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I recently heard about a fairly well known urbex location that is known to be a location of homeless drug users. Apparently multiple bodies of overdosed drug users have been recovered from the location. It seems if I go there it's inevitable that I'll meet some druggies.
The thought of meeting some people high on something like meth is pretty freaky for me. Does anybody have some tips on how to talk to someone who's angry at you for invading their "home"? Any advice on how to handle this sort of scenario?
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Avoid them as best as possible. Definitely stay away from their "bed" areas.
If you are forced into an encounter, maybe have a pack of cigs on you as a peace offering.
"When it rains, just find bigger drains." |
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Well the go-to answer is usually be respectful and non-threatening.
But it may be better to just sit this one out. If you have any reservations about it, either from an ethical view of it being their 'home' you are going into, or just a nerves point of view, there will always be other locations.
And meeting one randomly is different then a large amount of people being pulled out of a place for overdoses. What you consider abandoned may be a crack house. Not a place I would want to be, let alone with a moderately expensive camera that may want to steal from me.
Just my thoughts on it.
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just do drugs with them and make friends.
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I've run into crackheads many times. If they seem friendly (which they usually are), I won't pay much attention. I've only ever run into anyone even remotely hostile maybe two or three times that I can think of. In those situations, I simply apologized and left. I've never actually felt like I was truly in any serious danger.
Definitely explore with a group of at least 3 or more in these types of places. It doesn't hurt if those people are big and intimidating. 
And, I'm not going to say that you should carry a weapon, but if you feel the need to, definitely do so inconspicuously. Walking around with a big piece of rebar in your hand is not going to win you any friends. Pick a "weapon" such as a mag light, heavy tripod, or a concealed (and legal) knife that is non-threatening.
I say this because I once explored with a person that insisted on wandering around an abandoned building in a very dangerous area with a freaking nightstick open in their hand the whole time. Needless to say, I won't explore with this person anymore...
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." -Dr. Suess |
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Druggies can be the nicest people on the planet, so long as their supply lasts.
When in doubt, whip it out |
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"Are you happy now with all the choices you've made?" "Are there times in life when you know you should've stayed?"
"Will you compromise and then realize the price is too much to pay?" "Winners and losers... which one will you be today?"
***Social Distortion*** |
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Never, ever deal with a meth house. That stuff is just bad mojo all around. Just sickening to even walk near.
Abandoned |
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Posted by ForgottenRails
But it may be better to just sit this one out. If you have any reservations about it, either from an ethical view of it being their 'home' you are going into, or just a nerves point of view, there will always be other locations. |
I was going to say the same. I've passed up locations due to just feeling unease about them. Sure, maybe I missed out on something good, but I'm doing fine.
Otherwise, I have a small canister of pepper spray in my camera bag, which I've yet to need, but is there in a pinch.
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Depends how wasted they are. Being polite and respectful is the golden rule for dealing with anybody, but if you encounter some really tweaked out crackheads the best approach is just gtfo.
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Posted by SouthPaw
a small canister of pepper spray
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In my opinion, this is a bad idea unless you have something else (knife, gun) in case the person isn't fazed. It happens, and we are talking about druggies; I would say they are more likely to be hopped up enough to fight through hot pepper in their eyes/nose/mouth. Then you just have a druggy who is much angrier than s/he was before...
I feel like a blunt object like a sturdy flashlight or even a (hopefully inexpensive) tripod is the ideal 'just in case' weapon. You use it anyway so there's nothing extra to carry, and usually if someone gets cracked in the mouth with something like a D-cell maglite, they aren't getting back up to follow you. You might even kill the person if you're not careful, which is a downside I suppose.
To each his own I guess, but I agree with the other posters, in that it is best to try and make friends first. I hate to sound like I am advocating violence against anyone without fear for your own or others' lives- this is 'just in case' like SouthPaw stated. It's just that the false sense of security people get from pepper spray really irks me.
One more thing, make sure you don't spray yourself. Not as simple as it sounds when you're already in a scuffle...
