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dihappy wrote::)
So i gotta ask, whats an "rich looking, older white guy" look like?

Did he have a bunch of gold hanging around his neck, or a rolex and diamond rings on?

Maybe he was in an Armani suit, or holding a bottle of Cristal, LOL.

Nah, gold around the neck and diamond rings scream "Big Hat, No Cattle"

"Rich Guy" in this sense let's see... well-groomed, nice collard shirt (nice clothes and shoes all around), expensive looking watch (shiny!), expensive pickup truck, etc... Oh yeah, and a GIANT WALLET sticking out of his back pocket. He refuses to use a bi-fold, and now carries a big leather full-bill size wallet that sticks out of the back of his pants 3-4". It has a silver star/emblem on it too, just in case it didn't catch your eye right away.

To be honest, he could be black, white, brown, or yellow and I would still think he had money. Some people just carry themselves that way you know? He strikes me as the kind of guy who walks around with a lot of cash ($300-1000) in his wallet at any given time, and I happen to know that he does. I know that's not "rich", but it's a good target for a typical mugger/robber.

Personally, I prefer the ripped jeans and a T-shirt look with old shoes so the Bad Guys(tm) don't know how much money I've got.

Tallmike, thank you for that and apology accepted, let's move on.

Back on topic, someone else here mentioned it I think, but I find that in near identical situations in two different cities, I feel "safe" near my home, and "unsafe" in a strange city. I'm sure there are more Bad Guys(tm) here in Houston than in Tyler, but the fact that I live here gives me a false sense of security. Does that make sense?

Excaliber wrote: The descriptions of the persons involved in this case, including their ethnicity, is a simple recounting of material fact. If this incident had been reported to police, the number of occupants of the suspicious vehicle and their ethnicity would have been included in the report because these facts and the description of the vehicle would have been useful for connecting them to other incidents. This has nothing to do with racism, and everything to do with accurately reporting the observable visual elements at the scene.

Thank you, Excaliber. I mention my FIL being "rich looking" because I think a thief would look for those things--nice clothing and jewelry, nice car, etc.. I was trying to point out the many differences between the people involved--age, race, socio-economic class, etc. In my mind, if I were looking for directions, I would tend to approach someone "like me" first.

You know, I'm fine with leaving out the name-calling and personal attacks; but I think it's a double-standard that it's "OK" for someone to lob thinly veiled insults at me implying that I am a racist/bigot/bad person for simply giving an accurate description.

Judging by Charles' comment that, "We are tired of this..." I sense that I have stepped into something that has been a problem around here before. As a new guy and infrequent visitor on these forums, I certainly didn't mean to stir up trouble. I do take exeption, however to tallmike's accusations and jabs, even if he was sly about slipping in his insults.

tallmike wrote:

CHLSteve wrote:The guys we could see were black, and my FIL is a rich-looking older white guy.

CHLSteve wrote:As far as the black or white people comment goes, you picked that out on your own. I did not provide anything other than the facts and details about the situation as I recall. They could have just as easily been Asian, fat, or redheads and I would have put that instead.

Yea, you keep saying that. Eventually you may even believe its true.

Someone keeps deleting my posts, so whatever. I guess I can't reply to this garbage comment.

tallmike wrote:Goodness. Its always smart to be ready but not everyone who asks for directions is "interviewing" you. It doesnt matter if they are black or white people sometimes get lost.

True, and in context it makes more sense, but when someone drives up to you and asks something that seems nonsensical you have to wonder why. For example, why would someone need to know where an old walmart was?

As far as the black or white people comment goes, you picked that out on your own. I did not provide anything other than the facts and details about the situation as I recall. They could have just as easily been Asian, fat, or redheads and I would have put that instead.

KC5AV wrote:I'm not sure if it was anything to worry about. The 'old Wal-Mart' in Tyler being used as a staging area, or distribution point for supplies to the evacuation shelters.

This makes sense to me. This was after the hurricane came through, and many folks were without power in the Tyler area (ourselves included) If they were using the "old wal-mart" as a staging area, it makes sense why someone would want to find it.

I am relived to know this, but the situation makes me realize that the "event" could come upon you at any time, and to always be prepared. We were very aware of our surroundings, as usual, but I did not have anything to defend myself with. Of course, the wife did encourage me to go get a new gun after that--one that I'll carry with me more often. I find it hard to conceal when I'm wearing tucked in dress shirts, so I often go without. I'm thinking a pocket .380 might be the answer. Maybe an LCP?

While visiting my in-laws in Tyler, TX we were approached by some very suspicious-acting guys around 9:30PM. My family stopped to get some gas at some run-down station, and my Father-In-Law was filling the tank. I was in the passenger seat, and my wife, son, and her mom were in back. A old silver car with very dark tinted windows pulled up in front of our truck, and sat there for 2-3 minutes--we could not see the driver or any passengers due to the window tint. They just sat there. Then, they pulled around the other side of our pump and rolled down only the back window. The guys we could see were black, and my FIL is a rich-looking older white guy. We could see 3 guys in the back seat, so I figure there were 4 or 5 people in the car. He asked my FIL something about "where the old wal-mart was". It didn't make any sense, and they seemed to be sizing him up to see if he/we would be an easy target. I was feeling very uneasy and kept my eyes on them the whole time, then my wife asked me if I had my gun--I guess she felt it too. After they got done talking, they rolled up their window, and sat there again for 3-4 minutes. We could not see into the car at all. They finally pulled around, and parked in front of the gas station storefront. FIL got back into the car and we left with only half a tank. I watched to make sure they did not follow us out.

I did NOT have my gun with me, and I was kicking myself the whole time. I was trying to figure out what I might have done if I did. Get out of the truck and stand by the front of the car waiting? I kept thinking about the Garland, TX story where those guys shot two men after leading into conversation about needing a cigarette or a lighter.