The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.
QUESTION: When you go to work, go to the store, run errands, etc. in Contra Costa County, do you feel safe, or do you always watch your surroundings?
Talk about it.
Not most places, stay strapped my friends.
Yes. See story above as to why. There are places in CoCoCo that we will NOT go after dark. There are places I won’t let my wife go without me regardless of time. There are places we will not go at all. No matter where we go, we are alert/condition yellow, face the door at restaurants and carry pepper spray. Unfortunately, that is the most aggressive of what I can legally carry. Even with the win at SCOTUS (NYSRPA v Bruen), CoCoCo Sheriff Livingston has NOT been issuing to his capability with only a handful that I know of. He is issuing about as fast as the California High Speed Rail is getting built. Or as fast as new reservoirs are being built.
Be safe out there!
Contra Costa is a big county. Anyone who has lived here long enough knows that some areas are to be avoided at all times while others are for the most part very safe. I pay attention to my surroundings at all times but not to the point of complete paranoia. Obviously anything can happen anywhere at any given time but using common sense on where you venture and at what time will lesson the chances of a bad encounter. I do however tend to get somewhat nervous driving on the freeways these days because of all the shootings and keep my head on a swivel. That never used to be an issue.
La -la-la 🎶 I think it’s best to wander around like spongebob compleatly obvious to your surroundings
You’ve just described most millennials. They are sub-aware because their parents didn’t teach them basic skills.
I feel safe because I keep myself safe by being aware and prepared. I refuse to be a victim, yet understand it’s still possible and will do my best to thwart it.
Computer smart and street smart are really quite different. It’s rare to be attacked with a lap top.
Taught my Son and Daughter very early on firearms Safety, gun handling and marksmanship. Either can proficiently hit their target at 30 yards. Son lives in Texas, maintains SAFE storage, has a carry permit and carries concealed.
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I grew up in SF where “situational awareness” was the norm.
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CC County was laid back in the 80s and 90s but with the influx of liberals and urban socialism into the area, situational awareness and alertness has been re-engaged.
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No longer will I go to an ATM in the dark, I tend not to offer help to strangers, and always lock the gate, doors and windows. I don’t even like to leave my garage unattended if the garage door is open. Too much scum has permeated the Diablo Valley.
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I always keep an eye on what’s going on around me.
I’ve been doing so for years.
Better safer than sorry.
For the most part, yes, I feel safe. Plus, am always aware of my surroundings nowadays.
But there are areas I will not go with or without a companion.
Before cell phones, in the 70’s, walk-about alone up in the hills was fun, …long gone those days.
10 years or more ago we never worried. Now my wife and I keep one eye open all the time. The liberals are ruining Walnut Creek.
Always aware of my surroundings (I got held up at gunpoint back in 1998 at my first full time job), but much more cautious now than I ever was. Contra Costa has changed drastically.
I used to always feel relatively safe – not now, society and culture has taken a significant and dramatic downturn since about 2008…. Brown & Newsom have only accelerated the problem. (Look at SF and Oakland and their mayors over that time too)
I feel as safe in Contra Costa County as I do anywhere else. Keeping an eye out for anything unusual, out of place, or suspicious has been ingrained in me as part of my military training and experience. In real life, there are certain people that have a certain look about them. It could be the way they dress, they way they talk, or the way they carry themselves, that tells me not to trust them. Some folks might call it profiling, I don’t care. The reality is, there are bad people that want to do harm, and I don’t trust them. I exercise caution, but I am not afraid.
I carry, but fact is no way means I feel safe it just means I can defend if I need to.
I feel pretty safe BECAUSE I’m always aware of my surroundings, and I feel like I’m pretty well prepared to handle most situations that may arise.
Head on a swivel at all times! When seconds matter, police are minutes away so it’s up to the individual to protect themselves and their family!
Spent 30 years as a paramedic in Alameda county. I’m constantly on full alert. If things get any worse, I’ll probably wind up carrying a Glock. What are they gonna do to me? I’m a 59-year-old EMS veteran retiree.
As long as the gun is registered to you, it’s just a misdemeanor. It’s highly unlikely that you would do any jail time. Worst that’s likely to happen is that you’ll lose your gun. Luckily, Glocks are a dime a dozen.
And when’s the last time you were stopped and searched?
I generally feel safe moving about in Contra Costa County. But I’m always aware of my surroundings no matter where I am. Crime can happen anywhere.
Only when I’m with my close friends smith & wesson
Two phrases I see posted that immediately came to mind when I read this discussion topic: Situational awareness and head on a swivel. Keep your eyes open and your nose out of your phone. Good to know there are still smart people around.
I try to be aware of my surroundings no matter where I am.
Where I grew up in Denmark, there were literally no crime, a bicycle might get stolen, but even that was unusual, We had about 2-3 murders a year, in the fifties and sixties in a country of 5 million people. In Copenhagen it was a little different, but mostly safe as along as you stayed away from certain areas, even no not much violent crime, usually a couple of guys that were drunk would get into a fist figth. When I came to the US I lived in Westport Ct, also very safe. I then moved to New York, and I learned to be more careful, however the thing about New York is there are always people out on the street, even late at night as long as you stay in certain neighborhoods. I mostly feel safe in this area, and I do try to be aware of my surroundings. At work things often disappear and even when I can pin down the time, I can’t say it was a customer that looked suspicious. We do get customers that raises red flags, carrying a big bag, not answering if you ask them if they need help finding something, seem to try to avoid sales associates. I was robbed on Willow Pass road in 2009, fortunately I did not have much money in my purse, and I already had the keys in my hand. My car was broken into when I worked at Macy’s in Palo Alto, Stanford Shopping Center.
Mostly, but always pay attention to my surroundings. I have heightened awareness in some areas, particularly at night.
With crime on the increase and “justice” for victims being so allusive
wouldn’t be surprised in future years if demand to rent a backhoe, goes way up.
A better assessment of our area IMO- I assume that every night someone is going to try to get into my car and any door in my house. It’s the only mindset that will build the habits necessary to prevent something from vapor ring. I’ve lived a lot of places in the world and I’ve never had to think this way elsewhere.
*happening not vapor ring
I AM THE DANGER!
Well… only if you try to rob or attack me when I’m in my vehicle.
Sometimes I’ll take a shortcut thru a sketchy neighborhood but I would not park & start counting my money there.
I still uses simple habits learned years ago, when coming and going in and out of stores etc and have always tried to be aware of my surroundings. But with challenging changes over the last few years and now, I feel I’m my only protector when I go out and that’s not easy at all. Love where I live and the Community.