Community organizing

[JoJo]

 I just finished reading a topic on organizing a SHTF group.
Of all of the comments not one would start or join a group before an event but they had many reasons and all seemed justified. I tend to agree with them that a group before the event is destroying your OPSEC but I feel after things settle down groups are a necessity.

Your thoughts.


Gandhi says:   
Comment ID: 3691119
April 27, 2017 at 12:20 pm   

In reality in an SHTF situation you better get rid of anyone that challenged you. Watch Clint Eastwood movies for the details.
Reply

    Gandhi says:   
    Comment ID: 3691124
    April 27, 2017 at 12:37 pm   

    In SHTF If anyone comes to you and gives you any kind of an order to do anything. I suggest putting your barrel in their mouth with bayonet attached.
    Reply
    durangokidd says:   
    Comment ID: 3691155
    April 27, 2017 at 1:39 pm   

    This is a very good article by Brandon.

    Hopefully, you have developed a group already with like minded people. Maybe they are fellow veterans, a church group, a hobbyist group (like prospectors, 4×4 club, garden growers, hikers, cyclists, or similar social groups) that get together and do these kinds of outdoor things that transfer to the Prepper Lifestyle.

    They need not be militia. I think formal local Militia groups have a tendency to dwell too much on “chain or command discipline”, rather then the consensus formulated between friends with mutual interests and long term association.

    You can DRAW like-minded people from these larger groups, with whom you feel more affinity, and add them to your group. Leaders will naturally emerge in these social settings for well and ill based upon their natural abilities: not unlike pick-up games of basketball or football.

    That is the great advantage of TRUMP as a leader with his CEO style or turning to those individuals who specialize in their field of interest.

    In your group, there will be geeks, nerds, athletes, mechanics, and other extra special skills. There will be various PERSONALITIES and a good leader will be one who can recognize every gift, encourage it, and bring it to bear for the good of the group, without being overbearing him, or herself.

    Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman. But not always. 🙂
    Reply
        Gandhi says:   
        Comment ID: 3691166
        April 27, 2017 at 1:53 pm   

        I think if some punk wanted to test my shooting skill and told me to shoot a paper target at some reasonable range, I would tell them to stand behind the target.
        Reply
    Jay in UK (now Latvia) says:   
    Comment ID: 3691173
    April 27, 2017 at 2:07 pm   

    You can’t organise anything much in the way of preparedness groups before a grid-down / total crisis, because the data-harvesting intel agencies are dedicated to infiltrating and compromising all such groups.

    The only thing you can do is form informal relationships with circles of close friends and family and be ready to organise more rigidly AFTER calamity strikes.
    Reply

Houston/Cypress/Katy/Shtf says:   
Comment ID: 3691123
April 27, 2017 at 12:21 pm   

This is a very good point. This is why I no longer attend prepper meetings.. I don’t let them know what I have and how prepped I am .. Most people who call themselves preppers are. It preppers. They are fakes..i am bugging put and getting my own land to prepare for what’s coming..the people work everyday in th cities, take all the money they make, give to apartments, banks and are that stupid.. The ones that list everything still did not learm any lessons. They got another job, stayed in the city, pay the bankers, help them buikd dumbs and they will not be surviving shtf.
Reply
Gandhi says:   
Comment ID: 3691120
April 27, 2017 at 12:23 pm   

Community = communism in SHTF. My house will be a dictatorship. You want to eat? You work slave.
Reply

    Frank Thoughts says:   
    Comment ID: 3691127
    April 27, 2017 at 12:47 pm   

    Agree: put in to get out or you get thrown out.
    Reply
        BlackMoe says:   
        Comment ID: 3691169
        April 27, 2017 at 1:59 pm   

        Put out or get out.
        Reply

Frank Thoughts says:   
Comment ID: 3691126
April 27, 2017 at 12:45 pm   

There are a lot of fakers out there, jumped up on Hollywood movies, prepper porn, child-like notions of masculinity (hipster beards and tattoos being a really good sign of one) and video games (Call of Duty etc.).

