Socializing in the presence of others is unavoidable. We all go out to eat, gather to watch sports and meet friends on the town. All of these situations put us around people we know nothing about. This becomes extremely dangerous when a conflict arises, regardless of whether or not you are directly involved. When someone gets unruly and is asked to leave an establishment, what follows can be extremely dangerous and often times is. As a general rule, if someone gets asked to leave an establishment you are in, you should leave as well.
Think about it. You have to do something pretty deviant to be asked to leave an establishment. If someone has tipped the scales in this direction, it’s safe to assume they are unstable, unpredictable and a potential threat.
Some things to understand when someone in your presence gets disruptive are as follows:
Mental State
Stable people do not get thrown out of establishments. Assume that such a person is mentally unstable and unpredictable. This is not someone you want around you or your loved ones.
Denying Authority
Denying someone authority, such as asking them to leave an establishment, is often times a trigger for violent behavior. If a mentally unstable, drugged or intoxicated individual feels they are losing control, violence can result.
Untrained Employees
Don’t feel a false sense of security because an “employee” took care of the problem by escorting someone out of an establishment. Assume these employees are clueless and untrained. Their job is to prevent a disruption of business, not protect the patrons. If someone has to be removed, the police should be called. This rarely happens because police at a business are bad for business. When employees remove patrons from a business, they are escalating the situation, whether intentional or not.
Aftermath
Once someone has been asked to leave, you have to assume they are going to return to do harm. Often time an unruly patron will be escorted out of an establishment, go to their vehicle, retrieve weapons and then return. This happens time and time again. Do not expose yourself to this by staying put.
Time To Leave
As soon as trouble starts, it’s time to leave. Even if you’re not directly involved, leave. There are plenty of other places you can go. Don’t worry about looking silly or over-reacting.
The news is full of incidents where a person has been thrown out of an establishment, only to return and do harm, often times with a gun. No one likes to end a party prematurely. However, given the consequences of what may unfold, it’s best to leave as soon as trouble starts.
