West LA, closer to Westwood, but now that my wife and I bought a house and moved to an area much closer to the hot spots (Leimert Park, Crenshaw, etc.) I thought I would ask. We aren't directly in the middle of that area, just very very close.

A few months ago when the Treyvon Martin unrest took place, it was relatively mild, and seemed to have been handled very well by LEO. The aftermath seemed to be some broken windows and some minor injuries, even though there were hundreds of people on the street and some minor violence.

Is the brass thinking that it will be something similar this time around (if the grand jury doesn't pass any charges), or maybe nothing at all, or something even bigger?

One last question. . .if it was you and your family living in that area, would you do anything special the day the decision came down (leave town for a night or two, just hunker down and listen to the scanner, have a suitcase packed just in case, etc.)

Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

[Helmut Shmacher Space Chimp]

I hope it won't happen here.. But you never know..

[SoCalDep]

One last question. . .if it was you and your family living in that area, would you do anything special the day the decision came down (leave town for a night or two, just hunker down and listen to the scanner, have a suitcase packed just in case, etc.)

Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

I'm not going to speculate on what may or may not happen. There have been events I've been very worried about that turned out to be nothing, but one never knows.

As to your "last question"... I think the best plans take an "all hazards" approach to preparation. For example, my area has high fire danger, high earthquake danger, the possibility of snow causing power outages and more or less being isolated, I have a great set of neighbors save for the two druggie homes on our street which just happen to be immediately adjacent to us, and I live quite a distance from work. Put all that together and there are many areas where preparations can overlap. These become the priority and the specialized preparations come next.

Would I have a bag packed in your situation? Absolutely! Of course, this wouldn't be a "Furguson" bag but a Fire/Earthquake/Riot/etc. bag. Any disaster, particularly a large-scale disaster in an urban area, comes with the potential for looting and increased criminal activity. We're not talking Armageddon stuff...basic preparations to provide peace of mind. If nothing happens you have a good start on some basic preparations, and if something does happen, you'll be better off than if you did nothing.

On top of it all, I do get some entertainment and enjoyment from thinking about preparations, buying cool supplies, finishing projects, etc.

As for the immediate concern, were I close to an area that I considered a potential for unrest following the grand jury announcement, I'd definitely be keeping up on the news, and if I had a scanner I'd make sure I had the applicable frequencies at least programmed. You can bet you'd have an idea if something big was going on...You just follow the helicopters.

Hopefully this helps.

[G-Man WC]

Make your own plans to evac.
The LAPD removed themselves from the RK party
and people needed to fend for themselves.
Need ammo? Don't wait till the whip comes down, because sales will be shut off like before.
Get yourself a pistol and 3-4 loaded mags. The world is a cray cray place.

-g

[peter95]

From what I think, nothing will be happening in the LA area, but no one ever knows.

If I was in Ferguson, I'd stay home and protect it. Worst thing you can do is leave your house to come back to nothing.

[5Shots5Down]

i was here during the rodney king riots with my rifle in hand protecting my business and my family. I will so the same if any unrest takes place here.

The police are not going to protect you , and theres no way in hell my family is going to be a statistic, not while i have blood flowing through my veins. Break into my home or business and i will stop you.

[WyattandDoc]

Several incidents have been lumped into Ferguson. I'm calling that it jumps off here in L.A. To what magnitude is anybody's guess.