If you are struggling to see what real men look like and how they behave, watch some of the documentary footage of guys in Vietnam. They are young dudes but they are dealing with a very real and stressful situation and behaving like real men. Don’t use local examples for real men (the boastful, vicious local negro drug dealer, the pot bellied bar brawler, etc.).

Real leaders who are worth their weight have actual accomplishments. They also have real relationships with others, their wife, their kids, their group of friends. These are all clues.

I agree being able to organize in groups is the best approach to long-term survival. There will, I believe, be a shake-down period that is going to be brutal. There is just too much garbage in society and that garbage is going to go ape when things fall apart. You will need to have a plan to get through that phase. Bugging out might be the best option. Regroup somewhere else, collect intelligence and then work out your options. But there is no point trying to hold your house or your street block if the whole city has gone crazy. Better to just leave.
Reply
B from CA says:   
Comment ID: 3691128
April 27, 2017 at 12:50 pm   

Well, Brandon, that was very interesting; but what makes you such an authority on human nature. I’ve studied psychology for years, you have barely touched the surface. I am much more qualified than you, and I’m taking over leadership of this group. If you don’t like it, you can talk to my little friend!! 😝

__
Reply

    Gandhi says:   
    Comment ID: 3691137
    April 27, 2017 at 1:13 pm   

    Yes Brandon is forgetting one thing. Common sense. In SHTF people are not interested in community. In SHTF people want sex, payback, revenge, banker hide maybe…but not work and subservience to some a$$hole militia guy want-a-bee my slaves will do that. I will lead only the most ruthless self serving scum on the planet like ex Feds or drug dealers. You will gain rank only by eliminating the guy above you not by hitting an X-ring. Put your faith in the evil side of man cause it wins every time. 🤡
    Reply
    Gandhi says:   
    Comment ID: 3691141
    April 27, 2017 at 1:15 pm   

    B from ca, you are right so let’s get this party going. I like your manliness but I will still show no mercy because I respect you too much🤡.
    Reply

Him says:   
Comment ID: 3691129
April 27, 2017 at 12:51 pm   

I recommend studying the 1980’s war in Lebanon, and in particular, Beirut. The shtf doesn’t get much worse than that. Militias were plentiful. Based around religious, ethnic and criminal entities. Many of the leaders of the various militias were previously crime leaders. They became sort of like war lords. One very strange note from the war in Beirut, Yasser Arafat and his PLO were getting their ass kicked by Hezbollah. They were on the edge of getting wiped out. Who came in to rescue them? The Israeli Navy showed up just in time to remove all of the PLO. And return them to Palestine. Very strange.
Reply
Woogie says:   
Comment ID: 3691140
April 27, 2017 at 1:15 pm   

I trust no one. You think living isolated and alone will make friends with others who break into your home, steal from you, threaten you with gunfire, lie all the time, degrade you for no reason, or damage your property? These are my neighbors, family members and coworkers in good times. They will be the first to go when SHTF.

If I find someone I can trust it has to be someone I don’t know yet, and my supplies will be hidden from them. They will think I am just as unprepared as they are.

It is when people are desperate, you’ll find out who they really are, not necessarily before SHTF.
Reply

    Justice says:   
    Comment ID: 3691188
    April 27, 2017 at 2:34 pm   

    “It is when people are desperate, you’ll find out who they really are, not necessarily before SHTF.”

    1,000,000,000,000 Thumbs Up!

    The legal system and human nature supposes a duty of care only to those with whom we have a “special relationship”. My point is that I only trust “blood kin”, that I have known my whole life. One my betray me but I know the others will, avenge death!
    Reply
    Kevin2 says:   
    Comment ID: 3691215
    April 27, 2017 at 3:39 pm   

    I read the book Surviving Economic Collapse about Argentina. I thought it was very useful. If things got worse than that such as a nuclear war I’m toast anyway.

