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Based on the idea that the person is standing at a bus stop or riding a bike. Pepper spray usually has a good stream so as long as you are holding it at arms length you should be fine. (the complaints are made when idiots shoot it off inside a closed environment. I've never fired bear repellent but i'm assuming it's the same. A gun is unaffected by wind at close range.
H3N3 said:In order for either to be effective, you need to first be off a moving bicycle, and then aware of the wind direction, and then have less than 6 people on you-- no?
Gabe said:Either way pepper or bear spray is your friend.
In order for either to be effective, you need to first be off a moving bicycle, and then aware of the wind direction, and then have less than 6 people on you-- no?
Gabe said:Either way pepper or bear spray is your friend.
Bear repellent sprays fairly far and wide. I wouldn't deploy it while rolling on the bicycle - if I'd had some last night, I'd have stopped the bike and waited for them to come into range. Three or four well-timed shots could incapacitate several aggressors. You gamble on the other guys backing up and leaving before you spray them or call the cops. Bear spray's almost always the option that follows escape. Ideally, if you're using it, then other possibilities have been ruled out, and it's the best solution you have - not the perfect one. Short of turning around in time and escaping or shafts of frozen urine falling from an airplane and impaling the perpetrators, there is no perfect solution.
I guess, like the ongoing helmet debate, it comes down to how prepared you are for the "black swan." Your only realistic hope is to mitigate its damage. If you decline those mitigating options for whatever reason, then you're reliant mostly on luck when everything goes terribly wrong.
H3N3 said:In order for either to be effective, you need to first be off a moving bicycle, and then aware of the wind direction, and then have less than 6 people on you-- no?
Gabe said:Either way pepper or bear spray is your friend.
Where's TC when we need someone to take this thread from the theoretical to field-tested strategies?
Niall Munnelly said:Bear repellent sprays fairly far and wide. I wouldn't deploy it while rolling on the bicycle - if I'd had some last night, I'd have stopped the bike and waited for them to come into range. Three or four well-timed shots could incapacitate several aggressors. You gamble on the other guys backing up and leaving before you spray them or call the cops. Bear spray's almost always the option that follows escape. Ideally, if you're using it, then other possibilities have been ruled out, and it's the best solution you have - not the perfect one. Short of turning around in time and escaping or shafts of frozen urine falling from an airplane and impaling the perpetrators, there is no perfect solution.
I guess, like the ongoing helmet debate, it comes down to how prepared you are for the "black swan." Your only realistic hope is to mitigate its damage. If you decline those mitigating options for whatever reason, then you're reliant mostly on luck when everything goes terribly wrong.
H3N3 said:In order for either to be effective, you need to first be off a moving bicycle, and then aware of the wind direction, and then have less than 6 people on you-- no?
Gabe said:Either way pepper or bear spray is your friend.
Bear repellent sprays fairly far and wide. I wouldn't deploy it while rolling on the bicycle - if I'd had some last night, I'd have stopped the bike and waited for them to come into range. Three or four well-timed shots could incapacitate several aggressors. You gamble on the other guys backing up and leaving before you spray them or call the cops. Bear spray's almost always the option that follows escape. Ideally, if you're using it, then other possibilities have been ruled out, and it's the best solution you have - not the perfect one. Short of turning around in time and escaping or shafts of frozen urine falling from an airplane and impaling the perpetrators, there is no perfect solution.
I guess, like the ongoing helmet debate, it comes down to how prepared you are for the "black swan." Your only realistic hope is to mitigate its damage. If you decline those mitigating options for whatever reason, then you're reliant mostly on luck when everything goes terribly wrong.
H3N3 said:In order for either to be effective, you need to first be off a moving bicycle, and then aware of the wind direction, and then have less than 6 people on you-- no?
Gabe said:Either way pepper or bear spray is your friend.
oh dear, niall..now you're quoting nicholas taleb?
This sounds very similar to what happened to me at the end of August and was probably the same group of thugs. I was riding home on westbound Adams commuting home from teaching at about 9:30 pm when 3 people walked out in the street wielding large wooden clubs. I've lived in East Garfield Park for almost 3 years and I'm so used to jaywalkers that it didn't occur to me that these guys (actually, 2 were female, so I guess that would be guy and gals) were trying to stop me. When I saw the guy raise the club to stop me, it was too late to turn around or pull some sort of fast maneuver. I stopped to avoid getting clubbed off of my bike and he asked me for my wallet, while simultaneously feeling through both of my pants pockets (eww... I don't think he was necessarily looking for my money...) I felt through my courier bag while trying to keep him from taking the whole bag, all the time telling him that I was a teacher and the only thing of value in there was my grade book (but also thinking my keys, and phone, and sketchbook, and whatnot). I grabbed my wallet and shoved it at him while he was behind me post-pant violation and risked biking away without giving up my bag. He ran after yelling at me, the gals never did a thing, and I biked away as fast as I could. I biked straight home about 5 more minutes so I could get clear of them, catch my breath, and make necessary phone calls. I wasn't about to stop a block away and call police in case they had a car waiting or back-up.
It was scary as hell, I luckily didn't get hurt, but had to cancel every piece of plastic in my wallet. The assailants did, however, use my CTA card over the next couple of days because I forgot to cancel it. I got the info off of the CTA card site and there should be video of him (them?), but I have yet to get a call back from the police after giving that information over a month ago. I did report the theft immediately, but had 11th precinct police come to my house, not leave their car, make me come outside, and tell me that I needed to go straight to the 12th to report it. This is bullshit, so please don't ever let a cop tell you that you can't report a crime that happened elsewhere on the spot. I should've gotten their car # and reported them, but I was pretty shaken up at the time and just wanted to file a robbery report and get it over with.
Be careful out there. Don't wear headphones while riding. Wear a helmet. Be aware of your surroundings and pedestrians. I don't know if pepper spray is the answer due to wind and my general clumsiness, but I'm at the point where I want to have my U-lock within easy reach for a smack-down. Perhaps one of those telescoping wands would be ideal? A decoy wallet? Superhero strength?
I take Randolph/Washington home now. It seems better lit, wider, and more trafficked by police and regular folks. Stay off of Adams and be super careful on Damen by the United Center.
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