My experience in Mongomery Alabama...

[Cowpoke .44]

I probably would have done the same thing... Not sure though. Thanks for sharing.

 

[booey50]

Welcome to the Dirtty South, where all your dreams come true...
I have family in Arkansas and it is the same there, stay away from the big cities and all you have to worry about are drunk people and meth heads!!!

 

[E5RANGER375]

theres a reason the south is so dirty with crime.

 

[oneshotonekill]

Thanks for being honest...most people wouldn't admit to that.

I have always wondered how I'd react as well, I figure I'd be the same way, taking cover and trying to keep from being involved....that's just a mess you wouldn't want to get into.

 

[Dirtebiker]

Bowling, I'm glad you and your family are all safe and sound!!!!
Like another post mentioned.... You probably did a lot correctly and didn't even know it, natural reaction is often the right move and first impressions are usually correct!!!
You mention that no one else called 911 .... Did you call? Did you consider following at a safe distance to help guide the police? Probably about the only thing I would have done differently. Of course this is Monday evening quarterbacking!
Again, thankfully, none of your family hurt.... Congratulations!

 

[singlesix]

I have lots of kin in Ala.

Never stop in Montgomery or Birmingham.

I try to stay out of all southern big cities. No different than Detroit!

Really? I stayed in Birmingham for Six weeks; just like any other city. Has places you should stay away from.

 

[Hotdoger]

Really? I stayed in Birmingham for Six weeks; just like any other city. Has places you should stay away from.

Yea I need to change that.

Per. 100,000 residents, Birmingham beats Detroit in murders, rapes, burglarys and thefts.

Crime rates nationaly are lower in unincorporated areas. So would it not make sense to stop in rual areas if you are concerned for your families safety??

 

[Bowling_R]

No, I did not call....got the hell out of there and didn't look back....I wondered if I should have, but by the time I even thought about it I didn't know who to call, how to get a hold of them, and I was on the road....

Hindsight, I should have but at the moment I wasn't concerned with anything but getting out of there, and no way in hell would I tail or watch anyone/anything remotely dangerous with the family in the vehicle....

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Ok... I'm going to defend my southern heritage. As disclosure, I grew up in Jackson, Tennessee. The crap mentioned above happens in every big city. Good people are good no matter whether they speak with a drawl or like a yankee. Thugs are thugs and they are everywhere-- big city, small towns, and in all races and nationalities. Just by shear statistics, you are more likely to encounter a thug in a larger city. People are people.

Go to any small town in the south, you'll meet pretty much the same kind of people you do in Indiana...they're just easier to understand :-)

Same with the big cities...Detroit is the same as New Oleans, is the same as Cleveland, is the same as Memphis...(of course the foods better in Memphis and New Orleans). Gangs, drugs, democrat corruption, are all common threads in alot of big cities north or south.

Y'all have a goodun!

 

[Bowling_R]

wdd

No need to "defend" your southern roots.....I just shared an experience I had down there.
I'm not passing judgement on Alabama, I just came to realize I do not fit in to the culture and practices of everyday life of many of the great inner cities around here.....I can say Gulf Shores is awesome and I wish I could live there.

 

[Kutnupe14]

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!
Every word of this quote is a verbatim of what I was going to say.
I too have lots of kin in Ala. and what Hotdoger said is no exaggeration.

I am from Alabama (right down the road from Montgomery) and Hotdogger is exaggerating. Both Montgomery and Birmingham are like most American cities, it has its nice areas, and its crappy ones.

 

[lon]

No need to "defend" your southern roots.....I just shared an experience I had down there.
I'm not passing judgement on Alabama, I just came to realize I do not fit in to the culture and practices of everyday life of many of the great inner cities around here.....I can say Gulf Shores is awesome and I wish I could live there.

 

[Hotdoger]

I am from Alabama (right down the road from Montgomery) and Hotdogger is exaggerating. Both Montgomery and Birmingham are like most American cities, it has its nice areas, and its crappy ones.