"See you guys, you never listen to me. I said there was gonna be trouble but you didn't listen to me. You guys are crazy. You know, you guys are self destructive. There's a funny farm and it has your names written all over it. But I'm gettin' out of here. I'm... I smell ice cream!" |
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http://www.uer.ca/...=116316&currpage=2
"Are you happy now with all the choices you've made?" "Are there times in life when you know you should've stayed?"
"Will you compromise and then realize the price is too much to pay?" "Winners and losers... which one will you be today?"
***Social Distortion*** |
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Like the tagline on my profile says, Take only aimed shots, leave only meth head corpses. Its the UER way man.
I have changed my personal exploring ethics code. From now on it will be: "Take only aimed shots, leave only hobo corpses." Copper scrappers, meth heads and homeless beware. The Jonsered cometh among you, bringing fear and dread.
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I'm a dallas native and i used to run my own dealership with some friends out of high school so we were young a stupid and would hop on our dirt bikes and go ride around the area when it was slow. So one day we stumbled upon a condemned trailer park. The trailers looked as the people just up and left. And keep in mind that we were in dallas about 10 mins from downtown so there is a plethora of homeless activity in the area. Well we never saw anyone exploring in the day. We would just walk thru the trailers and see what they were like. Most were uninhabitable as the roofs were falling in but all of the peoples belongings were still inside and to this day i don't understand why they just up and left but there was a Chain around the neighborhood gate and all the houses had vacating notices on the windows and bulldozers started showing up on site to take them down so we knew for sure the former owners had for sure moved on. But once the dozers showed up we knew it wouldn't last long so one night we hopped in a truck and decided to explore at night. We didn't know what to expect other than a good spook so we showed up with our guard completely down. we hop out of the truck at the old wash room for the neighborhood or at least thats what it looked like. It was a good size little building probably around 1000sq ft. So we approach it with flashlights and i yell out "Heyyy Get out of there". And i truly wasn't expecting anyone as we weren't used to seeing a soul in the area but all of the sudden around 5 junkies run out of there like bees swarming from a hive. We freaked out and jumped right into the truck scared silly and then out of no where we see flaming balls flying at the truck. One of the junkies had lite a roman candle and started shooting at us once he realized we weren't the police and i guess since we spoked him. We gave him a good yelling and went on. But moral of the story, if you suspect junkie activity, be aware because you could be the next unfair roman candle war victim.
HI! |
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I know a lot of drug users and really it depends on the drugs, if they are on heroin it's no biggie they are too nodded out to do anything. crackheads; do everything possible to avoid them, they are like borderline psychotic. meth heads, in my experience I've found just leave them be and if they persist on chatting you up, give em a smoke and tell them you have work to get done. But that's just been my experience anyhow
Samurai ability to enter any establishment...thanks grandpa for all the training. |
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If you encounter them, make an assessment. Trust your gut on negative feelings. If they seem like decent types, strike up a conversation. Remember, we look for abandonments and the like recreationally; many of these people do so full time. See what knowledge they may have of the area!
https://www.flickr...otos/technomancer/
“I will accept any rules that you feel necessary to your freedom. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” |
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Posted by Jethron
Does anybody have some tips on how to talk to someone who's angry at you for invading their "home"? Any advice on how to handle this sort of scenario?
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I always try and make a lot of noise and spread out my jacket, if I'm wearing one. You know, to make myself look bigger.
If that doesn't work, play dead.
I'm a "Leave only footprints, take only pornography" kind of guy, myself. |
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http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=88759
Prohobo in training.
Best thread on UER |
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Even if you don't smoke keep a pack cigs with you to hand out to the drugged out vagrants in the buildings.
Zoze
Baltimore's Favorite Tunnel Hugger |
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Posted by stitchclimber
Even if you don't smoke keep a pack cigs with you to hand out to the drugged out vagrants in the buildings.
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I have never done that and never will.
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Ethics
