MadMac

The parking decks at RTC are SHTF magnets? Seriously?

I go there often. In fact, I was just having a couple beers with my wife at Jackson's patio last Saturday (unarmed as I was planning on having beer.)

Unless the criminal element is now wearing Brooks Brothers, I didn't see even a single dodgy character.

I park in those garages several times per month, and I cannot recall even one moment when I felt uneasy.

Sometimes a nice, upper income area is just that. Raucus bars? Like the ATR? Those places are so sleepy and tame even a middle-aged guy like me appreciates a more upbeat atmosphere.

I find it hard to believe we're talking about the same place.

nkanofolives

In the 6 months I worked there, once a month a server/bartender got held up for their cash. One of my buddies got jumped. Not as safe as you think

MadMac

OK - I suppose you're talking about people leaving after-hours to go to their cars. They would undoubtedly be profiled by the criminal element knowing they were transporting fungible cash assets. I have no background on why your buddy was "jumped".

I am usually there during daylight hours, and only as late as 10:00pm or so leaving Morton's.

If it was happening once a month and I was a server/bartender, I'd park in packs and arrange to leave in groups with my coworkers. A couple calls to Fairfax County PD would also increase patrols during closing hour.

Perhaps we are looking at this through different lenses. I have lived and worked in Detroit, London, and Boston among other places. I don't rate Reston's risk profile anywhere near those cities. YMMV.

nkanofolives

You are right, generally speaking, it is super safe. As far as my buddy getting jumped...he worked at the same restaurant as me, got off....walking to his car in the parking structure, a drunken group of dudes almost ran him over, he told them to watch where they were driving, they jumped out of the car, kicked his butt and made off with like $400. Thank god another fellow server witnessed the whole exchange, she got the license plate of the car, the three guys were arrested and now there is a civil suit. My restaurant and many others created policies as you suggested, parking together and coming and going together in groups.

packinnova

Agreed.. I grew up in south baltimore so I have an idea of what you speak and you are generally correct if you compare a large city as such with this area.

However, your last two statements tell me one of two things:
Either you're completely oblivious to what goes on around you like the rest of the sheeple milling about the town center,
or...you're one of the lucky one in a million that harm never follows.
I have not been to the town center a SINGLE time where I did not either
A) Witness some sort of incident whether it's an actual assault, theft, mugging, vehicle being broken into, etc...
B) Hear from some server or other employee at one of the many establishments that one such incident just occurred within the last 2-3 days.
C) Witness the vast criminal element stalking the sheeple and head the other way.

As far as tame and not raucus, yes you're correct most of the time. Especially since a few of those places like Jacksons and ATR have instituted policies as of late to help quell those situations before they get out of hand(like limits on drinks etc...)

Again, it's a target rich environment full of nuts that don't pay attention and with criminal element nearby. Three quarters of the numbnuts milling around there all have the same thought...
Do the math.

__________________
-The Mist (2007)

MadMac

OK - let me tell you what I see in your post. Are you really telling us that EVERY time you go this suburban shopping area you see assaults, thefts, etc.? Really? If you see that much crime on a daily/weekly basis, you should be a LEO!

I don't appreciate your derogatory "sheeple" comment. In fact, I find most people who use it are simply looking for a convenient way to feel superior.

I have noticed a marked number of what I call self-defense drama queens. They take their one-day class, pay for their permit, and plop down $400 to buy a pocket pistol.

Once it's being carried, they suddenly see people everywhere who may need to be perforated. I travel to major cities, small towns, and everything in between. It's part of my job. I also drop in to Reston Town Center at least twice a week on average for lunches, dinners, drinks, and meetings.

I can assure you I don't ignore my surroundings, but your description is laughable. Perhaps you are a denizen of the wee hours, and these numerous nefarious activities all take place after I am off the scene around 10:00 pm. However, I'd be interested to see the statistics from Fairfax County PD.

MadMac

Thank you for noting this area is NORMALLY "super safe" - to use your words.

I also appreciate knowing that the incident you cite was NOT just a random guy being "jumped". I am sure it is safe to assume that when your friend politely informed the "drunken group of dudes" to watch where they were driving, he most likely didn't say, "Excuse me gentlemen, but it appears you nearly swiped me while leaving the garage. I am sure you weren't aware of my presence, so I understand. Please take more care in future, and have a nice evening."

Personally, I learned a long time ago not to confront groups of young men who have been drinking - even if they are obviously at fault. I have taken long routes around such groups in London, Baltimore, Detroit, and once in Hong Kong. I have even wimped out, and asked a restaurant manager to summon me a taxi rather walk a couple blocks to my hotel when I noticed such a gaggle. I have absorbed insults to my manhood, been taunted, and have walked away after being shoved, man-handled, and even punched one time.

I have nothing to prove.

aznav

My take, and just my take is the "perception" given, regardless of being able to function. And, sadly, perception plays a big part in a court of law. I remember a great lesson my CSGTM gave me in Germany. We met off base for lunch and each had one seven ounce glass of beer (honest). I wasn't working but was surprised when he said he wasn't going back to work. When I asked he said, "Better men than me have lost stripes and retirement because a PFC gate guard smelled alcohol on their breath."

Altercation + alcohol + firearm = toast

__________________
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Eccl. 10:2

packinnova

I didn't intend my post to be a direct derogatory attack, but since it was taken as such I apologize. Although I wonder about your aversion to the sheeple word. Do you call an orange an apple? I'm not even going to touch the superiority complex statement.

I tend to view people in 3 ways(granted fairly narrowly, but I never was much of a social butterfly)...
1) Fools - never learn from their own mistakes or that of others.
2) Smart people - We all make mistakes and most of us fall into this one. We make mistakes, but we learn from them.
3) Wise people - rarely make any mistakes and do most of their learning from watching the smart people and fools making their mistakes.

As for the return attack no I'm not that one day drama queen
I've been involved in "self-defense" in some form or fashion(primarily multiple styles of MA) most of my life beginning all the way back in mid-grade school. That plus growing up around areas of baltimore through the 80's and early 90's where as a kid the walk to school consisted of the crunching of drug needles under the shoes fairly regularly along with picking up on the antics of the local lot lizards... So yes, I do tend to recognize more than most.

If pressed for averages, I would say the bulk of the problems around the town center are theft(bicycles, purses/wallets, phones, etc...) and vehicle property theft(ie cars getting broken into and cleaned out) from the garages. As for the assaults, it's usually drunk on drunk moving on their way for the night. License plate/sticker swapping happens a lot over there too.

Wow this is fun.

__________________
-The Mist (2007)

aznav

Deep, cleansing, breath, folks. We are all on the same page for the 2nd Amendment. I got burned a year ago with the mods for getting my hackles up and a little too involved in the thread.

__________________
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Eccl. 10:2