Crime stats for Birmingham vs Detroit per 100,000 prove me right.

China Grove to Carmel? What a culture shock!

BTW I haven't forgot how hot the sand was under my feet hoeing peanuts or the good times cooling off in the Pea River.

 

[sbcman]

Bowling- I think you handled this situation rightly; you and yours got out unharmed and I am glad for it.

I do have a question though- does your wife carry/train with you? I know how it is with three kids, the family unit will inevitably be split up with one staying with these kids and the other those. It gives me some peace of mind knowing that my wife carries and trains with me. If yours doesn't, this might be a great time to start

 

[HighStrung]

First off, congrats on being able to remove your family from a bad situation. The wife and I travel to the south quite often for Nascar races and we've seen some of the good and bad parts of the south. Like it was mentioned before, all cities have their parts, trying not to end up in one of this isn't always as easy as it sounds for someone who's not in their home environment. We've met many amazingly nice people from the south, so it isn't necessarily a geographic issue. It seems like it's always around 12-4am when we're making it to Birmgingham/Atlanta depending on which direction we're headed. I think a contributing factor would have been the out-of-town plates which could make you a target when traveling, so extra situational awareness is paramount. I think you did good given the situation you were facing. We too, have small children (though they don't accompany us on the Nascar weekends, they're still too young) so I can understand how that complicates the issues. As one other poster mentioned, does your wife carry? Does she even shoot? Getting her to a point where she is at least competent with a gun would have been a benefit here. If she's not into shooting, or doesn't want to carry, you two at least need to have plans on how to handle a situation such as this. My wife and I talk regularly about what we would do if such-and-such. My wife doesn't carry (yet), so we plan accordingly. Having planned and trained on what you want to do, will keep you from having to figure it out on the fly during a bad situation. +1 for the report on how things went down and how you reacted. Just use it as a learning experience for both of you. Maybe if she's not into guns/shooting, this past experience may be enough for her to understand the importance of her being competent with a firearm.

 

[VERT]

We just came through Montgomery a couple of weeks ago. Wife had to pee. Something about the condition of the stores and abandoned shopping centers kept her in the car. Then the bars on the windows of houses made her nervous. Passed a cheap motel only see about 10 police cars with people over the hood. Needless to say she held her bladder.

I am sure there are nice parts of town. We just didn't drive through that part. And yes both of us had our pistols.

 

[zombiekilla]

Do carry with the chamber loaded? Just wondering if you would have had time to load the chamber in the event that something was happening.

 

[Pattypat25]

What's worse than that is when you live in a nice city like Lafayette Indiana and all of a sudden in the last 5 years it's been a migrating point for gangs, heroin, and a large population of Chicago's finest. Most of the people moving here just want a better place to live and some of them want an easier place to commit crime. Its nothing staggering or overwhelming but it did convince me to buy my first handgun and start to EDC...

Just last weekend after going to the range with my wife(first time shooter). We encountered a situation at the Village Pantry on 38 & Creasy. A group of thugs were right at the front door as I was a walking out, they weren't there when I went in. My wife said they were huddling up in the side parking lot looking like they were scheming something. She locked the car door as I was inside. So when I walk out with my smokes i just bought, there is a group of 6-8 of them all staring at me as I walk by them, one stops as i walk by and says " hey pop let me get a Newport", I said they are Camels and your not getting one... I had my BG 380 in my pocket my hand was on the grip ready for whatever! It wasnt the scariest of situations but it did get my addrenaline pumping and made me kind of shaky for a while afterwards.

 

[mrortega]

Be thankful you were in Alabama, which reciprocates with Indiana for concealed carry. Now think about being in the same situation in some suburb of Chicago. What are you going to do about pulling a weapon then?

 

[Redskinsfan]

to the OP,

You did well and I am glad that your family is safe. You were scared because you had everything to lose right there with you. Any decent husband, father would be terrified at the possibilities that existed in that scenario for your loved ones.

Terry