First off, let me say I wasn't in much danger, but an encounter occurred which created the potential. I just want to reflect on what happened and how I could have responded better.
I'm walking in a fairly safe and visible area, about a block from a bad neighborhood. I stop in the empty parking lot of a local business, because I see something on the ground I want to photograph. I put my backpack down and take out my DSLR. As I'm taking pictures, I occasionally look around, to make sure know one walks up on me. Next to this lot is a two-story, low income set of apartments.
A while later, a tinted car drives into the parking lot, but doesn't pull into a stall. I stop what I'm doing and look up at the car, to see if the driver wants to park where I'm standing (there were many other empty stalls nearby). Not wanting to stare too long, I go back to taking pictures. I actually have my eye up to the viewfinder, which is a mistake, because I don't notice a guy get out the the car and approach me (in hindsight, I should have pretended to fiddle with my camera, while keeping the car in the corner of my eye).
This seedy guy heads towards the apartments, but he goes out of his way to walk up to me. He calls out, "No take one picture of me, or you gotta pay me $10." He says this in a joking voice, and gets to within 2 arm lengths of my body. I smile at his joke, but perhaps I smile too much, in that appeasing sort of way you do at church (I think a neutral smile and slight nod would have been best). I don't shift my weight and angle my body in a more defensive manner. I have the frozen in the headlight thing as I'm trying to be sociable with an unexpected stranger.
The guy walks past me and heads to the apartments, I go back to taking pictures, and the tinted car continues to idle without parking. A few minutes later the guy comes back with what appears to be a laundry basket full of stuff and a towel thrown over it. He passes to within an arms length from me and says jokingly, "If you take one picture of my reflection, you gotta pay $5."
I was shooting an oil slicked puddle at the time. So this guy is paying close attention to me, and even though he acts like a hapless local, his mind is sharp enough to think about photos of reflections. Once again I smile too much, and try to joke back, but he ignores me and keeps on walking. He doesn't really care to socialize.
Before he can get into the waiting car, a woman from the apartments tells him to get his other car out of her stall. They argue like people who've known each other for a while. He swears in annoyance, puts the basket in the waiting car, and walks back to the apartments.
At this point I stow my camera away and start walking home, leaving these questionable characters behind me. A few minutes later I hear a car honk as the guy drives past me (I recognized the tattoo on his bicep). He's letting me know he's got his eyes on me. He pulls into a school parking lot I'm walking past. I keep walking, occasionally looking back to make sure he's not watching or following.
So was he thinking of mugging me for my camera? I doubt it. Odds are he was a criminal up to no good, and didn't like the idea of being photographed. But let's assume he and his friends in the car were a bunch of crack heads looking for easy cash. My first mistake was continuing to take pictures and not being aware of his initial approach. Secondly, I was a little too friendly, marking me as an easy target (people who survive rough neighborhoods aren't friendly with strangers for a reason). I also remained where I was, allowing him to cut off my main avenue of escape. Finally, I didn't adjust my body into a more defensible position, when he entered my personal space.
Intellectually I know what I should have done, but it isn't instinctual. Hey, I grew up in Pearl City where the retired Japanese folks aren't too dangerous (unless they're behind the wheel). Guess I should count my lucky stars this wasn't a lesson from the school of hard knocks.
P.S.
Our zip code is low income, which sees a fair amount of crime. What makes the little area where I live an oasis is the main streets w/ stores and restaurants, creating foot traffic. A lot of eyeballs aren't good for crime. Jane Jacobs was spot on in her book, "The Life and Death of Great American Cities"
I'm walking in a fairly safe and visible area, about a block from a bad neighborhood. I stop in the empty parking lot of a local business, because I see something on the ground I want to photograph. I put my backpack down and take out my DSLR. As I'm taking pictures, I occasionally look around, to make sure know one walks up on me. Next to this lot is a two-story, low income set of apartments.
A while later, a tinted car drives into the parking lot, but doesn't pull into a stall. I stop what I'm doing and look up at the car, to see if the driver wants to park where I'm standing (there were many other empty stalls nearby). Not wanting to stare too long, I go back to taking pictures. I actually have my eye up to the viewfinder, which is a mistake, because I don't notice a guy get out the the car and approach me (in hindsight, I should have pretended to fiddle with my camera, while keeping the car in the corner of my eye).
This seedy guy heads towards the apartments, but he goes out of his way to walk up to me. He calls out, "No take one picture of me, or you gotta pay me $10." He says this in a joking voice, and gets to within 2 arm lengths of my body. I smile at his joke, but perhaps I smile too much, in that appeasing sort of way you do at church (I think a neutral smile and slight nod would have been best). I don't shift my weight and angle my body in a more defensive manner. I have the frozen in the headlight thing as I'm trying to be sociable with an unexpected stranger.
The guy walks past me and heads to the apartments, I go back to taking pictures, and the tinted car continues to idle without parking. A few minutes later the guy comes back with what appears to be a laundry basket full of stuff and a towel thrown over it. He passes to within an arms length from me and says jokingly, "If you take one picture of my reflection, you gotta pay $5."
I was shooting an oil slicked puddle at the time. So this guy is paying close attention to me, and even though he acts like a hapless local, his mind is sharp enough to think about photos of reflections. Once again I smile too much, and try to joke back, but he ignores me and keeps on walking. He doesn't really care to socialize.
Before he can get into the waiting car, a woman from the apartments tells him to get his other car out of her stall. They argue like people who've known each other for a while. He swears in annoyance, puts the basket in the waiting car, and walks back to the apartments.
At this point I stow my camera away and start walking home, leaving these questionable characters behind me. A few minutes later I hear a car honk as the guy drives past me (I recognized the tattoo on his bicep). He's letting me know he's got his eyes on me. He pulls into a school parking lot I'm walking past. I keep walking, occasionally looking back to make sure he's not watching or following.
So was he thinking of mugging me for my camera? I doubt it. Odds are he was a criminal up to no good, and didn't like the idea of being photographed. But let's assume he and his friends in the car were a bunch of crack heads looking for easy cash. My first mistake was continuing to take pictures and not being aware of his initial approach. Secondly, I was a little too friendly, marking me as an easy target (people who survive rough neighborhoods aren't friendly with strangers for a reason). I also remained where I was, allowing him to cut off my main avenue of escape. Finally, I didn't adjust my body into a more defensible position, when he entered my personal space.
Intellectually I know what I should have done, but it isn't instinctual. Hey, I grew up in Pearl City where the retired Japanese folks aren't too dangerous (unless they're behind the wheel). Guess I should count my lucky stars this wasn't a lesson from the school of hard knocks.
P.S.
Our zip code is low income, which sees a fair amount of crime. What makes the little area where I live an oasis is the main streets w/ stores and restaurants, creating foot traffic. A lot of eyeballs aren't good for crime. Jane Jacobs was spot on in her book, "The Life and Death of Great American Cities"
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