    You prepare for what you can.
    Reply

Him says:   
Comment ID: 3691143
April 27, 2017 at 1:16 pm   

In Beirut, there was a dividing line between areas controlled by 2 militias. It was called the green line. If you had to cross the green line with your family to get to an airport, you would approach the militia leader and offer a price (tax) for crossing the line. He would call a cease fire and negotiate with the militia leader on the other side. They would split the money, you and your family cross the line safely and then the shooting would start again. War is a racket, even on the local level. Different militias controlled airports, sea ports, borders etc. This is one of the biggest reasons for owning gold and silver coins. Paper money is worthless in those situations.
Reply

    Justice says:   
    Comment ID: 3691194
    April 27, 2017 at 2:43 pm   

    Him, excellent post. As an American I have difficulty accepting that movement/travel will be limited/prohibited and that bribery maybe the only way to move from one area to another.

    In a SHTF scenario, bribery will be the order of the day! Gold and silver are great for bribing people. Alcohol, cigarettes and other portable luxuries (chocolates and Nylons) have historically been effective.

    If there are any politician on the board maybe you can help us understand the fine art of bribery.
    Reply

Gandhi says:   
Comment ID: 3691152
April 27, 2017 at 1:35 pm   

Brandon in SHTF don’t plan on living long, only plan on a fast, violent, but fun life.
Reply
PO'd Patriot says:   
Comment ID: 3691219
April 27, 2017 at 3:48 pm   

I don’t need no stinkin’ community. All it leads to is trouble. I don’t plan on looking to take on large groups that I come across if on Nomad Road. I plan to evade and lay low and only engage when there is no other way. If the “no other way” become imminent, then I’ll do my best to bathe myself in their blood.

Full story here.


http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/the-single-most-important-preparation-for-social-or-economic-instability-its-the-one-thing-everyone-needs-for-survival-but-even-many-preparedness-experts-ignore_04272017



 

[Kbop]

Thanks for posting that JoJo.

I think using an existing social structure related to a hobby or affinity group will leave you deep in one skill but lacking in others.  you might want to go broad in skills in an SHTF to better your chances to adapt.

interesting problem - if you have a group before an SHTF they might not all be able to get to your BOL.  If you have a well placed BOL, you might not have access to enough people to screen for the skills you need.  Both limit your options.

i also liked the point about fan boys as apposed to serious operators.

[JohnyMac]

Bottom-line, if you do not have a group ready to defend your/their redoubt you will not survive.

Defending takes on many different faces like farming, butchering, security, etc.

IMO, the perfect scenario would be a cluster of like minded and prepped folks living in a area where there is only one or two roads in/out. On top of a mountain would be perfect. Mmmmmm I know of such a place

The people in the community would help each other in all aspects of life including patrols outside the proverbial wire, planting/harvesting/growing & processing protein, etc., wood gathering, doctoring, et cetera.

My only concern is the extended family of the existing community who will be coming in to live with their relatives. All kinds of folks with vastly different job skills  and talents, political alliances, religions, etc. Remember, it only takes one bad apple to spoil the barrel.

[JoJo]

 I can see people in a rural setting being pre-organized but suburban not so much because suburbanites don't have the time to even think about   a survival  situation. Been there and seen that. City folks, well your on your own.
 People have a tendency to live with like minded people and sometimes we forget others don't think like us. If you make it until the big die-off  then it would be imperative to live in a commune.

[JohnyMac]

A+ Comments JoJo. 

[Jackalope]

I live in a rural area, and I'd say the majority don't think about preparedness.  I think that's because our society has become so addicted to social media and other virtual entertainment.  I do know some folks that are self reliant and they are very well prepared, but they are a tiny minority.  Myself., I keep a low profile and I don't talk about preps with neighbors, if I have any preps....  But then again, folks notice when you have solar panels, various radio antennas, a large garden, and poultry.  I just say that I have a wide variety of hobbies.

[grizz]

When it hits the fan it will start in the cities and those of us not living in cities will start the popcorn, hotdogs and adult beverage for a few weeks and adjust our preparedness around whatever zombies survive the city craziness.   

