Protect Your Home During a Riot

09-11-2020

During periods of civil unrest, Americans take to the streets to protest laws that are perceived to be unfair or not in the common interest. Peaceful protests have been an important part of the political and cultural landscape of the United States since even before the country was founded. The Boston Tea Party is an excellent example of this. However, it’s not uncommon for what was supposed to be a peaceful protest to turn into a violent riot.

While you may or may not agree with the political positions of those who are rioting, nobody wants to have their home or business looted or destroyed just because it happens to be located close to where a riot happens. Government and corporate buildings have their own police protection available, but what about the home or small business owner? In most cases, you are on your own. In riots that happened in Minneapolis, in May of 2020, there were 53 residences damaged and hundreds of small businesses ranging from restaurants (267) to barbershops and salons (52), and a wide variety in between. Automobiles (60) parked on the street are common targets for rioters.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Home During a Riot?

Many people feel like the only thing they can do is to sit on their front porch with a large firearm and threaten to shoot anyone who damages your property. However, this is fraught with many opportunities for this to go sideways in the worst possible way. In general, nobody has the right to kill another person simply because they are damaging property. Sure, every jurisdiction is different and there are “Make My Day” laws in some states and cities, but those generally require the person protecting his property to be in a position where his/her personal safety is clearly at risk. Rioters destroying your car does not always mean they intend to do harm to your person as well. One bad decision could end someone’s life and possibly send you to prison as well. We don’t recommend taking the law into your own hands. Better to call the cops and let them handle it. If they can’t handle it, then your best bet is a security system with cameras. You may not be able to prevent an unruly mob from destroying your property but you can document it and turn the video over to the police later so they can track down the culprits and arrest them.

How Do You Get a Good Home Security System Installed?

Contact Affordable Home Security. They will help you get a reliable home security system that fits within your budget. You can get video cameras and motion detectors installed that will turn on whenever there is something to record. This will work with your existing or new home automation system so you can log in and view what’s happening. While many DIY systems exist out there, nothing can compare with experienced professionals installing and monitoring your home security system. We recommend that you always use professional installers who know exactly where to place cameras and motion detectors and know how to hook them up to the home security system.

What to Do if a Riot Happens Near Your Home

• If your car is parked on the street consider moving your car as long as you think you can do that safely.
• Consider relocating yourself and your loved ones to a safer neighborhood, if possible. A night in a hotel might be a lot more fun and a whole lot less dangerous than a night spent in the midst of a riot.
• Lock all your doors and windows.
• If you have a fence with a gate, lock that too. Most gate latches have a place where you can attach a padlock. Use it. You may have a padlock laying around for your bicycle or the locker at the gym. Temporarily repurpose that lock to give yourself a little extra security.
• Board up ground-level windows if you can do so safely. If the riot is already raging, you may be too late for this.
• Make sure your security cameras are running, connected to the network, and recording anything that happens.
• In some jurisdictions, the police may request access to your security cameras. If this is available, let them have access. This way, they already have the footage that might be required to arrest any troublemakers.
• If you are staying in the home and a riot happens right outside, go to the safest room inside the house and lock yourself in. This may be your basement or laundry room or whatever you have that has a locking door and preferably no windows. If they don’t know you’re there, the rioters might not want to hurt you.
• If the building you are in starts burning, get out! Call the fire department after you are safely out of the building.
• If rioters approach you outside do not take sides. Don’t argue the facts or try to convince them of anything. This just draws attention to you and may escalate the situation. Even if you agree with their point of view the situation could become dangerous. Try to blend in with the rest of the crowd and move cautiously to the side of the mob away from police and any counter-protestors. Once you reach the outer fringes of the mob you may be able to walk away from the action and move to a safer location.

Basically, stay away from the rioters and keep your property away from them as much as you can. Keeping away from the riot can make a big difference in whether or not you get injured or lose property in a riot. Be careful out there.