“An important thing for us to remember is that Situational Awareness is of limited value once we have been canalized.
‘Canalize – to restrict operations to a narrow zone by use of existing or reinforcing obstacles.’
“At that point the military term is ‘decisively engaged’ meaning we have lost our ability to maneuver and must fight it out.” – Claude Werner, The Tactical Professor, firearms instructor and former Chief Instructor, at the Rogers Shooting School in Circumstances of a Murder
Good article, but…
There should have been a citizen in the situation the article cites, with a firearm. That should have been the author.
You kind of have to read through the whole article before you figure out what he’s getting to, but looking at that picture of the out turnstiles does kind of scream ‘rape trap’. The point that I took from it is that architects, engineers, and public planners, etc routinely design these rape traps and situational awareness won’t do you much good when you find you’ve been corralled into one of them. At that point your only option is to fight your way out with whatever means you’ve got at hand. In this case I’m sure that little snubby he’s holding would be plenty for the victim to turn the tables and it would have been the rapist that was dead not her.
If you can explain to me how to design a rapid transit station that does not create restricted terrain I am all ears.
No argument with your point, monetizing the transit for the city comes first of course. This decision is not ours to make, but through voting or moving.
All the more reason to carry, the existence (and our travel through) of these types of zones. I like the author’s observation, but there’s very little we can directly change about it.
Geography is destiny.
The only real solution is constitutional carry and the removal of gun free zones.
If it saves just one life.
Well there are varying degrees of restricted terrain, and in fairness it’s not the designer’s responsibility to prevent rape any more than it’s a gun manufacturer’s responsibility to prevent ‘gun violence’. But this seemed to be very poorly designed in terms of personal safety. Along with what Dan in CO said, the only reason I can see for those out turnstiles is to prevent people from sneaking through the back door and stealing a ride, which would cost the city money. The down side is it ultimately facilitated in this woman’s rape and murder. On the other hand, to JWM’s point, the real travesty is the city creating a rape trap and then preventing it’s law abiding citizens from carrying the means of their own defense.
Perhaps we should just let people ride for free. /Sarc
The blue line, or West-Northwest as it was called in my youth, replaced the old Garfield Park elevated line using the median strip of the new Eisenhower Expressway. Whether you go up or down you are going to create a choke point. Only a grade level system allows you to design a station that allows easy escape. Needless to say, a high volume heavy rail system at grade level will be a safety hazard for automobile and pedestrian traffic.
If you or I did that, the Almighty State would charge you or I as an accessory before the fact. And yet when the Almighty State does it, it is totally fine.
Pro-tip: when an activity is “legal” for one class of people and “illegal” for another class of people, that is NOT righteous government.
Wow you consider this an Article…..More like a websters definition of a word.
Chicargo? It wasn’t a misspelling once, it was spelled that way throughout the article.
Your point?
Ha!
‘Canalized’? ‘Military term’? Hey, Captain Mustache, I’m taking my daughter to the mall to pick up an iphone, not leading a squad through death alley in Falluja.
Falluja, Chicargo(?) – I can see the similarities though.
Both are misspelled?
Eh. I see this kindve sentiment posted a lot here. But with the increasingly violent and enraged left who might just attack you in an organized manner for not dressing liberal enough, this kind of thinking is warranted. I garuntee you all those people that were killed in the recent mass shootings and Antifa violence would disagree with you.
“I’m taking my daughter to the mall to pick up an iphone, not leading a squad through death alley in Falluja.”
That thought process is a problem. That kind of thinking is potentially deadly. If you and your daughter are surrounded and attacked by armed thugs intent on doing you harm as you walk across the mall parking lot, then you have just entered “death ally” in whatever city or town you happen to be in. It may not be Falluja, but at that moment, it is just as deadly.
Avoid Being ‘Canalized’
I agree. I’d agree even more if the headline dropped the “C.”
Of course anyone who’s bothered to read even the shittiest translation/version of The Art of War already knows this. As does anyone with a lick of common sense. Noting such “ground” is one of the most basic parts of SA.
I hope no one would find this offensive but this belongs in the Guns for Beginners section.
In 1965 my (now) wife was a nursing student at MCV in Richmond, VA. One of her classmates was dragged onto a front porch and raped while walking from her dorm to classes between 11am and noon, in the center of a major city. This was one of several rapes in a few weeks time. One of the actions of the local police was sending the chief to talk to the nursing students. Unlike what you might expect today, he explained that an old law, dating from before automobiles, authorized women to carry a firearm in their saddlebags, and his department considered a woman’s purse the equivalent of saddlebags. About 2 weeks later, I got home from school (Va Tech) and delivered a .25 auto and checked her out in its use. She has carried ever since, from time to time, and constantly now for over 25 years, gun still hasn’t ever gotten loose or “went off”. Rule one-have a gun.
Situational Awareness: I was stumbling through the brush yesterday, some call it hiking, and just about stepped on a Rattler. I had to fight my way outta there.
This is an example of the world most people live in. They are not aware of their environment for multiple reasons.
They all too often have the possibly unconscious attitude of “it can’t happen to me”. They have never been exposed to danger and violence so it doesn’t enter their mind.
They are not made aware of danger because it is not talked about in “polite society”. I have started such discussions in “polite” groups and generated anger and was castigated for bringing it up.
There is a reason they are called sheep. Don’t have a clue, don’t do anything for their own security, depend on police to protect them.
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