Political turmoil is currently shaping the way the country runs.
In the US, our stock market has crashed after a single presidential press conference, we’ve seen political power moves that prevented Americans from receiving a second stimulus check during the coronavirus pandemic (at the time of writing this at least).
Politics will get in my way and they’ll get in your way. It doesn’t matter which side of the aisle you’re on; politicians aren’t here for you and I. We have to take care of ourselves and our families, and that’s what this site is all about.
Political turmoil is a disaster that I’ve noticed not a lot of people cover, but it’s getting scary out there, and I want you to be prepared when riots run the streets and even the National Guard can’t calm things down.
What is Political Turmoil?
Turmoil is defined as “A state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty.” When we throw this into the political lens, it means disturbance, confusion, and uncertainty as a result of political movements (or generally, a lack thereof).
Political turmoil does have its place in shaping society and advancing the agenda of America, the land of the free.
However, political turmoil often turns to rioting, non-peaceful protests, and violence. We’ve seen it in 2020 – yes, terrible things happened, but innocent people ended up having to pay for it with destroyed homes and businesses.
Political turmoil has the potential, as we’ve seen this year, to pull apart societal seams. If we’ve seen any reasons to bug out and get as far away from home as possible, it would be rioting and violent protests caused by political turmoil.
Is the United States Currently in Political Turmoil?
At the time of writing this in November 2020, the United States is exiting political turmoil, but it is very much still here.
People are sick and dying, protests have declined but are still very much active. We saw the most turbulent state of American political turmoil earlier this year when riots broke out over the murder of George Floyd.
We can all agree that the violence against George Floyd was unnecessary and excessive. We can even see some points as to why people are upset, frustrated, and downright outraged.
The problem is that when you get a mob together, they think in a mob mentality, and fail to prove their point. It generally bubbles down to violence and anger without a proper outlet for it.
Sometimes this is the fault of the police and the government as they fan the flames, but there’s plenty of blame to go around for everyone.
As of November 2020, the United States is exiting a state of political turmoil.
From COVID-19 creating the perfect environment for political turmoil (denied second stimulus check, delayed CARES act phases, billions sitting in unused payroll accounts, etc.), we’ve definitely been a powder keg for a while now.
Recent Developments
You have to take recent developments into account. As of the time of writing this, Joe Biden has become President-Elect, and will be inaugurated into the White House.
Believe it or not, that has settled down political turmoil. Regardless of what your political opinions are, the people who end up being in riots and mobs during protests are the same people who see President-Elect Biden as a source for hope.
This is all subjective, and to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. It matters that the riots stop, and that you never have to use these self-defense methods that we’ll be talking about throughout this entire guide.
I don’t care who the President is or who has the house majority; we all need the craziness to come to an end at some point.
Election
The election has certainly been a cause of political turmoil. While many democratic supporters who have been associated with protests and riots even earlier this year are now rejoicing in the 2020 Presidential Election, we saw a lot of animosity at the polls.
Armed men standing outside of polling stations for intimidation tactics, suspected voter fraud (which turned out to be nothing, but it still fueled the fire), and a divided nation with a close margin of votes.
It all adds up to make us feel more divided, and when we’re divided, we end up conquering one another instead of uniting. Many economists predict that the election results will help with job stability and economic growth, which will help pull political turmoil out of the conversation.
President Trump
President Trump’s four-year term has yet to come to a close, but with a new cabinet entering the White House, the days are growing closer.
President Trump has had inflammatory comments and remarks in the past that have sparked non-violent outrage, but nevertheless, many voters believe he has divided the nation to some extent.
We’re not here to discuss political preferences – only how people are reacting to what’s going on and how it shapes the landscape of political turmoil.
While Trump’s approval rating has ping-ponged between favorable and unfavorable, many voters have expressed their anger about his stances and agenda. No matter who the POTUS is, they’re going to piss someone off and will always be used as a scapegoat for civil unrest.
Riots
While the riots of 2020 are some of the most violent we’ve seen in years, they did tone down at some point.
Hopefully we’re never going to be in the middle of an inflammatory presidency during a global pandemic that claims the lives of more than one million people (and counting), but just in case we are, the rest of this guide will help you prepare for it.
What Can we Learn From the Riots That Happened in 2020?
There’s a lot to learn, and not all of it is good. Let’s go over the most pertinent that we can apply to our prepping moving forward.
People Are Capable of a Lot
Have you seen the destruction that the George Floyd protests caused?
A record-setting $2B worth of damage has been reported in direct response, and it’s not like rioting has come to a screeching halt since. People are capable of damage on a massive scale, and it’s pretty scary to think about.
No matter how strapped to the teeth you are, a riot has power that most of us just can’t defeat. It’s a very sobering fact.
America Isn’t as Stable as we Thought
Nobody gets into prepping because they know for a fact the United States is about to turn into a chaotic hell zone the very next day. We do it in preparation of a time like this, with the hopes of never having to use these provisions and skills.
However, we’re seeing the real face of America beneath the mask, and it can get scary at times. Whether or not protests are done for good reasons that promote civil change and progression in the United States, the way they’re done isn’t always peaceful. We’re not as stable as we once were.
Prepping is Going to Become Competitive
Prepping has become a competitive space, whereas before it was just filled with people who already had the foresight to prepare for times like these. Now, you have a ton of people who are scared (rightfully so) that want to get into prepping.
