I was at Great Adventures in New Jersey with some friends that day when the announcement was made "There is a blackout in NYC." We immediately left for NY. On the radio, the news came that some neighborhoods had looting, while some went to full blown rioting. My friends, who lived in Crown Heights, in Brooklyn, thought the worst as there had always been simmering violence there. What was worse was that their only child was with a babysitter in the apartment, and as the mother was nursing, there was not an infinite supply of milk.
I told them in the car that we would proceed to Queens where I lived, to pick up the requisite "supplies'. I went into my apartment when I arrived, took the 45 and the Mini 14. We then departed to Brooklyn. We avoided the Interboro Parkway from Kew Gardens, because it exited in East NY, a place that UPS was said, made no deliveries. We came in on other, less risky streets and I finally got into Crown Heights. Utica Avenue was burning, looters were everywhere, and there was sporadic gunfire. I remarked that I would not brake for rioters and quickly got beyond Utica to Schenectady and Montgomery. I pulled the car up on the sidewalk in front of the building. We exited the vehicle.
A mob spotted us and came toward us, but they were still almost 100 yards away. A few of them had guns; they appeared to be 38s and 25s. I took the Mini up, with both clips and pointedit at them. Their answer was that we were few and they were many. I shouted that I would fire on them if they came much closer, and that their guns did not have the range. I also stated that before we would go down, many of them would be on their way to Perdition. The mob then changed direction. I gave my friends the option of leaving with me, but they chose to stay. Defense of the building was being organized and some residents had both long and short arms.
I tnen took my leave, hitting the road at warp speed. I had not fired a single shot. Mobs are usually made up of vicious cowards
While the mob was many and you were few, nobody in the mob wanted to be one of the ones to die.
One of my older neighbors told me a story . . . during the Atlanta riots, the police told the folks over here (Cobb County) that they could not hold the Chattahoochee River bridge. Residents had fire points set up on the Cobb side of the river -- at that time there were plenty of good ol' boys and vets in Smyrna with deer rifles and military surplus rifles who knew how to use them (a lot more city folk and Yankees over here now). My neighbor was sitting up above the railroad bridge behind a rock with his Garand in his lap. Never fired a shot, probably because the folks on the Atlanta side knew what they would face if they rioted over the river . . .
"A mob spotted us and came toward us, but they were still almost 100 yards away. A few of them had guns; they appeared to be 38s and 25s. I took the Mini up, with both clips and pointedit at them. Their answer was that we were few and they were many. I shouted that I would fire on them if they came much closer, and that their guns did not have the range. I also stated that before we would go down, many of them would be on their way to Perdition. The mob then changed direction. I gave my friends the option of leaving with me, but they chose to stay. Defense of the building was being organized and some residents had both long and short arms. "
Great story. I remember that blackout well. I was home in Brooklyn visiting from graduate school in another state. The lights went out and the inner city dwellers went nuts. My uncle owned a butcher store in the city and the looting was spreading in his direction. He called to tell us he and some workers were going to defend his store (and implying he could use some help). Myself and a five friends, cousins etc. went to his shop to help guard it and if necessary repel boarders. We were lightly armed (my uncle had a 38 special pistol and a old M1 from when he was in the army (no bullets for the M1). The rest of us had baseball bats, assorted clubs, and cleavers. One guy had a samuri sword. We stood outside the shop all night watching the looters going from store to store on the other blocks. Several times small groups would get near the store and were warned away. At one point a group of them was taunting us from across the street and one of them pointed a revolver in our direction while talking his trash. He left when my buddy pointed the (empty) M1 in his direction. Late in the evening a police car showed up but said they couldn't provide any help. In the end my uncle's store was one of the few in the area that was saved and no one got hurt.