[Old Sarge]

I figure it takes about three days without food and then people go primitive or they give up.

We will not have three days.

We will have only HOURS. History teaches us this:

1965 - Los Angeles - the arrest of a young black man in Watts incites a crowd, which spawns a riot, within one hour of the arrest;
1968 - across America - the death of Martin Luther King touches off rioting in several cities within hours of the media broadcast;
1977 - New York - the grid goes offline at 9:30PM, the looting starts around 11PM;
1992 - Miami - Hurricane Andrew's winds haven't even died down before the malls are ransacked;
1992 - Los Angeles - the verdict is announced for the Rodney King Trial, and almost immediately, the city burns;
2005 - New Orleans - the looting started even before Katrina made landfall;
2011 - London - a protest over a slain gangbanger turns violent and within four hours, Greater London descends into mayhem;
2012 - Long Island, NY - in the wake of Sandy, enterprising looters dressed as powerline repairmen sneak past the martial law cordon and pillage, with 24 hours of the storm;
2013 - Oakland, CA - less than fifty minutes after the verdict in the Zimmerman Trial is announced, mass demonstrations "spontaneously" erupt, but in Oakland, fires and unrest break out...

Hours, people - not days, hours.

[cripplecreek]

So get out of the city.

[FreedomPoster]

I believe it’s AAM who tells an anecdote about relatives helping control the bridge over the Chattahoochie to Atlanta after the ‘68 event in your list. WWII and Koean War vets with M1s are not to be trifled with.

[GeronL]

1977 - New York - the grid goes offline at 9:30PM, the looting starts around 11PM;

Amazingly about 11 or 12 years before that when the lights went out, they had a night with some of the least crime they ever had.

Something bad changed in America between 1965 and 1977

[knarf]

Good list Sahge ... thanx for the synopsis

[The Duke]

Hey Old Sarge,

Long time no see. I’m going to organize a prepper meeting in early January and hope you can make it .. so keep an eye on the ol’ email. I’ve finally (after 3 years of working late into the night) got my preparedness book completed and would be delighted to provide you a complimentary signed copy in recognition of the good you’re doing.

-TD

[Smokin' Joe]

I’d wager some of those events were planned and that some well organized elements (street gangs) conducted looting—especially after observing news feeds of the ‘unrest’ in Watts where scouts would check shops and then break the windows in the front of jewelry stores and the like, then move on while the rip crew went in.