[JoJo]

I live in a rural area, and I'd say the majority don't think about preparedness.  I think that's because our society has become so addicted to social media and other virtual entertainment.  I do know some folks that are self reliant and they are very well prepared, but they are a tiny minority.  Myself., I keep a low profile and I don't talk about preps with neighbors, if I have any preps....  But then again, folks notice when you have solar panels, various radio antennas, a large garden, and poultry.  I just say that I have a wide variety of hobbies.

 Jackalope  you don't tell anyone your prepping and they probably don't either. I have a neighbor that I think is a prepper but he hasn't said anything. Actions speak louder than words, he suspects that I am but hasn't said anything. Again actions speak louder than words.
 We live in a suburban area surrounded by farms for miles so our properties are to small for a large garden which would give away our preparedness.   

[Nemo]

I have made a number of new contacts here in my location over the past year.  If I get a suspicion on someone having similar thoughts I generally make a comment like-- with all this whateverstuffinthenews going on, I think I ought to get another jar or 2 of peanut butter.  Thats what the wife's mom has mentioned.

That routinely gets a reply of:

Nah no big deal, besides if something happens the govt can take of things.  Thats what the Natl Guard is for.

Or

Yeah, I think that is a real good idea.

Both answers give a very good idea of beliefs.

Nemo

[Kbop]

if and or when 'it' hits, if it is slow people will have time to band together, re-tool, get ready.  if it hits fast then as JM said.

Bottom-line, if you do not have a group ready to defend your/their redoubt you will not survive.

[JohnyMac]

Kbop, I agree...If its a slow slide people are smart and will pull together. However if it is fast, ala an EMP, the SHTF will occur.

Lets say a financial collapse happens (Which I think is the most eminent possibility for our future) even though folks will come together, I believe that the slow pull of the band-aide will promote revolution/civil war. With the quick removing of the band-aide we will not see a revolution/civil war. Living would be most prevalent not politics or ideology's.   

Now as a side note: I hear and read a lot about millennial's which is all bad. I must admit that I have similar opinions up until recently.

I think that the millennial generation will step-up and save us all from total destruction. I point my theory to post USofA major events like post 1776, 1865 and 1929.

Like those three periods in our history, the children of those periods made and saved our bacon. 

[Nemo]

1865

You got 5 too much in that number.

Nemo

[JoJo]

 There are those who can be trusted Pre-collapse and some who can be trusted during the beginning stages of the collapse. The person trying to start a community will almost always be the person with the most goods and everyone would guess that is so. Can you trust them now when there supplies are about to run out.
 The only way I can see a community working is if those that are skilled unselfishly do most of the work. It will take a very long time for the others to become learned enough to give quality assistance. There is another way and that is if everyone is of the same religion and very religious as the Mormons are. 
 In GOD I trust and only in GOD.   

[grizz]

There are those who can be trusted Pre-collapse and some who can be trusted during the beginning stages of the collapse. The person trying to start a community will almost always be the person with the most goods and everyone would guess that is so. Can you trust them now when there supplies are about to run out.
 The only way I can see a community working is if those that are skilled unselfishly do most of the work. It will take a very long time for the others to become learned enough to give quality assistance. There is another way and that is if everyone is of the same religion and very religious as the Mormons are. 
 In GOD I trust and only in GOD.

I think pretty much everyone can be trusted until you start running low on food, water, shelter or sleeping arrangements, and then the trouble will begin...

[gadget99]

Sorry I have been quiet for a bit.

Alot happening on the personal front.

We have focused on creating our family resilience as an initial step. Then focused on a more community based approach after making sure we have the family covered.

We have not pre engaged with people to build the community now however. Probably to keep from having to deal with the negative security aspects in the near term.

However we have geared for and do plan around the need to build a community if shtf.

Coherent communities are in our opinion are critical to surviving and recovering from major shtf scenarios.

Cheers

Rob

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[JohnyMac]

Good to read your comments and thoughts again gadget