This was the revelation that soaked into my brain after nearly getting kicked to death as a result of an illegal Facebook Rave last weekend. I’ve since looked into this a bit more and apparently this kind of thing happens a lot.
Melbourne, for instance, where one ended in a riot. And another one got to 3,000 attendees and even got more out of hand. Both Facebook, and likely the NSA, know of events like this before they happen but choose not to protect us for various reasons (I’m trying to make folks aware of this). But given you, or someone you love, could get hurt, as I was, and this is kind of how I’m working through my own anger, and I figured I’d chat about how you could avoid getting killed by social media.
What Happened
In short, the house next to me which was built for the Mistress of one of the early Silicon Valley CEOs is for sale and vacant. Kids sent out an invite that was broadly circulated for a party at this house and broke into it to have the party (the owners are out of the country). The police were called and the party was broken up (no charges were filed which was a mistake in hindsight but not my decision). After the police left one of the realtors who was selling the house and had shown up to see the damage was jumped. I stepped in to restrain the kids, was blind-sided and knocked to the street where the kids attempted to kick me to death. Fortunately another neighbor scared the kids off or you’d be reading my obituary this week.
Facebook Parties Potentially Deadly Idea
At the core of this problem are two things: people (kids especially) can easily forward a party invitation and it can scale massively. The one on my street scaled to several hundred people but there is really no limit and things can quickly get out of hand. In my own case it is very lucky no one was armed even though some of the kids indicated they had guns. Those numbers coupled with weapons could lead to more than just shootings; attendees and neighbors could be trampled as the people flee the scene.
While some of these parties are legitimate and just get out of hand the ones that occur in vacant houses are likely the most dangerous because the house could have someone staying in or watching it. The house is left dark suggesting the person could be surprised and I know when I stay in houses like this I tend to be armed which could have a tragic result for everyone involved.
By the way, if caught, the kids could be charged with a felony (home invasion, burglary etc.) and the parents can be held liable for damages which can run to the tens of thousands of dollars. But given they could also end up dead, I’d suggest you advise them not to attend one.
What to Do
Avoid confrontation, call the police, and hit your panic button. If you see one of these things don’t get involved yourself. Call the police, if your spouse gets caught outside or you see a neighbor or anyone else being harmed or engaged trigger your house alarm as well as it may scare the kids off and save their life.
If you don’t have a large police like flashlight and like to walk your neighborhood at night I’d suggest getting one. They make them with built in shock capability which is good for attackers and aggressive dogs off leash as well. I now keep one of these by the front door as I’m never going to someone’s aid like that unarmed again. But your first step is to call 911 and get help on the way and only engage if you have to in order to save someone else. Property can be replaced, a life can’t.
Finally if you only take two things away from this is to always call for help first (you may not get a chance later) and make every effort to avoid situations like this in the first place.