You could even be reading this after seeing how the last year has gone; you could be in that crowd. Prepping is becoming a competitive space, and manufacturers will see this trend; it’s a bonus for us.
What this means is you may see more brands and manufacturers creating survival and prepping gear. They compete with one another for your business, prices go down, and we all benefit.
We all want to prepare for the future, we want to prepare for catastrophes so we can keep ourselves and our families safe through it all. It’s never been more serious and paramount to be a prepper than in 2020 (and it’s only going to become more necessary as the years go on).
How to Protect Yourself
Protecting yourself is something that should never have red tape, but it does.
There are so many stipulations, everyone has a camera phone and a different opinion, and self-defense gets messy. This is a quick guide on how to protect yourself while upholding the law, and keeping your family safe in the process.
Is it Legal to Protect Yourself From Rioters?
This is where things tend to get messy. Yes, it’s legal to protect yourself from rioters, but only under extreme circumstances.
The fact of the matter is that the law protects rioters before it protects you. There has to be reason to believe that a rioter is going to cause you or your family members personal, potentially fatal harm.
You can get in trouble for defending yourself. You can get in trouble for defending your property. It’s a very backwards system in a lot of ways, but once you understand it, you can use it properly and only when absolutely necessary.
How to Protect Your Property
The first step in knowing how you can defend your home properly is to read the Castle Doctrine. Depending on which state you live in, you may have to do your best to retreat and only use force or deadly force in the event that you’re being followed by a home invader.
In other states, you do not have to reasonably retreat from a private residence that you are lawfully standing in, such as your own home.
If an assailant or home invader enters the home unlawfully without being welcomed inside, you have the right to use force or deadly force depending on which state you live in.
The cold hard truth here is that these laws are always being attacked. We always hear “Ignorance of the law is no reason to ignore it,” and that saying has a lot of merit to it.
It’s a double-edged sword, though, which is why I recommend continuously reviewing your state and local laws relating to the Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground laws.
In order to protect your property the right way, you have to give absolutely no reason for anyone to find it inviting if they know they’re not supposed to be there. You don’t want to come across as intimidating, but rather prepared. Here are a few things you can do:
- Install Surveillance Cameras: Someone is less likely to damage your property if they can tell that they’ll be caught on camera. This is a common tactic to prevent home invasions and burglaries from occurring in the first place whether or not we’re in a riot climate. On top of that, this video evidence can be used to expedite your insurance claims and ensure that you actually get what’s owed to you.
- Home Monitoring Equipment Signs: Whether or not you have home monitoring equipment, like a system through ADT, simply having some signs around your home that indicate otherwise could help prevent rioters from selecting your home.
- No Trespassing Signs: You want to be careful with how you proceed here depending on your state. No trespassing signs give a clear and present indicator that your home is not something that should be messed with. You’re giving intruders every signal that you’re ready to stand your ground.
Make your home a fortress. Give indicators that anyone who messes with your home will face some sort of repercussion, just like what we mentioned above. This is the first step required to prove that you were not looking for trouble, but you weren’t running scared, either.
Is it Legal to Protect Your Property From Rioters?
If you own a business, I’m sorry to say that you’re going to sustain damages to some extent. We have the Stand Your Ground laws in effect, but those don’t help against everything. Your small shop could be razed to the ground, and you’re left twiddling your thumbs in almost every circumstance.
Riots target businesses more than homes, which is a sad thing in America. It’s like taking the American dream and spitting it back in the business owner’s face. Businesses are exempt from being protected in the same way that your home is.
You can’t fire a warning shot to tell a rioter to not assault your business, because that can land you in jail. You are not allowed to lay traps in your business to injure or capture looters, even if your city is currently undergoing curfew for rioting.
If a looter bursts through your shop window and pulls an item off the shelves, you still cannot shoot them. You cannot even verbally threaten a looter to try and force them to leave.
You cannot defend your business.
You can defend yourself inside of your business, meaning if someone tries to cause you harm with clear intent, verbal verification, or if they approach you with weapons in a menacing way, that is the only time you may use force on a rioter or looter in your business.
Even then, it’s going to be a messy legal process after the fact.
Exceptions may be made if your home and business are attached. This could be a home business, such as on the first floor of a house while you and your family live upstairs, or if the business is attached to your home side-by-side, but there are no clear indicators on this.
Your home area is where you should retreat to, even if it’s a portion of the building your business is in.
I’m not keen on what type of business insurance to get, but make sure it covers looting and rioting, and make sure you keep an inventory for your business so you know what’s lost in the event of looting or a riot.
The only thing you can really do is leave your business alone, get to safety, and stand your ground in your own home.
Politics Affect All of Us
Whether or not you align with a certain political ideal, the politics of America are always a hot-button topic.
They will always influence the way we live our lives. I’m not telling you to pick a side, just to be prepared against those who do pick sides, and are willing to wage war on the peaceful to bring that fight to the streets.
Defending Against Political Turmoil
Your home, your family, yourself—political turmoil is a beast that doesn’t care about any of that. Politics will always govern how we live our lives, and when politicians royally screw up and land us in a riot-filled world, they’ve lost control.
You can support protest all you want, but rioting (the way we’ve seen in 2020) is only going to leave damage and injury in its wake. It’s also a beast without a leash, and we have to know how to deal with it head-on.
