Prest_400
Multiformat
Your report on what happened on the laundromat is indeed shocking. Mostly because you are just going for some chores and don't expect violence or strange acts to happen.
I have family in the Philippines and the city has many stories about bad things happening. Visited a few times as a child and teen, and the warnings by locals just left me with a heightened sense of wariness. Infact, it took most of my teen age to lose some of the mistrust of going around at night.
It's a bit of the perception we Europeans (And Aussies I see!) have about America; oversimplifying it may be down to its gun policy plus some other cultural factors.
I have family in the Philippines and the city has many stories about bad things happening. Visited a few times as a child and teen, and the warnings by locals just left me with a heightened sense of wariness. Infact, it took most of my teen age to lose some of the mistrust of going around at night.
skopar steve
Well-known
The US is a big place. Crime is not rampant everywhere. Some places (like where I live) folks still don't lock their doors. If you photograph in a sketchy area just have situational awareness, and be willing to accept the risk.
Fighting your way out may or may not work out well for you. Same can be said for negotiating for your life with an armed assailant. Since every situation is unique, ones response will vary accordingly.
It saddens me to hear of jsrockit's encounter. Glad to hear he and his friend are ok. Hope never to hear of anyone on the sight being harmed for simply practicing their art/hobby.
Fighting your way out may or may not work out well for you. Same can be said for negotiating for your life with an armed assailant. Since every situation is unique, ones response will vary accordingly.
It saddens me to hear of jsrockit's encounter. Glad to hear he and his friend are ok. Hope never to hear of anyone on the sight being harmed for simply practicing their art/hobby.
Thanks. We weren't even photographing... just walking to a tourist location. Maybe got off a bus a few blocks too early. BA does have a high crime rate though... and we personally are connected to a few other people who were beaten / slashed & robbed there. One woman was pregnant. Like my friends said after our incident... this is something you only think happens to other people, not you (or your close friends). Now I know better.
I agree with you about the US though... plenty of safe areas and not even all states have the same gun laws or attitudes towards guns.
Huss
Veteran
anorphirith
Established
yeah guys, that seems to be the most obvious answer, don't carry a gun, don't try to use "self defense", don't stress up, don't tape up things, just INSURE YOUR GEAR ! make sure to have everything appraised, take photos of everything, keep the receipts if you still have them and when(and if) the thief comes, just hand over all your gear with a smile. you'll get new gear anyway.
She's doing well. She's only 5' 1" tall, so she was an easy target. I'm a pretty big guy too... 6' 2" tall... but not jacked or anything. It ended up being only two guys, but at the time, we didn't know how many there could be. Gangs of up to 10 people have been involved in attacks there.
I don't think my fighting skills would have come into play unless I really trained and trained well. The second guy smashed her head on the ground from behind. By the time I had realized what was going on, the other guy had the knife on me but from about 5 feet away and for some reason, I felt like he didn't want to use it. So, I went to help her... and I was right, once I turned my back, they both went for the bag and the knives were no longer in play. I felt bad for her since they didn't even touch me and I lost nothing. It's also not fun to watch your GF get beat up in front of you and you do nothing. The only good thing is that she realized there was nothing I could do. She's handling it well though. It's just a lesson learned about traveling and being safer... and bringing less valuable with you. And weirdly, I've become even more anti-violence after this.
Deklari
Well-known
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".. I have been many time in situation like this. My GF always tell me to ignoring those guys and give them that they want. I really try it, but not always success 
. Have few surgery on my face. But guys,.. everybody equal for a guns. Don't even try to stop a bullet with your "martial arts"..:angel: You can always buy a new/old camera but never extra life..
. Have few surgery on my face. But guys,.. everybody equal for a guns. Don't even try to stop a bullet with your "martial arts"..:angel: You can always buy a new/old camera but never extra life.. creenus
Established
I agree. I live in the middle of nowhere in NW New Mexico. It is pretty safe for me, my fam and the house hounds. Everyone but me seems to have guns at home or carry one in the pickup. Crime out here in the sticks is pretty minimal.
Nonetheless, you need to be aware, even out here. I would fight if I thought I was going to die, but otherwise just flip them the wallet and camera bag. Trying strongarm stuff one sees on TV is a great way to get yourself killled, IMO.
I have pepper spray and a pocket knife in my car, but realistically, I'm 63 years old. I'm not what I used to be.
It is sad that most cities have armies of homeless - most are fine, and I will buy or give them food or a soda if they need one. Albuquerque has street problems. - even Farmington, NM, has bad spots. Drug addicts are another scary category altogether, and who can tell what people's motives are?
Stay safe out there, ladies and gents! =)
Nonetheless, you need to be aware, even out here. I would fight if I thought I was going to die, but otherwise just flip them the wallet and camera bag. Trying strongarm stuff one sees on TV is a great way to get yourself killled, IMO.
I have pepper spray and a pocket knife in my car, but realistically, I'm 63 years old. I'm not what I used to be.
It is sad that most cities have armies of homeless - most are fine, and I will buy or give them food or a soda if they need one. Albuquerque has street problems. - even Farmington, NM, has bad spots. Drug addicts are another scary category altogether, and who can tell what people's motives are?
