I was downtown doing a photo shoot with a friend. It was early, and we were in an admittedly sketchy area near the light rail line. My friend had picked this place because of the wonderful visual backdrop of brightly painted, abandoned buildings on the other side of the street. We were having a blast, taking lots of pictures and as the time got later, more people started to appear. At one point we decided we should probably go, so we packed up and started heading back to my house. A few blocks in I noticed we had picked up a follower. I stayed calm but kept my eye on him until I was sure he was following us. He started to get closer, and when he was too close for my comfort (about 10 feet away), I turned abruptly and said firmly “stop following us!” He jumped a little, apologized and backed off. After a few minutes he started getting closer again so my friend and I went inside a busy coffee shop and sat down at a table. Our follower got in line for coffee and was distracted so we got up and went back out the front door. After all that, as we were discussing what happened, we realized that we were both black belts. We had moved in sync, didn’t really plan anything but kept ourselves safe. And the pictures turned out fabulous!
Did this guy have ill intentions? Was he dangerous, or just a guy on the street? We’ll never know. Your life doesn’t have to be in immediate danger before you take action to keep yourself safe, in fact, the sooner you act, the better your likelihood of not getting into a dangerous situation becomes. Let’s break this down:
Awareness - My awareness that morning clued me in to the fact that we had picked up a tail.
How to spot a tail - A “tail” is just fancy movie talk for someone who is following you. To spot one, pay attention to who is in your immediate area. Are they keeping pace with you?
When you are walking and someone is staying with you, that means that they are “pacing you,” that is, keeping up with your speed and distance. Also pay attention to anyone who is making the same turns you are. To really test it, stop and let them go by or cross the street and start walking back the way you came, or in a completely different direction. If they are truly following you, it’s a big risk to keep matching your moves. They’ll either give up or reveal themselves as a tail.
When you are driving, pay attention to any cars that seem to stay behind you for awhile. What I usually do is wait until I’m fairly close to my neighborhood. If they have been behind me for some time and are still matching my turns, I’ll start driving in circles. So far I’ve never had anyone stay with me beyond that point. The odds of anyone actually following me are slim, but I say better safe than sorry. In the unlikely case they really are following you, a couple of things to remember. Don’t start driving faster. Keep a normal speed and drive like nothing is wrong. If you think it’s applicable, call 911 and apprise them of your situation. If they are not able to help you (this has happened to a friend of mine), go to a target rich environment, a hospital drive in, a police station, anywhere you will be very visible and it would be hard for someone to get to you. Another note is to always keep your gas tank at least 1/2 full, so if you have to do any driving maneuvers, you will have enough gas to get yourself to safety.
Being clear about your intention - When I noticed we were being followed, I didn’t sneak around or get scared. I turned around with a confident posture and announced my intention. I wanted him to stop following us.
Switching tactics - when my first tactic didn’t work (telling him to back off), I switched to another. Keep trying different things until something works. Don’t panic and don’t run unless you have a good reason to. Stay calm and patiently work through all your options. Most of the time, you will find something that works.
Target rich environment - I chose a target rich environment to go to. Target rich environments mean places with lots of people. These days, you can’t count on strangers jumping in and helping you, but your would-be follower may give up the chase if there are too many potential witnesses, and you can use the crowd to lose them or distract them, as we did in this case.
Escape and evasion - My motto is “a confused enemy is always better than an angry one.” I’ll sneak away from a potential threat every time. There are lots of tricks to hide and sneak away. Ducking into a business is one of my favorites. I went in the front of a restaurant and out the back another time I was followed. Walking with a group of people, blending in, altering your appearance like taking off a jacket or putting on a hat, anything that changes your profile and makes it harder to spot you in a crowd. Again the key is to stay calm and work your options until you lose your follower.
Next time you are out and about, pay attention to your exits, alternate routes, and look for places you might lose a follower. It's a good practice to train your brain to start noticing these things automatically.
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