Many of you are watching crime and violence getting out of control in your area. There are a lot of factors involved but there is a perfect storm that is driving this unsafe situation for you and the people around you.

Early Prison Release. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of bleeding-heart liberals thought it was a good idea to early-release offenders instead of having them in prison catching COVID-19. You put someone back out on the streets who haven’t learned their lesson or on a better path, they go right back to the game. Police are reporting many crimes are crews of early-release criminals who are getting together to re-offend.

Bleeding Heart Prosecutors. We have a new breed of prosecutors that made it clear they are not going to lock up folks over non-violent crime. The problem with that theory is there is no such thing as a non-violent crime, even if there is no physical violent action involved. So when someone commits a crime, they are willing to escalate into physical violence if someone resists and we are seeing more and more of this.

Police Silent Boycott. Since George Floyd and the backlash against police officers, many of these police officers decided to quietly slow down efforts in preventing crime. In fact, it is obvious many of these crimes are allowed to be committed to creating the argument the police are needed and should not be defunded.

Better Technology. Thanks to the darknet, it is easier to download instructions on how to steal cars out of parking lots, how to carjack folks waiting at a stoplight, smash and grabs – all of these are written instructions for criminals to download and share. It is also easier to run mobile apps that are encrypted push-to-talk applications to arrange flash mobs to ransack a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco.

Lack of Professional Security. You go to parking lot malls and you will see a lot of shady folks just parking in the parking lot, sometimes you see 3-4 hooded dudes in one car, looking out for targets, and will ambush someone distracted. Many of them realize if they crew up, the mall security does not have enough personnel to take them on and they will show they got guns and not playing with mall rent-a-cops.

One of the biggest crimes we are seeing is mostly against Asian-Americans where criminals assume they carry lots of cash and will follow them home after work or ambush them up after they close shop and walk to their car. But in the Black community, you will see folks plotting at strip clubs and lounges where the showoff folks like to show up with a lot of cash and the parking lot has a lot of dark spots. But there is one element that is not being discussed – thrill.

A lot of these criminals are not committing these crimes out of need – they are doing this as a crew association. They want to be the baddest one in their crew so they don’t have a problem being a shooter of an innocent victim to show others who is to be feared. They want to plot and plan to show they can lead a team into a mission to steal from an up-and-coming rapper and take their chains and shoot them for a street reputation. But the one biggest impact is to come out smarter than society who dismissed them by knowing how to run secret games like running scams, stealing personal data, and using tech like car remote emulation the average person won't know about.

Here are two tech crimes that are trending at this point in time:

QR code scams. We are seeing a pattern where someone is printing parking tickets with a fake QR code that resembles a real city parking ticket. The goal is the person will scan the QR code and enter their credit card information that is used to make fraudulent purchases later.

Can I borrow your phone? This scam is trending where someone will ask if they can borrow your smartphone. You be nice and give them the phone and they immediately start swiping through your phone looking for your Cash App or Venmo and try to quickly send themselves money from your phone.

So far, we are looking at more sophisticated, more organized, and more callous criminal elements out there and constantly looking for a victim to make a score. We are not going to relish in the violence and crime being committed, the only concern of this article is to tell you how to get as smart and protect yourself.

Get Smart Cameras and Security System. This is your first line and most critical form of defense. Make sure you have smart cameras that can record movement and notify you immediately to be alert of any activity going on around your home. Another good security system is a dog that will start barking if they hear something out of order.

Be Extremely Careful at Parking Lots. This includes anywhere you will shop and deal with cash. The biggest concern is bank parking lots that are not as protected as they use to be and restaurants. Be mindful that most criminals don’t care if you don’t have cash and will steal cell phones and credit cards just to take from folks. My biggest concern is the sistas park at these shopping centers and starts doing distracting stuff like digging through her purse – no, get in and get out like you are on a mission, don’t be digging in your purse or checking your makeup in the car parking lot.

Stop Leaving Your Car Running. This is the biggest mistake that can be avoided – under no circumstance should a car remain running while you run inside the gas station or run back into your house.  Turn the car off, lock the door. If you have to take your child with you, then make sure either you have someone else there to watch your child or you stay home or take your child with you as you leave the vehicle. It is not funny to have your child taken in a car when your dumbass left the engine running – that is some dumb shit that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

Avoid Nightclubs at All Cost. There is no logical reason in the 21st century to attend a nightclub, none. Nightclubs were good back in the day for random encounters but we live in an era where it is easier to appear successful and look the part. That means most people at these spots are fake and fronting. In addition, this is a breeding ground for criminals to spike drinks, plot on people in the parking lot, start fights and start shooting. Stay away from this environment and date people that prefer to go hiking or shopping in the morning or running at the park – stop messing with folks who feel the need to shake their booty at a club, which is so outdated.

Always Have Your Inventory in Controlled Cages. One of the biggest business retailing problems I see over and over is the lack of secured control of goods. Folks have their most expensive gear all out in the open on the floor display. The retail buildings are so insecure where glass can be broken really fast and quick and a crew comes in with wire cutters. Folks learn to battle-ram the side of the building and bust a hole in a wall as well. All goods should be stored in controlled cages and when someone wants to see something or try something, you get their size and bring it from the controlled cages – that’s how you do business nowadays. Just display the sample product like Footlocker or JD and get it from the back.

Firearms are the Last Resort. Be mindful that you can act bad and talk shit about having a gun and you are strapped. But remember that a criminal crew is already locked and loaded and ready to pounce – you will not have time to react. It is very rare you will be in a Clint Eastwood/Charles Bronson situation where you will be able to pull out a gun and scare a criminal crew away – they will start shooting and they are not playing with you. The best approach is definitely having a weapon but realize it is a last resort and your best decision is not to get caught up in a situation in the first place.

The most important takeaway is avoidance is your best defense. Go to areas that are well protected and go at times where crimes are unlikely to be committed. Avoid shady folks, shady places, shady communities, and never visit this stuff ever again in your life. With your home and your car, make sure you protect your home with surveillance and be car-smart, and don’t be distracted around your car. If you are associated with people, make sure they are just as security-savvy as you, or stop messing with them because they become a threat to your life.