Stay safe out there, ladies and gents! =)
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Where in the middle of nowhere, Creenus? I grew up east of Albuquerque and there isn't much representation online from folks in the southwest. Almost like the sticks and tumbleweeds of the southwest don't have internet or phone signals.
I've always felt that Farmington and Aztec were an interesting and very sad blend of poverty, racism and class. These days with industry up there (natural gas?) having a little boom, there is more of a separation of wealth. On those busy highways, there exists the ease of movement of people and drugs. The latter affecting the former with both cause and "solution" for desperation beyond poverty.
Regardless the problems that area has, as all areas have some issues, I still love and miss the light of the southwest.
Phil Forrest
I've always felt that Farmington and Aztec were an interesting and very sad blend of poverty, racism and class. These days with industry up there (natural gas?) having a little boom, there is more of a separation of wealth. On those busy highways, there exists the ease of movement of people and drugs. The latter affecting the former with both cause and "solution" for desperation beyond poverty.
Regardless the problems that area has, as all areas have some issues, I still love and miss the light of the southwest.
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
A,
I guess you never heard any gang initiation stories, where you can be passive, give up everything, and still get killed.
Here is the real deal: every situation is different.
Cal
creenus
Established
I live in a tiny burgh called Waterflow, halfway between Farmington and Shiprock. About six miles east of the Navajo Reservation. It's not a town so much as former ranches made into small housing developments. My development has nice 3 bedroom homes, and my neighbors are great, hardworking people, usually employed by the government or the mines or natural gas production.
Yes, there is isolation, poverty and tumbleweeds present, but people also own half-million-dollar homes and largish estates. It's a mix. The oil boom has turned into the natural gas fracking boom. Yes, we have Internet, cable TV, etc., so we are not cut off from modern life.
Yes, there is definitely border-town racism in Farmington, Aztec and Bloomfield against Native Americans, but all my neighbors are Navajo folks. I am an Anglo and we seem to get along OK.
The crime is much, much less than the East Coast, IMO. There are racial tensions all over America, alas, and I don't think it's worse here than anywhere else. The poverty is extreme, and the isolation leads to really bad alcohol/drug use for people on the reservations. The DWI problem here is among the worse in America, if not the worst. You need to be a careful driver out here. Defensive driving is not enough - you need to be a little paranoid behind the wheel.
The beauty is stunning. I see red-tail hawks soaring over the bluffs across the highway. The ravens croak outside. The sunsets are lovely. The weather is great for older guys like me with minor arthritis. I can see mountains clearly 40 miles away, depending on the drifting smog from LA. The light is great, and because I shoot HP5 at 320 ASA exclusively, I have to stop down quite a bit when shooting outside, even with filtration.
It's peaceful, quiet, serene. I'm happy to live here. When I get "Four Corners Fever", I head to Durango, Colo., or Albuquerque for a civilization break. I do miss some friends and the great restaurants back East, but not living there so much.
Hope that helps.
I used to live in Egg Harbor City and also Port Republic in South Jersey, if you know where that is.
Yes, there is isolation, poverty and tumbleweeds present, but people also own half-million-dollar homes and largish estates. It's a mix. The oil boom has turned into the natural gas fracking boom. Yes, we have Internet, cable TV, etc., so we are not cut off from modern life.
Yes, there is definitely border-town racism in Farmington, Aztec and Bloomfield against Native Americans, but all my neighbors are Navajo folks. I am an Anglo and we seem to get along OK.
The crime is much, much less than the East Coast, IMO. There are racial tensions all over America, alas, and I don't think it's worse here than anywhere else. The poverty is extreme, and the isolation leads to really bad alcohol/drug use for people on the reservations. The DWI problem here is among the worse in America, if not the worst. You need to be a careful driver out here. Defensive driving is not enough - you need to be a little paranoid behind the wheel.
The beauty is stunning. I see red-tail hawks soaring over the bluffs across the highway. The ravens croak outside. The sunsets are lovely. The weather is great for older guys like me with minor arthritis. I can see mountains clearly 40 miles away, depending on the drifting smog from LA. The light is great, and because I shoot HP5 at 320 ASA exclusively, I have to stop down quite a bit when shooting outside, even with filtration.
It's peaceful, quiet, serene. I'm happy to live here. When I get "Four Corners Fever", I head to Durango, Colo., or Albuquerque for a civilization break. I do miss some friends and the great restaurants back East, but not living there so much.
Hope that helps.
I used to live in Egg Harbor City and also Port Republic in South Jersey, if you know where that is.
Where in the middle of nowhere, Creenus? I grew up east of Albuquerque and there isn't much representation online from folks in the southwest. Almost like the sticks and tumbleweeds of the southwest don't have internet or phone signals.
I've always felt that Farmington and Aztec were an interesting and very sad blend of poverty, racism and class. These days with industry up there (natural gas?) having a little boom, there is more of a separation of wealth. On those busy highways, there exists the ease of movement of people and drugs. The latter affecting the former with both cause and "solution" for desperation beyond poverty.
Regardless the problems that area has, as all areas have some issues, I still love and miss the light of the southwest.
Phil Forrest
Well, right then you have no choice but to fight. Kind of like happening upon a serial killer. their main motive is to have fun killing you, not to steal your stuff.