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Anyone else have neighbors that will become a liability WTSHTF?

22K views 94 replies 63 participants last post by  big paul 
#1 ·
I was wondering if anyone else has neighbors like I have. While I live in a very rural area I have a few neighbors close by and the closest one I believe is going to be a problem for me when TSHTF. He seems to be one of these 40 year old adolescents that never really grew up. He and his girlfriend are gainfully employed and take care of themselves at the moment but seem to only live for the weekends so they can party hard with their buddies. While we are busy on our side of the line gardening, planting orchards, canning and the like. They drink lots of Bud Lite, stay up late, and of course they have guns.
I can see them getting very hungry very fast when things fall apart and I don't think they would think twice about helping themselves to our stuff.
Having said that while I am no "high speed death machine" we are more than capable of defending what we have but any exchange of gunfire with anyone leaves open the very real possibility of someone on our side taking a dirt nap.

Has anyone been through a natural disaster and had to deal with people like this when the system as we know it ceases to exist?

I have other neighbors a little further away than this character (1/2 mile or more)that seem to be more self sufficient that I'm not worried about as much but this guy and his buddies give me a reason to pause and ponder what I might have to do to keep my family safe.
 
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#70 ·
Hey Northern Maine, My closest neighbor sounds a whole lot like yours. I have a slightly different approach though. When I am unfortunate enough to have to interact with him I just act as dumb and ignorant as he is, my thought behind this is he has no idea that I have set myself and family in a good place as far as food, water, and firearms. I actually told him when he was eager to show me a firearm that he had purchased that I don't care for them. My hope is when the shit hits the fan he will figure I have nothing he needs. And he can wander off and starve some where. If he does decide to "stop over" he will be expecting the sheep I have always portrayed myself as in his presence. So I figure I'll have the jump on him in that aspect. The "moral" of the story is my personal belief is not to let others no that I am a "Prepper" although I hate that term. And if you folks are well stocked up for when the shtf you would be better served to keep that to yourselves.
 
#71 ·
Food for thought.

Don't write off your neighbors yet. I do have one I consider a liability. I may need to deal with him, I'm not real sure yet.

But who's to say you won't be cut off from your group. Who's to say they won't have their own emergencies at the same time. You may need to help organize your neighborhood. Who else has as much or more to loose than your neighbors? What you consider a liability now may become an asset.
 
#82 ·
Food for thought.

Don't write off your neighbors yet. I do have one I consider a liability. I may need to deal with him, I'm not real sure yet.

But who's to say you won't be cut off from your group. Who's to say they won't have their own emergencies at the same time. You may need to help organize your neighborhood. Who else has as much or more to loose than your neighbors? What you consider a liability now may become an asset.
I wouldn't write all of them off, but those that will become liabilities will reveal themselves quickly enough anyway. Hopefully if it comes to that, those that remain and try to organize can get rid of them without any fuss.
 
#72 ·
Not so much worried about neighbors (we have a lot of Amish around us) as we are about our city dwelling friends who have already voiced a desire to join our rural life style should TSHTF. A few of them would be a benefit as they do have a clue as to what prepping is all about, but the ones who worry me are the ones who need the weekly trip to the beauty parlor and the ones who have never bent their backs to the rigors of splitting their own wood to heat. We try to keep in shape, they sit in front of the TV in the recliner all day. We have the room to offer them a place to stay if the need arises but we always tell them they have to bring their own food, their own guns, their own ammo, their own tools and be prepared to work.

We have one friend who, when asked when they are going to come for a visit, says, "It's so hard to plan time, you always have so much work to do." Of course we do, we live on a farm!

We have had a few friends who have said "we can do that" others just kind of blink at us bewildered. THOSE are the ones we worry about.
 
#80 ·
Replying to old post, hopefully you still visit the forum.

Regarding your city friends? Have you told them it is ok to come over? If so, maybe you can at least talk to them again and agree on some basics, like they must bring all their food, water, batteries, guns, etc.
 
#79 · (Edited)
I hope in the worst scenario, some of you guys will at least be open to talking to your neighbors and trying to work something out, at least talk and really see if there is a win-win for the neighborhood. You may find it hard to imagine now, but perhaps in an event where everyone is scared and confused, you will realize people need to work together to survive long term. Trust me, even you will be scared.

Also not many of you wrote really valid reasons why you are so concerned about your neighbor. How many of you spend a reasonable time getting to actually know your neighbor? They probably have negative views on you, but you are the good guy right?

I am concerned about some elderly neighbors who live in my neighborhood. Some of them don't have family really close by, even if they did, it is possible that they won't be able to assist them for whatever reason.
 
#84 ·
I live in a small town that tries to call itself a city. To the East of me, I have a self entitled little meth head, Her freak of a mate, And her messed up kid. To the South East is another family of buzzard bait who were kicked out by her own father because he couldn't handle their crap, A vicious alcoholic, And many more who don't have a clue how to spell prep let alone do it. To the West of me is a Marine Corps Vet and his family.

When the brown hits the oscillating rotor, I will hole up for about a month. Lay low and see who does what.

If they try me, They will find me, And they will wish they hadn't for about two seconds... :(
 
#86 ·
I live in a small town that tries to call itself a city. To the East of me, I have a self entitled little meth head, Her freak of a mate, And her messed up kid. To the South East is another family of buzzard bait who were kicked out by her own father because he couldn't handle their crap, A vicious alcoholic, And many more who don't have a clue how to spell prep let alone do it. To the West of me is a Marine Corps Vet and his family.

When the brown hits the oscillating rotor, I will hole up for about a month. Lay low and see who does what.

If they try me, They will find me, And they will wish they hadn't for about two seconds... :(
Sounds like "Justified"- do you also have Mags down the road:lol:
 
#87 ·
Most of my neighbors have a clue and would not be a problem should the world turn to shit.
There are one or two that are questionable, but should they become problematic, they might also become food or fertilizer.
 
#88 ·
Best thing when TSHTF is to jump straight to offense. Maybe start thinking long range capability so it doesn't come to a "high speed Death machine" situation. Nothing gets to high speed from 500 yards.
 
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#89 ·
I've always thought the biggest threat people will face is from their own neighbors. And think about how many of your neighbors may currently be on some type of mood altering drug. America is the most over prescribed drugged up country on Earth. It's the only thing that allows some people to function normally, God only knows how crazy they will act when they're denied access to those meds.
 
#90 · (Edited)
Time for people to come to the realization that if they and their children are starving to death someone who you think of as a close friend will without hesitation shoot you in the head to get your supplies. Also be aware that there are some folks out there that may be thought of as good upstanding citizens who with the absence of law will kill other people simply because they can do so without worry of being punished for it. If you have to think about someone killing you for something so simple as an axe, a 5 gallon bucket, or a wheelbarrow/pull wagon.
 
#91 ·
All my neighbors are good people I would help in a shtf scenario except 3 houses. Ones a drunk, and we've exchanged words before. He can piss off. Next are white supremacists. The kids turned his life around, so I'll help him and his family if need be (expecting a baby) but the third one is a pedophile. He is getting strung up by his nutsack as soon as shtf.

Otherwise the neighborhood is smallish, and everyone waves hi at each other :)
 
#94 ·
I don't plan to stay in my neighborhood long term if the SHTF. As I've said earlier in the thread, I've got a few neighbor's with some skills, and one with a few pre-1976 cars that could be handy but I'm planning to get me and mine to a remote cabin in North Georgia. I think that after the SHTF it will be a great time to not have close neighbors.
 
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